The Ivy Tree

I find the concept of "doppelganger" intriguing, particularly the idea of "glimpsing yourself in peripheral vision" and that being the harbinger of bad luck.  I had no idea doppelganger carried with it that meaning, but it sort of gives me the chills.  At the center of Mary Stewart's The Ivy Tree is a doppelganger, or look alike.  It's a thriller-ish sort of story, though the "twin" doesn't carry with it that same chilling meaning.  This is not the first time I've read about a lookalike taking the place of the original.  Josephine Tey used this plot device in Brat Farrar, and if I remember correctly French author Sebastien Japrisot uses it effectively as well in one of his noir crime novels (he wrote several, all of which I gulped down as soon as they were published in the US, but I'm digressing).

The Ivy Tree begins with a twenty-something young woman called Mary Grey sitting and enjoying the lovely Northumberland landscape.  She's accosted by a handsome but surly stranger accusing her of being someone she's not.  It turns out that she's on Winslow property, and she happens to be the spitting image of Annabel Winslow, the runaway heiress to the the family's fortunes thought to be long dead.  Conor, a distant Irish relation, is certain she's Annabel come home to have her share of Whitescar, the family home.  Conor is none too pleased as he's labored hard on the land with little recognition from his grandfather.  It takes some convincing, but eventually Mary persuades him that she is indeed from Canada and far back in her family tree her ancestors may have come from this part of the world, which is what drew her to the country.  Annabel she is not.

It's all a matter of chance, but Conor sees his opportunity to take advantage of the situation.  He proposes that Mary take on the identity of the dead Annabel and return to Whitescar--the prodigal granddaughter.  She was much loved by her grandfather and he's sure that the will still names Annabel as the heir.  The catch is if Annabel weren't to return the property would revert to his younger cousin, Julie, not Conor, leaving him out in the cold.  His only chance is to convince everyone Annabel has returned to take her rightful place as heir.  When the grandfather passes away, and the poor man is in a fragile state, Mary can hand over the goods but keep a tidy sum for herself.  Being nearly penniless, Mary accepts and the deception begins.

The story isn't as complicated as it sounds, but Mary's impersonation ends up being riddled with obstacles.  Can she convince everyone she is Annabel?  What about Annabel's secrets?  Will they trip her up.  The deception turns out to be more dangerous than Mary ever expected.  This is a story that promises twists and turns, suspense and perhaps even some romance.  It had all the right elements, but to be honest, the story didn't really grab me.  It was a little slower going than I like for a novel of suspense.  I enjoyed it on one level--it was well written and reasonably well plotted with interesting characters.  But somehow I still failed to engage with the story.  I think I can blame it on reading this at the same time I was reading Rebecca, which is absolutely masterfully done.  It seems unfair to compare the two, but I couldn't help myself.  I have, however, really enjoyed Mary Stewart's Arthurian novels and still plan on reading some of her other Gothic novels.  I think it was just a matter of timing as the premise is a good one.

This was my first R.I.P. book.  I decided to be a glutton for punishment and have moved on to Joyce Carol Oates's Beasts.  It's a slender little novel and so far has started out innocuously enough.  I'm not far, though, so I don't expect that to last!  I know she'll throw me for a loop eventually.      

Comments

[litlove]

I did feel she reached a peak with the Arthurian novels that wasn't matched in her other work. I remember them as the kind of books that are good if you have a cold and need something really light. I imagine coming after Rebecca it would feel a bit flat!

[Danielle]

Litlove--Although I did enjoy it, when you compare it to Rebecca it just didn't quite seem on the same level. I wouldn't mind reading some of her other novels (I think I have another on my pile), but they would be as you say, good comfort reads!

[Stefanie]

Too bad it wasn't as good as you had hoped. If I ever read this I will have to be sure not to read it after Rebecca :)

[Dorothy W.]

Well, after such a promising premise, it's really too bad the book wasn't as good as you hoped. Aren't doppelgangers fascinating? I remember talking about them a lot when I studied Frankenstein -- Frankenstein and his creature are good examples of the phenomenon.

[Lisa]

Well, I learned something today. I didn't know that meant a harbinger of death. In fact, I wasn't quite sure what it meant at all. hehe The book does sound interesting. You're probably right. Nothing can stand up to a comparison of Rebecca.

[Ann (Table Talk)]

I've just read the new crime thriller from Tana French, 'The Likeness' which is about something very similar. I'll get round to reviewing it tomorrow but basically a body is found who is the double of a cop who has worked undercover before and so she goes into this girl's life to try and find out who killed her. It's excellent. Although if you haven't read her first novel, 'In The Woods', it's probably as well to begin there.

[Danielle]

Stefanie--Rebecca is in a class all by its own. The Ivy Tree was good, but it just never quite became the page turner I was hoping it would be. I kept waiting for it to grab me, but it didn't happen until almost the end.
Dorothy--You're right--I had forgotten about Frankenstein--you wrote about that, didn't you? Doppelganger is an interesting concept--I never realized there was such a eerie meaning attached to them. I was a little disappointed, but it was still a fairly entertaining read.
Lisa--I knew that a doppelganger was a lookalike, but I also didn't know it had such connotations. It's a creepy thought. Rebecca is so well done, I should have picked a book totally different to read.
Ann--That sounds really good!! I do have her first book on my reading pile. It was going to be my next mystery, but then I had a library book I needed to read and now I have another mystery that I won from Library Thing--a reader's copy, so I guess I will read that next. So the French book is after that! I wonder if her newer one still in hardcover? In any case, I'm sure I'll get my hands on that one eventually, too!

[Carl V.]

It makes sense that you would compare this to Rebecca if you were reading them at the same time as they sound like they have some similar ideas and themes. Rebecca is wonderful too, isn't it? Probably unfair to compare many things to that book. I am going to start reading a collection of du Maurier short stories this weekend and I am really looking forward to it.

[iliana]

I've been eyeing this book since I first saw it mentioned on Bas Bleu. Thank you for such a great review Danielle. I will keep it on my TBR list.

[Danielle]

Carl--The Ivy Tree is actually a fairly different story, and I shouldn't have compared the two at all, but Rebecca was still so fresh in my mind! I hope you like du Maurier's stories--she's a wonderful short story writer. I've read a few and hope to read more. My favorite it Don't Look Now!
Iliana--I also first spotted it in Bas Bleu. I am glad you plan on picking it up eventually. I have Nine Coaches still to read.
It's definitely a good escapist sort of book.

[Lesley]

Well, isn't that funny! I just finished posting about this very book: http://www.alifeinbooks.com/?p=196 - I also read it for the RIP challenge, but enjoyed it more than you. Although, yes, I would agree with you - compared to Rebecca, hands down, Rebecca comes out the victor.

[Danielle]

Lesley--How funny--I will check out your review! I think had I read it on its own--not having read anything similar at the same time I might have gotten into it more than I did. I still liked it, but it never really clicked where I felt like I just couldn't put it down. Still, I'm going to try some of her other books.

[David Toms]

Another case of mistaken identity or such is Agatha Christie's "Taken at the Flood".

I love the Mary Stewart novels and have just purchased "The Ivy Tree" and cannot wait to read.