Wednesday 20 May 2020

Books Set in Cornwall 2


This post is for my own reference, really just updating my list of fictional books set in Cornwall slightly and bringing it closer than 2009 (!) for ease of editing. That said, any suggestions to add to the list are most welcome as I'm sure there are 'loads' more.




Historical

Frenchman’s Creek – Daphne du Maurier
Jamaica Inn – Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
The House on the Strand – Daphne du Maurier
The Loving Spirit – Daphne du Maurier
The King's General - Daphne du Maurier
Crossed Bones – Jane Johnson
The Poldark series – Winston Graham
Deep Down - R.M. Ballantyne
Mistress of Mellyn - Victoria Holt
The Dead Secret - Wilkie Collins
A Pair of Blue Eyes - Thomas Hardy
The Dead Secret - Wilkie Collins


Contemporary fiction

Away From it All – Judy Astley
Just for the Summer - Judy Astley
The Shell Seekers – Rosamund Pilcher (And other books by her.)
The Carousel - Rosamund Pilcher
A Week in Winter – Marcia Willett
The Cornish Legacy – Barbara Whitnell
The View from the Summerhouse - Barbara Whitnell
The Last Lighthouse Keeper - Alan Titchmarsh
Sea Music - Sara MacDonald
Penmarric - Susan Howatch
The Returning Tide - Liz Fenwick (Any book by her in fact.)
Making Waves, September Song, A Cornish Christmas, Easter Holiday - Nell Dixon
A Cottage by the Sea - Ciji Ware
That Summer in Cornwall - Ciji Ware
An Exaltation of Larks - Daisy Treadwell
Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan
Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan
A Cornish Christmas - Lily Graham
The Farm at the Edge of the World - Sarah Vaughan
Her Father's House - Emma Sinclair
The Unpredictable Consequences of Love - Jo Mansell

Novels

Zennor in Darkness – Helen Dunmore
The Cammomile Lawn - Mary Wesley
Hold My Hand - Serena Mackesy
Summer in February - Jonathan Smith
Notes from an Exhibition - Patrick Gale
A Perfectly Good Man - Patrick Gale
The Cat Sanctuary - Patrick Gale
The Camomile Lawn - Mary Wesley

Crime/thrillers/mystery

The Wycliffe crime series - W.J. Burley
The Rose Trevelyan crime series – Janie Bolitho
Touchstone – Laurie R. King
The Lighthouse - P.D. James
The Murder Bird - Joanna Hines
Wait for What Will Come - Barbara Michaels

Horror

The Jewel of Seven Stars – Bram Stoker
Cornish Tales of Terror - ed. by R. Chetwynd-Hayes

Fantasy

The Little Country – Charles de Lint

Children's/young adult

Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
Over Sea, Under Stone – Susan Cooper
Greenwitch - Susan Cooper
The Valley of Secrets – Charmian Hussy
The Mousehole Cat - Antonia Barber
Tales of Terror From the Black Ship - Chris Priestley
Dead Man's Cove - Lauren St. John

There may well be more by Daphne du Maurier. Not having read all of her books, I can't say where the less well known ones are set.

The artwork for the railway poster in this post is by H.A. Tripp.

~~~oOo~~~

8 comments:

DesLily said...

And all these were this year right? *grin*.. My memory isn't so great any more but when you listed the Daphne du Muir books I always remember (here's the hard part) it was either Frenchman's Creek or Jamaica Inn that there was a movie of it.. and Jay Silverheels (Tonto) was in the movie! lol

CLM said...

This list will be good for my armchair traveling, although I have read a handful already. I have certainly read every Pilcher and the Ciji Ware (she went to my college and I met her a couple times) and some of Liz Fenwick (sadly not published in the US) and all of Susan Cooper. I love The Ghosts by Antonia Barber but haven't read her other books but a friend of mine loves The Mousehole Cat.

It is approaching the most difficult time of year - finding my sister crime novels for her birthday that she (a) hasn't read yet and (b) will like (she doesn't like cozies). I had ordered the new Jane Casey (an author we both love) but Book Depository messed up and says I am out of luck. I am going to look at your list for ideas. Thanks!

Lark said...

Love this list. Have already scribbled down several titles to add to my own TBR. :)

TracyK said...

Interesting list. I had seen the comments about this list recently, so I am glad you updated it.

I want to read some books by Du Maurier. I am sure I read some when I was younger but don't remember specific titles. Rebecca is on my classics list.

I have several of the Wycliffe books and have read the first one. So I need to continue on with that.

I did read Touchstone by King and liked that very much. I read The Lighthouse but remember nothing about it except that is was not a favorite in the series. And I do like P.D. James books.

Kay said...

Mistress of Mellyn - been years and years since I read that one - Victoria Holt was a favorite of mine. Also Barbara Michaels and I've read Wait For What Will Come more than once. Of course, Rebecca - my sister-in-law has never read it and I suggested she might try it even though she doesn't love mysterious books. I think I might have read Touchstone, but can't remember. Susan Howatch wrote a bunch of books set in Cornwall didn't she? I'll make note of others here. Thanks!

Sam said...

Cornwall always strikes me as a near-perfect place to set crime novels and the like. The weather combined with the striking geography of that part of the U.K. always "spooked" me just a little bit in that I always had the feeling that "something" was about to happen. Thankfully, it never did, though - at least while I was there.

Cath said...

Pat: Yup... read all of these this year. LOL Hmm, well I know there was a movie of Frenchman's Creek and maybe Jamaica Inn but I'm not sure. I looked on IMDb but couldn't see any mention of Jay Silverheels being in either of the films.

CLM: I haven't read anything by Ciji Ware so I must see what she's written and whether it appeals. The Mousehole Cat is delightful and there's a beautiful animated film of it too. Good luck finding something for your sister!

Lark: Thank you, I hope the list is useful.

Tracy: I think Daphne Du Maurier has written some of the most iconic books in the English language and I still haven't read all of them. I haven't read any of the Wycliffe books but have seen every episode of the TV series they made. And like you I can't remember a single thing about The Lighthouse. I do plan to reread some P.D. James at some point as I read them such a long time ago.

Kay: I too was a huge fan of Victoria Holt years ago, in my twenties I think. Couldn't get enough of her books. I read Rebecca when I was in my teens so can hardly remember anything about it. I'm certain it would bear rereading now. I'd forgotten Susan Howatch, I'll get some titles (Penmarric?) and add those to the list.

Sam: Cornwall can be quite a spooky place, it has an atmosphere all of its own. I'm glad nothing happened to you while you were there! I used to read a lot of real-life ghost stories and needless to say, Cornwall was awash with them.

CLM said...

Here's a new one coming in the fall. Maybe we should read her first book in the meantime, although it is set in Hampshire...

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-60381-610-6