White Jade Fox

By Andre Norton

Book Overview

Dust jacket design by David K. Stone. Her first gothic tale. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449228657
• ISBN13: 9780449228654
• Release Date: April 1976
• Publisher: Fawcett Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Well written supernatural mystery

This is a gothic mystery that takes place in Maryland before the Civil War. It's clean (no profanity or steamy scenes) and well written, featuring some beautiful, lyrical passages. The book includes a little romance, a lot of supernatural elements from Chinese folklore, a brooding spooky atmosphere, an admirable main character, and one of this author's most realistic evil villains. The setting and social customs are described in convincing detail. Well-rounded characters and tempestuous, complex interpersonal relationships are the strong suit of this tale. I give the book four stars instead of five because the author keeps pulling her punches. For instance, there is a scene where two men start brawling in front of the heroine, but the author contrives to have her get smacked in the head. She misses the whole thing and has to be told about it after it's all over. This is a minor complaint, though. If you're a fan of Andre Norton, or if you're looking for a pleasant, clean romantic adventure story, you will probably enjoy this one. To see a list of other mysteries by this author, click on my name. (SPOILERS - PLOT SUMMARY) * * Saranna is not yet 18 years old when she becomes an orphan, and she is sent to live with distant relatives she has never met. She finds herself under the authority of a selfish, heartless young woman named Honora, who banishes Saranna to the family's remote estate in the country. The estate is worth a great deal of money, and Honora is scheming to take it away from her young stepdaughter, who recently inherited it. Since she is also an orphan, Saranna feels empathy for the little girl even though she is hostile and peculiar. The mansion is an eerie place, with its large collection of strange artifacts from China and its reputation for being haunted by weird supernatural beings. Behind the house is a towering hedge surrounding a forbidden garden where dozens of foxes run wild. The little girl is keeping a secret about the garden and about the treasures she inherited from her grandfather. Meanwhile, Honora plots to rid herself of both girls so that she can rule everything without interference. Will Saranna be able to defend herself and solve the mystery of what is hidden in the garden?