Dream Of Fair Woman

by Charlotte Armstrong

Who was she, this beautiful girl who fell into a deep sleep as soon as she checked into the Los Angeles boarding house? Was she an heiress, starlet or religious mystic? When the story hit the newspapers, three people claimed she was three different women. Matt Cuneen, intrigued by the deepening mystery of this modern sleeping beauty, decides to investigate for himself.

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Full name Charlotte Armstrong Lewi. Wrote 29 novels, plus short stories and plays under the name Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine. Additional writing jobs: New York Times (advertising department), Breath of the Avenue (fashion reporter).

Reviews

[Penwiper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like this one quite as much as the first I read, but it was still good. The thing that detracted from my enjoyment was that halfway through we start seeing the story from the villain's side, eliminating the mystery completely and reducing it to a "when will the good guys figure it out" plot. Also, there was a "girl longing for a guy who treats her like a sister" romance subplot, and those always drive me nuts.

[Debra Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

published in 1966, a woman rents a room, then goes into a coma. She is identified by 3 different people. Who is she and what is her story? This scenario of course could never hold up to modern day technology available in solving medical and identification problems and so it seems a little far fetched for a present day mystery. However, with a reminder of retro society with it's lack of discoveries available, one can focus on the sweet love story interwoven into the narrative.

[Paperbackreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doppelganger(s), hypnotism, never-ending wrangling over a sleeping beauty...make no mistake, some of this is bonkers! But despite the plot holes and overall insanity, I enjoyed this fast paced tale. The characters are surprisingly layered! This is the perfect quick- summer-read. It will not take up a lot of time or brain power.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the intimacy of the characters or maybe the vileness of the bad guys. It could be the soft undertones of women’s suffering. Maybe Charlotte Armstrong just has the perfect way of weaving story and words. No matter what it is, I find Dream of Fair Woman hauntingly visual and doused in colors from beginning to end!

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

[Hilda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too slow, amateurish

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

strange. cannot be one of her better books.

[Lumen Reese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great. Too far from believable in my opinion, even for the 60s. Flat characters. The idea had promise but the easy way out was taken.

[Angel Hatfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matt was Peggy’s son, his mom had called Matt and he immediately went to her. Peggy was a widow and rented out a couple of rooms in her house. Peg said a girl had came last night and was so tired and nothing had really been settled but Peg said the girl wouldn’t wake up now but she was alive. Betty came in and said that when Peg had went down to answer the phone she had taken over telling the girl the rules of the house and she too thought the girl was preoccupied or exhausted. Then Matt found out his mom didn’t know where the girl came from or how she got to his mother's or why or even her name. His mother didn’t ask how long she would even be there. Matt had a part time job as a lab technician and was going to school he planned on being a scientist and the hospital was across the park where he lived with his mother. The young woman was moved to the hospital as she wouldn’t wake up but appeared only to be in a very peaceful sleep. There was no ID of any kind to be found among the girl’s things. Tony is a reporter but had stopped to see Betty and found out about the young woman as she really wasn’t a girl. Tony was the first to set things up to have the young woman photographed and wrote an article about her. Then Tony finds out and tells Matt a murdered young woman had been found in back of a rig that looked just like the sleeping young woman. Detective Tate is working on that case. Matt’s mother felt responsible for the young woman so then Matt told he would take over being responsible for her even at the hospital. Matt was to talk to everyone who claimed to know the young woman and figure out who really may know her so they could see her during visiting hours only. Matt was trying to find any information on her and Betty helped.
I read three fourths of this story and kept hoping it would get better but it just didn’t for me and i could not force myself to read it any longer. This story just wasn’t for me.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit, though I knew of Charlotte Armstrong and am an avid reader of early-to-mid-20th Century mysteries, I did not make the connection until after I began reading this. My first thought was that it read like an older novel. Aha! That's because it is one! As soon as I realized what I was reading something shifted. It went from oddly old-fashioned to familiar. The mystery itself, while a bit far-fetched, is sufficiently complicated to keep the reader on her toes. Armstrong has been on my to read pile for a long time and now that I have experienced her, I probably won't run out and get all her books, but neither will I avoid her. All in all, a fun little pulpy read.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my fave quotes from the book: "Watch it buddy, thought Betty grimly, I might be real."

[Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read years ago.