#76 The Moon-spinners

The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a re-read but I don't think I've read it in 40 years. It has held up VERY well. The re-read was inspired by my recent trip to Greece. One of the places we stayed was Mykonos which is dotted with windmills. The windmills immediately reminded me of the 60's Disney classic -The Moon-spinners, starring Hailey Mills. I "adored" that movie to borrow a HM phrase. So, the movie is now in my Netflix queue and the book upon which the movie is loosely based, came home from the library with me.

Memory is faulty: I could have sworn that the movie/book took place on Myknonos, but the book is based in Crete. Nevertheless, I appreciated the Greek phrases, customs, etc. that I experienced for myself. Nicola Ferris is a secretary for the British Embassy in Athens and she and her much older cousin decide to spend the Easter holidays on Crete. Nicky arrives on Crete earlier than expected and accidentally gets involved with Mark, a young man who has been left for dead by a mysterious man dressed in Cretan costume. Nicky eventually ends up in the very small village of Agios Georgious where she and her cousin attempt to secretly help Mark. There is danger, murder, suspense, and romance, as well as the Cretan landscape and culture. This book was written in 1962, I believe, but it did not feel dated or old-fashioned. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and am looking forward to seeing if the very different Disney movie also holds up.

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