I wasn’t at all sure that Victoria Holt was my sort of author, but I had to give a gothic romance set in Cornwall the benefit of the doubt. And when I read the opening words I was so glad that I did.“There are two courses open to a gentlewoman when she finds herself in penurious circumstances,” my Aunt Adelaide had said. “One is to marry, and the other is to find a post in keeping with her gentility.”As the train carried me through the wooded hills and past green meadows, I was taken this second course; partly, I suppose, because I had never had an opportunity of trying the former.Martha Leigh – known to her family and friends as Marty – was travelling on the same journey that I have made many times in real life and a few times in print too. She was travelling through Somerset, through Devon, and across Mr Brunel’s bridge into the Duchy of Cornwall.I liked her. She was sensible, she was bright, she was curious and she was understanding; in just the right proportions. And she was to be a governess, to the young daughter of a wealthy widower. I thought that the position might suit her rather well, and indeed it did.She quickly wins over the household staff, but it takes her a little longer to win the confidence of her young charge Alvaen. And no wonder, when she has lost her beloved mother, when her father, Connan Tremellyn, was cold and remote, and when a number of governesses had come and goneMarty could understand Alvaen. She could build a relationship with her. She could lay plans to help her win the approval of her father that she so desperately craved.But she couldn’t understand Alvaen’s parents.How could Alice, who it was clear had been happy and loved, leave her daughter and her husband and run away with an old lover? Maybe she hadn’t …How could Connan neglect his daughter so? How could he take up with the younger wife of an elderly neighbour? Maybe he had a plan …There are echoes of Daphne DuMaurier and Charlotte Bronte here: a grand mansion on a Cornish cliff, haunted by its former mistress; a plain young woman set against a dark and brooding hero; hints family of family secrets …Fortunately Victoria Holt had the ability to take those familiar ingredients and create something a little different. A well executed work of gothic suspense, where as soon as one question is answered another one appears, as soon as one crisis is averted another has to be faced, until one final drama resolves everything.She brought that that house on the cliff, and the surrounding countryside to life with wonderful descriptive flourishes. I could see Marty and Alvaen in the schoolroom, I could see then watching a grand ball from above, I could see them on horseback out in the grounds …And I could understand them. The governess who was happy in her role, but who struggled with her position in between the family and the household staff. The unhappy child who blossomed when she was shown real care. And all of the others; every character rang true.There were some lovely touches, in the dialogue, in the descriptions, in well chosen details, and everything was held together by good old-fashioned storytelling.I can see similarities between Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart; they were near contemporaries but Victoria Holt’s settings are earlier and she seems rather more gothic; from the start though, I thought that her heroine could have fitted into a Mary Stewart novel quite beautifully.Sadly there were some weak spots. When the romance came to the fore it didn’t seem as natural as it had when it was mixed was the suspense. The ending seemed a little rushed, and I would have prefered a fuller conclusion in the final chapter to the epilogue that was offered instead.None of that stopped me from loving Mistress of Mellyn, but it did remind me that the books that inspired it were far finer.So I’d like to read them again before long, and I’ll give any of Victoria Holt’s other novels that cross my path a fair chance too.
"There are two courses open to a gentlewoman when she finds herself in penurious circumstances.......One is to marry, and the other to find a post in keeping with her gentility." With no other prospects in sight, Martha Leigh takes a position as governess for eight-year-old Alvean TreMellyn at her family's estate Mount Mellyn in Cornwall. Alvean's mother Alice has been dead for a year, after she ran away with her lover they both died in a tragic train wreck - burned beyond recognition. Her father Connon is cold and withdrawn, especially with his daughter. Martha settles in and builds a relationship with both Alvean and the waif-like Gillyflower and she also finds herself attracted to the master of the house (well of course!), but then things soon begin to go bump in the night in typical Holt fashion. Does Alice's presence still live on at Mount Mellyn? Did she really die in the train wreck? Why is Connon so remote from his daughter? What about Connon's relationship with the beauteous but haughty Lady Treslyn? Who framed the last beautiful governess for theft so that she lost her position and was forced to leave? Does someone want Martha out of the way as well? What about these mysterious blinds in the house where one can watch what is going on in another room without being seen? Does the house have more unknown secrets? That's as much as I'm going to tell - read it for your self! Like a couple of the other reviewers, I noticed a definite similarity between parts of this story and Rebecca and Jane Eyre (but that's a good thing), although she's still got a surprise or two in store for you that will keep you turning the pages until the very last reveal (gad, what a nail biter). While she's not quite up to the perfection that is Du Maurier, I think you'll find this a perfect comfort book to curl up with in front of the fire with a glass of red wine and chocolate. 4/5 stars.
What do You think about Mistress Of Mellyn (1960)?
My mother gave me this book, telling me that I might get a kick out of it. She was right! This book gives a new meaning to a five star rating: “amazing”… Amazing in the sense—How could this book have been published?!I’ll admit the story had potential. When I first started it, I thought it would be like those old Catherine Cookson novels I used to love to read in my early teens. Once I was a third of the way into the story, I was embarrassed that I even made that comparison. Cookson’s books are much better written, with better storylines and good developed characters. Though I’m truly surprised that Cookson’s books are for the most part out of print, while books like this are still in circulation.Holt’s story is a mess. Some ideas are introduced, but never fully explored. The ending’s rushed and the concluding events are never fully explained. The murderer never explains the motive behind his actions. It’s all left to conjecture by the narrator, the governess. And when you really consider all the things the murderer did, you begin to wonder how that person could have done it all without an accomplice. For example, loosening and tossing a boulder from a cliff. You also wonder what was the real motive behind those actions. Did that person have a prior claim to the house? And this suppressed hatred the murderer supposedly “felt” seems strange, when throughout the book, that person was genuinely nice and affectionate to everyone, without fault—that kind of feeling is rather hard to fake. It all seemed too easy.Also, the book lacks historical accuracy. For instance, in Victorian times, it wasn't common for women to attend a funeral procession; only men witnessed the burial of the loved one. So for the governess to witness the body of Sir Thomas, a neighbor of her employer, being placed in a tomb is highly unlikely.The characterization made me laugh. Connan, got to love that name, is never developed in the book, yet he’s the main heartthrob for the governess. They hardly ever speak, only a brief word to each other occasionally, but only about business. Holt develops her secondary character Peter, the neighbor next door, more fully than Connan, and because of that I almost wished that he were the leading man. At least he was entertaining. Though in all fairness Connan does have some gem lines when he suddenly professes his love:“Should I have prepared you for the shock? … I am sorry, Miss Leigh. I thought I had managed to convey to you something of my feelings in this matter.”“I want to marry you because I want to keep you a prisoner in my house.”“I am a dissolute, degenerate philanderer. I am going to say was. Because from this moment I am going to be faithful to one woman for the rest of my life.”With a few laughs, it was an easy read, but left me ultimately unsatisfied.
—Marija
Victoria Holt was largely responsible for my addition to gothic romance novels when I was a teenager, and so it was with great relish and nostalgia that I re-read "The Mistress of Mellyn." The book is delightful and perfect for a young adult reader. Holt writes with a sense of proper behavior that is sadly lost today. It was rather refreshing to have a character be flustered by a kiss.[return][return]The plot is typical of the genre: well-reared young woman becomes governess for naughty/misunderstood/ultimately sweet girl. Girl's father is handsome/vaguely dangerous/ultimately wonderful. Love ensues after the requisite difficulties and murder mysteries. [return][return]Highly recommended.
—Mary Beth Sancomb-Moran
This book is one of my favourite Victoria Holt books. It is about a young woman, Marty who, due to reduced circumstances and the inability to find a husband must find a job as a governess. She accepts a post in Cornwall as the governess of the daughter of the imposing Connan TreMellyn. Against her better judgement she falls in love with her Master, and her new home, but she is haunted by the ghost of Connan's deceased wife. This story is full of intrigue and suspense. I love Marty as a character - she is so strong, stays true to herself, upholds her morals, and she don't take no crap from no body! She is perhaps the first person to ever defy Connan TreMellyn, and she constantly fears he will dismiss her for it. She wins over a difficult student through sheer grit and intuition, and she acts with dignity and decorum most of the time.
—Elizabeth Coult
