A Castaway in Cornwall by Julie Klassen
Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance, Christian fiction
Read: 18th October 2024
Published: 1st December 2020
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers, Laura Callaway now lives with her uncle and his disapproving wife in North Cornwall. There she feels like a castaway, always viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong.
While wreckers search for valuables along the windswept Cornwall coast--known for its many shipwrecks but few survivors--Laura searches for clues to the lives lost so she can write letters to next of kin and return keepsakes to rightful owners. When a man is washed ashore after a wreck, Laura acts quickly to protect him from a local smuggler determined to destroy him.
As Laura and a neighbor care for the survivor, they discover he has curious wounds and, although he speaks in careful, educated English, his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Despite the evidence against him, the mysterious man might provide her only chance to discover the truth about her parents' fate. With danger pursuing them from every side, and an unexpected attraction growing between them, will Laura ever find the answers she seeks?
MY THOUGHTS:
A touch of Poldark with a hint of du Maurier, this sweeping tale of one castaway to another is both atmospheric and captivating. It is largely set in my most favourite of settings - Cornwall. Though never having set foot on UK soil, let alone the rugged coastline of the nation's south westernmost county, I adore stories that are set amidst its rugged beauty.
Laura Callaway has lived with her parson uncle Matthew and his wife and daughter for near on ten years, ever since her parents left her for Jersey and never returned. But having not been born or bred in Cornwall, natives see her as an outsider of up-country lass, owing to her feeling somewhat a castaway in what should be her home. Uncle Matthew has always been welcoming but his wife, his second Mrs Bray, has not been. Her daughter Esela is like a cousin to her, if not related by blood, and yet Laura still feels as if she is just passing through.
Most days she walks the coastline and beaches in search of valuables that have drifted ashore from shipwrecks, collecting them and keeping them safe in the hope that she can reunite them with their owners or their kin. When one day a man is washed ashore, she collects him too before he comes to any harm from wrecker Tom Parsons or any preventative men, should he be a free-trader or on the run.
Laura takes him back to the house where she nurses him back to health and yet the mystery surrounding him grows. When he finally does wake, he is wary and does not speak, yet watchful of her every move. But as more items wash ashore and other news reaches her, Laura begins to wonder as to who the man really is.
As the mystery deepens, so does too their attraction for each other. And while she longs to see him return to his rightful home, evidence against him mounts and the militia come knocking on their door seeking his whereabouts. There is only one who could have betrayed them. And yet with danger pursuing them, Laura remains by his side and wondering will she ever find the answers she seeks and the love she desires?
This is my first read by Julie Klassen and I am surprised to discover she is not British, though has penned such a sweeping tale of heroism and love against the backdrop of the rugged Cornish coast and the Napoleonic war. I'm always a sucker for historical fiction in these parts with mystery, intrigue and love on the horizon. I like how she has incorporated the Christian faith into the story in subtle ways to make you stop and reflect on something similar in your own life.
A handful of scriptures are quoted throughout as is the reminder of a faithful and loving God, gratitude and blessings and silent prayer and praise to God for his faithfulness despite whatever trial one is faced with. The concept that God indeed listened and heard Laura's prayer, as well as Alexander's, and that the trials they each experienced were in preparation for something greater. Had their prayers been answered in the way they had hoped for in the beginning, they would have missed out on the greater reward God had in store for each of them. The same can be said for us. We think God doesn't hear us or answer our prayers because He doesn't answer them in the way we want Him to. That's because he has bigger plans for us. He is faithful and will answer our prayers...just not how we expect Him to.
A delightful historical fiction that will warm the hearts of historical romance fans and those who love stories set in Cornwall.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Julie has also been honoured with the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s BEST Award. She enjoys travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends.
Julie and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.
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