*3.5 ( )

Good solid historical fiction. ( )

Un bel libro e una bella storia, avvincente ed emozionante ma che mi ha lasciato alla fine un po’ di amaro in bocca.
La vicenda si dipana tra presente e passato, tra i giorni nostri e gli inizi del 1700, perché la nostra protagonista viaggia nel tempo e si ritrova a vivere la sua vita in due epoche diverse.
Eva, dopo la morte della sorella Katrina, ritorna in Cornovaglia nella casa della loro infanzia. Qui oltre a ritrovare i suoi vecchi amici e a cominciare una nuova vita scoprirà di avere il dono di attraversare le epoche. Conoscerà così Daniel Butler, un affascinante contrabbandiere, che farà nascere in lei emozioni e sentimenti mai provati tanto da doverla costringere ad effettuare scelte non semplici.
Una storia ben scritta, coinvolgente e molto affascinante, che si legge veramente con grande piacere e che riesce ad intrigare ed interessare.
Un’unica nota stonata ma che mi fa togliere una stella alla valutazione (4 anziché 5 stelle), il finale che, per quanto chiaro, non mi ha soddisfatto perché lo ritengo non completo tanto da sembrare il preludio ad un altro libro che, però, non è stato ancora scritto e che, considerato il tempo passato dalla sua pubblicazione, a questo punto credo non lo sarà mai.
Un vero peccato! ( )

The moment I realized this novel was set in Cornwall, I was halfway to loving it already. Then it had that du Maurier flavor, the atmosphere of Jamaica Inn and the mystery element, the historical setting and charming gentleman that put me in mind of Winston Graham’s Poldark, with the addition of a well-conceived and executed time-travel angle. What’s not to like? My only regret is that I let it languish on my bookshelf for over a year.

There was something about this remote western corner of Britain that captured the soul and refused to let go, something ancient and wild in the moors and black cliffs and the voice of the sea that spoke always of something unseen and enchanted.

I was so in the mood for this sweet romantic tale that swept me along and swept me away from my everyday world of problems and sorrows. Sometimes, somewhere else is just where we want to be, and today 17th Century England was just the right place for me and Daniel Butler was just the right man.

I hope Susanna Kearsley has more of this up her sleeve. I’ll definitely be reading another of her novels soon to find the answer to that question.



( )

This was another engaging time travel romance by an author who is a star in the genre. Eva Wells is rather lost after her beloved sister dies. She is determined to take her ashes to a place where they were both happy. She ends up in Cornwall with people who made her childhood happy.

She finds that things are different in many ways. The farm is in trouble and the place isn't quite what she remembered. Then she finds herself hearing voices and traveling back in time to the same house in 1715. 1715 is a time of political unrest. Queen Anne has died, and George I and James Stuart are rival claimants for the throne. She meets Daniel Butler who is a free trader and supporter of James Stuart.

She also finds herself falling in love with a man from a time which is not her own. She gets involved with him, and he accepts her presence without question. Together they have to deal with a constable who really hates him and who is eager to arrest him for his support of James Stuart.

I enjoyed this story and loved the characters. It was a great romance and an interesting look at British History. The narrator did an excellent job expressing the emotion of the story. ( )