TOUCH NOT THE CAT BY MARY STEWART~1976

Although Mary Stewart is best known for her Arthurian series (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment, aka The Merlin Trilogy), she was also a prolific producer of extremely popular suspense and historical novels throughout the 1970's. Out of print for years and therefore treasured by those lucky enough to have original copies, most were suddenly re-issued as mass market paperbacks in the late 90's by an imprint of Harper Collins. Imagine my delight! Stewart has a particular talent for structuring a modern story in an historical framework, usually set in her native England or Scotland, and the curiously English knack for creating realistic, likable characters that neither over- or underwhelm the reader. This oddly-named (and the name is part of the mystery) novel is told almost exclusively by Bryony Ashley, a young woman mourning the sudden death of her father and returning to the crumbling family estate to untangle the complicated legal mess with her cousins. Bryony also has a secret she's kept for years, which is that she somehow communicates telepathically with a presence she thinks of only as `Lover'. This telepathy is an Ashley trait that pops up every so often in the line and is shared only by other Ashleys, which can only mean that her mysterious mental companion is someone she knows from the family, but who? One of her cousins, the mischievous twins? Or someone else entirely? As this mystery Bryony has lived with all of her life seems to be coming to light, the strange and unexpected death of her father leaves Ashley with a riddle to solve as she tries to understand a final, ominous warning he leaves her from his deathbed. It begins trivially, with small but valuable items missing from the old house, and a glimpse of a cloaked man lurking in the overgrown maze and around the family chapel. The atmosphere is enchanting, a perfect blending of the encroaching modern world upon a life and time that has faded into memory - a time of rambling, pre-war estates in the green English hills, with histories that go even further back to an era of crests and swords and family honor. It bears Stewart's singular, indelible stamp of originality and subtle suspense, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait to get to the other re-releases.

This was the first Mary Stewart book I read 30 years ago and it was entirely captivating from page one. I loved the ESP aspect, the intrigue, the ancient history that's the mystery. It's just a wonderful story to get lost in. I subsequently have read numerous other of Mary Stewart's books, but find this one my favorite. Her novels set in Greece depict more "lady-like" situations: while the protagonist is in danger, it's of a tamer variety and a kiss with the male lead seals her romantic fate. Nice, escapist fiction.

This is an old friend I turn to when I want to get away for awhile. The story(ies) are well written, the characters are believable and the setting is done so well it would be tempting to try and locate 'Ashley Court' on a trip to England. In other words this is yet another wonderfully done Mary Stewart. The story centers around Bryony Ashley, her family and the family estate and psychic link they share. The story moves swifty, beginning with the death-by-suspicious-circumstances of Bryony's father which forces her return to Ashley Court, the family home. Her cousins, the townspeople and tenants of the Court all enter into the story. Past family scandals surface interlaced with "Romeo and Juliet' references enter into the Bryony's life as she struggles to sort out her family's past issues, present dilemmas, and future. The psychic link is not overdone, it appears just enough to add interest to the story. The mystery has just enough twists to keep the reader interested and surpised. The action is intense and the romance is sweet.This vintage (1976) book has aged well. I have recommended it to both high school students and my mother with no complaints from anyone.

Like the recent movie/book sensation 'Possession' by A.S. Byatt,'Touch Not the Cat'(written in 1975) combines a literary mystery with excerpts from the past, poetry, Shakespeare, history and the gift of mind transferrence to deliver a wonderfully fulfilling tale that is a joy to read. Stewart employs her usual fantastic sense of place in describing Ashley estate and its environs down to the last daffodil. It is her main character, narrator Byrony Ashley who is both possessed and possessor. From childhood, she and an unknown Ashley cousin have had the ability to communicate with their minds at great length, at great distances. Byrony's need to know the identity of this mind interloper/lover drives most of the novel's plot. As in the Byatt book, 'Touch Not the Cat' employs different levels to tell the story of parallel lovers, past and present; as we discover the state of affairs between the two Victorian lovers, we are illumined as to how it helps Byrony identify her soulmate and simultaneously solve a present mystery involving the state of the Ashley property after Byrony's father is killed in an automobile accident. Stewart cleverly uses Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet to facilitate the present day lovers' evolving discoveries involving themselves, the estate and the past. Her effervascent interplay and dialogue between the two main characters borders on perfect; her portayal of love's discovery and fulfillment causes the reader to nod and laugh with satisfaction. The tantillizing aspects of ESP add just the right degree of the supernatural to a well-constructed tale that has just about everything else. Stewart fans will be thrilled that this particular heroine not only gets her man, but allows the reader to be privy to their marital bliss.Recommended highly especially in audio book form read delightfully by Davina Porter.

This is a wonderful love story and mystery wrapped up in one. You can feel the electricity between the two main characters. Very original, great details, nice plot surprises. What a shame it's out of print!