Moorhaven

by Daoma Winston

Vintage paperback romance

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

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Daoma Winston was a prolific writer of Gothic romance and horror/thriller novels. All of her novels have a strong occult theme and usually feature ghosts, witches, demons or magic.
(Not "Golden Tramp.")

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moorhaven by Daoma Winston is a 1973 Avon publication.


Oh my! This is type of Gothic mystery/romance I love! Many of you know I am a collector of vintage paperbacks, and I am especially fond of these Gothic novels that were so popular in the sixties and seventies before the big ‘bodice ripper’ phase took hold.

The covers of these books are simply wonderful, making them fun to display on my bookshelves, but I also like to read them. I’m a huge Gothic fan, from Jane Eyre to Dorothy Eden and Victoria Holt, to anything in between, old or new.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time and I’ve been dying to read it. Finally, I got caught up enough to squeeze in a few chapters every night, and looked forward to reading this book more than any other I was reading at the time.

For the record, this is a historical drama, with no real paranormal elements, unless you count the house, which was suspected of being evil in way, and there are no damsels in distress, a common misnomer when it comes to these older books.

This novel has pure Gothic, elements, and is a sweeping family saga spanning three generations, all centered around Moorhaven, an imposing old mansion built by the sea.

When Cordelia’s guardian marries, he obtains a position for her at Moorhaven as the governess for two children whose mother is quite unwell. Cordelia soon finds herself in danger when a clear message is sent that she is not welcome at Moorhaven. The story goes on to focus on family jealousies, murder plots, revenge, and a tiny bit of romance.

Once one mystery was solved the story moved onto the next generation who would often face similar obstacles, until finally, with the last generation, the family will have a little hard earned peace.

Despite the age of this novel, it really did not show much datedness, and only once did I find a phrase that would be politically incorrect today.

Overall, the story was so absorbing, I was struck by how far removed we are from these classics and once again I feel a little sad that these family sagas and romantic suspense stories have all but vanished.

One thing to note is that while the book is placed in the historical romance genre, it really isn’t. Yes, it is set in historical times, but it is really a mystery suspense novel with some romantic pairings, but there are no declarations of love, passionate embraces or kisses, and nothing even close to sexual content.

So, if you know what to expect you won’t be disappointed when you discover romance is not the primary focus on this novel.

Daoma Winston passed away in 2013, so I have no idea who now owns the copyright for her books, but if there is a way to ask Amazon, it would be cool if her work were formatted into digital format, so a new audience could discover it easily. As it stands now, you can find copies in the Amazon marketplace, eBay, and perhaps a used bookstore or paperback swap store. If you happen across a copy somewhere, I highly recommend it, especially if like historical mysteries, family sagas, Gothic novels, or romantic suspense.

5 stars

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A multi-generational saga of the Moorhaven family....a house and its inhabitants cursed....tragedy and madness. Spooky gothic elements add to the story's dark and sinister tone. Three generations, three stories following the men and women who lived and loved at Moorhaven. Very light on the romance side and stronger on the mystery/suspense. Fans of Victoria Holt's gothics would enjoy this one.

[Nattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I wasted a lot of time on this book. The first 150 pages were Cordelia's story and it was good, but Dorinda and Cassie's stories were seriously lacking. I wish Daoma hadn't gone for an epic saga and instead focused on the more entertaining story.

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing I didn't truly enjoy was that just as I was getting a feel for the characters and caring for them it jumped to the next generation's story.

[Catherine Chant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this back in the 70's when I was a teenager and LOVED it. Re-read a few years ago and some of the shine had come off (wasn't as good as I remembered), but to me it's still a classic gothic romance tale of love, tragedy and triumph.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with Lynn and Joanne :-)

[Tweety · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this had done elements not usually in a gothic. That said, its life three books in one and they all deserve a different rating.

1/3 5 stars
2/3 3 1/2 stars
3/3 4 stars

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover says this is a romance novel. No it really isn't. It is however a great classic who done it story. Can't beat the classics.

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why do gothics and family sagas never mix well? Publishers have obviously been tempted to try that mixture, since each genre was popular in its own day. "Moorhaven," by the prolific gothic romance novelist Daoma Winston, reinforces why the Frankenstein's monster of the two genres don't work well together. Set somewhere on a vaguely described coast within some driving distance of Boston, the novel spans 1899 to 1966 and three generations of women tied to a robber baron castle set on the edge of a marsh. Cordelia, an orphan, comes to the recently built mansion as a governess. The novel also encompasses her daughter Dorinda and granddaughter Cassie, who like Cordelia will also deal with a suspicious decaying town full of villagers who blame the family for their woes, as well as interfamilial greed and menace. While Winston valiantly tries to have her gothic cake and eat it, too, from the governess/employer romance plot to gaslighting to vendettas to conspiracies, the supposed romances are thinner than tissue paper and whole spans of years are summarily sped through. In her rush to get through her plot, Winston kills off characters with abandon, from minor to major. Sometimes it's unintentionally funny, as when she compresses multiple deaths into several paragraphs. At the end, when the long-promised curse of the Moorhavens comes due in the middle of the latest murder plot, all within the final five pages, it seems as if Winston just ran out of steam and decided to wind things up.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this back in the 1980's when I was in my 20's. I absolutely fell in love with this book and all of the characters. I can't remember them all, or specifics about the story, but do know it was my all time favorite and I recommended it whenever someone asked me what they should read next.

I just found a copy on E-bay and will be re-reading this again. I can use a bit of escape during this dreadful time, so I will be writing another review as soon as I finish it. I wonder if I will enjoy it as much now that I am older. I look forward to finding out. Until then...happy reading.

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather typical gothic romance, spanning 3 generations.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was ok