The Walking Stick (Poldark) (2025)

Atmospheric mid-20th century London, a capable and loveless introverted young woman with a bad leg from polio meets an artistic working class man at her sister’s dinner party. Part love story, part thriller, the story is also a meditation on the ambiguity of motivations for our relationships. Are any genuinely sincere and authentic, or do selfishness and ambition drive everything? If both sides get something, do hidden agendas matter? Disturbing that perhaps one can’t even be sure of one’s self.

4.5*

When people hear the name Winston Graham they immediately think Poldark. Well, he also wrote other, exceptionally good books.

The walking Stick is one of my all time favourites. It's a slim volume so I have to be careful not to give too much of the plot away. The story revolves around a young woman who uses a walking stick. As the story unfolds we discover that her withered leg is due to having been ill as a child with polio and she now hates confined spaces because she spent so much time in an iron lung. This in itself might make us pity her, but when we witness her having breakfast at home with her two stuffy parents and discover that they are both doctors...suddenly we realise that she's an embarassment to them; and that her disability is as crippling to them as to her.

Into her restricted, solitary life, appears a young man. He flirts, she falls in love, something she never thought possible. After all, who would find a cripple attractive?

Written in 1967 the book is set against the fast paced life of the swinging sixities with all of its seedy undercurrants. The reader is immediately transported to the hub of 60s life and shown the stark contrast beween the parents' properness and the laid back beetnik culture; a freer way of living that beguiles an unhappy young woman into falling in love with a man who may not be all he claims to be.

This is one of those rare suspense novels that manages to be compelling reading without a murder...without any physical violence at all. (There's plenty of emotional violence.) It's a tale of psychological suspense that brings to mind Henry James, especially "Washington Square" in the richness and ambiguity of the characters and their motives. It has also, by now, acquired interest as a portrait of London just before it began to swing. If you only know Graham from the Poldark novels or their TV adaptations, this can serve as an introduction to his fine suspense novels.

Debra Dainton, has polio, but with the aid of a cane is able to manage very well.

Although attractive she has a limited social life, as she is self conscious about her disability.

Her job appraising precious chinaware for Whittington Auction House, brings her into contact with bohemian artist Leigh Hartly and slowly falls in love with him.
But sadly this boyfriend uses her to rob the auction house.

Although betrayed, lost and sad, Debra proves to be gutsy and honest.

Deborah Dainton has built a very quiet life for herself being a trusted and highly skilled employee of an auction house. When she is swept off her feet by Leigh Hartly, she cannot understand why he would fall in love with someone that has had polio and limps noticely. She uses a cane to walk and relies on it to fend off people that might ask her unwanted questions. Her love for Leigh leads her down a path that endangers everything she has lived for. Set in England.

Winston Graham writes this mystery/thriller almost as a social commentary on English society. It is written in the 1960s and the main character is handicapped as a polio survivor. She is one of three daughters in a somewhat unemotional family of all doctors, but she rejected the preferred family career path and works instead at a Christie's type auction house. So she has daily access to priceless antiques, beautiful jewels, etc.

Enter a young man that she meets at a party at her sister's house who immediately is attracted to her and no matter many times she ignores him or rejects him, he continues his pursuit. And so the question arises as to why he will not take no for an answer. His determination for a relationship is seemingly beyond the norm and why would that be? Is it simply because it was love at first sight, is he one of those who has a fetish for a handicap or is it because of her connection to the auction house. It turns out that he comes from quite a different economic and social background and has a connection to a shady element.

So questions arise. Will he win her favor? If so, where will that lead them? And how will she extricate herself from their influence? This is a great mystery where things don't necessarily turn out as expected. It is a quick and easy read, but one that makes you think over and beyond.

Other than the Poldark series, I'd not read any others by Graham. I was partly attracted to the title as I'm a disabled woman who grew up in the 1960s. Like some of the other reviewers, I felt frustrated that Deborah was so gullible. However, I also recognised that disability was viewed in a very different way compared to today. Although she is beautiful and intelligent, her confidence is very superficial because of her withered leg and Leigh gets behind her defences as she falls in love with him. What I found interesting was that although early on I guessed what was going to happen, the story was still gripping. I wasn't quite so convinced by her behaviour at the height of the drama!! (I shan't give any more away). A thoroughly good read.

This is an extraordinary book. I read it more than 50 years ago, and recently was reminded of it. I found a copy and read it again. It's a mysterious read, though not strictly a mystery. The young woman who is the main character is naive, and vulnerable. Some reviewers didn't appreciate that. I appreciated the personal growth she experienced during the novel. It's one of those books that helps you think about relationships, about honesty, about self-awareness.

A surprising novel. Reminded me quite a bit of Marnie. Story of a disabled young woman who finds herself caught up in a life of crime. Except, Deborah didn't even realize that she was becoming a criminal. Hard to put down once started.

This book was recommended to me years ago, but I just picked it up because it was by the author of Poldark. It's the story of a girl who walks with a limp due to polio. She meets a charasmatic young man who flatters her and sucks her into a life against all her principles.

Suspenseful and heartbreaking; hard to put down.

A real favourite, the movie was good too.

Lovely story about a crippled girl who’s world is rather small. She meets a man who appreciates her and helps her to open up. The have a love affair and everything seems to be going well. The man however, seems to have some mysterious friends and is evasive about this personal history. Slowly but surely, the girl gets sucked into a world beneath the standards of her upbringing. Until she finds out the ugly truth at the end. There was no love, every step in their relationship had been planned. They were meant to fall in love, so that she could play her part in the robbery of the art gallery that she worked in. She was supposed to be the inside-person.

The first half of the book is a bit slow, but it gives a goof insight into the main character’s experience of the world. But at some point I was wondering if something relevant was ever going to happen in this book. And that is where the second half of the books steps in. Little oddities are being dropped in that keep you wondering what is exactly is happening. Why is he lying to her about these seemingly mundane facts? The author sprinkles just enough of these moments in the book to keep you guessing what is going to happen next. Whilst also asking interesting questions like if it’s okay to steal from rich people who wouldn’t even notice it and who are even insured for theft? If no one gets hurt during the act, isn’t it then just a way of transferring money from the insurance company’s profit to the poorer man’s wallet? Also the questions about white lies and lying all seemed to question the clear cut borders between good and bad and civil and uncivil and such. Really quite well done!

In terms of writing style most of it was to my liking. I’ve already discussed how I like the story was set up. However I do have to note that I was not the biggest fan of how the author described the thoughts of the characters. The short, simple, descriptive sentences sometimes felt a bit rushed. Like the author didn’t enjoy writing them and just wanted to get it over with.

A surprisingly good read given that is was a 1960's paperback that had seen better times. I loved the superior writing and narrative about the process of the main character being groomed----signs of a master story teller. My first book of his---will look for more.
8.5/10

A beautiful suspense novel written and set in 1967 - The Summer of Love - and concerns an intelligent, impressionable and vulnerable middle daughter of caring but distant Hampstead GPs. Deborah had near-fatal polio as a young girl which has led to some overprotectiveness by her guilt-ridden parents. Her elder sister, Sarah, is a no-nonsense busy gynaecologist and her younger sister, Arabella (who goes around with a young man with the almost-rockstar name of Bruce Spring), is a free-loving medical student. Deborah is an expert in porcelain and works diligently for a long-established top London auctioneering firm.
At a soirée, organised by Sarah, Deborah is buttonholed by a pest called Leigh who is so obviously “Up To No Good” that this reader was pleading with her to have absolutely nothing to do with him. But, of course, the author had other ideas for them and Deborah is stuck with this struggling, inconsistent budding artist who should have been warned off by any true friend. But it’s, like, der… the sixties man, so he races her around town in his Triumph Spitfire like Oliver Reed and builds up her confidence to the extent that she begins to walk unaided (see title), dance and even skate.
Thing is, Leigh has shady mates and if Deborah could possibly assist in their underground activities she might find it difficult to say “No” especially as she’s excitedly finally managed to rebel against her upbringing.
There’s a lot of great description of Deborah’s thought processes and inner turmoil and some excellent discussion about the nature of criminals and the difference between crimes against the person and those against property (Insurance Companies). Well, we all make mistakes.

The Walking Stick by Winston Graham is a story about a girl who contracted polio at a young age and her one leg was damaged as a result. Deborah grows up and becomes an expert at classifying pottery for a prestigious gallery in England. She meets a man, Leigh, who she becomes involved romantically. It seems as though Leigh has been requested by a jewelry thief to seduce Deborah and gain her confidence in order to rob the museum of a large jewelry shipment. Will she fall for him? Will she help the thieves by providing information about the security system of the museum?

This is a wonderfully written book that I discovered in a Reader's Digest Condensed collection. It was well worth reading. I recommend it if you can find it in the library or on line.

Sometimes I woke in the middle of the night and said, you fool, you twisted little beast; and the man beside me was asleep, a heavy young man, solid limbed, white limbed, gentle handed, kind mouthed; so I said, well, the it is, you traded love for integrity....

And what is integrity? Can you feel it, can you taste it, as you can feel and taste love?

To whom anyway did I fundamentally owe any loyalty except to Leigh? And I would turn over and try to hold his hand, as if that were the only thing in a world that didn't seem to have a lot of certainty any more.

bought this at the goodwill. started reading and became frustrated with the main character because she is a sucker due to her handicapp. I finished it because I wanted to know what happened at the end. Was kind of left hanging. I will probably give it back to the goodwill.

Suspenseful in a very Hitchcockian way...in fact this author wrote Marnie which was made into a Hitchcock movie. I felt like the narrator was too sad and gullible, and the ending left way too many questions unanswered for me....

A different type of novel from Graham Winston, but an enjoyable read.

page turner, brings out the strong character of the protagonist.

Polio and Winston Graham? Can't pass this one up.

The Walking Stick is a great book. It is well written and suspenseful. (It would be even better if the book jacket didn't give away so many spoilers, which I will try to avoid!) Even with a few spoilers, there are many moments for readers to hold our breath and move to the edges of our seats. There are plenty of moral and ethical dilemmas faced by the characters, especially Deborah, and lots of triggers for thoughtful analysis. Why did she choose that path? Did she not see the red flags that the reader can spot, or was she in denial? Don't we all want a future in which we are loved and have some control over our lives? Would we ever choose a risky path that doesn't fit our values for a future we desire? Especially if we only need to take one baby step on the path at a time? Have we ever secretly done so ourselves, at least in a small way? I'll leave it to you to decide.

I enjoyed this book, but it lacked the usual Winston Graham-ishness that I've loved in the past.

Deborah had polio as a child, and as a result, she walks with a limp. She's grown up thinking she doesn't quite measure up. Her parents are doctors. She has two beautiful sisters.

She meets a man named Leigh at her sisters' party, and he pursues her relentlessly. She almost escapes his attentions, but then falls prey anyway.

You can see the plot unfolding well before it does. It's still a good read . . . but predictable. As a reader, you easily get fed up with Deborah. She's too smart to fall for the trap, but she does it rather quickly, making her a frustrating main character.

Again, it's an enjoyable read, but not very exciting.

A woman self-conscious of her withered leg wonders why a man pays romantic attention to her. Is he genuine? Or is he hiding something?

This novel is divided into two halves – a psychological first half, and a crime-caper second half. The first half is by far the superior as I became quite invested in the outcome of the ensuing relationship and hadn’t a clue as to where it was going. The crime event of the second half however is rather turgidly handled and drags uneventfully on.

Although a fine enough read, it ultimately disappoints as an interesting psychological drama descends into a slow and dull crime episode that has less suspense than the initial relationship story.

A great thriller with a good helping of pathos for good measure. The book seems to infer that a disabled woman should not expect to interest men. Many women who suffered the effects of polio Inthe past got married and had children inspite of having a deformed lame leg. The book deals well with the efforts of Deborah's suitor to get her to lead a full life inspite of her need to wear a built-up shoe and use a cane. The point is made that Deborah's employer did not expect her to get married because of her lame leg.

Three and a half maybe. Parts are tedious, and their relationship doesn’t come across well. But the storyline is interesting. Glad to have finally read a book that’s been on my shelf for most of my life.

Surprising mystery and romance.

I went in to a reading slump ): this book was fast but then too slow for my liking (: