La casa de las siete urracas

by Victoria Holt

Barcelona. 18 cm. 427 p. Encuadernación en tapa blanda de editorial. Holt, Victoria 1906-1993. Traducción de María Antonia Menini. Mitos bolsillo. Traducción Seven for a secret .. Este libro es de segunda mano y tiene o puede tener marcas y señales de su anterior propietario. 8439703570

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Gothic, Mystery, Fiction, Historical Romance, Gothic Romance

427 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Kavita · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a mess of a book! I usually enjoy Holt, even if I don't necessarily like her romances, but this book was a complete mess. It started off quite interesting with Frederica growing up with a bitter mother who pines after her old grand life. But when she moves to be with her aunt, the story becomes becomes darker. The first half of the book held my interest. There is the secret of the Seven Magpies, her new friends, Rachel and Tamarisk, and the different men in the vicinity to keep the story moving. But then the plot got convoluted and every two pages I began to exclaim "Wait, what, why?" Like, a man agreeing to accept some other man's child as his own. What if it had been a boy, and not a girl? What about inheritance and such?

I asked the same question about Tamarisk blithely telling Crispin he must stay on and deal with the estates. What if she had a son? Would she be happy about this child living in some remote island or would she want him to receive his inheritance? What if she had a daughter - wouldn't the money come in handy to provide a dowry for her? The entire British aristocracy was built on such flimsy ideals. Why even depict it when you're just going to evade it all to suit your story?

I also did not really feel the romance between Frederica and Crispin. I mean, what the hell, really? He lied to her about having a living wife and was going to go ahead with a fake wedding with her because he "loved" her. Instead of being furious and protecting Frederica, which would be their duty under Victorian custom, her aunt and father prose on and on about true love. What utter nonsense! How about introducing her to other eligible bachelors? As for Frederica's trip to some island near Australia, it didn't add anything to the plot or the story. It didn't even make any sense.

Some of the dialogues were excruciating and didn't bring out any emotions at all. Frederica particularly annoyed me consistently with her pompous dialogues. Tamarisk tells her about the biggest tragedy in her life and all she could say was "Poor Tamarisk!" Same with her other friend, Rachel. I mean, who talks like that? There was also incessant repetition with the dialogues. She told her father five times that he ought to have returned to Aunt Sophie to be cared for and he responded five times that he couldn't have done that because she deserved better. Didn't understand it the first time, Fred? Are you stupid? Same with Crispin. Same, same, same, ugh!

There are other books by Holt that make better reading and at least have a coherent plot, if nothing else. This book was published the year before Holt died. Clearly not her best effort!

[Maria Elmvang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be the first to admit that Victoria Holt doesn't write great literature. Her stories are fluff - meant for entertainment and not much else. But so what? Once in awhile a bit of entertainment is all I really ask for in a book, and as such Seven for a Secret did a great job. The writing was tighter than I've seen in some of her other books and while somewhat contrived the plot wasn't altogether improbable and the ending very satisfactory.

It's not a book that'll leave a lasting impression on a reader, but if you need a bit of light literature to read by the pool or on a long plane ride, you could definitely do much worse than picking this one.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is such a good writer. I love how she writes from childhood and unravels all these cryptic mysteries. My husband was excited that I was reading a romance. But this disappointed him for it was really really clean and more a story of discovery. I loved it and I love her books

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Victoria Holt generally, though sometimes the gender dynamics are problematic to say the least. What creeps me out a bit is the hero, who is supposed to be appealing.
1) He is fully willing to marry our heroine, despite the fact that he believes he is legally married already, and thus would be a bigamist and make our heroine an adulteress and their children illegitimate. Because "he can't risk losing her." Fan-freaking-tastic. Because HIS feelings matter so much more than her right to understand the situation fully.

2) He doesn't want the world to know that he has no right to his estate, and he certainly doesn't want to tell the rightful heir because he really LIKES the estate and he's GOOD at estating.

What a fantastic moral compass he has! I sure see why she loves him so! He has some good qualities of course but he seems to me to be cowardly and self-serving in very crucial everyday kinds of ways. Anyone might reasonably be afraid of mortal combat (the kind of cowardice these books always deplore) but apparently basic moral courage and decency are highly negotiable because FEELINGS and LOVE.

Also why do so many of her books seem to involve heroines going on long pointless boat trips? Seriously, what did that detour accomplish that couldn't have been as neatly achieved by an outing to Scotland or something?

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books written by Victoria Holt are so cheesy, but sometimes that's exactly what you need. I've read a loooot of her books when I was 14/15 years old..that was the last time I've read them. I absolutely loved them at the time. I'm thinking of reading one of her books just for the old times sake! =)

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call it a 2.5.

[Jjean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start with family issues - picks up and finds some interesting characters - a "cheesy" drawn out romance - secrets long kept from different family members - interesting how they are at last exposed.

[Shalini M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now, this did not turn out to be as interesting as I expected. I don't know whether it is one of her worse works, or whether her books may not so intriguing to a mature adult as they could be to a school/college student. I read a few of her books way back then, and loved them. I was never much into romances, but found her kind of romantic thrillers quite enjoyable. I didn't find another of her books since then, and was therefore thrilled to find one at Blossoms a couple of weeks back. And I was rather disappointed. It was all too predictable, and the suspense/secret wasn't that good for all the build-up.

[Eva Seyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another author I keep hearing about from my friends. I don't know if all her books are this rubbishy or if I just picked a bad one, but it read like the magnum opus of a fifteen-year-old who reads too many sordid newspaper articles. How else can you cram seduction, suicide, identity crises, divorce, deception, illegitimate children, and South Sea islands into just one story?

Also, the NAMES. Tamarisk is bad... but Crispin?!?

I rest my case.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I've read this before…I had the story figured out in the first few pages.

And her falling in love with him? There was no character basis for her choice. And no one talks like that - or maybe they did, but I would have hit the girl in the mouth for being a pompous, stuck-up self-righteous pill.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite books, I first read Seven for a Secret when I was in high school. For a few years I looked in local book shops for a copy of my own, but didn't find one until recently. It was still as good as I remembered it being seven or eight years ago.

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it 3.5 if I could. It took me a few days to get into it, then parts in the middle were a bit repetitive (mostly the main character's inner dialog), but one night it kept me reading until 2am and I was moved to tears at another point.

[Ruby Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written.

[Vmontgzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encantan las novelas de Victoria Holt y esta de una de las buenas, mucho suspenso, mas de un secreto que guardar, un viaje a una isla exotica y al final todo sale bien. Me gusto mucho.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

very mediocre

[Kw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big Victoria Holt fan but this one is my least favorite. Unpalatable and a bit boring

[Steiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot problems. Didn't require a colonial trip across the world. Didn't really feel the romance.

[Leo]

TW: stroke, death of a parent, ableism, murder, attempted sexual assault of a minor, suicide, suicide ideation, age gap between mc and love interest (10 years, possibly more), racism, racist charicatures, colonialism

Note: This is more of a personal review and diary entry rather than a general review.

This is a book, one of only a few I had access to, from my local library when I was a tween. I constantly had it checked out going on my tape player. Needless to say it is a nostalgic and very special book to me, so I revisited this book decades later knowing I was probably going to see things I was very much ignorant of as a sheltered homeschooled kid.

I can't excuse the blatant racism and ignorance of Polynesian cultures and practices that are referenced towards the end. It was *cartoonishly* bad. So much so that even the racism was inaccurate - Holt described the indigenous Polynesian people of this fictional island like an offensive stereotype of indigenous African countries. Gosh I feel weird critiquing someone getting racism wrong, but what I mean is it somehow makes it worse - being so ignorant you think all indigenous peoples are the same adds another layer to an already terrible cake.

Then there's the age gap, but honestly it seemed less offensive than some historical fiction. I still did not like it and was uncomfortable with it. Obviously age gaps were less of an issue back in the 1800s but they were still wrong. At least they didn't get together till the mc was 20 - but 20 is still very much a baby, so ew.

I will not excuse these aspects of the book nor ignore how they influenced my sheltered white butt growing up. I am able to see though how much I have learned and grown since first reading this. I was a tween then - living in a cult in the United States, unschooled and ignorant. Now I am nearing 40, a trans queer person and living in Aotearoa. I'm so glad I have been able to escape from where I was then. Reading this book then and now has really helped me to see the progress I've fought for in my life.

I adore the mysteries and twists the book offers when it stays at St Aubins and the cast of characters were varied and some quite complicated.

I will always treasure the seven magpies in Flora's room. It may have been an omen in the book, a secret never to be told, but not for me. The secret I was never told about was the outside world: It's complications, history, racism, trauma, etc. Now that I have broken free of my young nest and flown out, worked through it, and as I try daily to be better, the magpies are my guide.

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told

[Mary Cushnie-Mansour · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my teens, I was an avid reader of Victoria Holt novels and had every one I could get my hands on. However, after lending my collection to someone, with the promise they would all be returned, then never seeing my precious books again, I moved on to other authors. I picked up "Seven for a Secret" at a used bookstore, thinking to re-visit my childhood author. "Seven for a Secret" did not totally disappoint; it is a nice story, as were all of Victoria Holt's books. However, I felt there was something missing.

The story starts out strong enough ... the tragedy that befell the heroine, Frederica, could very well have been such during those times. Her mother, born into luxury, lost it all - the money, the marriage, life as she had known it. Yet, in trying to keep up appearances, she loses her mind, and then her body crashes and Frederica is collected by her mother's sister. The young child has never known her father, as he left when she was but a baby. The aunt is much different from her sister - more practical - and she and Frederica get along well. Frederica becomes friends with the two young girls in the area, Rachel and Tamarisk. Rachel is quiet and withdrawn; Tamarisk is rich and spoiled, and the three girls take lessons at Tamarisk's estate. Tamarisk has a brother, Crispin, who scars Frederica upon their first meeting when he calls her plain.

The story is interesting enough to keep one engaged. There are incidents that happen around the lives of the three girls, but they are not dealt with in a profound manner - actually, the writing is a bit naive, although I suspect for the target market, it is what is expected. I must admit there was a nice twist at the end (which I had suspected much earlier in the book), but nice all the same. I am not sure if we live in a fairytale world like is being depicted in "Seven for a Secret," then again, did we ever? And, what is a story supposed to do for us? Maybe it is just meant to take us into an alternate universe for a time so we don't have to dwell on the everyday mundane events of our lives.

Is "Seven for a Secret" worth reading? Yes. A nice story for a rainy afternoon. Three stars (for old time's sake)

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounding up. When I was a teen I worked my way through most of Victoria Holt’s books and gothic romance/mystery remains one of my preferred comfort read genre.

Frederica is an orphan raised by her aunt with a friend who is the daughter of the estate and another who is being raised by her Aunt and incredibly creepy Uncle. Early on she catches the attention of the son of the estate who rescues her from said Creepy Uncle. The secret is acknowledged early on, and there is murder and suspicion throughout the story. The mystery in its generalities were clear to me pretty early on but the journey was enjoyable despite some frustrations with tropes and dates perspectives notes below. Not my favorite of Holt’s books but an enjoyable diversion for the afternoon.
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CW with spoilers
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Some of Holt’s books suffer from out of date perspectives on, and this one is no exception to that, the most troubling ones for me personally in this story were the tendency towards the main character to constantly explain to her friends how they were feeling in a scenario. Additionally there was a lot of gaslighting from her aunt in regards to Freddie’s suspicions and instincts regarding Crispin. There are additionally some outdated perspectives on missionary and native people. Suicide and attempted sexual assault/Pedophilia also are parts of the narrative.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, I rounded up.

Available on Kindle Unlimited as of February 27, 2023.

Sometimes reading an author you loved decades ago is just what one needs.

I read a lot of Victoria Holt in middle school and high school and wanted to see if her stories were still as good as I remembered.

I liked Seven for a Secret and was surprised to discover I had read this. It was published in 1992 and I thought I was past Victoria Holt at that point and well into Stephen King and the Bridges of Madison County.

I do believe the story holds up for what it is. Gothic mystery and secrets everywhere, a pretty tame romance and a taste of adventure to make the story more interesting.

Victoria Holt did not write great literature but she did write good stories that allow the reader to escape reality for a while.

What I didn’t find was a lot of description of clothing, meals, rooms. Here and there those things were mentioned but I did find myself wanting more description that I overlooked years ago because I was all about Crispin’s secrets and wanting Fredricka to just marry him already!

*edited to add there were A LOT of typos and grammatical errors in the ebook. The number 1 was used for the letter I all through the book. There a few areas with duplicate paragraphs. Whomever transcribed this book did not proofread.

[Adelein · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 tähteä.

Seitsemän linnun taika kertoo Fredericasta, joka muuttaa äitinsä kuoleman jälkeen Harper's Greenin kylässä asuvan tätinsä luokse. Frederica tutustuu kyläläisiin, muun muassa Lanen sisaruksiin. Heillä on kuitenkin jokin salaisuus kannettavanaan.

Kyseessä on tyypillinen Victoria Holtin romaani: on kartanoita, menneisyyden salaisuuksia, matkoja kaukaisiin ja eksoottisiin paikkoihin... (ja toisteista dialogia ja turhan helppo loppu.) Eniten harmitti, että tässä käytettiin samaa juonikuviota kuin Holtin aikaisemmassa Tuhannen lyhdyn talo -romaanissa: Frederican mielitietyn Crispinin aikaisempi vaimon uskotaan kuolleen liikenneonnettomuudessa, mutta pian paljastuukin, että tämä on oikeasti elossa ja seisoo rakastavaisten yhteisen onnen tiellä. Osasin aavistaa, mitä olisi odotettavissa, sillä Tuhannen lyhdyn talossa Janelle ja Joliffelle kävi samoin.
Juonessa olisi ollut mahdollisuuksia vaikka kuinka monimutkaisiin koukkuihin, mutta sen sijaan meno olikin melko yksinkertaista. Tämä oli mukava luettava kaiken kiireen keskellä, mutta ei olisi toiminut niin hyvin pitkissä pätkissä luettuna.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was all over the place

I've had this book on my shelf for a really long time - early 90's. I had started to read it but lost interest. I finally decided to just read it now and move it off my shelf whether I finished it or not but the hardcover book was heavy and hurt my hands to hold. I got this kindle version to help but this is a horrible copy. They obviously used a computer program to copy the text and didn't check it to make sure it copied okay. It's a mess with random numbers and letters scattered throughout and some sections of the story are repeated twice. Most of the time the letter "I" was typed as a number one and in some places parts of words were missing so I had to pull out the physical book to see what it was supposed to say. The story isn't that good but once I started I had to know how it ended. The secret is obvious early on but I had to know how it was revealed.

I filed this one in the round bin.

[Karla Mallma Soriano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ay!!!! Lo amé!!!!

El libro comienza pintándonos una cosa más luego termina en otra. Muy bueno!

Aquí se nos narra la historia de Frederica, una chica que pierde a sus padres. Hasta ahí anda medio monse el asunto más luego, casi a las 3 horas del audiolibro, la historia de la niñita abandonada cambia y vemos como esta chica se vuelve muy lista. Ella cae a pelo en un pueblo que no ve mal a una criada que cree que el niño que cuida es un muñeco...

Hay una especie de refrán en torno al cual se articula toda la historia: “Una bandada de urracas. Una por la pena, dos por la alegría, tres por una chica, cuatro por un chico, cinco por la plata, seis por el oro, siete por un secreto que jamás debe ser contado.”. Y obviamente es este último punto con el cual la autora si que nos tiene con los pelos de punta.

Muy recomendable!

[Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

The intertwined stories of Frederica, Tamarisk and Rachel.

A pretty standard romance is enlivened a little by the mysterious past of Tamarisk's husband Gaston and the secret that poor, mad Flora Lane has been admonished never to tell (hence the reminder of the picture of 7 magpies).

Mostly, though, this book is pretty bland and not overly well written... The sense of menace and foreboding often present in Victoria Holt's books is missing.

And the description of the Polynesian island is absolutely cringeworthy and patronising.

Not her finest work.

[Laronda Blessing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading Victoria Holt as a teen, but I may have grown out of them. Or it may just be this novel. It was a relatively enjoyable read, and I do like dark, gothic mysteries. This, though, while full of dark subject matter--creepy perverted adults, murders, "did the man I passionately love do it?"--was light on plot line and believable character development. Still have a fond place in my heart for the author from earlier days, but it may be time for me to leave her works behind.

[Jamie Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an older book and was tough for me to really immerse myself into it. It’s written in an older style also.

I did enjoy it. It isn’t one that I would read again, so that’s why the low rating.

It did keep me guessing and wondering how everything was going to play out. I never would have guessed the secret. Never. So kudos to Victoria.

If you like the older romance style, I’d recommend this book.

[Dominique Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven for a secret was amazingly written. The secret that must never be told in the end killed a lot of people. It portrayed a great way of telling and showing people that secrets are deadly they should be told to the people who it May concern. Overall this book is now one of my favorites. Just found a new favorite author can't wait to read more of her work.

[Lyn Sweetapple · Rating 4 out of 5]

A manor house and small village are the setting of this classic Holt mystery. This takes place sometime before 1911 as Luke remarks that 711 was almost 1200 years ago. There are railways and steamships that sail through the Suez Canal, but all other travel is by horse. I like the characters as they are well developed and interesting.

[Nanette A Feuling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Holt was my choice through high school bested only by Daphne Du Maurier with “Rebecca!” Although not a profound writer, Holt still gives a complicated plot that twists and turns in interesting and unexpected ways. Her characters, history, and settings are enjoyable, writing style is sophisticated, and her endings are always happy! Seven for a Secret follows suit.