Let the Crags Comb Out Her Dainty Hair - a Queen-Size Gothic

Okay, so last month, I came across the title to this book and thought, "This has to be the strangest title I have ever seen for a gothic novel!"  The cover art was beautiful, although not the typical young woman running away from a castle in the background, but rather, a collage of images that I figured must somehow depict the story within. I did not think much of it after that, but color me surprised when I went to my local used book store this month and happened across a copy of this very book!  Needless to say, I had to have it - with a title like that, I was dying to know what the story was.  I know the back synopsis hinted at a woman with the power to see the future in her dreams, so I was anticipating some great supernatural gothic terror.  Sadly, that was not the case.

Let the Crags Comb Out Her Dainty Hair did not in any way meet up to the expectations I had for it.  Published in 1975 by Popular Library under its "Queen-Size Gothic" series, this book was written by Jacqueline Marten, who, it turns out, is an actual person and not just another pseudonym.  She apparently began writing for pulp magazine back in the 1940s, but later tried her hand at novels; this book is the first of only twenty that she had published over a twenty-year period.  From what I could find online, her favorite genre was historical romance, of which this novel was clearly an example.  With a title like this, I was truly expecting a dark, strange story to equal the name; but what I found instead was a fairly typical romance story set in the early 1800s with a very, VERY small spattering of gothic elements that seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought.

The first fifty pages of the book are spent giving readers the backstory of Kynthia Brook, the daughter of an Englishman and Greek woman who spent her childhood and teen years in Greece, her mother's homeland.  The author gives readers a hint of the fact that Kynthia has the ability to dream of future events, but more time is spent on her relationship with her best friend, Berenike, and the four boys she considered like brothers - Aris, Paulos, Georgi, and Joseph.  When Kynthia's mother succumbs to an illness and dies, her father (at her mother's dying request) takes her to England, where they purchase a small cottage on the cliffs near Kent, in the hopes she will marry an Englishman that will treat her like a lady rather than like property, as so many Greek men do.  But Kynthia is special - not only does she have the dream talent, but she is also well-educated, thanks to her father is a teacher.  Thus, Kynthia has a mind and will of her own, and she is not one given to faint or blush at the sight of a man.

From there, most of the remainder of the story focuses on Kynthia's struggle to determine which man she loves - the playful, rebellious Brant Halley (the only son of Sir Halley's second wife) and the more formal, traditional Dennis Halley (he second son of Sir Halley's first wife).  She finds herself attracted to both men for various reasons, and although Brant is more similar in nature to Kynthia, Dennis has an off-putting personality that drives Kynthia crazy.  Both men profess their love for her, but only one of them actually proposes.  And then Halley Hall is set ablaze, killing Brant and Dennis' older brother, William, and leaving their father grievously injured.  Of course, that burnt, shell of a building also happens to be the dark castle Kynthia saw in her dreams when she was still in Greece (one of the very few elements of the story that might be considered to be "gothic").  At this point, the story begins to spiral downward - the engagement is off, Dennis heads off to war while Brant leaves with his mother for other parts of England, and Mr. Brooks' health takes a sudden turn for the worse.  And when it seems like everything in Kynthia's life is crashing to the ground, a surprise appearance by Dennis (who was wounded badly in the war) leads to a new marriage proposal.

And FINALLY, as we reach the end of the story, in just the last few chapters, we get some semblance of a gothic tale.  Kynthia finds married life is not what she thought, as she becomes more or less a prisoner in her own new home.  Her father is dead, and her new husband is determined to control her at all costs, never letting her go anywhere alone.  The reappearance of Brant offers her a chance at freedom, and Kynthia ultimately learns the truth about the Halley family and the secrets they have been hiding, which nearly cost her her life!  Readers get a passing mention of a "ghost" in the halls of the burned building, and Kynthia does hear strange singing coming from the supposedly abandoned house - but again, none of this takes place until the very end of the book.  Frankly, the end of the story feels more like an afterthought, as if the author suddenly remembers this was supposed to be a gothic novel, so she threw in some quickly inspired elements to fit the genre.

The writing itself was not bad, and the characters are strong; however, the story itself is not what I would call "gothic" at all, and I think promoting this as a "Queen Size Gothic" was a misnomer.  I have to wonder how many readers back in the day were just as disappointed when they picked up the book, only to discover a historical romance completely lacking in all of the standard gothic tropes.  I will say, though, that the author did stay true to the time period.  Dennis goes off to fight in the Battle of Waterloo, which took place in June 1815; and Kynthia's love of Jane Austen books is scattered throughout the story, with her enthusiasm at getting the new books as they came out in in 1813, 1814, and 1815.  The fact that Kynthia was an avid reader, and that she fought against the norm of her day, where women were not educated in scholarly studies, but rather in household duties, was a plus for her character in my book.  Her refusal to simply cow-tow to the men around her, and her courage to stand up to them did make for a more interesting read than this could have been.  So, despite the lack of gothic elements, the story did have a few saving graces.

Overall, however, this is definitely my least favorite gothic book to date.  I would say it rates even lower than that first Janet Louise Roberts book I read (and that's saying something!).  Would not recommend it, unless you are a fan of historical romance, in which case, this would be right up your alley!

RATING:  4 secret messages hidden in a book out of 10 for a strong female lead and for coming up with the most unique title to ever grace the cover of a gothic tale!