Lost in the Stacks: The Dangerous Islands

I first heard of Ann Bridge by way of Rachel at Book Snob when she wrote about Bridge's novel, Illyrian Spring.  I thought it sounded delightful and so did many other people as posts about the book have popped up all over the blogosphere after her enthusiastic response to the story.  Illryian Spring and Peking Summer were both Virago titles and perhaps her best known novels, and both are not only difficult to come by but expensive as well.   Peking Picnic has since been reissued by Capuchin Classics, but her other works remain out of print.  

She was actually quite a prolific author.  Ann Bridge was the pen name for Mary Dolling (Sanders) O'Malley who was born in England in 1889 and married a British Foreign Office official.  They traveled to many exotic locales which ended up in her novels.  Her works are known for  their excellent characterization.  Pamela Cleaver in Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers noted "All Bridge's books have a great deal of charm, many acute observations on life and people, and are very satisfying to read."  Her stories tend to focus on upper class characters in difficult romantic relationships.

Although a quick search didn't turn up any information on The Dangerous Islands, which was published in 1967, her works seemed to have been well received by critics in general.  They have it all--good plotting and well developed characters whose inner lives are explored and set against a setting rich in detail and understanding.  Bridge wrote a series of thrillers featuring Julia Probyn, an amateur detective.  I'm not sure where this book falls in amongst the others or whether it even matters to read them in order or not.  My library copy offers a description of the story.

"Julia Probyn--an old friend to many readers--is sailing off the West coast of Scotland.  On the desolate island of Erinish Beg, she and her cousin are startled to see a sky-blue pole rise up out of the ground at their feet.   Military Intelligence sends Colonel Jamieson to investigate this find.  The action moves from the Erinishes to a tweed-shop in Tobermory, to an archaeological dig on Lewis, to an island off County Mayo, and finally to a dramatic end in the Scillies.  The mystery of the sky-blue pole is solved soon enough; but there is much journeying, heart-searching and danger for Julia before the whole system of espionage is laid bare."

This sounds like quite an adventure, doesn't it?  Considering my affinity to suspense these days I might have to start with it, but I'd like to read Ann Bridge's other work as well (to be honest Illyrian Spring has come home with me more than once, and what I read I liked).  I'm lucky as my library has a whole shelf of her books, including The Peking Picnic.  See the kinds of treasures your local library might have?!

Comments

[Margaret Powling]

Would you believe I have about 8 or 9 Ann Bridge novels, mint originals in dust jackets, bought for a song many years ago but have still been unable to 'get into' them! I have tried several, so perhaps it's time to have another try! I bought them because (a) my old English teacher at grammar school rhapsodized about this writer (along with another writer seldom read these days: Joy Packer) and (b) I loved the 1960s-style dust jackets! Yes, cover art can sell books!

[bekah]

"This sounds like quite an adventure, doesn't it?"

Yes! And I love it. Adventure.

And books.

The.best.

[Karen K.]

I actually found one of the Capuchin editions of Peking Picnic at Borders a couple of weeks ago! It was about 30 % off, plus my member discount, so it was a pretty good price. I'm lucky enough to have a TexShare card so I can check out books at the local college libraries. The closest one, Trinity University, has a whole shelf full of the works of Ann Bridge. It's a dangerous place!

[Judith]

Danielle,
I really want to read Dangerous Islands, after reading about it online. Unfortunately, my library system HAD a copy, but it is marked "LOST." Oh, no.

Very high prices through AbeBooks.

Maybe I can borrow it via another library system. Will try!

Thanks for bringing Bridge to my attention!

Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)

[Rebecca]

I will definitely need to see if my library has these; I love mystery books set in various countries. That cover for Dangerous Islands is wonderful.

[Lyn]

This sounds wonderful, especially as I'm going through a Scottish phase at the moment. I enjoyed Peking Picnic but haven't read any of her other novels although I'd like to. One day!

[Caroline]

I think I also read a review of Illyrian spring and was tempted to read it. Thanks for reminding me of the author.

[Kathy]

Ooh--sounds like an author right up my alley. I'm off to my library's website to see if they have any of her books...

[carolinareads]

Sounds like a terrific read. I'm just sad my library doesn't have a copy.

[Danielle]

Margaret--I'm a sucker for a good cover as well. I sort of like this one here, though it is for the paperback edition. Interesting (and good) to hear one of your teachers recommended her so strongly. Have you tried Illyrian Spring? That sounds like it might have been one of her better books. Maybe it is just a matter of timing in terms of reading her?
Bekah--I love adventure stories as well. I seem to be picking up a number of authors who write suspense--Helen MacInnes and Mary Stewart two of the more recent authors--now Ann Bridge.
Karen--What a lucky find! I don't think I've yet seen any of those Capuchin editions in any local stores, though someone very kindly sent me a book she had read and didn't want to keep. My library has Peking Picnic as well, so I can get it at some point. And I also use ILL very often--I can get books that are located at other libraries in the university system--very handy indeed!
Judith--I think she must have been popular at the time so perhaps you'll be able to easily find her books at other libraries and can get them via ILL. It's always good when there are lots of copies floating around still. Good luck tracking her down!
Rebecca--I like the cover as well--my library copy is just a plain hardcover with a blue cover. Still the contents are the same. I love this sort of adventure/suspense story as well.
Lyn--Someone to add to your list. I've been following the discussion at the Doves group on books with Scottish settings--this one sounds perfect!
Caroline--I think after Rachel wrote about it a number of other bloggers went in search of the book as I found a number of reviews, too. Too bad her books are mostly out of print, though it sounds like she can be found in libraries.
Kathy--She sounds a little like Mary Stewart, doesn't she? I wouldn't mind looking for some of the paperbacks of her work, though I should really stick with borrowing library copies!
Carolinareads--You might try ILL through your library (I think most libraries offer the service) if she piques your curiosity. I've not looked to see if any of her work is available online--though I think her books are likely to still be under copyright.

[Stefanie]

I am intrigued by the tweed shop in the plot description. I never knew there was such a thing! Can you imagine what an entire shop of tweed would be like?

[Rachel]

I love seeing Ann Bridge written about! Thank you, Danielle! Her later novels branched off into mysteries, and her earlier ones are a little more romance-style travelogues. Illyrian Spring is such a gem - I'm desperate to read more but they seem so hard to find! Lucky you to have so many at your fingertips!

[Dorothy W.]

Fun! I haven't heard of Ann Bridge before, but I like the idea of a story that takes her heroine around Scotland and Ireland. It definitely sounds worth exploring further!

[Danielle]

Stefanie--Isn't that weird? I haven't a clue what tweed shop is--maybe if I read the book I can figure it out and let you know!;)
Rachel--I had to bring home one of her books--she is most certainly a lost in the stacks author who should be rediscovered. I still need to bring home Illyrian Spring, but as I am on a suspense kick this one appealed as well. They all sound good to me actually. I am lucky that we have a whole row of her books to explore!
Dorothy--Doesn't the setting sound great? And a little espionage, too. It's fun finding authors who were once popular but have sort of faded away--quite often the stories are just as entertaining now as they were when they were first published.

[Liz F]

I have been trying to get hold of one of Ann Bridge's books for months but the county library has only one listed which has mysteriously disappeared and when I last looked at those for sale on the internet, the prices were far too high for me to even contemplate. It's all deeply frustrating!
You find tweed shops all over the tourist areas of Scotland selling tweed garments and woollen items too as well as general gift-type things! My mum used to love them and I well remember sitting in the car with my dad and a book (a map for him)on childhood holidays while she happily wandered round.

[Danielle]

Liz--I'll keep an eye out for them here--I owe you a book. Maybe I can find a cheap copy of one of hers as they seem to be in abundance at libraries. I don't know how I lucked out with having so many to choose from. Annoying that the one your library has went missing, but isn't that always the case? Okay, so now I know what you mean by tweed shops--thanks! I was thinking fabric stores for some reason. What a fun memory. Maybe some day I'll get to visit one as well. :)

[litlove]

I really love writing from early in the twentieth century; it has an elegance and lucidity that seems to get lost later on. You find so many great authors, Danielle!

[Danielle]

Litlove--I like earlier books as well. Ann Bridge seems well regarded even now by contemporary readers so I look forward to getting to some of her books soon.