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Dark Enchantment
WAS SHE THE VICTIM OF A DARK ENCHANTMENT?
Since childhood, beautiful Juliet Cunningham had dreamed of living in a small French town. now, at last, her dream had become a reality. But then a mysterious series of events threatened to turn her rustic village into a deadly nightmare.
First a goat was killed by a black cat. Then a young girl was strangely crippled. Next another girl was inexplicably blinded.
A strange terror began to stalk the streets. At night, bands of armed men prowled the countryside searching for a disfigured, one-eyed gypsy sorceress. Alone and penniless, whom could Juliet turn to in this sinister witches' den? Could she trust the dark, dashing stranger, Michael Faulkner, who offered help? Was he a friend? Or would he turn out to be the most dangerous enemy of all?
DARK ENCHANTMENT
A novel of heart-stopping suspense and romance by the author of THE UNINVITED
Since childhood, beautiful Juliet Cunningham had dreamed of living in a small French town. now, at last, her dream had become a reality. But then a mysterious series of events threatened to turn her rustic village into a deadly nightmare.
First a goat was killed by a black cat. Then a young girl was strangely crippled. Next another girl was inexplicably blinded.
A strange terror began to stalk the streets. At night, bands of armed men prowled the countryside searching for a disfigured, one-eyed gypsy sorceress. Alone and penniless, whom could Juliet turn to in this sinister witches' den? Could she trust the dark, dashing stranger, Michael Faulkner, who offered help? Was he a friend? Or would he turn out to be the most dangerous enemy of all?
DARK ENCHANTMENT
A novel of heart-stopping suspense and romance by the author of THE UNINVITED
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
13 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Macardle
22 books65 followersDorothy Macardle was born in Dundalk, Ireland in 1889 into a wealthy brewing family, famous for their Macardle's Ale, and was raised Roman Catholic. She received her secondary education in Alexandra College, Dublin – a school under the management of the Church of Ireland – and later attended University College, Dublin. Upon graduating, she returned to teach English at Alexandra.
Macardle was a member of the Gaelic League and later joined Cumann na mBan in 1917. In 1918 (during the War of Independence), Macardle was arrested by the RIC while teaching at Alexandra; she was eventually dismissed in 1923, towards the latter end of the Irish Civil War, because of her anti-Treatyite sympathies and activities.
When the republican movement split in 1921-22 over the Anglo-Irish Treaty, MacArdle sided with Éamon de Valera and the anti-Treaty Irregulars. She was imprisoned by the fledgling Free State government in 1922, during the Civil War, and served time in both Mountjoy and Kilmainham Gaols.
While working as a journalist with the League of Nations in the 1930s she acquired a considerable affinity with the plight of pre-war Czechoslovakia. Consequently she differed with official Irish government policy on the threat of Nazism, Irish neutrality during World War II, compulsory Irish language teaching in schools, and deplored what she saw as the reduced status of women in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland.
Macardle recounted her Civil War experiences in Earthbound: Nine Stories of Ireland (1924). Macardle became a playwright in the next two decades. In her dramatic writing she used the pseudonym Margaret Callan. During this time she worked as a journalist at the League of Nations.
She also researched her mammoth book The Irish Republic which was first published in 1937. Her political opponents and some modern historians consider her to be a hagiographer for de Valera's political views. Murray considers that: "..de Valera’s ambitious scheme was eventually implemented by Dorothy Macardle, his devoted follower and lifelong apologist, whose book The Irish Republic conforms closely to the overall plan outlined by de Valera in prison, and even incorporates many of its details. The outline originally proposed by de Valera was extremely detailed, incorporating a carefully planned chronology and headings from which the chapters were to be developed."
She died in 1958 at the age of 69 of cancer in hospital in Drogheda. Though she was somewhat disillusioned with the new Irish State (in particular, regarding its treatment of women), she left the royalties from The Irish Republic to her close friend Éamon de Valera, who wrote the foreword to the book. De Valera visited her when she was dying.
Macardle was a member of the Gaelic League and later joined Cumann na mBan in 1917. In 1918 (during the War of Independence), Macardle was arrested by the RIC while teaching at Alexandra; she was eventually dismissed in 1923, towards the latter end of the Irish Civil War, because of her anti-Treatyite sympathies and activities.
When the republican movement split in 1921-22 over the Anglo-Irish Treaty, MacArdle sided with Éamon de Valera and the anti-Treaty Irregulars. She was imprisoned by the fledgling Free State government in 1922, during the Civil War, and served time in both Mountjoy and Kilmainham Gaols.
While working as a journalist with the League of Nations in the 1930s she acquired a considerable affinity with the plight of pre-war Czechoslovakia. Consequently she differed with official Irish government policy on the threat of Nazism, Irish neutrality during World War II, compulsory Irish language teaching in schools, and deplored what she saw as the reduced status of women in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland.
Macardle recounted her Civil War experiences in Earthbound: Nine Stories of Ireland (1924). Macardle became a playwright in the next two decades. In her dramatic writing she used the pseudonym Margaret Callan. During this time she worked as a journalist at the League of Nations.
She also researched her mammoth book The Irish Republic which was first published in 1937. Her political opponents and some modern historians consider her to be a hagiographer for de Valera's political views. Murray considers that: "..de Valera’s ambitious scheme was eventually implemented by Dorothy Macardle, his devoted follower and lifelong apologist, whose book The Irish Republic conforms closely to the overall plan outlined by de Valera in prison, and even incorporates many of its details. The outline originally proposed by de Valera was extremely detailed, incorporating a carefully planned chronology and headings from which the chapters were to be developed."
She died in 1958 at the age of 69 of cancer in hospital in Drogheda. Though she was somewhat disillusioned with the new Irish State (in particular, regarding its treatment of women), she left the royalties from The Irish Republic to her close friend Éamon de Valera, who wrote the foreword to the book. De Valera visited her when she was dying.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 4, 2014
I stumbled upon this book when I was a teenager. My father found it at the library and thought I would enjoy it. I loved it so much that I can tell you what day I started reading it and what the weather was like that day.
I still have a paperback copy of the book that turned up in a box of old books a few years later, and I've probably read it 20 times. It stirred my imagination and is probably partly responsible for my great love for the South of France.
Juliet is a charming young woman of courage and grit, dealing with a ne'er-do-well of a father and an absent mother. She is accompanying her father on a tour of the south of France when a fainting spell keeps them overnight in a perched village in the Alpes-Maritimes. There is mystery and mischief afoot in the village, old beliefs, superstitions and a one-eyed Romany woman who may or may not practice witchcraft. There is also a handsome young Englishman.
The characters are well crafted, the romance is subtle, the mystery is captivating. The book is a glimpse into remote mountain ways in a time when World War II was a strong memory and the future was beginning to intrude.
Hands down, this is one of my favorite books. I must be its biggest fan ever.
I still have a paperback copy of the book that turned up in a box of old books a few years later, and I've probably read it 20 times. It stirred my imagination and is probably partly responsible for my great love for the South of France.
Juliet is a charming young woman of courage and grit, dealing with a ne'er-do-well of a father and an absent mother. She is accompanying her father on a tour of the south of France when a fainting spell keeps them overnight in a perched village in the Alpes-Maritimes. There is mystery and mischief afoot in the village, old beliefs, superstitions and a one-eyed Romany woman who may or may not practice witchcraft. There is also a handsome young Englishman.
The characters are well crafted, the romance is subtle, the mystery is captivating. The book is a glimpse into remote mountain ways in a time when World War II was a strong memory and the future was beginning to intrude.
Hands down, this is one of my favorite books. I must be its biggest fan ever.
August 25, 2022
The first part of this novel was an automatic five stars for this reader. The descriptive writing truly made the fictional French village of St. Jacques come to life and reminded me of Mary Stewart’s best novels of romantic suspense. After Juliet’s father departs, however, the book took a turn into something I was not expecting and which made me lose interest. This is not to say that that something wasn’t deeper and more intellectually satisfying or worthy that what preceded it, but I was so enchanted by the beginning that I was disappointed by the change in tone and narrative. I’ve bought The Uninvited and The Unforseen, because I think she was a great and unrecognized talent, and am excited to delve into them.
January 20, 2021
Dorothy Macardle is known as the Irish Daphne du Maurier, but unfortunately, I found Dark Enchantment to be quite boring. While I enjoyed the descriptive language and the fictional French rustic village the story takes place in, there is ultimately no tension or high stakes. Furthermore, the romance is tepid and I found the heroine to be incredibly childish for a 20 year old. Her childishness often irritated me throughout the story. Overall, this is definitely not as exciting as a Gothic from Daphne du Maurier.
July 18, 2020
This is a very interesting book in terms of viewing prejudice and superstition
, and how that has changed over time. I can see why Tramp press chose it as part of their re-issue series. Dorothy Mccardle, an interesting historical figure in her own right has been marketed as an Irish Daphne Du Maurier and the book does live up to this promise I feel.
It is firstly the story of Juliet, a young lady at a loss as to what to do with her life, she has feckless parents who have mainly set her adrift. She washes up In St Jacques, a picturesque, remote village in Provence and her self-confidence starts to blossom when she works at a local inn, becomes friends with the proprietors and develops a will they/ won't they romance with charming Michael, who is working nearby.
All this is overshadowed by the other main character Terka. A strikingly beautiful gypsy who is shunned and vilified by all in the village. She a scape-goated for all ills in the area and Martine, the land lady at the inn is particularly irrationally afraid of her. The book due to it's era, is obviously very problematic in its treatment of Terka. I liked to read it with this in mind and make up alternative narratives for this intriguing character.
The book flows nicely overall, very evocative and reminds me of modern YA. I think it perhaps would be in this genre if written today. A flaw for me was the lack of bite. Could have done with a few more plot twists but it's an interesting read if taken within the parameters mentioned above :)
, and how that has changed over time. I can see why Tramp press chose it as part of their re-issue series. Dorothy Mccardle, an interesting historical figure in her own right has been marketed as an Irish Daphne Du Maurier and the book does live up to this promise I feel.
It is firstly the story of Juliet, a young lady at a loss as to what to do with her life, she has feckless parents who have mainly set her adrift. She washes up In St Jacques, a picturesque, remote village in Provence and her self-confidence starts to blossom when she works at a local inn, becomes friends with the proprietors and develops a will they/ won't they romance with charming Michael, who is working nearby.
All this is overshadowed by the other main character Terka. A strikingly beautiful gypsy who is shunned and vilified by all in the village. She a scape-goated for all ills in the area and Martine, the land lady at the inn is particularly irrationally afraid of her. The book due to it's era, is obviously very problematic in its treatment of Terka. I liked to read it with this in mind and make up alternative narratives for this intriguing character.
The book flows nicely overall, very evocative and reminds me of modern YA. I think it perhaps would be in this genre if written today. A flaw for me was the lack of bite. Could have done with a few more plot twists but it's an interesting read if taken within the parameters mentioned above :)
March 26, 2012
A gentle romance, infused with the atmosphere of the French countryside and undertones of superstition and witchcraft. A naive young woman, struggling to make a living for herself working in a Provencal inn, finds both love and danger in a superstitious French village.
First published in 1953, this novel is by the author of the ghostly novel 'The Uninvited' which was made into a movie in 1944 starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and the ethereal Gail Russell. The writing is leisurely and wonderfully descriptive. The characters are authentic to their time and situation.
First published in 1953, this novel is by the author of the ghostly novel 'The Uninvited' which was made into a movie in 1944 starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and the ethereal Gail Russell. The writing is leisurely and wonderfully descriptive. The characters are authentic to their time and situation.
May 19, 2025
At the core of this, Dorothy Macardle's third (as far as I know) novel of Gothic romance, there's a really interesting exploration of evil and the supernatural--do they exist? Is evil an outcome of abuse? How does one combat evil, appeasement or opposition? What are the limits of the law when it confronts intention and/or the supernatural? Sadly, most of these issues would have been better explored by the narrative if it had focused more on the presumably evil character, the Romani Terka, rather than the innocent ingenue Juliette. Yet, true to the formulae of the Gothic romance--and this is exactly what I think Anne Radcliffe (the Shakespeare of the Gothic Romance of the eighteenth century) would have written had she still been alive in the early 1950s--the plot must focus on the coming of a age story and mire itself often in the romance formula where it might have done something (and said something) considerably more original and profound had it gone a little deeper into its more conflicted characters. (This, I suppose, is what makes Mathew Lewis' The Monk so much greater than Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho and why she followed suit to focus much more on her monkish villain in The Italian.)
Still, if you like the Gothic romance, as I do, this is a pleasurable enough post-modernist read, if a tad predictable at times, but perhaps a bit tantalizing when it comes to the most interesting of its characters, Terka, who remains mostly the stuff of mystery even at the end. I would really have loved to see her victim vs. malevolent aspects more deeply explored and something more profound said about them both. The background of the WWII trauma as well, Nazi racism, the French resistance, and the issues of community vs. outsiders (Gypsies? Nazi occupiers?) seemed to be subtly there yet not really exploited as I think it might have been. Maybe I just found it all a little too subtle. Or maybe there wasn't much more there than a couple of afternoons' entertaining reading and I'm giving it too much credit.
Still, if you like the Gothic romance, as I do, this is a pleasurable enough post-modernist read, if a tad predictable at times, but perhaps a bit tantalizing when it comes to the most interesting of its characters, Terka, who remains mostly the stuff of mystery even at the end. I would really have loved to see her victim vs. malevolent aspects more deeply explored and something more profound said about them both. The background of the WWII trauma as well, Nazi racism, the French resistance, and the issues of community vs. outsiders (Gypsies? Nazi occupiers?) seemed to be subtly there yet not really exploited as I think it might have been. Maybe I just found it all a little too subtle. Or maybe there wasn't much more there than a couple of afternoons' entertaining reading and I'm giving it too much credit.
February 25, 2023
(Rounded up from 3.5)
I have been meaning to read Dorothy Macardle for a while now, and whilst I'm more interested in The Uninvited because of the black and white film adaptation, I was curious to read this as well.
I feel like this is missold as a novel of suspense, maybe even horror or thriller. But this is not what this is. Yes it uses the idea of witchcraft and supernatural menace, but this is much more a book about the strange and difficult role of women in a post-war society.
On the one hand you have innocent, homely Martine who is about to give birth, on the other you have mysterious outcast Terka, who may or may not be an evil witch. Between them comes Juliet, a young british women seeking purpose in life and who falls in love first with the charming, secluded village in the Alpes Maritimes, and then falls in love with the young Englishman Michael.
I think as a novel exploring women's role in society as well as mass-hysteria, this is a fascinating book.
However the ending feels too neat and nice to have real grit.
Also there is a lot of use of the G-word for Romani people.
I have been meaning to read Dorothy Macardle for a while now, and whilst I'm more interested in The Uninvited because of the black and white film adaptation, I was curious to read this as well.
I feel like this is missold as a novel of suspense, maybe even horror or thriller. But this is not what this is. Yes it uses the idea of witchcraft and supernatural menace, but this is much more a book about the strange and difficult role of women in a post-war society.
On the one hand you have innocent, homely Martine who is about to give birth, on the other you have mysterious outcast Terka, who may or may not be an evil witch. Between them comes Juliet, a young british women seeking purpose in life and who falls in love first with the charming, secluded village in the Alpes Maritimes, and then falls in love with the young Englishman Michael.
I think as a novel exploring women's role in society as well as mass-hysteria, this is a fascinating book.
However the ending feels too neat and nice to have real grit.
Also there is a lot of use of the G-word for Romani people.
September 21, 2010
Um, I recommend this novel only if you like gorgeous one-eyed gypsy women. :)
http://gothicked.blogspot.com/2010/09...
http://gothicked.blogspot.com/2010/09...
January 27, 2025
“She was seeing two of the Tarot cards. There was Fortune’s Wheel... and there was a woman driving a chariot, all gold.” Dorothy Macardle’s excellent final novel Dark Enchantment (1953), republished by Tramp Press just last year, is a riveting yarn about small-town rumour mills, mob mentality, and the kind of oppressive societal paranoia that has policed and destroyed women and their lives for centuries. Unlike Macardle’s previous novels of haunting and the supernatural, the central allusions to Macbeth dissipate, replaced with references to The Merchant of Venice and Measure for Measure, where questions of justice are more important than questions of the unnatural. It’s apt then that this novel is shrouded in a kind of subjective ambiguity alien to the other two; Terka’s supposed witchcraft remains an eternal question mark, which fades into insignificance by the novel’s end, as Juliet and Michael’s “happily ever after” - along with René’s exoneration - eclipses the grim fate that befalls Terka, dispatched from town, narrative and public consciousness. And that’s why this novel is so alarmingly precise: the woman who does not conform to accepted modes of femininity, in particular domesticity and subservience, must be removed. Written and set in the aftermath of World War Two, as women’s rights continued to be so contentious both in Macardle’s Ireland and the European setting of the novel. Having read a trio of Macardle’s novels in 2 days, I’m astonished by how underappreciated her work is, and so grateful to Tramp Press for carefully publishing these “recovered voices” for the last six years. Can’t wait to read some of Macardle’s short fiction and nonfiction, just as soon as I can get my hands on it.
October 18, 2022
Dorothy Macardle always has a deft ability to create a sense of place, and this novel captures the rhythms of life in a mountain village in France after WWII beautifully. The small village clinging to the jagged peaks along the coast and surrounded by forest is gorgeously described, while the gradual revelation of the sinister superstitions lurking beneath the initial appearance of happy peasants gradually gives way to the sinister. The young Juliet, almost an orphan of irresponsible parents, who stays there, finds a fulfilling love with a young English forester, but she wrestles with self-doubt and pressures to conform to the villagers' fears and hatred of a forest dwelling gypsy. As with The Uninvited (Uneasy Freehold), Macardle is adept at building suspense and tension through exploring how fear and misunderstanding haunt the human psyche, as well as how forgiveness and an open mind can provide liberation.
August 11, 2020
Enchanting - maybe, but not dark in the slightest.
This book started off well enough, painting a picture of a picturesque French village steeped in superstition, where things may not be what they seem. There was so much squandered potential; the writing was an often delightful combination of fresh & quaint, and the social themes all relevant but deserving of a more gripping story. I suppose, for me, the book just fizzled out and failed to create any sort of suspense, mystery or tension, while the characters themselves - even those who seem promising - turn out to be hollow and insipid.
Verdict: mild & subdued, verging on plain boring.
This book started off well enough, painting a picture of a picturesque French village steeped in superstition, where things may not be what they seem. There was so much squandered potential; the writing was an often delightful combination of fresh & quaint, and the social themes all relevant but deserving of a more gripping story. I suppose, for me, the book just fizzled out and failed to create any sort of suspense, mystery or tension, while the characters themselves - even those who seem promising - turn out to be hollow and insipid.
Verdict: mild & subdued, verging on plain boring.
August 18, 2022
Well, this was my last book to read of Dorothy Macardle & I so wish there were more! I'm glad I stumbled onto her books, such an unexpected treat. Having said that, this one was my least favorite. I was actually a bit surprised that it ended the way it did - I kept expecting something more for Terka by the time the story ended.
April 18, 2024
Very interesting book, meant to make you uncomfortable and get you to start thinking. Set in France very clearly about a small-minded town in Ireland, if you know what you're looking for. Loved it will read it again
March 21, 2020
Okay story, not nearly as good as the first two.
November 29, 2021
Solid read. Fairytale-esque. Feel very neutral about having read it.
February 22, 2023
2,5 ⭐
Read for a university course. Compared to some other books I have read lately, I really liked this. It was pretty slow paced though, which is not really my style.
Read for a university course. Compared to some other books I have read lately, I really liked this. It was pretty slow paced though, which is not really my style.
May 3, 2023
Less impressive than The Uninvited, but still has some great qualities - strong sense of mood, warm characters, mystery.
August 31, 2023
Wonderful mix of mystery, mysticism, and romance. Difficult reading at first. I had to get used to the author's unique style, but well worth the effort.
September 1, 2024
Got this as a surprise book in a vending machine in Cork. Funny thing is that it takes place in a fictional village of the Alpes Maritimes, where I live.
Was better than I expected when I started!
Was better than I expected when I started!
August 8, 2016
This is "A Bantam Gothic Novel" from 1953 and I had high expectations. The setting was wonderful: a French mountain village, laying against the mountain like a half wedding cake. I've been to such places on my vacations to France and I expected it to be an exciting experience to have a gothic mystery happen in such a cute medieval little town. The heroine is a sweet girl of 20 who is vacationing with her father; the year is 1952. A lot of the book is about her growing up from a innocent little girl with no job, no money and no home, into a young woman who can handle lots of challenging situations and is on the brink of marriage to a very nice English young man. So there we have the romance part, all sweet and sugary. The gothic part is what's lacking. It boils down to having a gypsy woman in the village suspected of witchcraft and having all the people grow scared of her and wanting to get rid of her. And yes, a lot of unexplained things happen: lifestock dies, houses burn down and people get injured. The heroine, Juliet, has a job at the inn where the innkeeper, René, is very protective of his wife who finally got pregnant. He suspects the gypsy woman, Terka, might harm her. Not many words are wasted on the fact that Terka had joined him in the maquis during the war and they might have a history together. A woman scorned etc. etc. The innkeeper's wife, Martine, has a hysterical reaction in that her legs are suddenly paralized and everybody says it's the evil eye of the witch. One night René lays in wait for the witch and shoots her in the legs. If it hadn't been for the interference of our hero, he would have shot her through the heart. When hearing of this, Martine suddenly can walk again. The next part is about the court hearings. René is accused and he needs to find proof of Terka's witchcraft. There is no proof but he is saved when the village priest finally admits the accident that almost killed him was caused by Terka's scaring his horse. Conveniently! The priest's role is very strange. Earlier on in the book he publicly sent Terka away when she wanted to attend a church service! His accident was supposedly an act of revenge by Terka. The only proof is his word against hers, which apparently is sufficient. So René is released and Terka will probably be sent to a mental institution. I kept hoping for some twist near the end. This could have been done so easily, but nothing happened. While in the hospital Terka asked Juliet to visit her. She had always been kind to Juliet and called her an angel. She once laid the tarot cards for her and warned her to stay away from the inn and leave the village. Now she wanted to give Juliet a precious ring that would protect her from all evil. Great, I thought, Juliet will wear the ring and be saved while the village is crushed under the mountain. Nope, didn't happen. Juliet refused the ring, even insulted Terka and left the hospital. So the book didn't fulfill its promise in any way. It was a very slow read, though beautifully written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2020
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2020...
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2020...
July 25, 2022
No where near the wonderful ghost story The Uninvited / Uneasy Freehold. Writing style is pleasant but the plot lacks coherence and I thought it was sort of silly.
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