Halloween Bingo 2025
I read a lot of Victoria Holt's novels when I was a teen, long ago now. My mom got me hooked, as she really enjoyed them. It is interesting to reread them as a woman in my 60s—my perspective has changed (not a surprise).
I believe I was initially captivated by these romances because Holt's main characters were young women with limited experience and a lot of naïveté. This describes me at that age and it gave me hope that someday I would find a man who would see my worth. I never did, but I now know that I am far happier on my own than I would be in a marriage.
Holt's plots are very repetitive. Not necessarily a bad thing--after all I love Ilona Andrews and their novels also have many repetitive elements. If you find a pattern you like, it's fine to stick with it. However, the Andrews' heroines are not shrinking violets. They are competent women who love their men but don't need them to survive. I think that's what I react to now when I read Holt. Her heroines are clinging vines, needing a relationship to rescue them and give their lives meaning.
We change as we age. I can still enjoy a Holt novel if I read fast and don't over-analyze, but I much prefer modern, competent women characters.
I read this book for the Gothic square of my Halloween Bingo card.
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