I used to love Victoria Holt's books, so when I found The King of the Castle buried in the back of one of my bookshelves, I had to reread it to see if I would love it still. In many ways, it did hold up for me, but I suspect that this time I was more aware of the author's formula than I used to be. Many of the clues the heroine missed about what was really going on in the castle seemed obvious to me, although I never felt like she was stupid because she didn't see them too. I liked that the heroine of the story is a woman of education and skills and I like how she finds her way to the chateau and demands that the Comte respect her abilities as an art restorer, just as he would have her father. I think the Comte must have been one of Holt's less sinister heroes. He is certainly mysterious, and there is plenty of gossip about him, but the reader never sees him doing anything too suspect. In fact, he's notable more for his absence than his presence in the book, and the contact between hero and heroine is so scant it's a little hard to understand why they fall in love. But of course they do, because that's the formula, and it works. All in all, I enjoyed the story and may browse around for more of Ms. Holt's gothic novels to reread.
I don't usually have any interest in romance fiction (though I do enjoy romantic fanfiction, for very different reasons), so it surprised me the first time I read this to actually enjoy that aspect of the story. The mysteries of the plot don't feel like they were created just to have something to hang the romance upon, which is a pleasant and refreshing difference from most books of this "historical romance" type that I've encountered in the past. (Please note, romance fans, I'm NOT saying ALL romance is like that, so please don't get defensive!)I wouldn't have chosen this book on my own, I don't think -- it's one I inherited as a part of my late mother's library, which I'm trying to read through piece by piece -- but I did enjoy it, and think I'll move on to the other Holt book in Mum's collection without anxiety.(Please note: I have a duplicate copy of this available through BookMooch and registered on BookCrossing -- please do feel free to comment to this review if you'd care to claim it! Thanks.)
What do You think about The King Of The Castle (1992)?
This book checks off all the gothic essentials (big old house, domineering man, dead wife, morally ambiguous other guy) plus the Victoria Holt added bonus of "kid in trouble". A part that stood out to me was the heroine's profession as a restorer of antique paintings and buildings. I liked that she had a trade besides "governess" (even though all the other characters keep saying what a good governess she'd be). I had trouble pinning down when it took place since it was never explicitly stated, but I'm fairly sure it was the 1890s. Fun times in wine country with dungeons and mysterious missing jewels.Read as part of my gothic kick while on vacation.
—Sarah
I had picked up The King of the Castle at the Durham book sale, and I just finally got around to reading it. Victoria Holt was a fascinating woman, as I’ve described at length before, and I wanted to try a few more of her works. The King of the Castle is a bit of a romance mystery that gave off a lot of Jane Eyre vibes, and I found it highly entertaining and somewhat reminiscent of Mary Stewart’s books. The (British) heroine is named Dallas Lawson, but if you can get past that, you’ll be golden. There are some nice French historical references and an unexpected amount of information on painting restoration, if that’s your thing (it’s mine).
—Stephanie Ricker
3.5 rounded up to 4This was a good book but didn't turn out to be the nail biter that some of Holt's other stories were for me. Maybe it would have if it was the first, but now I know her style. This one was about an art restorer coming in her deceased father's place without a head's up to the Ol' Comte. He's dark and dangerous and probably murdered his wife but of course she falls in love with him. There's a cousin who is to be his heir who gets married off to the H's mistress so you get all th
—Julz
