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Eleanor Alice Burford

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 172.194.121.53 (talk) at 02:39, 11 June 2006 (As Philippa Carr). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Eleanor Alice Burford (September 1, 1906 - January 8, 1993), Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Philippa Carr and Victoria Holt . Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.

As Philippa Carr

The books published under the Carr pen name were a series of fictional journals kept by the women of one family. The series begins with "The Miracle at St. Bruno's," which is set during the English Reformation, and ends with "We'll Meet Again," set during World War Two.

The books are Romantic Suspense, the heroines have to solve a mystery before they can find happiness with the hero.

"Daughters of England," was published posthumously and is unconnected to the other Carr books.

The novels written as Philippa Carr are family sagas.

1. The Miracle at St. Bruno's 1972

2. The Lion Triumphant 1974

3. The Witch From the Sea 1975

4. Saraband for Two Sisters 1976

5. Lament for a Lost Lover 1977

6. The Love Child 1978

7. The Song of the Siren 1979

8. Will You Love Me in September? 1981

9. The Adulteress 1982

10. Knave of Hearts 1983

11. Voices in a Haunted Room 1984

12. The Return on the Gypsy 1985

13. Midsummers' Eve 1986

14. The Pool of St. Branock 1987

15. The Changeling 1989

16. The Black Swan 1990

17. A Time for Silence 1991

18. The Gossamer Cord 1992

19. We'll Meet Again 1993

Unconnected Carr novel: Daughters of England 1995

As Victoria Holt

Her work as Holt differed significantly from the more numerous novels written under the better-known name of Jean Plaidy, but was equally popular with a different fan base.

Holt's novels, such as Mistress of Mellyn (1960), were not "straight" historical novels, despite having a historical setting, but were pseudo-gothic romances with an element of suspense mainly set within the Victorian era unless otherwise noted (*).

1. Mistress of Mellyn, 1960

2. Kirkland Revels, 1962

3. Bride of Pendorric,* 1963

4. The Legend of the Seventh Virgin, 1964-5

5. Menfeya in the Morning, 1966

6. The King of the Castle, 1967

7. The Queen's Confession,** 1968

8. The Shivering Sands, 1969

9. The Secret Woman, 1970

10. The Shadow of the Lynx, 1971

11. On the Night of the Seventh Moon, 1972

12. The Curse of the Kings, 1973

13. The House of a Thousand Laterns, 1974

14. Lord of the Far Island, 1975

15. The Pride of the Peacock, 1976

16. The Devil on Horseback,*** 1977

17. My Enemy the Queen,***** 1978

18. The Spring of the Tiger, 1979

19. The Mask of the Enchantress, 1980

20. The Judas Kiss, 1981

21. The Demon Lover, 1982

22. The Time of the Hunter's Moon, 1983

23. The Landower Legacy, 1984

24. The Road to Paradise Island,**** 1985

25. Secret for a Nightingale, 1986

26. The Silk Vendetta , 1987

27. The India Fan, 1988

28. The Captive, 1989

29. Snare of Serpents, 1990

30. Daughter of Deceit, 1991

31. Seven for a Secret, 1992

32. The Black Opal, 1993

[*] Bride of Pendorric is set in the late Twentieth Century
[**] The Queen's Confession is the fictional memoirs of Marie Antoinette
[***] The Devil on Horseback is set during the French Revolution
[****] The Road to Paradise Island is partially set in the late eighteenth century
[*****] My Enemy, The Queen is the fictional memoir of the Lettice Knollys, the rival of 
Elizabeth I and the mother of the Earl of Essex