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[No spoilers.]

Moura by Virginia Coffman.

There's probably already been plenty said of this book, so I'll confine my review to a few remarks: namely, that Virginia Coffman was an excellent writer, and knew her genre well; and that I found Moura a very satisfying example of a latter-day Gothic. My only criticisms might be (1) that she indulged perhaps too easily in far-fetched scenarios that put a little strain on my willing suspension of disbelief (but she did so for the sake of creating atmosphere and drama, so I forgive the arguable fault); and (2) that the hero dealt with his tribulations a bit too passively, making his character seem vague.

Overall, I wish there were more books like Moura. The heroine had both backbone and warmth, and all her actions were convincingly motivated. The setting was moody and appealing, though at times it was hard to visualize the layout of the grounds (it seemed that characters were frequently stepping outside the house and seconds later were lost deep in the woods, rather like falling off a ship into deep sea -- perhaps that was the effect she wanted).

Stylistically, Coffman has Gothic down. The narrative tone and dialogue were spot-on, and the author seemed naturally at home in the period, rather than stiff and mannered as so many inferior Gothic authors can be.

If anybody can recommend other Coffman books as good as Moura, I'd be indebted! (I've read The Devil Vicar, but didn't care for it as much.)

Hi Penfeather,
Could you please tell me more about the plot? I've read a couple of interesting things about this book and as I'm probably never getting the chance to read the book myself, I'd rather learn what I can through a review.

SPOILER ALERT - Don't read on if you don't want to know a major spoiler!!!

You've been warned!!



Is it true that the heroine in the end turns out to be the actual villain? Is this the housekeeper? How did this come about?

I just finished reading Moura, after getting it from a used bookseller via Amazon. I'm amazed at how well the writing holds up. I found Ann extremely likable and with a good sense of humor. Edmond is also not at all the sarcastic alpha type hero. He's strong, but gentle with Ann and obviously cares for her


SPOILER ALERT:

REALLY!

Ann is not the villain. She first goes to Moura to check on the well-being of a student from the school where Ann was housekeeper. The student, Palla, turns out to be the villain.

SPOILER ALERT

Thank you! I've been misled by Rosemary Guiley in her book "Love lines". She writes:

Quote:While Moura follows a classic Gothic theme, the ending has a double twist: the "sweet and innocent" young heroine turns out to be the monstrous villain of the tale.

I was confused by the word "heroine", which should have been reserved for the housekeeper, Ann.

Perhaps you'd like to know what else she says about Moura in the section of sketches of several writers:

Quote:She spent nine of her twelve years in Hollywood working in her spare time on Moura, her first book, which was published by Crown in 1959. Moura helped revive the popularity of the classic Gothic theme. Set in the early nineteenth century in France, it concerns an apparently wicked uncle, an evil housekeeper and a sweet young girl. Typical of Gothics, Moura has a surprise ending, only this one is a double whammy: the sixteen-year-old "heroine" is really the villain, the "wicked' uncle the good guy. The ending was intended as a little joke, an amusing play on the classic Gothic theme, according to Virginia. Although the book was enormously successful, no one seemed to get the joke. She still chuckles at the recollection of one publisher who rejected the manuscript because it was "so wild and preposterous, it's positively Gothic".

Mmmm, I don't get the joke either. It's fairly common to have a seemingly innocent person turn out to be the villain and vice versa have a supposedly evil person turn out to be good. It really would have been a fabulous twist to have a villainous heroine. There's a challenge for an author!!

Lauren Willig is close in her Seduction of the Crimson Rose (don't know if this is gothic...it's more regency). Mary, while not actively killing people, is extremely unkind and is not redeemed in the book, or later in the series.

Thank you! I already had the Pink Carnation books on my Bebook waiting to be read; they've now moved up in line!

I'm a first-time poster here--in fact, I just found a few old Gothic paperbacks that have been packed away for a very long time, and have been re-reading them. I finished "Moura" today, and was prompted to search online for info about other Virginia Coffman novels.

Since it appears to be okay to ask for spoilers, here is my question. Can anyone give me a brief synopsis of "The Devil Beyond Moura," which is apparently the second book in the series? Specifically, I would like to know if she is married to Edmond in this book.

Thanks!