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| Plot Summary of The Mark of Merlin |
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"James Carlysle "Carla" Murdock refuses to let life get her down. She may have just lost her father in World War II, she may be recovering from a debilitating illness, and she may have slightly misled her new guardian into thinking that she was a boy, but she refuses to leave her beloved dog, Merlin, alone in a cage on the train. So begins the story of The Mark of Merlin, a murder-mystery romance from Anne McCaffrey, best known for the Pern series. When Carla arrives at her destination, she has to explain to the gruff young Major Laird her minor deception and figure out what to do from there. The Major instantly realizes that it is improper for Carla to stay with him, but where else can he take her in the middle of a blizzard? As more guests surprise Carla and Major Laird with their appearances, Carla becomes more and more suspicious about her father's death and eventually realizes that he was murdered. But why? Her father was a highly respected officer and all of his men loved him. Determined to find out, Carla lets nothing stand in her way - not even her growing feelings for the handsome Major Laird...
I felt that the story itself was fine, a little blah, like I said, but it moved along at a good pace. The part that was the most lackluster for me was the characters themselves. I simply could not identify with any of the characters and found that I didn't particularly like them either, especially Carla. As Carla is the only female in the book and the main character, this didn't make me enjoy the story any more. Carla waffles between being a spoiled brat, a great housekeeper, and a growing young woman. How someone like Major Laird could have fallen in love with her in just a few days is simply beyond me. The story is well written, the little details about World War II provided good background information, many of the secondary characters, particularly the villains, were great, but I would only buy this book if you find it for a very good deal in a used bookstore.
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Debbie, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Mark of Merlin |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Action/suspense subplot?
Yes
Action:
- chased by/chasing kidnapper/killer
Who:
- poppa
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive
Yes
Is really...
- the one who killed loved one
If one lover chases another...
- she chases after him
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- infantry soldier
How sexual is this person?
- several sexual encounters
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
Sex has good effect on him
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- student
How sexual is this person?
- naive virgin
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
Sex has good effect on her
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- physically sick
Setting
United States
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related?
- 60%
Focus of story
- Her
How much dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Anne McCaffrey Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Debbie
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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