Book Review: Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart

Nine Coaches Waiting

by Mary Stewart
Published: 1958
Genres: Mystery, Romance
Format: Paperback (342 pages)
Source: Library

A governess in a French chateau encounters an apparent plot against her young charge's life in this unforgettably haunting and beautifully written suspense novel.
When lovely Linda Martin first arrives at Château Valmy as an English governess to the nine-year-old Count Philippe de Valmy, the opulence and history surrounding her seems like a wondrous, ecstatic dream. But a palpable terror is crouching in the shadows. Philippe's uncle, Léon de Valmy, is the epitome of charm, yet dynamic and arrogant, his paralysis little hindrance as he moves noiselessly in his wheelchair from room to room. Only his son Raoul, a handsome, sardonic man who drives himself and his car with equally reckless abandon, seems able to stand up to him. To Linda, Raoul is an enigma, though irresistibly attracted to him, she senses some dark twist in his nature. When an accident deep in the woods nearly kills Linda's innocent charge, she begins to wonder if someone has deadly plans for the young count.

The plot of Nine Coaches Waiting was way too similar to Jane Eyre. A single woman with a sad past comes to a creepy house with a weird owner to be a governess. She falls in love with the owner’s son instead of the owner so that’s different. Don’t let the cover fool you – it’s surprisingly modern (1950’s I would guess but it never says). It’s like a bad modern version of Jane Eyre set in Downton Abbey or something (mostly because the butler and the housekeeper are married. MR. CARSON, MRS. HUGHES IS THAT YOU??). Unlike Jane Eyre, we did get to know about and care about the kid that the main character is a governess to. I’m not totally sure if that’s a good thing though.

And in case I missed the blatant, but at least still indirect, similarities to Jane Eyre, it’s referred to outright with the subtly of a toddler who hasn’t gotten their way. (Just read Jane Eyre. It’s a million times better.) And after you’re done being annoyed with Jane Eyre references, there’s plenty of Cinderella ones to exhaust you.

There are quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I’m not sure this particular quote was meant to be funny since nothing else in the book is, but it made me laugh.

“Something will come of this. I hope it mayn’t be human gore.” – Dickens, Baranaby Rudge

I read it sarcastically like this “I hope there isn’t any gore coming up *wink*” It got my hopes up. I don’t even remember what happens in that chapter.

After it’s done being Jane Eyre 2.0, the rest of the book consists of a romance that I endured and a short thriller chase that was ok. It gets your blood pumping, but I’ve heard this before. The suspense is taken away because she starts eating in restaurants and being nice to people while she’s running for her life. O…..k

Maybe it’s because the main character was a little dense and it annoyed me how long it took for her to figure out that something might be going on with the kid she watched. This kid tells her that he has nightmares about people touching him and I almost threw the book. WHAT THE CRAP. I’m waiting for the main character to freak out but she doesn’t. She thinks it’s “quite horrible” and leaves it at that. It turns out that someone comes in at night and touches just his face but still!!!

To sum up: it’s a bad Jane Eyre rip-off with an un-thrilling thriller ending.

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