Gorgeous Words: Mary Stewart & “Madam, Will You Talk?”
On Monday, I let you in on the little secret that I Simply Love Writing!
I don’t think it’s any secret though that I also Simply Adore Reading!
There are are a huge number of reasons for that, including that I love stories and storytelling. Another is revelling in the gorgeousness of some writers’ way with words.
One of my favourites in that respect is Mary Stewart and one of the examples of her gorgeous way with words appears in her debut novel, Madam, Will You Talk (1955):
“The evening was drawing down , and the light deepened. Away behind me I caught a last glimpse of the towers of Avignon, like torches above the trees. Around me the landscape grew wilder and more beautiful, muted from the the white and dusty glare of day to the rose and purple of evening. The sun set, not in one concentrated star of fire, but in a deep diffusion of amber light, till the black spires of the cypresses seemed to be quivering against the glow, and flowing upwards like flames formed of shadows.”
She really makes you see it — and feel as though you are right there yourself.
There are indeed authors who can make you feel like you are in the middle of the happenings by writing about them in a lyrical and poetic way. It’s great that there are authors who are capable of writing beautiful prose.
Thanks for mentioning Mary Stewart’s “Madam, Will You Talk?”. I’ve only read her Merlin books, so I’ll put this one on my reading list.
I loved her novels when I first discovered them as a teen (yay for the school library!) and they have mostly stood the test of time. (More posts on this coming up.)