Book Review of Kate Morton's The Lake House

The Lake House - Fine storytelling

 

I was thrilled and privileged to meet Kate Morton in the summer time. She was in Cornwall promoting her new book and I and several of my colleagues had the pleasure of having dinner with her.

Kate was beautiful and friendly and never seemed to tire of all the questions we bombarded her with.

She will be back in Cornwall on 30th October at Waterstones Truro at 7.p.m to talk and sign copies of her new book. I can hardly wait to meet her again and tell her how much I loved her book.

 

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About the book -

 

The Lake House by Kate Morton is the mysterious and enchanting fifth novel from the number one bestselling author of The House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper.

The following text is taken from the cover of her book.

A missing child...

June 1933, and the Edevane family's country house, Loeanneth, is polished and gleaming, ready for the much-anticipated Midsummer Eve party. Alice Edevane, sixteen years old and a budding writer, is especially excited. Not only has she worked out the perfect twist for her novel, she's also fallen helplessly in love with someone she shouldn't. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.


An abandoned house...

Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Sadie Sparrow is sent on an enforced break from her job with the Metropolitan Police. She retreats to her beloved grandfather's cottage in Cornwall but soon finds herself at a loose end. Until one day, Sadie stumbles upon an abandoned house surrounded by overgrown gardens and dense woods, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.


An unsolved mystery...

Meanwhile, in the attic writing room of her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family's past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape...

 

 

As a huge Kate Morton fan, I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reading copy of The Lake House and I can honestly say I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down once I had started it.  Throughout the book, the author made me believe that I too was a detective trying to solve the mystery of the missing child. Every time I thought I had solved the mystery, I had my suspicions scuppered when the story took a different path.  I was totally engrossed right up to the last page.  

This brilliant read is fine storytelling and one of the best books I have read this year.  Congratulations Kate Morton, this is going to be a huge hit.

 

 

 

If you want to read more Cornish Fiction, I highly recommend 

Winston Graham's Poldark novels

Rosamunde Pilcher - The Shell Seekers

Kate Morton - The Forgotten Garden

Rachel Hore - The Memory Garden

Liz Fenwick - The Cornish Affair

Santa Montefiore - Sea of Lost Love

Emylia Hall - The Sea Between us

 

#WinstonGraham #Poldark #RosamundePilcher #TheShellSeekers #KateMorton #TheForgottenGarden #TheLakeHouse #RachelHore #TheMemoryGarden #LizFenwick #TheCornishAffair #SantaMontefiore #SeaofLostLove #EmyliaHall #TheSeaBetween us

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading my review of Kate Morton's new novel The Lake House. I too am the author of two Cornish novels

Mr de Sousa's Legacy and The Blue Bay Café

Both available at Amazon and Waterstones

#TheBlueBayCafe

#MrdeSousasLegacy

#AnnEBrockbank

 

Cornish Fiction at its best - Review of The Sea Between Us by Emylia Hall

Because I love Cornwall, I devour any novel that is set in my adopted county. I have just finished this beautiful novel by Emylia Hall and if you love Cornish fiction too, I think you will love this.

 

 

 

 

This is the first novel I have read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last. I was blown away by her beautiful, lyrical and descriptive writing.  She had me captivated with the story of Robyn and Jago from the first page to the very last, as they both set off on their journey of self discovery. 

For me Emylia Hall captured the wild and tempestuous Cornish coast in the most atmospheric way. Her vivid descriptions of the unpredictability and beauty of the sea had the waves washing over me as I read.  I could feel the sand between my toes and taste the salt on my lips with every chapter she spent in her remote Cornish cove.  Her account of early motherhood ranks amongst some of the most tender and heartfelt prose I have ever read. In short this novel was a joy to read.

 

#TheSeaBetweenUs #EmyliaHall

#Cornishfiction #novelsofcornwall #Cornwall #Beach #Cornishcoast #Sennen

 

 

If you want to read more Cornish Fiction, I highly recommend 

Winston Graham's Poldark novels

Rosamunde Pilcher - The Shell Seekers

Kate Morton - The Forgotten Garden and The Lake House

Rachel Hore - The Memory Garden

Liz Fenwick - The Cornish Affair

Santa Montefiore - Sea of Lost Love

 

#WinstonGraham #Poldark #RosamundePilcher #TheShellSeekers #KateMorton #TheForgottenGarden #TheLakeHouse #RachelHore #TheMemoryGarden #LizFenwick #TheCornishAffair #SantaMontefiore #SeaofLostLove

 

 

Ann E Brockbank is the author of two Cornish novels

Mr de Sousa's Legacy and The Blue Bay Café

Both available at Amazon and Waterstones

#TheBlueBayCafe

#MrdeSousasLegacy

#AnnEBrockbank

A cliff walk to enjoy a Cornish breakfast –From Gunwallow to Poldhu on the Lizard Peninsula.

One of the joys of living in Cornwall and being only a few miles from the coast, is the luxury of breakfast on the beach. This is something we indulge in at least once a week.  Come rain, hail, sun or snow (snow is very rare) we don our walking boots and follow this well trodden path.

 

Dollar Cove, on the Lizard

Our short 5 mile drive takes us to beautiful Gunwalloe on the Lizard Peninsular, a National Trust beach and car park.  As  creatures of habit, we always set off, first taking in the glorious windswept beach called Dollar Cove, named after the great wreck in 1780 when 2 tonnes of silver coins were lost overboard. This little cove has seen quite a lot of excitement in the last two years, as it was used by the BBC as Nampara Cove, in the 2015 production of Poldark and will be Nampara again in the 2016 series. As you look west, the headland of Halzephron lies before you.  At high tide the beach is a mass of large pebbles, just waiting to be stacked in towers.  A low tide reveals a sandy bay, dotted with huge granite rocks and perfect for a paddle on our return journey. 



Poldark filming in Dollar Cove

 

A short walk across the dunes brings you to the bridge over the stream which runs the length of Gunwalloe beach, known as Church Cove. 

 

One winter, after a terrific storm, white foam covered the whole beach, which wobbled in the wind.  We were waist deep that day walking through it!

The winter storms filled Church Cove with foam.

Foam covered the whole of Church Cove

A more tranquil view of the cove from the bridge.

 

Summer sees the dunes covered in flowers

   
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Church Cove is a lovely south-west facing cove and is one of our favourite places to swim, which we do, on occasions, from May to November. 

 

Low tide at Church Cove

Sometimes it's so low you can see
 the hotel on the next headland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the north side of the beach is the tiny church of St Winwaloe, the Church of storms) which has a detached tower set into the solid rock of the headland. The Church is dedicated to the popular Breton saint Winwaloe, the first abbot of Landevennec, Gunwalloe was a chapelry of Breage when first recorded in 1332.  A holy well was once sited near the porch.  It is the only Cornish church actually sited on a beach, and very lovely it is too!  If you ever get a chance to visit, do pop in and take a look.  Many a Saturday during the summer, we have the pleasure of watching brides make their way to this pretty church to take their vows. Where else would you get such a spectacular backdrop to your wedding photos? 

View of Church Cove from the bottom of the
Cliff Path

St Winwaloe, the Church of storms)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coast path takes us up a steep incline, edging along the Mullion golf course, where many a brave golfer tries his luck at driving his ball through the gale force winds which sometimes whip over the cliff edge.  Half way up we always stop to take in the spectacular view of Church Cove from this wonderfully elevated position.  It also gives us a moment to catch our breath.

 

 

 

 

Another short incline brings us to the top of Poldhu Cove for another spectacular view over Mounts Bay, towards Lands End.  There are days when the mist is so dense; you can’t see the view at all. But other days you can see for miles - and even make out St Michaels Mount in the distance.  The sea can be so many colours over the season, ranging from opal green, turquoise to deep blue.  After storms, long banks of sand float beyond the waves, trying to find a beach to settle on.  Every single day is different on our walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking the coast path to the right hand side of the road, Poldhu Point comes into view. Where stands the impressive building that once was the Poldhu Hotel, build in 1899, but is currently a care home.   Beyond the building is the Marconi centre. This became the site of one of the main technological advances of the early twentieth century when, on 12 December 1901, a wireless signal was sent to St John’s, Newfoundland, by Marconi. 

 

  

As you pick your way down the soft cliff path, have your camera ready for some glorious shots of pellucid green water lapping over black granite rocks.  In the winter, you have to hold onto your hat, as the mighty waves crash against these same rocks, giving an equally fabulous photo shot. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making our way back onto the road, the cliffs facing the beach put on a wonderful floral show throughout the year. Though spring time, is my favourite, especially when the bluebells and pink thrift opens and you just know you are on the right side of summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poldhu cove is a long west-facing sandy beach, flanked with soft dunes and grasses. It’s a fantastic beach to swim, and learn the art of surfing, and when the sea is flat calm it’s a perfect setting for Paddle boarding.  The beach is very rarely empty. Summer time brings lots of holidaymakers and during the winter months, we share the beach with lots of dog walkers and hardy surfers.

 

 

 

Poldhu means "black pool" in Cornish – but it is a very different seaside place to the Blackpool of the north.

 

Breakfast at Poldhu Beach Café (established in 1997) is always something we look forward to.  I can safely say there are very few places where you can enjoy a bacon bap and a cappuccino with such fabulous views.  There are times when we have sat outside, with the wind and rain buffeting us, enjoying an extreme cappuccino.  But hey, this is Cornwall, beautiful, whatever the weather. 

 

Poldhu cove is where I get the inspiration for my novels. It is one of my beachside offices. I mention the Café and beach with great affection in my novel ‘The Blue Bay Café’.

 

I hope you get the chance to visit and partake in a Cornish breakfast.

 

My novels Mr de Sousa’s Legacy – a Cornish love story and The Blue Bay Café – a novel of Cornwall can be purchased at - +Poldhu Beach Cafe & Shop +Amazon.co.uk  +Amazon.com  +AmazonKindleEbooks  +Waterstones #BookBlog #Cornwall #CornishFiction #Cornish #Beach #Cornishcoast #BeautifulCornwall #Sea #Downonthebeach @downthecove @CornwallHour @PoldarksCornwall @LizardCornwall @SWCornwallNT@ToursPoldark @PoldarkTV

 

 

#breakfastonthebeach #extremecappuccino #beach #sand #sea #Cornwall #Cornishficiton #Beachsideoffice #TheBlueBayCafe #MrdeSousasLegacy #AnnEBrockbank #Poldhu #DollarCove #Lizard #NationalTrustSW  +National Trust

Extreme Cappuccino drinking