I read Avalon about six years ago, when I was sixteen. My mother read it twenty-seven years ago, about five years before I was born. That's how I came to be named Merewyn. I hated my name until I read Avalon. Merewyn is a cool character, and now I'm proud to be named Merewyn.

This book was amazing it enchanted me right from the start. There was never a time when i was bored, the story of a poor little cornish girl who doesn't know her own background is very moving in places and even funny sometimes, as Merewyn and Rumon search for thier love. Its a spectacular book and i don't understand why it is out of print. i'm just glad i got to it before it went out of print.

Just wanted to add my two cents... why doesn't some publisher reissue all of Anya Seton's novels? A couple of boxed sets would be nice... These are romances for thinking people -- well written, historically accurate, gripping, memorble. I would love to buy a set. I originally read library copies many years ago.

It is fun to remember books that made an impression on you as a young adult. An aunt gave this book to me when I turned thirteen and it is still in my top ten.

I recently re-read it again after reading Tracy Chevalier's, "Girl With a Pearl Earring." Both books are set during the 1600's -- although one in Delft and the other in England and early America.

I have recommended this book to several people over the years and not one has been disappointed. It is such a fabulous story (and you learn lots to boot!). Unfortunately, it is out of print -- but do not despair, it is easily found in used book stores.

I first read The Winthrop Woman when I was about 13 years old. It had such an impact on me, that I re-read it several times as I was growing up, and I have thought of it so often during the years since. I have never read a historical novel (and I've read many) that has stayed with me to the same degree. For anyone who is interested in the early days of American colonial development and who has a love of history and human courage and resiliance, this book is a gift. Elizabeth Winthrop was strong and courageous in days when women had few choices and little support. She is an inspiration and a touchstone, and reminds one that although generations pass, the human heart doesn't change that much at all. I believe Seton carefully researched this book, so the essence is historically accurate, and it provides a fascinating window into life in the 1600s in New England.

I am 47 and read this book first in high school. I have read it at least 10 times since . I usually check it out of the library but I want a copy of my own so my 14 year old can read it as she studies early American history. I read alot of historical fiction and this book is one of the best. A true classic.

"Devil Water" by Anya Seton will capture your heart and interest. A haunting tale of the doomed Stuarts of eighteenth century England and the two failed Stuart rebellions, this writer has convincingly captured the character of Charles Radcliffe, a charming, dashing hero who is destined to never love any woman truly, but shows undying love and loyalty to his brother, James, the Earl of Derwentwater, and his daughter, Jenny. A gypsy forsees the death and disaster ahead, but Charles brushes aside the warning. Two loving and loyal women love Charles, but he fails them both. Tragedy seeps through the pages like the fear which is synonymous with the devil's water. If it were to be made into a movie, Brad Pitt would have to play Charles Radcliffe. Don't miss this perfect book.

Anya Seton has developed the sad story of the Stuart uprising superbly. This is not the first book I've read about this era and the Stuarts, but it is certainly one of the best. I especially enjoyed the Colonial America namedropping and would like to research these characters. If you like historical fiction, Anya Seton excels. I'm sure I'll go on and read her again.

Anya Seton crafts a completely believable and utterly compelling portrait of life, love, and death in 18th century England and the Virginia colonies. Jacobite intrigues on behalf of the exiled Stuart dynasty catch many characters in a web of blood, and Seton's descriptions of imprisonment in Newgate gaol and the Tower are breathtaking in their detail and horror. This is grim stuff for a historical novel, but there is also a poignant love story that lights the darker passages. Based on true events, much like Seton's equally gripping "Green Darkness" (Tudor England) and "Avalon" (Dark Ages England and Iceland), this tale of the doomed Radcliffes of Northumberland will leave a lasting impression. Don't miss it. Why this beautiful book is out of print when the stores are so full of hackwork is a mystery to me.

however, as usual, I was suspended in time (early 1900's) and read this book in a matter of hours ! ! A young society miss has never found the fellows her age of much interest, in her NY city society circle. Then she meets and falls in love with a young man with 1/4 Apache heritage. Her life takes an abrupt turn when all the comforts of life are gone and she finds herself on a crazy wild-goose chase in the deserts of Arizona ! It's a shame Anya Seton's books are so hard to come by... she's a master author!

My mother first read this book as a late teenager, and fell in love with it--the characters, the history, the writing style, etc. She named me after Katherine, and presented the book to me when I was thirteen--I have since read it five times. The novel transports you back to the late fourteenth century, into a time immediately before the chronicling of history really began. It brings clarity to a fuzzy image of the period. Not only is this book the least painful way to learn about this era, it also brings it alive with a vividness not often seen. This time period, so often snubbed by historians as just another unimportant century in the Middle Ages, has its share of important characters and events: Geoffrey Chaucer, the Peasant's Revolt, the Black Prince, etc. Seton does well in portraying a time colored by intrigue and revolutionary change. It paints a portrait of England directly before its transition into a world power. All told as a subtext of a great Romance and historical drama. A wonderful portal to another time.

I first read this book as a teenager, it changed my life! I'm now 40 and I must have re-read it at least a dozen times. Anya Seton transported me back to the fourteenth century and I live and breath those characters each time I re-read it. I have looked up all the places on the map, visited Old Bolingbroke, Kettlethorpe and Lincoln Cathedral. The Cathedral bookshop publishes an interesting booklet about Katherine and Joan's tomb. The book has inspired me to study medieval history at university, read about medieval mysticism and The Great Pestilence and study the lives of the mighty Plantagenets. One can learn so much from this book, matching the facts to the necessary fiction and the truly great thing about it is that it compels the reader to want to find out more and more about this fascinating period in English history. Oh how I wish the Savoy was still standing! English history lovers will also enjoy the excellent Green Darkness (tudor)and Devil Water (Stuart).

I enjoyed GREEN DARKNESS so much I decided to make my next read Anya Seton's KATHERINE. It has now become my FAVORITE READ OF ALL TIME. It is a love story of epic proportions unlike anything I've ever read or experienced. This is truly a real-life fairytale.

As historically detailed as GREEN DARKNESS, I was amazed to find I loved this book even better. Set in the mid 14th C. Katherine de Roet is a convent-raised young woman who, with her sister, comes under the care of Queen Philippa (wife of Edward III), and despite being without dowry marries the rather difficult Sir Hugh Swynford. Eventually she becomes the mistress of Philippa and Edward III's son John of Gaunt, and after bearing him four children, becoming his wife. The children's births are eventually legitimized and John and Katherine eventually are the forebears of both the Tudor and Stuart dynasties.

But this story is of the relationship between Katherine and John and the many twists and turns it takes before these lovers can be together. When Katherine turns 15 the Queen summons her from the convent to Windsor and she soon gathers much attention for her beauty. When Sir Hugh Swynford attempts to ravish her, the King's third son, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster comes to her rescue. Hugh gets out of the situation by saying he wishes to marry the fair young maiden. Sir Hugh is a rather disagreeable and homely man, but it is seen as a step up for young Katherine, without dowry, to marry him. She does but very reluctantly. Meanwhile she is befriended by the Duke's wife, Blanche, and returns her friendship for which young Katherine is eventually richly rewarded.

Katherine and Hugh go to live at his mismanaged estate, Kettlethorpe, near Lincoln which is not too far from the Duke and Duchess of Lancaster's favorite home of Bolingbroke Castle. Katherine is not exactly happy but accepts her life. But when she befriends Blanche again and then sits with her as she lays dying from the black death, her whole life changes.

To give more details than this is to rob the first-time reader of the discoveries they will read. It is a story to particularly savor as when the Duke tells Katherine "She is my heart's blood. My life. I want nothing but her." Talk about a Cinderella story! Those better versed in English history of the mid to late 14th C than I am will realize just what is happening in some of the dramatic historical scenes than I did.

But even after Katherine and the Duke are finally together, all does not go well. Seton details the history of this time beautifully and, sometimes, painfully.

Seton includes quotes from Chaucer (who was married to Katherine's sister Philippa). It is also surmised Chaucer may have had Katherine in mind for some of his passages, particularly in "Troilus and Criseyde."

This book made slow reading for me as every few pages I was either picking up a historical reference to read more or searching on the internet. I do have to warn readers though, keep the hankies handy. I could have used an entire box and even woke my husband up with my sobbing. Most of these tears were tears of joy though.

And I have to add a "shame on you" to the eejit who gave this book only two stars and said it reads "much like any other "romance" novel put out by the thousands on a daily basis," which not only is a disservice to this book but to the historical romances as a whole which, it is obvious this person has very little experience with. First of all this is a romantic historical and does not fit the definitiion of a romance novel at all. Secondly, to say romance novels are "put out by thousands on a daily basis" is not only inaccurate but ignorant. This book has both huge differences and many similarities to romances, but isn't a romance novel by any stretch of the imagination. That said, readers who enjoy their books both historically accurate and very romantic are sure to enjoy this beautiful story.

I was thrilled to see that Green Darkness is available through Amazon. For years, I have searched secondhand outlets, purchasing any copies I could find as gifts for friends. I am down to one tattered copy now. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to know more about the Tudor period while reading an intriguing story that becomes a haunting memory. The two main locales -- Ightham (pronounced "item")Mote and Cowdray in Midhurst -- are real places in England that can be visited today. I always advise friends to read the book first to maximize their experience when they see Ightham and Cowdray. And remember, I said it was a haunting story. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so. A guide at Ightham told me she never stays there after dark.

As other reviewers have mentioned, this is a book I came back to read after a number of years had passed, and will, I'm certain, reread again sometime in the future. Seton's treatment of the workings of reincarnation are excellent, yet smoothly folded within the story of the principal couple whose forbidden love and its consequences throw them together in a contemporary lifetime. And not just them. Many others around them have returned this lifetime and play a part in resolving the injury previously suffered. One, who is our guide, a soul whose connections to two characters and need to resolve a failure to aid them from an even earlier time. Anyone who wondered about some of the tenets of theosophy will find this book a great primer. (Seton explains in a foreword that she learned many of the ideas the plot moves on through her mother her was a theosophist.) When I first read this book, I was young and completely immersed in the love story. Today, older, I still enjoyed that story but I truly appreciated the wonderful details that gave a feel for what it was like to live through this tumultous period of English History. There are many books on the experience of living during the reigns of Henry and Elizabeth--here is a chance to get a view of what it was to be a lord, lady, or commoner when Edward and Mary each went to extremes to enforce their view of what religion should be in England!! Think of this book as an investment--if you love historical novels with a bit of the fantastic, you will be reading this book many times and urging family and friends to do the same! (It is among a few of my books I WON'T lend out.)

This is an older book that I have read several times, and will always be a big favorite. It is full of real history, with real people and fictional characters blended so well you have trouble telling where reality ends and fiction begins. The love story, through reincarnation, alternates between the present and a time of religious and political turmoil 400 years ago. There is a blending of love, hate, war, intrigue, religion, science, and history. I have recommended this book to many, many book loving friends and every one loved it. My old copy is falling apart, and I think it is time to try to replace it. If you like love stories and history, you will love this book.

This is a beautifully written work of historical fiction, set in 1840s New York. It focuses on a young Connecticut woman, Miranda Wells, who sees a change in her station in life through a chance invitation by a wealthy distant cousin. Handsome, gallant, and a renaissance man in terms of his interests, Nicholas Van Ryn invites his young cousin to visit and stay at his lavish home in upstate Hudson, New York and act as a companion for his young daughter.

When she meets him for the first time, Miranda is smitten, as Nicholas is the embodiment of all her romantic yearnings. Moreover, her stay at his luxurious, palatial home on the Hudson River, a mansion with the fanciful name of Dragonwyck, is an answer to her prayers and a chance to escape the hard work and tedium that has been her lot on her family's Connecticut farm. Dragonwyck, however, has its share of secrets and a miasma of evil that lurks in its halls and grand rooms.

The only thorn in Miranda's side is her cousin's wife, Johanna, who does not care for having a younger, more attractive woman, bustling about the house and preening before her husband. Johanna finds ways to make her feelings understood by Miranda, but Miranda, reckless in her admiration for her cousin Nicholas and relatively naive, is somewhat obtuse. Moreover, there is a pre-existing undercurrent of tension between husband and wife in the Dragonwyck household of which Miranda is seemingly oblivious.

Miranda's presence exacerbates the tension in the household that, ultimately, ends in tragedy for all concerned. It is that tragedy that will, for Miranda, mark the beginning of a life journey that will provide some painful and unsettling lessons. It is a journey that will ensure a measure of painful self-discovery and remove the rose colored glasses through which she had viewed her world.

The book is well researched and redolent with information about the Dutch influence in New York and its aristocracy. It details many of the issues and traditions that were germane to the period and is richly descriptive of a way of life in New York, both downstate and upstate, that has since gone by the wayside. It intertwines a number of historical events and personages with the lives of those characters who are at the heart of this wonderful and vastly entertaining book. It is a book that will keep the reader turning the pages until the very last.

This book enjoys a special place in my grandmother's bookshelves, and both she and my mom always told me when I was little that I should read it someday. So a few years ago, on an extended vacation to my grandparent's house (which, I have to say, can be nearly as creepy at night as Dragonwyck) I picked up the book and curled up in a corner with it. I absolutely couldldn't put it down. Miranda is an engaging character who you instantly identify with because I think everyone feels sometimes the sense of oppression of their mundane lives. It definitely fits in nicely with the Gothic romance of the time, though doesn't *quite* stand up to Hawthorne's THe House of the Seven Gables. However, Seton's language is wonderfully detailed and captures the beauties and terrors of the moments to a point where you are nearly breathless. I highly recommend finding yourself a copy, no matter how dog-eared, and immerse yourself in Dragonwyck.

I searched for years for a copy of "Dragonwyck" and finally found an old copy in an East Hampton church sale. Why such a quest? Because I had seen the movie version with Gene Tierney and Vincent Price at least 10 times as a child. And the book is no disappointment--rather, it went beyond my wildest expectation! I've read it over quite a few times. The most appealing part for me is the early part of the novel, when Miranda is first in love with her handsome but remote cousin Nicholas, a married man whose daughter she is governess to. Seton captures the inexpressable longing of a crush that can never come to fruition. How every glance, every chance encounter takes on a significance to us alone. Then, the unthinkable happens, and Miranda gets her wish, marriage to Nicholas. But like most answered prayers, the reality bears no resemblance to the fantasy. In spite of riches and every kind of luxury, Miranda cannot find happiness in her marriage to Nicholas, a man incapable of spiritual and emotional intimacy. I highly recommend "Dragonwyck", for this wonderful plot and also its considerable research in the period, 1840s New York.

Marblehead today is a yuppie heaven; shiny SUVs ply the tree-lined streets, and over-ample pseudo-colonial mansions crowd their small lots. North of Boston, "Marblehead" has become a synonym for "posh" and "snotty". This is ironic, for I remember it in my childhood, half a century ago, a rough town of drinkers, cursers, and womanizers who didn't give a damn for any outsider's opinion. Marbleheaders could be recognized anywhere by their accent and by certain 'code' words. I still think of it in my imagination, strong as the New England rocks that line the shores, the rain dripping into the narrow lanes off the now long-gone elms, mournful seagull cries over the shingled roofs of odd wooden houses by the harbor. That was the Marblehead I knew, full of fields, woods, ponds, and small farms; wildflowers and butterflies; pale red starfish in the tidal pools. Yeah, it's gone now. It's just a shadow of that raffish self.

But if you want to know what it was, if you want to capture the flavor of this, my beloved home, be sure to read THE HEARTH AND EAGLE, which takes you from early colonial days, when Marblehead was a rowdy offshoot of serious Salem, to the 1920s. I won't advise you that this is the best novel you'll ever read, but for sure it is the best one ever written about this town. If you've read it, you'll practically be able to find your way around the winding streets that always lead down to the sea. The author did her research while living at 30 Franklin Street, which her imagination turned into an inn by the name of the title. She may not have been a local, but she certainly captured the flavor of town and depicted a long stretch of Marblehead history through the lives of her characters. If my description grabs you, get hold of this book. Then come visit the town and see how it's changed.

This book captures all the details of Marblehead's unique history in memorable characterizations. Reading Hearth and Eagle will make those not blessed with an address in Marblehead long to visit and experience this unique stetting for themselves. A wonderful read. I could not put it down. My copy has been passed through half of Marblehead's residents!

I am only twelve, but I found this book fabulous! Although put into easily read text, The Hearth and Eagle is a complex and extremly enjoyable book. My mother has lived in Marblehead for a good period of her life, and it has always been to me a funky kind of town. However, after reading this book, I realised how spirited 'Headers have always been. While reading it during school, the people sitting near me would continually roll their eyes as I proceeded to make endless faces and gasps, totally absorbed in the book!

This book covers some of the territory the author covered in her best selling novel, "Green Darkness", that of past lives. The trouble is that the author is unable to capture the magic inherent in her best seller. While this well researched book is of some interest, due to its subject matter, there the similarities stop. Those who have read the other will be somewhat disappointed with this readable, though somewhat tepid, fare.

Here the book revolves around a young New Englander, Amy Delatour, a teenage girl of French Acadian-English lineage, who often goes into a fugue stage where she believes she is a tormented soul named Ange-Marie, a French Acadian in exile in eighteenth century Connecticut who had been separated from her beloved husband, Paul. The shy and bookish Amy lives in a state of anguish and uncertainty, until one of her high school teachers, Martin Stone, takes an interest in this unusual, highly intelligent young woman. Together they will try to get at the bottom of her mysterious dream states and her fire phobia.

The novel starts out promisingly enough, but it never quite reaches its promise. It has a feel of needing to be further fleshed out. While parts of the book are quite interesting, the reader feels as if one where given a delicious appetizer to tempt the palate, only to find that the main course is not forthcoming. Still, there is enough in this novel to make for a pleasant read. Those who have an interest in past lives regression will surely find this book to be of interest.

the book kept me coming back wondering what was next, and not many books that i find can do that for me. i would recommend it for anybody who is interested in a book on the borderline of sci-fi and non-fiction.

The beginning kept me coming back for the big ending. I would recommend it for anyone.

Actually, Theodosia haunts a stretch of beach between Cape Hatteras and Nags Head, North Carolina, on the beautiful Outer Banks. I've never seen her, but you can if you walk up the beach at Cape Hatteras toward Nags Head on an overcast day between Christmas and New Year. Just look for the childlike woman dressed in old fashioned clothes. If you see her, tell her she can stop looking for her portrait, because it was found and taken to New York many, many years ago. I believe it, don't you? If you have read Charles Harry Whedbee's "Legends of the Outer Banks and Tarheel Tidewater", it claims that pirates killed everyone on her ship but her. Other accounts say that the pirates killed everyone, stole all the valuables on ship, and somehow the portrait got to New York.

I read this in high school, this tragic tale of the ill-fated daughter of former vice- president Aaron Burr, and wife of Govenor Joseph Alston, Theodosia Burr Alston, who is said to haunt a beach in South Carolina. In 1812 Theodosia was on a ship that went down off the coast of North Carolina. The bodies of all the others lost at sea washed up, but hers was never found.

It never ceases to amaze me how well Anya Seton can take historical facts, and blend with them just enough drama to make them readable, but not innacurate.

You will not be able to put it down.