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Rose Cottage
Rose Cottage : A Novel by Mary Stewart (1998, Paperback). Paperback, Number Of 272 pages, 9780449000618, Random House Publishing Group, 0449000613, English. 0449000613 Product Paperback Fawcett Books; First Edition edition (1998) English 0449000613 978-0449000618 B00722V5CG Product 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches Shipping 12.6 ounces
264 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 1997
533 people are currently reading
2571 people want to read
About the author
Mary Stewart
92 books2,870 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Lady Mary Stewart, born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow, was a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years.
She was one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for young readers, she was admired for both her contemporary stories of romantic suspense and her historical novels. Born in England, she lived for many years in Scotland, spending time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands.
Her unofficial fan site can be found at http://marystewartnovels.blogspot.com/.
Lady Mary Stewart, born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow, was a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years.
She was one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for young readers, she was admired for both her contemporary stories of romantic suspense and her historical novels. Born in England, she lived for many years in Scotland, spending time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands.
Her unofficial fan site can be found at http://marystewartnovels.blogspot.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 616 reviews
March 31, 2022
2022 reread (I picked this up on a Kindle sale the other day) - I'm dropping my rating from 3.5/4 to 3 stars. It's a pleasant enough way to while away an evening when you want a cozy, not too challenging read, but pretty bland for a Mary Stewart book. Her earlier romantic suspense novels are much better.
2014 review: Rose Cottage is a gentle, cozy mystery, written in Mary Stewart's later years when I suspect she was weary of writing about alpha heroes and heart-stopping dangers. I almost didn't join the Mary Stewart group's buddy read of this book, I was so convinced that I had read this years ago and was bored to tears. But then I started fretting about missing the last official group read and ran down to the library to grab Rose Cottage before someone else got to it. And I'm glad I did.
Nothing about this story was familiar to me as I was reading it. Either my memory is getting really bad (entirely possible) or I had this book mixed up in my head with The Stormy Petrel, which I still can't recommend to anyone. But this was an enjoyable "curl up by the fire with something cozy and relaxing" type of book.
The book is set in 1947, when Kate Herrick leaves London to visit her ailing grandmother, who sends her to her childhood home, Rose Cottage, to retrieve some family papers and minor heirlooms. Kate never knew who her father was, and when her mother's strict religious aunt, Betsy, who is a real piece of work, moved into their home when Kate was a young child, Aunt Betsy made Kate's mother, Lillias, so unhappy that Lillias left the house and (literally) ran off with the gypsies. Kate never saw her mother again; Lillias died in a bus accident a few years later.
Kate and her childhood friend, Davey Pascoe, break open a small hidden safe box in the wall of Rose Cottage to get the family papers and small treasures, only to find that it has been recently emptied by some mysterious person. To add to the mystery, lights have been seen around Rose Cottage in the night, and someone has been digging around the cottage, and putting flowers on the graves of Kate's grandfather and even Aunt Betsy. And a stranger has been asking about Kate's family . . .
There's a little suspense in this book, but it's more on the level of don't-forget-to-lock-the-doors-at-night than sleep-with-a-loaded-pistol-under-your-pillow-and-a-Doberman-next-to-your-bed. There's also some talk of ghosts and some portentous dreams, but it's pretty mild stuff. As I said, a cozy mystery. And there's a love interest for Kate, but he's definitely the beta hero type--which fits well with the overall tone of this story, actually.
Most of the action takes place in northern England and Scotland, so there are quite a few Scots and British terms used in this novel that I was unfamiliar with. I amused myself for the first 50 pages by writing some of them down and looking them up. For example:
Clootie dumplings = clootie is a diminutive of the Scots word "cloot" or cloth. The dumpling is made by wrapping the dough in a floured cloth before boiling it. Who knew?
Clamjamphrie = commotion
Flitting = (Brit.) leaving one's home (often to avoid creditors!)
Lonnen = lane
Holystone = a soft and brittle sandstone that was used to scrub ships' decks and, apparently, floors and hearths of homes.
That's Mary Stewart for you: Always an education in some way. :)
This is a 3 1/2 star book for me. It's nice and pleasant, but not really extraordinary. But I'm rounding up because . . . Mary Stewart. Those who love her books will understand.
2014 review: Rose Cottage is a gentle, cozy mystery, written in Mary Stewart's later years when I suspect she was weary of writing about alpha heroes and heart-stopping dangers. I almost didn't join the Mary Stewart group's buddy read of this book, I was so convinced that I had read this years ago and was bored to tears. But then I started fretting about missing the last official group read and ran down to the library to grab Rose Cottage before someone else got to it. And I'm glad I did.
Nothing about this story was familiar to me as I was reading it. Either my memory is getting really bad (entirely possible) or I had this book mixed up in my head with The Stormy Petrel, which I still can't recommend to anyone. But this was an enjoyable "curl up by the fire with something cozy and relaxing" type of book.
The book is set in 1947, when Kate Herrick leaves London to visit her ailing grandmother, who sends her to her childhood home, Rose Cottage, to retrieve some family papers and minor heirlooms. Kate never knew who her father was, and when her mother's strict religious aunt, Betsy, who is a real piece of work, moved into their home when Kate was a young child, Aunt Betsy made Kate's mother, Lillias, so unhappy that Lillias left the house and (literally) ran off with the gypsies. Kate never saw her mother again; Lillias died in a bus accident a few years later.
When, a little time later, Aunt Betsy was found to be working a text in cross-stitch which said THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, my grandmother, normally the gentlest of women, tore it out of her sister's hands and threw it in the fire. And for once Aunt Betsy never said a word.Thankfully, Aunt Betsy has died by the time the main action in the story take place, but her mean-spirited actions during her lifetime reach across the years to affect her family during this story.
Kate and her childhood friend, Davey Pascoe, break open a small hidden safe box in the wall of Rose Cottage to get the family papers and small treasures, only to find that it has been recently emptied by some mysterious person. To add to the mystery, lights have been seen around Rose Cottage in the night, and someone has been digging around the cottage, and putting flowers on the graves of Kate's grandfather and even Aunt Betsy. And a stranger has been asking about Kate's family . . .
There's a little suspense in this book, but it's more on the level of don't-forget-to-lock-the-doors-at-night than sleep-with-a-loaded-pistol-under-your-pillow-and-a-Doberman-next-to-your-bed. There's also some talk of ghosts and some portentous dreams, but it's pretty mild stuff. As I said, a cozy mystery. And there's a love interest for Kate, but he's definitely the beta hero type--which fits well with the overall tone of this story, actually.
Most of the action takes place in northern England and Scotland, so there are quite a few Scots and British terms used in this novel that I was unfamiliar with. I amused myself for the first 50 pages by writing some of them down and looking them up. For example:
Clootie dumplings = clootie is a diminutive of the Scots word "cloot" or cloth. The dumpling is made by wrapping the dough in a floured cloth before boiling it. Who knew?
Clamjamphrie = commotion
Flitting = (Brit.) leaving one's home (often to avoid creditors!)
Lonnen = lane
Holystone = a soft and brittle sandstone that was used to scrub ships' decks and, apparently, floors and hearths of homes.
That's Mary Stewart for you: Always an education in some way. :)
This is a 3 1/2 star book for me. It's nice and pleasant, but not really extraordinary. But I'm rounding up because . . . Mary Stewart. Those who love her books will understand.
May 19, 2018
Written very late in Ms Stewart's writing career, this charming novel is set in post World War 2 Britain. Kate Herrick, widowed by war, goes to her childhood home to pack up her Grandmother's belongings, as her Grandmother has decided to stay in Scotland. Slowly Kate changes back to Kathy, an illegitimate child back when this was a real stigma. Gradually we find out some of the mysteries in Kathy's past and learn more about her beautiful if feckless mother.
This is a sweet if slight tale, well written as I have come to expect from this author. I found the discussion of post war rationing fascinating and the spirit that lead to people being able to "make do."
Even for Mary Stewart, the romance in this novel was very understated, but this book is perfect for anyone wanting to step back in time.
This is a sweet if slight tale, well written as I have come to expect from this author. I found the discussion of post war rationing fascinating and the spirit that lead to people being able to "make do."
Even for Mary Stewart, the romance in this novel was very understated, but this book is perfect for anyone wanting to step back in time.
May 22, 2018
Always lovely to spend a little time with Mary Stewart. She is one of my favorite authors, and while this is not one of my favorites of her books, it is sweet and soothing and a happy place to sink into. I am often at a loss to say what it is that makes me love reading Stewart so much. She is unique and brings to her work a kind of homecoming feeling, like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night and having a loving mother offer you a cup of homemade soup.
Kate Henrick, formerly known as Kathy Welland, returns to her childhood home to collect a few things for her Grandmother and sort out the closing of Rose Cottage. She runs into a number of old friends and neighbors, including a handsome young man with whom she shared her school years. There is a minor mystery going on, a bit of the past to sort out, and a struggle for this young woman to figure out if she is Kate, the woman she has been since leaving this village, or Kathy, the woman she was when she lived here.
Stewart brings her inimitable writing style to this novel, as to all her others. Her descriptions of the gardens and animals alone would make the read worthwhile.
The burn, lapsing in whispers, is, apart from the bees, the only sound in the day. Both are drowned in the sudden ‘hear ye, hear ye’ preliminary whistle of a curlew, and the the sky is filled, it seems with the beautiful long, liquid call that is perhaps the loveliest, the most thrilling of all birds’ songs.
And, there is wisdom sprinkled in among the flowing descriptions of nature and architecture:
Why was it that one always regretted change? Things were not made to stay fixed, preserved in amber. Perhaps the only acceptable amber was memory. I had ‘helped’ in this kitchen so many times. I could remember when the table tops were above my eye-level, and I shared the floor under the table with the dog, waiting, both of us, for the piece of cake or biscuit to be handed down and shared. The kitchen, the heart of the house, with its warmth and its wonderful smells of baking, or the delectable smell of roasting meat, and the sizzle and spit as the joint was speared and turned in the pan. The clashing of pots and dishes and the cheerful chatter of women’s voices. A whole world, once. And now changed, and soon to be changed again. And, surely, for the better? One had to believe that the world was changing for the better, or else why live? That, arguably, was one of the facets of what Christians called faith?
Only a person who has never sat is a kitchen that was the center of a family’s life, helped make a Sunday dinner with a grandmother and a mother and sisters chattering all about them, or stood in a house that was full of memories but about to be sold away, could fail to understand the sentiments expressed here.
Along the way, Mary Stewart throws out a few very well-placed red herrings (I gobbled them up), builds a sweet bit of romance, and makes you feel as if the world, no matter how topsy-turvy it might seem, can be put right again. Perhaps there is another key to her charm, she makes you believe in happy endings.
Kate Henrick, formerly known as Kathy Welland, returns to her childhood home to collect a few things for her Grandmother and sort out the closing of Rose Cottage. She runs into a number of old friends and neighbors, including a handsome young man with whom she shared her school years. There is a minor mystery going on, a bit of the past to sort out, and a struggle for this young woman to figure out if she is Kate, the woman she has been since leaving this village, or Kathy, the woman she was when she lived here.
Stewart brings her inimitable writing style to this novel, as to all her others. Her descriptions of the gardens and animals alone would make the read worthwhile.
The burn, lapsing in whispers, is, apart from the bees, the only sound in the day. Both are drowned in the sudden ‘hear ye, hear ye’ preliminary whistle of a curlew, and the the sky is filled, it seems with the beautiful long, liquid call that is perhaps the loveliest, the most thrilling of all birds’ songs.
And, there is wisdom sprinkled in among the flowing descriptions of nature and architecture:
Why was it that one always regretted change? Things were not made to stay fixed, preserved in amber. Perhaps the only acceptable amber was memory. I had ‘helped’ in this kitchen so many times. I could remember when the table tops were above my eye-level, and I shared the floor under the table with the dog, waiting, both of us, for the piece of cake or biscuit to be handed down and shared. The kitchen, the heart of the house, with its warmth and its wonderful smells of baking, or the delectable smell of roasting meat, and the sizzle and spit as the joint was speared and turned in the pan. The clashing of pots and dishes and the cheerful chatter of women’s voices. A whole world, once. And now changed, and soon to be changed again. And, surely, for the better? One had to believe that the world was changing for the better, or else why live? That, arguably, was one of the facets of what Christians called faith?
Only a person who has never sat is a kitchen that was the center of a family’s life, helped make a Sunday dinner with a grandmother and a mother and sisters chattering all about them, or stood in a house that was full of memories but about to be sold away, could fail to understand the sentiments expressed here.
Along the way, Mary Stewart throws out a few very well-placed red herrings (I gobbled them up), builds a sweet bit of romance, and makes you feel as if the world, no matter how topsy-turvy it might seem, can be put right again. Perhaps there is another key to her charm, she makes you believe in happy endings.
December 30, 2015
I enjoyed this book, even though it was not as complex as other Stewart titles. I was in need of a comfort read and Rose Cottage was the perfect choice. Just enough of a mystery to puzzle over, a hint of romance that you know will eventually flourish, and a lovely English cottage.
Kathy Herrick used to live in Rose Cottage, and is back to supervise the packing up of various household items so they can be shipped off to her grandmother, who also used to live in the cottage but is now in Scotland. Kathy is surprised at how easily she falls into the rhythms of the life she thought she had left behind after marrying a pilot who ended up being killed in the recent war.
When she gets to the cottage, Kathy discovers that some of the items Gran asked for are missing. Who took them and why becomes the mystery. Clues are given to Kathy by the delightful ladies of 'Witch's Corner' and my favorite scenes involved Kathy's unusual conversations with these ladies.
A smooth, easy, predictable read. Which is sometimes exactly what I want. A bonus is that my edition is in large print so I will be able to send it to a little old lady friend so that she can read it too. Cool!
Kathy Herrick used to live in Rose Cottage, and is back to supervise the packing up of various household items so they can be shipped off to her grandmother, who also used to live in the cottage but is now in Scotland. Kathy is surprised at how easily she falls into the rhythms of the life she thought she had left behind after marrying a pilot who ended up being killed in the recent war.
When she gets to the cottage, Kathy discovers that some of the items Gran asked for are missing. Who took them and why becomes the mystery. Clues are given to Kathy by the delightful ladies of 'Witch's Corner' and my favorite scenes involved Kathy's unusual conversations with these ladies.
A smooth, easy, predictable read. Which is sometimes exactly what I want. A bonus is that my edition is in large print so I will be able to send it to a little old lady friend so that she can read it too. Cool!
September 20, 2022
I accidentally put a lovely review of Mary Stewart's Thornyhold here . . . I'm just reading Rose Cottage now, September 2022!
Well, this was utterly charming! It did remind me a lot of Thornyhold, though the magic here was only a hint. But a lovely story about family, and coming home, and uncovering a mystery about yourself!
Well, this was utterly charming! It did remind me a lot of Thornyhold, though the magic here was only a hint. But a lovely story about family, and coming home, and uncovering a mystery about yourself!
June 1, 2018
Mary Stewart Buddy Read, June, 2014. Buddy Group re-read, 2018 and I'm bumping the rating up a star.
This is a charming book, a journey back to a sweet remembered time.
It's lovely to simply breath the air on a June morning 'on the wide spreading moorland....[where] the bell heather is out, and bees are busy....", and to be in a place where the biggest worry seems to be about the quality of one's clootie dumplings.
All the village characters are there: a very smart milk cart horse, Rosy, who always knows who will have a biscuit treat for her; a pair of spinster sisters who know everything worth knowing about what goes on; a 'witch' who really does have 'The Sight'.
There are lovely, telling details about a particular moment in time, just before village life changed forever. I appreciated the matter-of-fact way the war's tragedies and deprivations were discussed in Rose Cottage. This was just how it was and you soldiered on--mustn't grumble!
As always, Mary Stewart's language and descriptions are a joy. A gently unfolding romance, a little family mystery, a charming heroine and an unexpected leading lad all make for an easy summer afternoon's read.
Content rating: G. Clean as a whistle.
This is a charming book, a journey back to a sweet remembered time.
It's lovely to simply breath the air on a June morning 'on the wide spreading moorland....[where] the bell heather is out, and bees are busy....", and to be in a place where the biggest worry seems to be about the quality of one's clootie dumplings.
All the village characters are there: a very smart milk cart horse, Rosy, who always knows who will have a biscuit treat for her; a pair of spinster sisters who know everything worth knowing about what goes on; a 'witch' who really does have 'The Sight'.
There are lovely, telling details about a particular moment in time, just before village life changed forever. I appreciated the matter-of-fact way the war's tragedies and deprivations were discussed in Rose Cottage. This was just how it was and you soldiered on--mustn't grumble!
As always, Mary Stewart's language and descriptions are a joy. A gently unfolding romance, a little family mystery, a charming heroine and an unexpected leading lad all make for an easy summer afternoon's read.
Content rating: G. Clean as a whistle.
September 26, 2018
Twenty-four-year-old widow Kate Herrick née Kathy Welland returns to Scotland from London to see her ailing grandmother, Mary Welland. Gran, who once worked for a titled family in Todhall village in the north of England, relocated to their manor in Strathbeg, Scotland, at the start of World War II. She’s decided to remain in Scotland for good and asks Kate to return to Todhall to pack up some of the furniture at Rose Cottage and — especially important — recover some cheap but sentimental jewelry and personal papers hidden in a wallpaper-covered wall safe.
Except that the wall safe has been burgled, Kate finds. Who could possibly want such worthless stuff? And who’s been hanging about the empty Rose Cottage? Author Mary Stewart’s probably best known for this cozy mystery, and it’s easy to see why. In exploring this current mystery, Kate stumbles on secrets from the past in this very intriguing novel. I read the entire thing in one day. Highly recommended.
Except that the wall safe has been burgled, Kate finds. Who could possibly want such worthless stuff? And who’s been hanging about the empty Rose Cottage? Author Mary Stewart’s probably best known for this cozy mystery, and it’s easy to see why. In exploring this current mystery, Kate stumbles on secrets from the past in this very intriguing novel. I read the entire thing in one day. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2013
What a lovely book this is. Mary Stewart is such a gifted writer. This tale ends in such a wonderful, happy way, I feel warm all over. This is British fiction at its best. The story revolves around Kate Herrick who grew up in Rose Cottage, in the English countryside near a great house. Kate was raised by her sweet Gran and her prudish overly religious Aunt Betsy (the latter being one hell of a cross to bear) after her beautiful mother Lilias ran off with a gypsy to get away from super-bitch Aunt Betsy when Kate (then Kathy) was only 6.
In the summer of 1947, Kate leaves London where she has become a wealthy widow of a man who died in WW2 to help her Gran who now lives in Scotland and is ill. Gran asks her to retrieve some personal items from Rose Cottage as the main house is about to be made into a hotel. When Kate returns to the idyllic thatched little cottage, she is reunited with many people who are glad to see her but the mystery of her illegitimate birth and also the disappearance and presumed death of her mother in an accident rise up to greet her. Who was the mysterious person digging in the garden? Why were there fresh flowers on much-hated Aunt Betsy's unmarked grave? Who were the mysterious figures one old lady insists was Kate's supposedly dead Mum and her gypsy lover seen in the garden? How did someone get in the house without a key and find the secret safe with Gran's personal papers and manage to steal them without the key and without breaking the box and leaving it locked afterwards?
The descriptions of the English countryside, the charming cottage, and the residents are simply delicious and made me long to be instantly transported to the scene. With the help of Davey Pascoe, a sweet young man who is son of her godparents and who has been in love with her his entire life, Kate unlocks the mysteries and there is a very satisfying and happy ending. Please don't miss out on this book. It is a real treat.
In the summer of 1947, Kate leaves London where she has become a wealthy widow of a man who died in WW2 to help her Gran who now lives in Scotland and is ill. Gran asks her to retrieve some personal items from Rose Cottage as the main house is about to be made into a hotel. When Kate returns to the idyllic thatched little cottage, she is reunited with many people who are glad to see her but the mystery of her illegitimate birth and also the disappearance and presumed death of her mother in an accident rise up to greet her. Who was the mysterious person digging in the garden? Why were there fresh flowers on much-hated Aunt Betsy's unmarked grave? Who were the mysterious figures one old lady insists was Kate's supposedly dead Mum and her gypsy lover seen in the garden? How did someone get in the house without a key and find the secret safe with Gran's personal papers and manage to steal them without the key and without breaking the box and leaving it locked afterwards?
The descriptions of the English countryside, the charming cottage, and the residents are simply delicious and made me long to be instantly transported to the scene. With the help of Davey Pascoe, a sweet young man who is son of her godparents and who has been in love with her his entire life, Kate unlocks the mysteries and there is a very satisfying and happy ending. Please don't miss out on this book. It is a real treat.
January 2, 2015
Is it possible to feel nostalgia for somewhere you’ve never been, somewhere you’ve only “seen” through the words in a book? In Rose Cottage the answer is a resounding yes – the setting was so beautiful, so well-described, that I truly felt like I was there. She created such a visceral, atmospheric place with that small English village. Rose Cottage is a beautiful piece of writing from beginning to end. When Kathy Herrick arrives at her childhood home to take care of moving for her grandmother, she has no idea of the mystery that she’s about to uncover. This is definitely a mystery in the “cozy” sense of the word. There is just a touch of suspense that had me turning the pages eagerly.
The opening was very unique and had almost a cinematic quality to it, which continued on throughout the story. The characters were truly delightful, and I loved the village setting where news travels by word of mouth, not out of spite or gossip, but rather as their quickest way to gather information. I loved all of the childhood tales, as well as the meetings of old friends. The book is aptly titled, as Rose Cottage is entity all its own. I hope there are true “Rose Cottages” out there.
To be honest, my only negative thought about this is that it was just too short – so much more could have been explored, the tension heightened, the suspense built more. I get the feeling that her other novels may not be this way, and even so, I still really liked it. I just wanted there to be more to the story. In the end, everything wraps up nice and neatly for the most part, so it served as a cozy, mild mystery, and for that, I did love it.
This was my first novel by Mary Stewart, but it definitely won’t be my last – after growing up reading my mom’s favorite authors, like Victoria Holt and Dorothy Eden, I feel rather cheated that I’ve missed out on Mary and plan on remedying this situation promptly.
The opening was very unique and had almost a cinematic quality to it, which continued on throughout the story. The characters were truly delightful, and I loved the village setting where news travels by word of mouth, not out of spite or gossip, but rather as their quickest way to gather information. I loved all of the childhood tales, as well as the meetings of old friends. The book is aptly titled, as Rose Cottage is entity all its own. I hope there are true “Rose Cottages” out there.
To be honest, my only negative thought about this is that it was just too short – so much more could have been explored, the tension heightened, the suspense built more. I get the feeling that her other novels may not be this way, and even so, I still really liked it. I just wanted there to be more to the story. In the end, everything wraps up nice and neatly for the most part, so it served as a cozy, mild mystery, and for that, I did love it.
This was my first novel by Mary Stewart, but it definitely won’t be my last – after growing up reading my mom’s favorite authors, like Victoria Holt and Dorothy Eden, I feel rather cheated that I’ve missed out on Mary and plan on remedying this situation promptly.
April 2, 2024
2024 Review
A slow but sweet novel with a light mystery playing in the background. Evocative use of the post-war environment to create setting. But still not my favorite Mary Stewart.
2020 Review
I'm telling myself I only feel guilty about not giving this one 4 stars because it is Mary Stewart. The ending was delightful...and left me with all the warm fuzzies. And it ends at just the right time too. Any more would have beat it to death but we get enough to imagine the future...
Maybe I should rate this one 4 stars. I'll have to give it a re-read later.
But it is slow starting out and slow in the middle: slow in pace, slow in plot, and slow in character growth. And then wham the solution to the mystery comes like a bolt of lightening out of the blue a little past the 60% mark. And then things slow down again before rushing into the conclusion which chops things off just as they are getting started. Even if it is the right time to chop them off...
Not a popular one of Stewart's and I can easily tell why. But glad I read it and having made it to the end, less regretful that I bought it.
A slow but sweet novel with a light mystery playing in the background. Evocative use of the post-war environment to create setting. But still not my favorite Mary Stewart.
2020 Review
I'm telling myself I only feel guilty about not giving this one 4 stars because it is Mary Stewart. The ending was delightful...and left me with all the warm fuzzies. And it ends at just the right time too. Any more would have beat it to death but we get enough to imagine the future...
Maybe I should rate this one 4 stars. I'll have to give it a re-read later.
But it is slow starting out and slow in the middle: slow in pace, slow in plot, and slow in character growth. And then wham the solution to the mystery comes like a bolt of lightening out of the blue a little past the 60% mark. And then things slow down again before rushing into the conclusion which chops things off just as they are getting started. Even if it is the right time to chop them off...
Not a popular one of Stewart's and I can easily tell why. But glad I read it and having made it to the end, less regretful that I bought it.
January 20, 2015
Sweet little story with a bit of mystery. This is my third Mary Stewart and this one was very different from the last two which were heavier on the mystery and action and much more intense. Instead of being primarily plot driven, this focused slightly more on the characters. I complained a bit about her lack of character development in the last two books and there was a little more of that going on here. I have come to the conclusion that dimensional characters and relationships are not her forte however. Storytelling, mystery and atmosphere are her thing and she does it very very well. She does introduce a lot of quirky characters in all three novels I have read but they are somehow hard to relate to. There is always a little bit of romantic interest in each of her storylines but it lacks feeling or depth. The male-female dynamic is especially stiff and awkward for me. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives though and I plan to read all her work.
May 21, 2018
I love Mary Stewart; adore her books - well most of them. This, her last book just didn’t do it for me. Beautifully written with all her usual skills at depicting landscape and nature, I was disappointed. Our 24 year old heroine felt more like a middle aged woman and although I liked the reflection of life in a Britain still suffering from post-War angst and rationing - I just could not relate to the heroine in the same way I have done with all of Mary’s other adventurous ladies. I thought the plot a little contrived and really could not engage as I normally do. However, it’s important for me to say that a mediocre Mary Stewart is still streets above the usual stuff that makes it to the bookshelves today. Not to my taste this time but still a well written mystery.
February 25, 2016
Rose Cottage is a quiet mystery/romance, not too heavy on either, with no dramatics of the sort you find in The Gabriel Hounds or Touch Not the Cat. It’s all fairly quiet and peaceful; a restful sort of book, with only brief moments of unease, no madly evil people (though one at least who is very flawed), no great tragedy, and an ending that brings everyone neatly together in a perfect reunion.
Given that I’d definitely choose the word “gentle” to describe it, and the romance is just barely there in the last half, this isn’t the most pacey, exciting story. It’s a cosy one, of homecoming and heart-healing and family, needing and wanting no heroics. It’s a post-war story, but the war is just a shadow in the background; it’s a family mystery, but the important thing is not so much the mystery, the not-knowing, but almost the end of the story, when people come together.
This all might sound like faint praise, and it’s true that Rose Cottage isn’t one of my favourite of Stewart’s books. But it’s enjoyable, and especially good if you don’t want high drama, just some village life and a happy ending.
Originally posted here.
Given that I’d definitely choose the word “gentle” to describe it, and the romance is just barely there in the last half, this isn’t the most pacey, exciting story. It’s a cosy one, of homecoming and heart-healing and family, needing and wanting no heroics. It’s a post-war story, but the war is just a shadow in the background; it’s a family mystery, but the important thing is not so much the mystery, the not-knowing, but almost the end of the story, when people come together.
This all might sound like faint praise, and it’s true that Rose Cottage isn’t one of my favourite of Stewart’s books. But it’s enjoyable, and especially good if you don’t want high drama, just some village life and a happy ending.
Originally posted here.
April 15, 2020
A nice comfy read for the stay-in times we're experiencing.
March 14, 2019
I read Mary Stewart's books years ago and would look for them as soon as they were published. A while ago the books came out in e-books and I want to read them again. I found two that I have not read this one of them. This is a feel-good novel which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The story takes place shortly after World War 2. Kate Herrick was married and widow during the war. Kathy grew up in Rose Cottage. It belongs to the Hall and her Grandparents were gifted to the tenancy by the Lord. Her grandfather was the estate gardener and her Grandmother was the cook. Kathy work at the estate on special occasions. Her Gran went North with the family. Her Mother left when Kathy was six years and later died in Ireland. Kate's Grans has decided to stay in Scotland and ask Kate to return to Rose Cottage and ship her belongs to Scotland. Kate has list items and is told about a wall safe with the family papers. The papers are missing and the neighbors tell her that her Mother with gipsy has been seen around the house. Kate and Dave found the hole that was dug near the cottage. There is a major twist to the tale. Who has been around the area? Are the gossips correct? Who put the roses on Aunt Bessie's grave? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.
The story takes place shortly after World War 2. Kate Herrick was married and widow during the war. Kathy grew up in Rose Cottage. It belongs to the Hall and her Grandparents were gifted to the tenancy by the Lord. Her grandfather was the estate gardener and her Grandmother was the cook. Kathy work at the estate on special occasions. Her Gran went North with the family. Her Mother left when Kathy was six years and later died in Ireland. Kate's Grans has decided to stay in Scotland and ask Kate to return to Rose Cottage and ship her belongs to Scotland. Kate has list items and is told about a wall safe with the family papers. The papers are missing and the neighbors tell her that her Mother with gipsy has been seen around the house. Kate and Dave found the hole that was dug near the cottage. There is a major twist to the tale. Who has been around the area? Are the gossips correct? Who put the roses on Aunt Bessie's grave? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.
March 12, 2019
I'm so glad Mary Stewart was such a prolific writer because, as with all her other books, this too is a wonderful book to have in my personal library. Upon reading (re-reading) this I have decided Stewart deserves official admittance into my "queen of comfort reads" category, where she may happily rub shoulders with a few other very select authors.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
February 10, 2024
Tempted to give this book, Mary Stewart’s last novel, 3.5 stars because it outshines several of her other late books.
Rose Cottage is set in 1947 (fifty years before its publication) and tells the story of a young war widow, Kate Herrick (Kathy Welland in her childhood), who has come to see her ailing grandmother, a cook for the wealthy Brandon family on an estate in Scotland. Before World War II the Brandons lived in northern England and that is where Kathy grew up, but now their old house is being converted into a hotel and their Scottish shooting lodge is their permanent residence. Kathy’s grandmother raised her in a cottage (the Rose Cottage of the title) on the English estate, and now she wants Kathy to go there to clear out some remaining furnishings.
Kathy's grandmother was in the “beloved family retainer” class and comfortable with her status, but Kathy herself doesn’t quite fit into that slot. She was born out of wedlock and her mother left the family when she was little, but she worked hard to get an education and married a man who proved to be wealthy (after he died in the war only a short time after they married). This is the first time, I think, that Stewart created a heroine not firmly rooted in the gentry, and for all Kathy’s memories of helping out at the big house, she reads more like a gentry character than a working-class one. This dichotomy is lightly emphasized by a recurrent image of passing through the green baize door of the Brandons’ big houses—the traditional separation between the living quarters and the service quarters—but it isn’t fully integrated into Kathy’s worldview. Nevertheless, she has only a formal relationship with the Brandons as opposed to the love she feels for the working-class families she grew up with.
There’s a little mystery about Rose Cottage once she gets there—somebody has come in and taken some things, though apparently without breaking and entering—and that helps move the reader along. But the solution to the mystery was pretty obvious to me, and it alone would not have carried me through. Nor would the mandatory romance, which is so understated as to be wispy. But the drama of absentee parents, unknown father and vanished mother, the wicked-stepmother character of Kathy’s great-aunt, and some interesting secondary characters engaged me more deeply.
The tone is a bit uneven—sentimental and cute at some moments, British-stiff-upper-lip at others—and the characters sometimes behave like real people and at other times like caricatures, but it seems clear that Stewart is more deeply engaged with the emotional resonances of the story than in other late books, where she seemed to be writing mechanically to fulfill a contract. It’s also a lot less judgmental about modernity, embracing instead of regretting the war’s leveling effect on Britain’s class structures. Only the romance felt rushed, the other parts of the story got their due.
While not up to the level of Stewart’s early romantic thrillers or, my personal favorites, the first two Merlin books, Rose Cottage offers a finale that isn’t an embarrassment to a strong writing career.
Rose Cottage is set in 1947 (fifty years before its publication) and tells the story of a young war widow, Kate Herrick (Kathy Welland in her childhood), who has come to see her ailing grandmother, a cook for the wealthy Brandon family on an estate in Scotland. Before World War II the Brandons lived in northern England and that is where Kathy grew up, but now their old house is being converted into a hotel and their Scottish shooting lodge is their permanent residence. Kathy’s grandmother raised her in a cottage (the Rose Cottage of the title) on the English estate, and now she wants Kathy to go there to clear out some remaining furnishings.
Kathy's grandmother was in the “beloved family retainer” class and comfortable with her status, but Kathy herself doesn’t quite fit into that slot. She was born out of wedlock and her mother left the family when she was little, but she worked hard to get an education and married a man who proved to be wealthy (after he died in the war only a short time after they married). This is the first time, I think, that Stewart created a heroine not firmly rooted in the gentry, and for all Kathy’s memories of helping out at the big house, she reads more like a gentry character than a working-class one. This dichotomy is lightly emphasized by a recurrent image of passing through the green baize door of the Brandons’ big houses—the traditional separation between the living quarters and the service quarters—but it isn’t fully integrated into Kathy’s worldview. Nevertheless, she has only a formal relationship with the Brandons as opposed to the love she feels for the working-class families she grew up with.
There’s a little mystery about Rose Cottage once she gets there—somebody has come in and taken some things, though apparently without breaking and entering—and that helps move the reader along. But the solution to the mystery was pretty obvious to me, and it alone would not have carried me through. Nor would the mandatory romance, which is so understated as to be wispy. But the drama of absentee parents, unknown father and vanished mother, the wicked-stepmother character of Kathy’s great-aunt, and some interesting secondary characters engaged me more deeply.
The tone is a bit uneven—sentimental and cute at some moments, British-stiff-upper-lip at others—and the characters sometimes behave like real people and at other times like caricatures, but it seems clear that Stewart is more deeply engaged with the emotional resonances of the story than in other late books, where she seemed to be writing mechanically to fulfill a contract. It’s also a lot less judgmental about modernity, embracing instead of regretting the war’s leveling effect on Britain’s class structures. Only the romance felt rushed, the other parts of the story got their due.
While not up to the level of Stewart’s early romantic thrillers or, my personal favorites, the first two Merlin books, Rose Cottage offers a finale that isn’t an embarrassment to a strong writing career.
April 29, 2019
A light mystery in the post-WWII English countryside. It’s a story about where we come from and how that shapes who we become. It looks at the ways people think it will shape us as well as the way it actually does. The central conflict is based around trying to escape that background, trying to deny it and the inevitability of doing so. No need to pull out the lovely cottage roses to plant the fancy long stem variety—they’re all beautiful and valuable in the right place.
January 26, 2023
Gentle and sweet. The "love story" is more with a place than the man in that place, but the reader is left with assurances.
Stewart is doing something different and perhaps more important.
Stewart is doing something different and perhaps more important.
August 22, 2020
August 23, 2008
Still more Mary Stewart.
***
We've got a couple of little mysteries going. This is a bit like Thornyhold, written forty years later. Interesting the differences between her writing right after the war, and from a nostalgic distance.
***
In conclusion,this is also quite a bit like The Shell Seekers. I love seeing the answer to "What was your war like?" for various characters. Stewart addresses the tremendous shift in class boundaries that came with the war, solves a few little mysteries with a fair bit of humor, and resolves it all well.
And I realized with this book what made Stewart such a trendsetter: her heroines break the Romance mold by achieving independence and real estate first, and then acquiring a husband and family. These women are seeking Home, not love. Although children aren't a big part of her writing, family is, and much of the heroes' appeal lies in their relations.
***
July 1, 2014
Not only am I on a roll for re-reading, but I'm finding that I like those books I'm re-reading even more than I did the first time around. One reason I respect it so much is how pragmatic Kathy is. There's something odd going on, so she tries to find out what it is by asking around the folks in the village. That's it. There's no great dangerous sleuthing, just tidying up the house and having a chat with the neighbors.
There is also great sympathy with the difficulties of being an unwed mother back in the day, the tangible proof of guilt. People can be so cruel.
Library copy
Still more Mary Stewart.
***
We've got a couple of little mysteries going. This is a bit like Thornyhold, written forty years later. Interesting the differences between her writing right after the war, and from a nostalgic distance.
***
In conclusion,this is also quite a bit like The Shell Seekers. I love seeing the answer to "What was your war like?" for various characters. Stewart addresses the tremendous shift in class boundaries that came with the war, solves a few little mysteries with a fair bit of humor, and resolves it all well.
And I realized with this book what made Stewart such a trendsetter: her heroines break the Romance mold by achieving independence and real estate first, and then acquiring a husband and family. These women are seeking Home, not love. Although children aren't a big part of her writing, family is, and much of the heroes' appeal lies in their relations.
***
July 1, 2014
Not only am I on a roll for re-reading, but I'm finding that I like those books I'm re-reading even more than I did the first time around. One reason I respect it so much is how pragmatic Kathy is. There's something odd going on, so she tries to find out what it is by asking around the folks in the village. That's it. There's no great dangerous sleuthing, just tidying up the house and having a chat with the neighbors.
There is also great sympathy with the difficulties of being an unwed mother back in the day, the tangible proof of guilt. People can be so cruel.
Library copy
February 14, 2025
I feel like such a late-comer to the Mary Stewart scene. How have I not read her before? I loved the story of Rose Cottage. I'd call it a light mystery with a glimmer of suspense and wrapped up in one of those village tales that D. E. Stevenson is so brilliant at.
Stewart seemed to want to discredit those with faith as she shows the character of the aunt, but later, that changes. Somehow it doesn't come off as antagonistic by the end as I thought it would. That was a refreshing change. In the end, we get a picture of what warped faith looks like alongside both ambivalence and even a hint of genuine faith. For a book not focused on faith-filled people, that feels like fair treatment of the issue.
And can I just say what a blessing it is to read an English book where the American isn't a buffoon at best and a villain at worst?
I don't even recall if there were foul words in there. If so, they were few and far between. All in all, I couldn't put it down and immediately chose another of her books. We shall see...
Stewart seemed to want to discredit those with faith as she shows the character of the aunt, but later, that changes. Somehow it doesn't come off as antagonistic by the end as I thought it would. That was a refreshing change. In the end, we get a picture of what warped faith looks like alongside both ambivalence and even a hint of genuine faith. For a book not focused on faith-filled people, that feels like fair treatment of the issue.
And can I just say what a blessing it is to read an English book where the American isn't a buffoon at best and a villain at worst?
I don't even recall if there were foul words in there. If so, they were few and far between. All in all, I couldn't put it down and immediately chose another of her books. We shall see...
October 15, 2021
Rose Cottage is one of my favorite books so it was a real treat to listen to it this time around. The narrator, Jilly Bond, takes some getting used to but I've come to love her expressiveness and interpretation listening to other audio books she's read. Here the narration is perfect until the last few chapters where she employs an American accent that is painful to hear (I actually found myself cringing). Still it wasn't much to detract from an otherwise lovely read/listen.
Book - 5 stars
Narration - 4.5 stars
Book - 5 stars
Narration - 4.5 stars
May 20, 2023
This is a lovely story with such a charming combination of family saga (in miniature), romance, mystery, and village life. It’s a bit slower paced but that seemed to suit the subject matter and the nature of life in a rural area. Kathy is a lovely heroine, and I’m such a fan of the Pascoes. This is a super random connection but one of the character’s back story reminded me of Cissy Gay in The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery. I would have been happy if the story had been fleshed out with even more details.
June 29, 2015
3.5 stars...
Another easy, gentle romance/mystery combo from Mary Stewart. Quite enjoyable. These are nice escapism that don't require a lot thought while reading. I tend to enjoy books like this written 20 or more years ago.
Another easy, gentle romance/mystery combo from Mary Stewart. Quite enjoyable. These are nice escapism that don't require a lot thought while reading. I tend to enjoy books like this written 20 or more years ago.
October 6, 2019
This, on the other hand, is dull and pointless. I almost can’t believe it’s by Mary Stewart. There’s no urgency and no suspense. I was bored. In fact, my strongest reaction to this is shock over my boredom. This is spectacularly unimpressive.
January 20, 2022
Not very good, I have enjoyed other books by this author more. Too slow, too much chit chat which is not important for the plot and is just plain boring.
June 25, 2025
I read this book as an antidote to a more grimdark contemporary novel. Unfortunately there were too many long meandering conversations for my taste (I lost count of how many people were asked if they wanted tea, who first demurred, and then accepted said tea). It was also a bit too old fashioned for me. . I really shouldn't apply modern standards to a book like this but I admit, I was annoyed by the main character's lack of ambition - even though this was probably par the course for a heroine in the 1940s. I also thought that the mystery was mildly underwhelming, as well as the final denouement.
On the other hand, I did like the "beta hero" (and Larry!), and I liked the fact that the romance was really understated.
On the other hand, I did like the "beta hero" (and Larry!), and I liked the fact that the romance was really understated.
April 10, 2024
This was not the best of Mary Stewart’s novels, but I enjoyed it nonetheless for its exploration of the sense of home, the comfort of familiar places and hometown faces. The mystery was not a murder, was nicely resolved, and the roses and cups of tea were unfailingly charming.
April 5, 2024
Rose Cottage is what I think of as atypical Mary Stewart Romantic Suspense. I love Mary Stewart's writing and this is no exception. It shows how expansive her work really is. I read this long ago when I was a teen and didn't appreciate what I was getting because I came for the exotic setting and thrilling build of suspense while this one is understated and more subtle than my youthful self could or wanted to appreciate. On this occasion, Rose Cottage was definitely right book for right mood.
Its a softer tale straddling the past and present. It meanders along the path in a rural English village as the heroine and her childhood friend attempt to solve a mystery that occurs when she follows her grandmother's wishes to come back to the old cottage on the big estate where Kate grew up with her gran.
Kate has since married, widowed from the war, and lives near London, but gran continued as the cook for the folks in the big house even when they moved to Scotland. Now, that the old family estate is being turned into a hotel, she wants her furnishings and other items taken from Rose Cottage and brought to Scotland where she is retiring. Gran gets sick and sends for Kate to fulfill the task. Kate goes to the old cottage where the mystery of her origins is something of a local legend because her mother purportedly ran off with the gypsies after having Kate in her late teens. Kate has lived under that shadow through her childhood and remembers it now when she realizes the hidden wall safe with all the family papers and valuables has been accessed and the local villagers talk of gypsy ghosts, lights in the cottage and the graveyard where two figures were seen.
I enjoyed this gently-paced piece that was long novella-length. The romance side reminded me a lot of the way it was written in Touch Not the Cat (heroine doesn't notice who and what is right under her nose for the longest time). I really loved Davy with his friends to lovers approach and support of Kate while they work out the answers after listening in to the villagers 'news' and it was whimsical how the clues led to a surprise that is slowly unwrapped for Kate and the reader.
I went back and forth between ebook and audio. This was my first experience listening to Jilly Bond. She had a sweet and lilting voice for the general narration and Kate's voice and a fun brogue for the villagers and locals. I have no idea if it was right for that region of England, but it felt rural and there was distinction in the voices so it was a fun listening experience.
Its a softer tale straddling the past and present. It meanders along the path in a rural English village as the heroine and her childhood friend attempt to solve a mystery that occurs when she follows her grandmother's wishes to come back to the old cottage on the big estate where Kate grew up with her gran.
Kate has since married, widowed from the war, and lives near London, but gran continued as the cook for the folks in the big house even when they moved to Scotland. Now, that the old family estate is being turned into a hotel, she wants her furnishings and other items taken from Rose Cottage and brought to Scotland where she is retiring. Gran gets sick and sends for Kate to fulfill the task. Kate goes to the old cottage where the mystery of her origins is something of a local legend because her mother purportedly ran off with the gypsies after having Kate in her late teens. Kate has lived under that shadow through her childhood and remembers it now when she realizes the hidden wall safe with all the family papers and valuables has been accessed and the local villagers talk of gypsy ghosts, lights in the cottage and the graveyard where two figures were seen.
I enjoyed this gently-paced piece that was long novella-length. The romance side reminded me a lot of the way it was written in Touch Not the Cat (heroine doesn't notice who and what is right under her nose for the longest time). I really loved Davy with his friends to lovers approach and support of Kate while they work out the answers after listening in to the villagers 'news' and it was whimsical how the clues led to a surprise that is slowly unwrapped for Kate and the reader.
I went back and forth between ebook and audio. This was my first experience listening to Jilly Bond. She had a sweet and lilting voice for the general narration and Kate's voice and a fun brogue for the villagers and locals. I have no idea if it was right for that region of England, but it felt rural and there was distinction in the voices so it was a fun listening experience.
December 19, 2014
A sweet, gentle story sent 2 years after WW2 ended, so it's a bit of a historical novel. It reminded me a lot of Mary Stewart's other book Thornyhold, although this one has less romance, but they both had that light paranormal thread. The style is much like Betty Neels, a quiet English countryside setting and characters, which I always enjoy. I liked this story a lot, although it doesn't really have that much happening, much like a Betty Neels book, but it's a comforting book with a cup of tea.
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