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tsbowman1124's review against another edition
2.0
It isn't that it was a bad book and the plot was good. I didn't find Vicky as likable as the Emersons.
smcleish's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in June 1999.
One of Elizabeth Peters' earliest novels (the first of the Vicky Bliss series), Borrower of the Night does not quite have as well developed a sense of satire as many of her later books. It is more like the romances of a writer like Victoria Holt than a spoof of the genre.
Some elements of the romance genre are made fun of. The character of Vicky Bliss is made deliberately too good to be true: not only does she fit into an accepted notion of feminine beauty (she describes herself as looking like a Playboy centerfold, though she would prefer to be a petite brunette), but she is an accomplished scholar, with a doctorate in history. Her biggest problem is trying to persuade people that being a buxom blonde doesn't automatically make her dumb.
She takes on a challenge (to prove her intellectual superiority) to find a missing altarpiece by the late-Gothic German sculptor Riederschmeier. It is probably hidden in a sinister castle, which comes complete with the stereotypical details of such fiction (secret passages, apparently ghostly apparitions, a rightful heiress kept from enjoying her property by a wicked relative).
As always with Elizabeth Peters, Borrowers of the Night is fun without taxing the mind to the smallest degree. (I find they make ideal reading for when I'm not well.) She just hadn't yet committed herself completely to the parody mode, the obvious choice for someone too intelligent to take this sort of fiction seriously herself, but who clearly also enjoys the genre.
One of Elizabeth Peters' earliest novels (the first of the Vicky Bliss series), Borrower of the Night does not quite have as well developed a sense of satire as many of her later books. It is more like the romances of a writer like Victoria Holt than a spoof of the genre.
Some elements of the romance genre are made fun of. The character of Vicky Bliss is made deliberately too good to be true: not only does she fit into an accepted notion of feminine beauty (she describes herself as looking like a Playboy centerfold, though she would prefer to be a petite brunette), but she is an accomplished scholar, with a doctorate in history. Her biggest problem is trying to persuade people that being a buxom blonde doesn't automatically make her dumb.
She takes on a challenge (to prove her intellectual superiority) to find a missing altarpiece by the late-Gothic German sculptor Riederschmeier. It is probably hidden in a sinister castle, which comes complete with the stereotypical details of such fiction (secret passages, apparently ghostly apparitions, a rightful heiress kept from enjoying her property by a wicked relative).
As always with Elizabeth Peters, Borrowers of the Night is fun without taxing the mind to the smallest degree. (I find they make ideal reading for when I'm not well.) She just hadn't yet committed herself completely to the parody mode, the obvious choice for someone too intelligent to take this sort of fiction seriously herself, but who clearly also enjoys the genre.
iceangel9's review against another edition
3.0
The first book in the Vicky Bliss series. Vicky, art historian and college professor, finds a reference in a book that might lead to the discovery of a missing masterpiece by a famous German sculptor. Supposedly lost in the Middle Ages, it might actually be found in a castle in Rothenburg, Germany. Vicky and the colleague/boyfriend Tony set off on a race to find the altarpiece, but they are not the only ones seeking it. Not Amelia Peabody, but a fun read that will make you want to continue the series.
metta's review against another edition
1.0
I love Elizabeth Peters (and her Peabody series), but I just don't like Vicky Bliss.
kribu's review against another edition
4.0
I've been a big fan of Peters' Amelia Peabody series for years now, but for some reason I never got around to the Vicky Bliss series - until now. It just didn't look very interesting...
Well, I'm glad to say I was wrong - I enjoyed this book a great deal, and while Vicky is nowhere near as colourful a character as Amelia, I liked her a lot. There was a good deal of humour in the book, which I enjoyed, and I loved both the history parts as well as the mystery.
Well, I'm glad to say I was wrong - I enjoyed this book a great deal, and while Vicky is nowhere near as colourful a character as Amelia, I liked her a lot. There was a good deal of humour in the book, which I enjoyed, and I loved both the history parts as well as the mystery.
ruthbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
The mystery part was fun. The narrator grated on me a bit. I didn't entirely dislike her, but there were times where she detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I wonder if it had something to do with the book's having been written in the 70s.
julieputty's review against another edition
3.0
A rather silly and shallow, yet breezy and entertaining book.
missmarketpaperback's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this other Elizabeth Peters. Vicky Bliss is a fun unconventional narrator. The language is, again, dated and I didn’t like any of her suitors. However the mystery and ghost story were fun.
agmaynard's review against another edition
2.0
Audio. Points for its feminist salvos—in the 70s, rarer than you’d think.
singinglight's review against another edition
3.0
Leila at Bookshelves of Doom was reading this one. Looked fun, so I picked it up. It was fun. It’s one of those that if I’m ever in the mood I’ll read another in the series but I don’t feel any particular compulsion to keep going. [Oct. 2008]]
Hah! Little did she know...
I actually ended up quite addicted to this series. And now rereading the reviews is making me want to reread the books. Scmiiiiidddddt.
Hah! Little did she know...
I actually ended up quite addicted to this series. And now rereading the reviews is making me want to reread the books. Scmiiiiidddddt.