Years ago, I owned a copy of Green Darkness by Anya Seton, but I never read it, and during one of my periodic book purges, it was given away to parts unknown. Then, just a year or so ago, I got a hankering to read it again. I’m not quite sure why—perhaps Seton came up on my radar after reading and loving Georgette Heyer’s A Civil Contract—but regardless, I ended up finding and purchasing this used pocket book edition and tucked it away on my bookshelf. Then, a few months ago, I was perusing the shelves of a used bookshop and found a hardcover edition for a couple dollars. That too, went on my shelf. Then earlier this year, I read After Hours at Dooryard Books and one of the characters loves Anya Seton novels, a kind of guilty pleasure, and so my interest was piqued again. I decided that Green Darkness would be my “chunkster read” for the second quarter of 2026.
Green Darkness is a dual timeline story of reincarnation and ill-fated love. In the current time (actually the 1960s, as the book was published in the 1970s), young Celia Marsdon is in an inexplicably unhappy marriage to her aristocrat husband, Richard. Things were wonderful between them until they moved into his centuries-old estate in the English countryside. One night, Richard’s behaviour turns violent, and as a consequence, Celia suffers a breakdown and is hospitalized, unconscious. We then turn back to the 16th century, as young King Edward rules over a newly Protestant kingdom but with many still of the Catholic faith, including Stephen, a zealous monk (Richard’s prior incarnation). When young Celia finds herself beguiled by his presence, tragic events follow.
The bulk of the book is set in the Tudor time period, and is well-researched. The modern setting is a bit more dated—the portrayal of the Hindu physician who attends to Celia is especially cringe-inducing. But I can see why the book was so popular, and such a guilty pleasure. I didn’t read it as a love story, but a tale of obsession and desire.
I don’t typically own multiple copies of the same book, but in this case, I can’t decide which cover I love more, so I may end up keeping both. Also, that author photograph on the hardcover edition is just *chef’s kiss* perfection.