Woman Without a Past

By: Phyllis A. Whitney

Narrated by: Joyce Bean

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In her 35th novel of psychological suspense, Phyllis A. Whitney spins a spellbinding tale of a young woman's quest to uncover her true identity.

Successful young mystery novelist Molly Hunt, raised by adoptive parents on Long Island, is stunned when a chance encounter leads to a startling revelation. She is apparently the daughter of the aristocratic Mountfort family of Charleston, South Carolina, kidnapped as an infant from their ancestral home - and has an identical twin sister.

Travelling to Charleston, Molly meets her delicately lovely long-lost twin; her mother's stern cousin, now the family patriarch, doubtful of Molly's identity and suspicious of her motives; and his tiny, enigmatic wife, a psychic who channels the spirit of a man who died mysteriously on the Mountfort estate a generation before.

As Molly searches for the truth of her own origins, she comes to realize that the secrets of her troubled family's past have a strange and powerful hold on the present. Her reappearance in the lives of the Mountfort clan sets in motion events that threaten the family's very existence - as well as her own.

©1992 Phyllis A. Whitney (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The beloved Whitney romance/suspense formula in its umpteenth manifestation: sensible heroine (although given to thrills of fear); a quite decent mystery; and a Michelin-style tour of the latest setting." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Whitney doesn't quite stand up over time

The plot was kind of weak, the characters kind of one-dimensional, and the narrator kind of amateurish. I remember her books as more enjoyable, perhaps because I was so young when I first read them? This was an OK accompaniment to cleaning but only because it was free.

Just OK- A disappointment, actually.

This book wasn't a riveting mystery by any stretch of the imagination, but it was somewhat intriguing in its own right, so I finished it. I wanted to give this author a chance because a lot of readers seem to like her, but I'm left wondering what all the hype is about and I probably won't be ready to jump into another one of her books anytime soon.

As for the romance part of this story, it was a little far-fetched if I'm being honest. I don't feel there was enough interaction between the two to even amount to much, so the feelings that supposedly grew weren't believable for me. In fact, in the beginning of the story, we are unsure about this guy because things just seem fishy with him from the get-go. So when it was revealed that he is the one she ended up having feelings for, I was left feeling like the author just had to think of something last minute so the book could be included in the romance genre. The way the book was going, I really started to think she was going to fall for the guy who was already spoken for, so when it ended up being someone else entirely, it just didn't flow well or make much sense to me.

The narrator wasn't my favorite, but I give her props for doing all the different voices so well. In the end, I could only give this book three stars, and I'm feeling a little disappointed because I had high hopes.

Good book.

It was good. I really liked it. Phyllis Whitney has always been a favorite of mine.

good read

good read. always like her books. mystery and romance. looking for more authors like her.

A marvelous mystery exposing old wealth in one family!

A marvelous mystery exposing dark secrets inside a family with old, old money! An author by trade, Molly Hunt writes mysteries. One morning, as she waited for her publisher, she meets a man awhile convinces her to lunch with him. Over lunch he reveals that he is engaged to her identical twin. And, he is sure Molly is her stolen twin sister. Charles persuades Molly to meet the family in Charleston, SC. There she can find out for herself. When she decided to investigate for herself, going to South Carolina on invitation
... And, that’s when the mysteries begin begin to unfurl. I could hardly put this book down. The narration is excellent it will be a book I will reread and later read it again. Recommended!

Enthralling

The narrator was talented enough to have subtle differences in the accents of the varying characters so it was easy to know who was “speaking”. It made me sad with the initial backstory of a stolen baby, but of course, it all turns out well in the end. Very interesting story!

Not what I expected from Phyllis A. Whitney

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No.

What could Phyllis A. Whitney have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Be a little more realistic about the mother's reaction to the lost child.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the main character was lost in the theatre and tripped. This was suspensal.

Did Woman Without a Past inspire you to do anything?

No

Genre-bending

Whitney’s novels don’t fit any single genre. Her heroines are self-aware, modern women. Her plots, like the Brontes, include elements of the supernatural that chafe against and undermine the realism and credibility of the characterizations and settings. The novels, including this one, include elements of the gothic (heroines in danger, mysterious, morally ambiguous romantic interests, exoticized settings) while critiquing these self-reflexively. All of which is to say—if you’re looking for a classic who-done-it, or a typical bodice-ripper, this will disappoint. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for psychological and historical interest by a writer willing to challenge boundaries and aiming to write for women, you may find a lot of food for thought here. The depictions of racial relations, while indisputably white-centered and in some ways dated, evidence Whitney’s ear for detail, and her ability to provide respectful glimpses into alternate historical and generational standpoints.