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sheranel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
saucysora's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
corvinaq's review
5.0
Some of these other reviews are tripping, because this is a very good bonkers classic jump-scare gothic.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
3.0
So much wasted potential in this gothic romance! It has everything - yankee mystery writer kidnapped as a baby goes to Charleston to reunite with aristo birth family, including twin sister and psychic hippie lady with psychic cat. Yet it falls a bit flat, both on the suspense and the romance side.
wickedplutoswickedreading's review against another edition
5.0
Guess I saved the best for last....
Last of the Phyllis Whitneys that I own at least.
This was perfection. An MC that was a real, honest to GOODNESS person who was feisty and not a total drip. A love interest who was not an asshole. The right balance of drama, creepiness and intrigue without going overboard. And those beautiful setting descriptions that Whitney was great at.
Loved this so much.
Last of the Phyllis Whitneys that I own at least.
This was perfection. An MC that was a real, honest to GOODNESS person who was feisty and not a total drip. A love interest who was not an asshole. The right balance of drama, creepiness and intrigue without going overboard. And those beautiful setting descriptions that Whitney was great at.
Loved this so much.
bookbutterfly111's review against another edition
1.0
This book moves pretty slowly, as there's a lot of description especially of settings. There are a lot of characters to remember but they are not all very memorable, I didn't have a clear picture of some of the characters so sometimes it was hard to keep track of who is who. All of the characters speak similarly in dialogue. There's quite a bit of dialogue as Molly talks to people a lot, trying to uncover the mystery. Sometimes the dialogue is awkward. There are also too many filter words used constantly.
The romance is handled weirdly, like it's just tacked on there toward the end. I'm not sure it was necessary.
I liked Honoria and her cat, Miss Kitty, and I liked the overall creepy Southern Gothic mystery plot, but it could have been handled a lot better.
I wasn't sure exactly who the culprit was until the end, so I guess that's something.
The romance is handled weirdly, like it's just tacked on there toward the end. I'm not sure it was necessary.
I liked Honoria and her cat, Miss Kitty, and I liked the overall creepy Southern Gothic mystery plot, but it could have been handled a lot better.
I wasn't sure exactly who the culprit was until the end, so I guess that's something.
easolinas's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of people have fantasies about discovering that they're the lost child of a wealthy, sometimes odd family. But that fantasy turns out to be overrated in Molly Hunt's case, in the soaked-in-Southern thriller "Woman Without A Past." It's a pretty standard Phyllis A. Whitney tale -- smoldering PG-rated suspense, a memorable setting, and a plucky heroine.
Molly Hunt has always known she was adopted, and she had no interest in knowing her biological family. But then she met Charles Landry, a man who claims to know everythng about her past -- she was abducted from the wealthy Mountforts of Charleston as a baby. What's more, he's engaged to her identical twin Amelia.
So after some soul-searching, Molly goes to Charleston. But while Amelia is overjoyed to meet her long-lost sister, the rest of the family is not so happy to see her. Her stuffy uncle Porter openly believes her to be an imposter, her mother is mentally unstable, and her eccentric aunt Honoria claims that the spirit of her dead boyfriend is warning her of impending murder.
As Molly is drawn deeper into the mysteries and secrets of the Mountforts, she realizes that her arrival has stirred up a bunch of old ghosts. Her father's death, an orphaned earring, and a man drowned under mysterious circumstances are all somehow entwined in her kidnapping -- and someone is willing to commit murder to make sure that everything stays secret.
It's pretty obvious that Phyllis A. Whitney had immense affection for Charleston. "Woman Without A Past" is soaked in the atmosphere and history of the city, whether it's the luxuriant old plantation houses or the shadowy ghosts of past wars. The story drips with mossy, humid atmosphere, and it echoes with soap-opera skeletons in the closet.
And the style is typical Whitney -- a PG-rated romance interwoven with lots of suspense and a murder mystery. She weaves in some elegant, poetic moments when she describes the beauty of Charleston, but the real draw here is in a fairly solid murder mystery, with many clues and almost as many suspects, but a genuinely surprising ending... although a few things, like Valerie's abrupt transition, are rather headscratchy.
The most disconcerting part of the story is perhaps Molly herself. She's a fairly likable character, but she doesn't develop a lot. Also, the fact that she's a writer of romantic suspense novels called things like "Crystal Fire" feels a little... Mary Suey.
Fortunately, the other characters are better-rounded -- eccentric psychic Honoria, the stuffy yet tormented Porter, the dignified servant Orva, semi-deranged girl-woman Valerie, arrogant golden-boy Charles and the gentle, girlish Amelia. Whitney even paints delicate, detailed portraits of the dead characters, so that they almost seem alive.
Despite a self-insertish heroine, "Woman Without A Past" is a solid romantic thriller drenched in Deep Southern charm. Definitely for fans of Charleston, the South and murder mystery.
Molly Hunt has always known she was adopted, and she had no interest in knowing her biological family. But then she met Charles Landry, a man who claims to know everythng about her past -- she was abducted from the wealthy Mountforts of Charleston as a baby. What's more, he's engaged to her identical twin Amelia.
So after some soul-searching, Molly goes to Charleston. But while Amelia is overjoyed to meet her long-lost sister, the rest of the family is not so happy to see her. Her stuffy uncle Porter openly believes her to be an imposter, her mother is mentally unstable, and her eccentric aunt Honoria claims that the spirit of her dead boyfriend is warning her of impending murder.
As Molly is drawn deeper into the mysteries and secrets of the Mountforts, she realizes that her arrival has stirred up a bunch of old ghosts. Her father's death, an orphaned earring, and a man drowned under mysterious circumstances are all somehow entwined in her kidnapping -- and someone is willing to commit murder to make sure that everything stays secret.
It's pretty obvious that Phyllis A. Whitney had immense affection for Charleston. "Woman Without A Past" is soaked in the atmosphere and history of the city, whether it's the luxuriant old plantation houses or the shadowy ghosts of past wars. The story drips with mossy, humid atmosphere, and it echoes with soap-opera skeletons in the closet.
And the style is typical Whitney -- a PG-rated romance interwoven with lots of suspense and a murder mystery. She weaves in some elegant, poetic moments when she describes the beauty of Charleston, but the real draw here is in a fairly solid murder mystery, with many clues and almost as many suspects, but a genuinely surprising ending... although a few things, like Valerie's abrupt transition, are rather headscratchy.
The most disconcerting part of the story is perhaps Molly herself. She's a fairly likable character, but she doesn't develop a lot. Also, the fact that she's a writer of romantic suspense novels called things like "Crystal Fire" feels a little... Mary Suey.
Fortunately, the other characters are better-rounded -- eccentric psychic Honoria, the stuffy yet tormented Porter, the dignified servant Orva, semi-deranged girl-woman Valerie, arrogant golden-boy Charles and the gentle, girlish Amelia. Whitney even paints delicate, detailed portraits of the dead characters, so that they almost seem alive.
Despite a self-insertish heroine, "Woman Without A Past" is a solid romantic thriller drenched in Deep Southern charm. Definitely for fans of Charleston, the South and murder mystery.
vhp's review against another edition
2.0
If I had read this book when it was first published, in 1991, I may have liked it. However, I'd like to hope my literary taste has matured a little, because during the entire book I kept thinking,
Do any of these characters have any say in what they do or do not do? Do any of them have the word "no" in their vocabulary?
The story and characters seemed weak to me and in the beginning the author messes up on the location of the main characters birthmark, was it the left or the right wrist? And the time period of when the baby/child was kidnapped, was it one years old? Then why would the twins have a tutor?
There were a few other time periods that didn't make sense.
The twist at the end wasn't even that startling it was more of a finally I'm almost finished with the book now that the truth is out. And when it was out, the man that held the secret should be tried as an accomplice to murder. But maybe that's not the way it's done in the south?
I wouldn't recommend the book.
Afterthought: if you are a Christian this book is not for you. One of the characters becomes possessed by a deceased character and has a seance. Maybe these types of thins were popular again when the book was published? All the "new age" old age pagan demon possession that the character was said to have "higher powers".
Do any of these characters have any say in what they do or do not do? Do any of them have the word "no" in their vocabulary?
The story and characters seemed weak to me and in the beginning the author messes up on the location of the main characters birthmark, was it the left or the right wrist? And the time period of when the baby/child was kidnapped, was it one years old? Then why would the twins have a tutor?
There were a few other time periods that didn't make sense.
The twist at the end wasn't even that startling it was more of a finally I'm almost finished with the book now that the truth is out. And when it was out, the man that held the secret should be tried as an accomplice to murder. But maybe that's not the way it's done in the south?
I wouldn't recommend the book.
Afterthought: if you are a Christian this book is not for you. One of the characters becomes possessed by a deceased character and has a seance. Maybe these types of thins were popular again when the book was published? All the "new age" old age pagan demon possession that the character was said to have "higher powers".
rainnbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed reading this cozy gothic mystery. There's actually an underlying tension, a sense that something really bad is gonna happen but until the end there's no action. good fun and easy read thou!
readinginjennaland's review against another edition
5.0
Great.
Once I started reading I was hooked. *Spoilers Identical twins separated by kidnapping. I love Phyllis A. Whitney's books. I'm so glad they are available digitally.
Once I started reading I was hooked. *Spoilers Identical twins separated by kidnapping. I love Phyllis A. Whitney's books. I'm so glad they are available digitally.