Editing Mary Stewart (novelist) (section)

==Writing career==
Stewart was the best-selling author of many romantic suspense and historical fiction novels. They were well received by critics, due especially to her skillful story-telling and elegant prose. Her novels are also known for their well-crafted settings, many in England but also in such locations as [[Damascus]] and the [[Greek islands]], as well as Spain, France, Austria, etc.<ref>''Contemporary Literary Criticism'', v. 35. Gale Research Company, 1985.</ref>

She was at the height of her popularity from the late 1950s to the 1980s, when many of her novels were translated into other languages. ''The Moon-Spinners'', one of her most popular novels, was also made into [[The Moon-Spinners|a Walt Disney live-action movie]]. In 2017 ''The Little Broomstick'' (1971) was adapted into the animated feature film titled ''[[Mary and the Witch's Flower]]''.

Stewart was one of the most prominent writers of the romantic suspense subgenre, blending romance novels and mystery. Critically, her works are considered superior to those of other acclaimed romantic suspense novelists, such as [[Victoria Holt]] and [[Phyllis Whitney]].<ref>Friedman, Lenemaja (1990), ''Mary Stewart'', Boston, Massachusetts: Twain Publishers, {{ISBN|9780805769852}}</ref> She seamlessly combined the two genres, maintaining a full mystery while focusing on the courtship between two people,{{sfnp|Regis|2003|pages=143-144}} so that the process of solving the mystery "helps to illuminate" the hero's personality—thereby helping the heroine to fall in love with him.{{sfnp|Regis|2003|page=146}}

In the late 1960s a new generation of young readers revived a readership in [[T. H. White]]'s ''[[The Once and Future King]]'' (published in full 1958) and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (published in full 1956), and as a consequence Arthurian and heroic legends regained popularity among a critical mass of readers. Mary Stewart added to this climate by publishing ''[[The Crystal Cave]]'' (1970), the first in what was to become [[Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy|The Merlin Trilogy]], later extended by two further novels. The books placed Stewart on the best-seller list many times throughout the 1970s and 1980s.