The Wizard's Daughter (1980)
Left penniless by her father's death, Marianna Ransom must make her own way in life. Beautiful and kind, but hopelessly naive, her attempts at independence lead to disaster. At her lowest ebb, the Dowager Duchess of Devenbrook steps in. Wealthy, beautiful and kind, the Dowager claims Marianne is actually the long-lost daughter of the famed, murdered spiritualist David Holmes, whom she loved as a son. But the privileges suddenly showered on Marianne come at a cost--she is expected to present the spirit of her purported father to the grieving woman. As if that were not bad enough, ghostly visitations do seem to grace her attempts. As the anniversary of the man's death approaches, something dangerous seems to stalk the halls of Marianne's new home...and it seems to be stalking the woman she has come to love as a mother...
I lied. The Wizard's Daughter is probably the best of MPM's Victorian Gothics. Possibly because she abandons the first-person style of her others, and lets us view Marianne from the outside. Somehow, it creates more room for sympathy. And Marianne is one of the more sympathetic characters, really. Young and lovely and naive (with all the careless selfishness of youth MPM never neglects to include), she's nonetheless consistently kind and affectionate, with more than a glimmering of humor and intelligence.
The cast of characters helps, being genuinely engaging--from the kind but eccentric Dowager Duchess to cat-crazy Lady Annabelle and the mischievous child-duke Henry. Love interest Roger Carlton, is of course, everything an MPM hero ever is--acid-tongued, with a keen mind and an affectionate heart. The story suffers, however, from relegating Marianne much to the sidelines. Roger is the key investigator here, while Marianne fends off lecherous lords and tutors and vicars. In fact, we don't even know Roger is investigating until the whole thing is resolved.
And the tale isn't as eerie as the set-up suggests--a murdered spiritualist and a haunted Scottish castle ought to have more atmosphere, one feels. Instead, there are some seances that follow typical guidelines for Victorian seances, and otherwise...there's not much to make one's flesh creep. That's not necessarily disappointing, but considering how good MPM is at making one shudder, it's surprising.
And somehow, the answer of hypnotism feels very, very MPM at her most ironic indeed.
Verdict: Acceptable, but unmemorable.
Rating: ***
*This is set in 1880
*Watch for the now traditional cats!
*Also watch for the now traditional lampooning of organized religion.
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