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Available
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Publication
Fawcett Publications, Inc. (1966), Mass Market Paperback
Description
A thrilling tale of adventure and deception set in 1950s Austria, from the original queen of romantic suspense. 'This zestful romantic adventure grips, amuses, frightens and delights' Sunday Telegraph Vanessa March's husband Lewis is meant to be on a business trip in Stockholm. So why does he briefly appear in newsreel footage of a fire at a circus in Vienna, with his arm around another woman? Vanessa flies to Austria to find her husband - and inadvertently becomes involved in a mystery surrounding the famous dancing stallions of Austria's Spanish Riding School . . . Praise for Mary Stewart: 'Mary Stewart is magic' New York Times 'I'd rather read her than most other authors' Harriet Evans 'One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century' Independent 'She set the benchmark for pace, suspense and romance - with a great dollop of escapism as the icing' Elizabeth Buchan Reader reviews of Airs Above the Ground: 'You feel you are there in the story. This made my holiday perfect' 'This book has it all . . . thrilling action in a stunning Austrian setting, I loved it' 'A cracking good story, beautifully written. This is a most satisfying read' 'Mary Stewart specialises in novels which have you alternately holding your breath as to what might happen, or chuckling to yourself. This is one of her best'… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jnyrose
Mary Stewart's mysteries are always a treat. This one, set in Europe, follows the heroine's unraveling of a mystery with world-wide implications. The suspense, romance, and genteel descriptions one would expect from Stewart are all here.
LibraryThing member Darla
It's symptomatic of the way I found books and authors when I was younger that I never discovered Mary Stewart's gothics until a couple of years ago. In my teens and early twenties, I loved Victoria Holt's gothics, considering them a peculiar sort of mysteries, and a bit of a guilty pleasure. I
But it's all good. It just means that I have a few zillion old books to enjoy... along with the few zillion new books on my list.
Airs Above the Ground is a bit unusual for a gothic, in my experience anyway, in that the heroine is already married to the hero. Vanessa thinks her new husband is on a business trip to Stockholm... then she sees him in a newsreel with another woman on his arm--and they're in Vienna.
So when a friend asks Vanessa to escort her teenaged son to visit his father in Austria, Vanessa takes the chance to find out what's going on, and they find themselves caught up in the exotic world of a small traveling circus, international drug smuggling, mysterious deaths, and the world-famous Lipizzaner Stallions. Not to mention the difficulties of being newlyweds.
The atmosphere is pure gothic, and a lot of the Amazon reviews rave about the horses (I'm not a fan of horses), but what I enjoyed most about this book is how all the various threads intertwined and affected each other.
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hadn't heard the term "gothics". I'd have loved Mary Stewart's books, too, but it never occurred to me to look for books similar to Holt's; nor did I talk to any other readers about them. Not that I really knew any other readers. The same thing happened with mysteries, and science fiction and fantasy. I read everything by a handful of authors, some popular, some more obscure, but completely missed a lot of the giants of the genres.But it's all good. It just means that I have a few zillion old books to enjoy... along with the few zillion new books on my list.
Airs Above the Ground is a bit unusual for a gothic, in my experience anyway, in that the heroine is already married to the hero. Vanessa thinks her new husband is on a business trip to Stockholm... then she sees him in a newsreel with another woman on his arm--and they're in Vienna.
So when a friend asks Vanessa to escort her teenaged son to visit his father in Austria, Vanessa takes the chance to find out what's going on, and they find themselves caught up in the exotic world of a small traveling circus, international drug smuggling, mysterious deaths, and the world-famous Lipizzaner Stallions. Not to mention the difficulties of being newlyweds.
The atmosphere is pure gothic, and a lot of the Amazon reviews rave about the horses (I'm not a fan of horses), but what I enjoyed most about this book is how all the various threads intertwined and affected each other.
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LibraryThing member gwernin
The best parts are the horses, but the rest is pretty good too. Will plan to reread. The good guys are better than in some of her books, and the heroine doesn't make the mistake of trusting the villain!
LibraryThing member SunnySD
Chance results in Vanessa March spotting her husband where he patently isn't supposed to be. Sick at heart, she sets out to locate her errant spouse in the Austrian Alps. Accompanied at the last moment by an engaging teenage companion, the pair are the only witnesses to an aging circus horse
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performing airs above the ground, or specialized actions only one of the famed Spanish Lipizzaners would be trained for. Missing jewels, missing persons, espionage, and a truly hair-raising conclusion make this one of my absolute favorite of Stewart's novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Love it as usual. It was bugging me - particularly the scene when she sees Lewis and deliberately doesn't recognize him. And when Tim sees them. And...like that. There are several stories going on at once, which end up dovetailing rather neatly though they don't sound like they will. The best part,
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though, is the little tossed-off comments that I always forget about until I read it again - like the one about fragility and Lewis' attitude towards Vanessa's abilities. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kasthu
When Vanessa March is offered the chance to chaperone a teenage boy to Vienna, she nearly says no—until she sees her husband in a newsreel, filmed at the scene of a circus fire near Vienna. In addition, he's in the company of a very pretty blonde... Vanessa's travels to Vienna lead her in the way
This is one of Stewart’s less romantic novels, mostly because the heroine is already married to the hero and you more or less know that they’ll end up together. There’s also a bit less suspense, though there’s a chase scene up on the battlements of the castle that’s written in classic Mary Stewart style. The mystery itself also isn’t all that compelling, as it’s been done many times before.
What I do love about Mary Stewart’s novels is the locations she chooses to set her novels in—and she does a pretty fine job of researching her settings, too. This book makes me want to book a flight to Vienna ASAP! Her descriptions of the “airs above the ground” are excellent, too. (Vanessa is a former veterinarian, so her interest in the horses of the story stems from that). The characters are all very well formed, though I thought that Tim was a little too mature for a seventeen-year-old! Nonetheless, this novel is a lot of fun—though if you’re new to Mary Stewart’s novels, I’d suggest starting with one of her others (Nine coaches Waiting and Madam, Will You Talk? come highly recommended by me).
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of the Spanish Riding School, circuses, and a mystery that brings mystery—as well as, of course, a touch of romance.This is one of Stewart’s less romantic novels, mostly because the heroine is already married to the hero and you more or less know that they’ll end up together. There’s also a bit less suspense, though there’s a chase scene up on the battlements of the castle that’s written in classic Mary Stewart style. The mystery itself also isn’t all that compelling, as it’s been done many times before.
What I do love about Mary Stewart’s novels is the locations she chooses to set her novels in—and she does a pretty fine job of researching her settings, too. This book makes me want to book a flight to Vienna ASAP! Her descriptions of the “airs above the ground” are excellent, too. (Vanessa is a former veterinarian, so her interest in the horses of the story stems from that). The characters are all very well formed, though I thought that Tim was a little too mature for a seventeen-year-old! Nonetheless, this novel is a lot of fun—though if you’re new to Mary Stewart’s novels, I’d suggest starting with one of her others (Nine coaches Waiting and Madam, Will You Talk? come highly recommended by me).
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LibraryThing member tm_roy
My favorite Mary Stewart book and the one that first introduced me to this author. Lipizzaner horses, a woman vet (in the time of the novel, and in the 70s when I read it, it meant a lot to me), a traveling circus, horses, and a strong, edge of the seat suspense mixed with just the right amount of
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romance. Did I mention horses? I never get tired of revisiting this story and have read it at least once every four years since first picking it up over thirty years ago. Show Less
LibraryThing member EmpressReece
Once again I like the suspense and action but My Brother Michael is still my favorite Stewart book!
LibraryThing member LindaWeeks
This was a fun and entertaining light mystery with a lot of interesting background information on the Spanish Riding School's history and the famous Lippizanner stallions.
LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton
I read this so long ago -- it was a Reader's Digest Condensed Book. I wanted to read the book proper as I had loved it back then. It was the start of my lifelong fascination with the Lipizzaner horses.
I had forgotten Stewart's beautiful command of the language and her brilliant descriptions of
If you enjoy romantic suspense novels, you should read this. If you like stories about horses, you'd probably like this, too. If you like both and haven't read this, you need to get it now!
I had forgotten Stewart's beautiful command of the language and her brilliant descriptions of
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situations, locations, and people. She truly is one of the best romantic suspense writers, if not the best. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, devouring it in a few evenings. If you enjoy romantic suspense novels, you should read this. If you like stories about horses, you'd probably like this, too. If you like both and haven't read this, you need to get it now!
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LibraryThing member BeyondEdenRock
Mary Stewart sets this story up beautifully.
Vanessa March is shocked to see her husband on a newsreel item about a circus fire in Austria, because she had believed him to be in Sweden on business. An old family friend saw the same newsreel and called Vanessa, asking her to escort her young relation
In Austria, seventeen year-old Tim admitted that his father wasn’t expecting him – that was only a story for his grandmother – and that what he really wanted was to see the country and to visit The Spanish Riding School in Vienna. And so he and Vanessa formed a plan to find the circus, to reunite Vanessa and her husband, and then to have a wonderful holiday.
Things don’t go entirely to plan.
They are caught in a web of intrigue that has been spun around the circus. And – in particular – around an old piebald horse.
This is a classic Mary Stewart story of romance and suspense; with all of the elements you might expect and with enough to make it feel a little different to her other books.
Vanessa was bright, capable and resourceful young woman, and I found it very easy to like her and to understand her feelings and her actions. I was sorry though that she had put her career as a vet (which was integral to the story) to one side to be a housewife, and that when her husband appeared she was rather too ready to put all of her trust in him. It was a nice change, having a married leading lady, and I liked her relationship with her husband, but I didn’t see enough of him to understand why she had married him.
Her relationship with Tim was much more interesting; an initial wariness grew into friendship, and they became a wonderful team. I suspected that they were only children who were discovering that it would be rather nice to have a sibling.
The settings were beautifully evoked and described: I loved visiting the countryside, the circus, the mountains, the villages and a wonderful gothic castle.
There were some wonderful moments. My favourites were the time in a meadow when Vanessa made a wonderful discovery about that old piebald house; and a dramatic chase around the battlements of the castle.
But I have to say that I don’t think this is Mary Stewart’s best book, and that this story didn’t hold me as it should have.
Some of that was down to me.
This might not have been the right book at the right time, and I might have enjoyed this book more when I was younger.
But some of it was down to the book.
Having a married heroine was a lovely variation on a theme, but it diminished the romance and the suspense, and there wasn’t enough in the rest of the story to make up for that.
The pacing was uneven, with the story slow to start and over-filled with action in the later stages; there was one sequence in particular where Vanessa and Tim did not belong. I can’t say more than that without revealing too much of the plot.
And, though the story of the old piebald house was very well done, there was much less of horses and of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna that I had expected.
None of these flaws were fatal though. I found much to enjoy, and I was always going to follow the story to the end.
Mary Stewart is still a favourite author; and I’m hoping that this was a wobble rather that a sign that I’ve outgrown her books.
Vanessa March is shocked to see her husband on a newsreel item about a circus fire in Austria, because she had believed him to be in Sweden on business. An old family friend saw the same newsreel and called Vanessa, asking her to escort her young relation
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– Timothy Lacey – to Vienna to visit his father. Vanessa hadn’t quite decided what to do, she was a little annoyed by the lady’s assumptions, but she seized the opportunity; because she really did want to find her husband and understand what was going on.In Austria, seventeen year-old Tim admitted that his father wasn’t expecting him – that was only a story for his grandmother – and that what he really wanted was to see the country and to visit The Spanish Riding School in Vienna. And so he and Vanessa formed a plan to find the circus, to reunite Vanessa and her husband, and then to have a wonderful holiday.
Things don’t go entirely to plan.
They are caught in a web of intrigue that has been spun around the circus. And – in particular – around an old piebald horse.
This is a classic Mary Stewart story of romance and suspense; with all of the elements you might expect and with enough to make it feel a little different to her other books.
Vanessa was bright, capable and resourceful young woman, and I found it very easy to like her and to understand her feelings and her actions. I was sorry though that she had put her career as a vet (which was integral to the story) to one side to be a housewife, and that when her husband appeared she was rather too ready to put all of her trust in him. It was a nice change, having a married leading lady, and I liked her relationship with her husband, but I didn’t see enough of him to understand why she had married him.
Her relationship with Tim was much more interesting; an initial wariness grew into friendship, and they became a wonderful team. I suspected that they were only children who were discovering that it would be rather nice to have a sibling.
The settings were beautifully evoked and described: I loved visiting the countryside, the circus, the mountains, the villages and a wonderful gothic castle.
There were some wonderful moments. My favourites were the time in a meadow when Vanessa made a wonderful discovery about that old piebald house; and a dramatic chase around the battlements of the castle.
But I have to say that I don’t think this is Mary Stewart’s best book, and that this story didn’t hold me as it should have.
Some of that was down to me.
This might not have been the right book at the right time, and I might have enjoyed this book more when I was younger.
But some of it was down to the book.
Having a married heroine was a lovely variation on a theme, but it diminished the romance and the suspense, and there wasn’t enough in the rest of the story to make up for that.
The pacing was uneven, with the story slow to start and over-filled with action in the later stages; there was one sequence in particular where Vanessa and Tim did not belong. I can’t say more than that without revealing too much of the plot.
And, though the story of the old piebald house was very well done, there was much less of horses and of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna that I had expected.
None of these flaws were fatal though. I found much to enjoy, and I was always going to follow the story to the end.
Mary Stewart is still a favourite author; and I’m hoping that this was a wobble rather that a sign that I’ve outgrown her books.
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LibraryThing member murderbydeath
Not her best work, but a fun read nonetheless. More a straight up mystery than romantic suspense, and while the plot villain seemed obvious, Stewart at least had some fun misleading the reader about the plot itself.
Aside: I bought this years ago at a FOTL sale for a dollar; when I finished reading
Aside: I bought this years ago at a FOTL sale for a dollar; when I finished reading
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it, I saw that it was published and printed 3 blocks from where I live now. On its site now sits a 'home improvement store' - Bunnings, the Aussie answer to Home Depot. A place a spit and swear about every time I have to visit it. Now, it seems, I have even more reason to dislike it - I'd rather the book publishers were still there. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcrowl399
This book took me right to Austria. The descriptions were marvelous and the mystery was just right. I loved it completely. This is the first Mary Stewart book I've read, but I want to read more.
LibraryThing member kmartin802
This romantic suspense title was written in 1965. I first read it about that time, and it has been sitting on my keeper shelf ever since. When Chirp offered some of Mary Stewart's classic romantic suspense title for wonderful sale prices, I decided to revisit some books I remembered fondly from the
Vanessa March is a twenty-four-year-old veterinarian who has given up her work to marry. She and Lewis have been married for a couple of years and are hoping to start a family. However, Lewis has one more job from his employer before he can switch to a position that has a lot less traveling. He tells her that his current job is in Stockholm but, when a friend of her mother's sees Lewis in a newsreel which shows him to be in Austria, Vanessa needs to see for herself. She is especially concerned since they argued bitterly before he left on his last trip and now she's seeing him with his arm around another woman.
Vanessa travels to Vienna with the Timothy who is the 17-year-old son of her mother's friend. He's supposed to be meeting his father there. But both he and Vanessa are lying about their reasons for traveling to Vienna. Tim just wants to get away from his over-bearing mother for a while. His father doesn't know he's coming, and Timothy arrives to make a third wheel in his father's new romantic relationship.
Timothy ends up traveling with Vanessa to check out the circus where her husband was last seen. Lewis doesn't know she's coming either. Vanessa and Tim find all sorts of secrets when they arrive. There has been a fire which claimed two lives - one of which was a colleague of Lewis's. Lewis is there under an assumed name investigating the fire and the circus. Vanessa is surprised to learn that Lewis is a part-time spy. He does side jobs for the government that his prime employer doesn't know about.
Vanessa does surgery on a horse that belonged to one of the victims. Since the horse was just the man's pet, there isn't a place for a non-working horse in the circus. It turns out that the horse was stolen from the Spanish Riding School and is one of the famous Lipizzaners. Vanessa and Tim want to get the stallion back to his home since those horses are national treasures.
Someone is very interested in the horse's saddle and it isn't for the glass jewels that have been used to decorate it. There is some smuggling going on which Lewis, Vanessa and Tim manage to thwart but not before a harrowing chase up a mountain and an encounter with a cog railway train.
I really enjoyed this story again which must now be considered historical fiction. Lewis smoking in bed after an intimate encounter (which occurs off the page) is one clue. Vanessa giving up her career to marry is another clue. Reading paper maps in a dark car is still another clue. And lots would have been different had cell phones been available.
It was a very suspenseful story. I had some brief recollections of the story but soon found myself engaged and entertained as Antonia Whillans narrated.
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past. Vanessa March is a twenty-four-year-old veterinarian who has given up her work to marry. She and Lewis have been married for a couple of years and are hoping to start a family. However, Lewis has one more job from his employer before he can switch to a position that has a lot less traveling. He tells her that his current job is in Stockholm but, when a friend of her mother's sees Lewis in a newsreel which shows him to be in Austria, Vanessa needs to see for herself. She is especially concerned since they argued bitterly before he left on his last trip and now she's seeing him with his arm around another woman.
Vanessa travels to Vienna with the Timothy who is the 17-year-old son of her mother's friend. He's supposed to be meeting his father there. But both he and Vanessa are lying about their reasons for traveling to Vienna. Tim just wants to get away from his over-bearing mother for a while. His father doesn't know he's coming, and Timothy arrives to make a third wheel in his father's new romantic relationship.
Timothy ends up traveling with Vanessa to check out the circus where her husband was last seen. Lewis doesn't know she's coming either. Vanessa and Tim find all sorts of secrets when they arrive. There has been a fire which claimed two lives - one of which was a colleague of Lewis's. Lewis is there under an assumed name investigating the fire and the circus. Vanessa is surprised to learn that Lewis is a part-time spy. He does side jobs for the government that his prime employer doesn't know about.
Vanessa does surgery on a horse that belonged to one of the victims. Since the horse was just the man's pet, there isn't a place for a non-working horse in the circus. It turns out that the horse was stolen from the Spanish Riding School and is one of the famous Lipizzaners. Vanessa and Tim want to get the stallion back to his home since those horses are national treasures.
Someone is very interested in the horse's saddle and it isn't for the glass jewels that have been used to decorate it. There is some smuggling going on which Lewis, Vanessa and Tim manage to thwart but not before a harrowing chase up a mountain and an encounter with a cog railway train.
I really enjoyed this story again which must now be considered historical fiction. Lewis smoking in bed after an intimate encounter (which occurs off the page) is one clue. Vanessa giving up her career to marry is another clue. Reading paper maps in a dark car is still another clue. And lots would have been different had cell phones been available.
It was a very suspenseful story. I had some brief recollections of the story but soon found myself engaged and entertained as Antonia Whillans narrated.
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Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 1966)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 1965)
Language
Original publication date
1965
DDC/MDS
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