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The Moon-Spinners

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About this listen

The pioneer of romantic suspense Mary Stewart transports listeners to the idyllic hills of midcentury Crete in this tale of peril and intrigue that will keep fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym on the edges of their seats.

While on a walking holiday through the beautiful, deserted hills of Crete, Nicola Ferris stumbles across a critically injured Englishman, guarded by a fierce Greek. Nicola cannot abandon them and so sets off on a perilous search for their lost companion - all the while being pursued by someone who wants to make sure none of them leave the island....

When the big white bird flew suddenly up among the glossy leaves and the lemon flowers, and wheeled into the mountain, I followed it.

©1962 Mary Stewart (P)1962 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Action & Adventure Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Romance Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Critic reviews

"Mary Stewart is magic." (New York Times)

"One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century." (Independent)

"A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors." (Harriet Evans)
All stars
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This is my favourite of the Greek books by MS. The narrator was very good. I have no idea whether the Greek words were pronounced correctly and I did not even hear the word Psyche mentioned. But she had just the right tone of breathlessness and characterisation. The plot cracked along in the Cretan atmosphere. The heroine played the major role in the acts of daring and bravery. I hope her young man was suitably impressed and married her haha!

excellent

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Normally love her books. This underpinned by lots of jumping to conclusions and frankly utterly implausible scenarios that put the heroine in danger. Or I should say she puts herself in danger.

Could not finish

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Great nostalgic story; full of the usual Mary Stewart adventures and beautiful scenery. Not my favourite of hers and I found the narration a bit petulant sounding at times. The cockney accent was jarring! Still a re-listen!

Highly enjoyable!

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I don't give 5 stars lightly: sometimes Mary Stewart can spend soooo long on descriptive material that it lowers your engagement with the plot and there are some strongly descriptive passages but in this book, it doesn't detract from the plot at all and really helps you envisage the landscape where the story takes place.
I first read this book about 50 years ago! (gulp!) and it was Mary Stewart's books set in Greece that made me long to go there as a teenager. I've recently decided to reread all her books, eking them out to savour them, and while some have really jarred with modern sensibilities - with women far too subservient to the men in the story - the heroine of this book, along with her cousin, represent two strong women and - while of their era - their actions power the story.
This is the book I've always recommended to those new to her writing and in re-visiting it, I remember why. The narrator is just right for the main character and manages to represents the supporting cast, including the men an children, very creditably, bringing them to life without imposing herself upon them.
An excellent listen.

A classic exciting adventure story

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Great book and great narrator who makes the story come alive. Mary Stewart's description of countryside can make you imagine you are there..

The moon spinners.

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