Product Description

Lamorna Cove, in Cornwall's far west, is a tiny bay set at the mouth of a secluded wooded valley of wild beauty, the haunt, a hundred years ago, of a close-knit colony of artists. Here, to a rented cottage in the overgrown gardens of Merryn Hall, Melanie Pentreath retreats from her busy London life as a lecturer in art history to research a book about the painters, and to seek solace following the death of her mother and a broken love affair. In this magical place, full of echoes of the past, Mel helps her landlord, Patrick Winterton, restore the garden and starts to pull together the shreds of her life. Patrick finds some old paintings in a glory hole in one of the attics, and as they uncover the identity of the artist they are drawn into an extraordinary story of illicit passion and thwarted ambition from the Edwardian past which proves resonant in Mel's own life. Merryn is an idyll, and Mel and Patrick, himself here to escape a romantic disappointment, find themselves drawing closer to one another - until the reality of the outside world once more intervenes and everything is threatened.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #968 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Daily Mirror, August 17, 2007
'Tiny, hidden Lamorna Cove...is the backdrop to two huge tales of illicit passion and thwarted ambition... Clever stuff'

Yours Magazine, August 14, 2007
'...the extraordinary world of illicit Edwardian passion. An engrossing read!'

The Guardian, August 11 2007
'Rachel's Hore's second novel is pitched perfectly for a holiday read'

Customer Reviews

Cornwall revisited
I took one look at the cover of this book and knew I had to read it. It instantly said 'Cornwall' to me. I was not disappointed. When the book arrived it was packed in my suitcase ready to take to Cornwall. It took a lot of inner strength not to read it before our holiday.
Once started I really couldn't put it down. Infact, I'd get up an hour earlier every day just to have some quiet reading time.
We managed to get to Lamorna Cove and it really brought the book to life for me.
Friends of mine who have borrowed it loved it too.

A fantastic read!
What a fantastic read - I am very glad I stumbled across this in the local book store. This is a real page turner, perfect for a rainy weekend. The two stories - set ca. 100 years apart - intertwine beautifully and also the atmosphere of Cornwall in various seasons is described to perfection. I am already onto Rachel Hore's other book - The Dream House, equally absorbing.

Unmemorable
I persisted with this book far longer than I should have - I could have been reading something worthwhile. Ploughed through to the half way point, expecting that something interesting must happen soon (no), not at all interested in what happened to any of the dull and one dimensional characters. I eventually skipped to the end to see what happened, which was what I was expecting. Saved myself a few hours and can now move onto something I might actually enjoy. Disappointing.