Rose Cottage

By: Mary Stewart

Narrated by: Jilly Bond

The last of Mary Stewart's beloved romantic mystery novels, Rose Cottage bears all the romance and intrigue she is known for.

Summer, 1947. Kate Herrick, a war widow, returns to her childhood home for a final visit before the house is sold. But Rose Cottage is not the idyllic paradise she remembers from her youth and someone has been there before her. As Kate uncovers an old secret that haunts the home she thought she knew, she is forced to confront a dark truth from her own past....

Beyond the weedy garden with its riot of rose bushes, nothing had changed. And someone was crossing the bridge to approach the garden gate. Someone I knew well....

©1997 Mary Stewart (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic reviews

"A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors." (Harriet Evans)

I remember seeing this on the shelf

I remember seeing this on the shelf in my childhood home along with other Mary Stewart books. My Mom, who was an avid reader had them all. Now, at my grandmother stage of life, I decided to read one.
It was lovely, a sweet story with a bit of mystery thrown in. It is one of those books that if you have the right narration, and Jilly Bond was just that, it will wash over you with a gentle warmth. It is not fast paced or shocking, just a good story told well.

Excellent Narrator

I have seen reviews that stated the narrator was terrible. I found her to extremely good and would not hesitate to listen to any book she is performing.

Good story, so-so narrator

The story: another good story by Mary Stewart. A quick listen and I really enjoy her descriptions.

The narrator: there is a fine line between bringing characters to life yet still narrating the story so it can be understood. While much of Ms. Bond’s narration is fine, I found some of her characters’ accents very difficult to understand. That gets in the way of truly enjoying the story. I will need to get a copy of the book to read what the narrator mucked up.

Happy Sighs

Just the most charming story to listen to while laid up with a bad cold! Jilly Bond brings this book to life❤️

Cute mystery

Cute little mystery. Not thrilling, but interesting. I very much enjoyed reading this, thought that aunt was a real piece of work. What a horrible woman.

Love the book but not a huge fan of the narrator.

I love Mary Stewart’s books, and this one is no exception. I did find the narration a bit disconcerting as it seemed she gave pretty much everyone a Scottish accent. 🙁
Or I think that’s what it was supposed to be. Anyways. I’d have liked it better with less “voices,” as it took away from my enjoyment of the story.

suspenseful...and a giggle at the end!

wish there were more...and maybe a book to follow where the story went later down the road.

Loved it !

Lovely story! I always love Jilly Bond's narration ! I purposefully look for books that have her narration. She us very talented and has the unique ability to give all the characters individual voices. Not an easy task.

Lovely story, but ...

I've been a fan of Mary Stewart's since I was a teenager, which is a long time ago now. I have read every word that she's written but have recently begun listening to Audible versions. All of them have been excellent except this one. The squeaky, screechy voices used by the narrator for almost all the women except the main character are annoying to listen to and completely unnecessary. Over-dramatization just gets in the way of telling the story.

I adore Mary Stewart

Mary Stewart has a way of entwining her stories about you, with gentle and full words, dripping with the atmosphere of her England. I always sigh with deep contentment and read them again and again. Rose Cottage, and Touch Not the Cat are my favourites.