Stormy Petrel by Mary Stewart
When Rose Fenemore takes a desperately needed holiday to an isolated cottage on the Scottish island of Moila she doesn’t expect much in the way of adventure – just a few quiet weeks of writing, walking and bird-watching.
And then, late one night during a wild storm, two young men appear in her doorway, seeking shelter from the wind and rain. Neither man is quite who he claims, and the question of who to trust will put Rose in grave peril . . .
GUIDE
THEMES
Rose gets caught up in a family mystery.
SETTING
Set in the Hebrides, Scotland.
SERIES
Not part of a series.
Review
Stormy Petrel was first published in 1991 and is one of only two novels that were set in Scotland which is surprising since Mary Stewart had a strong connection to the county. Rose Fenemore, a Cambridge lecturer, books a cottage for the summer on a remote island in The Hebrides where she is hoping to find some peace to write her new novel and spend some time with her brother. Things start to go wrong when Rose’s brother’s arrival is delayed when he is involved in a train accident that leaves him with a broken leg. Resigned to spending some time alone, Rose is awakened in the middle of a stormy night by two very different men who appear to have some sort of connection to the cottage. Rose isn’t sure which one to believe and is caught up in a family mystery.
Stormy Petrel is quite a short novel so it was a quick read which is just as well as it is my least favourite Stewart novel to date. As usual, Stewart paints a marvellous picture of The Hebrides and the local wildlife but the characters were so dull it was hard to feel invested in them. I’ve read all three of Stewart’s novels set in cottages now and Thornyhold is definitely my favourite.
