Short of being able to literally escape to Cornwall, how about a literary escape instead?
We may be physically confined to our primary residences but it doesn’t mean your mind has to be – we’ve rounded up a few favourite books set in Cornwall. Let us know any more of your go-tos that we need to include in the comments.
You are reading: Books set in cornwall
mary wesley’s chamomile grass
the cousins have one last carefree cornwall summer holiday at their aunt’s house (the tv adaptation chose a house on the roseland peninsula in veryan, truro) before the second world war changes their lives forever . After this last hot summer they go their separate ways, but the house’s chamomile-scented lawn and cliffs in Cornwall take on ever-increasing importance, representing their once-innocent childhood liberties. Mary Wesley’s celebrated novel follows the twists and turns of the family until they are reunited in Cornwall nearly fifty years later.
bonus: watch the TV adaptation on channel 4
A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn
Veronica Speedwell is a fearless lepidopterist with a mysterious past in Victorian England who finds herself solving high-stakes mysteries Sherlock Holmes-style. her partner in crime is a tortured, moody but oh-so-manly natural historian named Stoker. Will they admit or not admit their feelings for each other?
In the fourth book in the series, A Dangerous Collaboration, Veronica and Stoker are invited to a house party on a remote island off the tip of Cornwall. It quickly becomes apparent that there is more to this party than meets the eye, and they find themselves investigating the mysterious disappearance of their hosts’ wife from her own wedding three years earlier. an incredibly well-written series with a delightful simmering romance, each book a perfect escape, but the writing is so clever it’s a calorie-free guilty pleasure.
winston graham’s poldark saga
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the saga that surely needs no introduction spans 12 novels and spans two centuries (late 18th and early 19th) and follows the life and troubles of ross poldark (now synonymous with aiden turner, obviously) the brooding and principles who has returned home from the American Revolutionary War to find his father dead, his copper mine failing, and his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful Elizabeth Chynoweth, engaged to her cousin.
Intrigue, drama, betrayal, and romance/love triangles follow, with Ross falling in love with Demelza while battling his arch-nemesis, the braggart and ruthless financier, George Warleggan.
bonus: catch up on the tv adaptation of bbc’s poldark on amazon prime
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
Nominated by the British public in 2003 as one of the BBC’s Top 100 Great Read Novels, The Shell Seekers follows Penelope Keeling’s examination of her past and present life in Cornwall with the painting-focused story of his father, the shell seekers, who now turns out to be worth a small fortune.
Now in her sixties, reflecting on her bohemian childhood in Cornwall with her artist father and much younger French mother, Penelope begins to see her children for who they are and must decide how to move forward.
Blue by Lisa Glass
one for your teens, or at least young adult fans. blue is a trilogy set on the beaches of newquay. A coming-of-age novel, the action centers on the relationship between teenage surfer Iris and professional surfer Zeke, whom she meets one day at a yoga class. Like any good teen saga, there’s an ex-boyfriend, a best friend, and a lot of drama.
Vanishing Cornwall by Daphne Du Maurier
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Du Maurier is one of Cornwall’s most famous authors, and many lists would include her novels Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, to name just a few. i have been enjoying this non-fiction work exploring cornwall’s history, exploring the legends, landscape and people that combine to make cornwall such a special place, along with photographs of her son and old maps. I picked up my secondhand copy online, but it’s also available on kindle. Failing that, any of her novels are compelling reads, and Frenchman’s Creek is next on my reread list.
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
One summer, Raynor and her husband Moth find themselves homeless at the same time Moth receives a terminal diagnosis. With nowhere else to go and their spirits at an all-time low, they spend what money they have left on a tent, basic camping supplies, and hit the trail. Over the next few weeks and months, “home” becomes a different concept as they begin to tackle the 630-mile Southwest Coast Path step by step. this is a story of losing everything and then finding yourself between the elements of the sea and the sky.
Zennor in Darkness by Helen Dunmore
While I’m hesitant to continue recommending books set in hard times, it seems to be a theme that people see in Cornwall as a safe place.
zennor in the dark is also set in times of war, this time in the first world war. It’s 1917 and among the characters living in Zennor that the young artist Clare meets are D. h. Lawrence and his German wife Frieda, who have fled London to an isolated farm. Dunmore’s first novel explores the events that led to Lawrence’s expulsion from Cornwall (on suspicion of espionage), as well as describing the beautiful countryside of West Cornwall.
A Cornish Affair by Liz Fenwick
If you’re a fan of a romance novel that’s also set in the deepest and most beautiful parts of Cornwall, then pretty much any of Liz Fenwick’s books will be for you. In a Cornish affair, Jude runs out of her wedding, flees to Pengarrock, a dilapidated clifftop mansion in Cornwall, and takes a job cataloging the Trevillion family’s extensive library. exploring relationships, friendships, and learning to love ourselves, fans of liz fenwick’s books enjoy her beautiful depictions of the cornish countryside (in this case, the river helford) almost as much as the plots themselves.
Summer at the Cornish Cafe (Penwith Trilogy) by Philipa Ashley
if the names and subjects of the cornish coffee books look familiar to you, it may be because it is poldark fan fiction; yes, it exists. Again set in the beautiful Cornish countryside, this light romantic fiction follows the story of Demi, who ends up helping local hottie Cal (recently returned from abroad to find her ex marrying someone else) renovate her holiday resort, Kilhallon Park.
As I’m sure I’ve already written once in this article (!) there is intrigue, drama, betrayal and romance/love triangles: will cal fall in love with demi? who can predict! joyful escapism abounds.
Any suggestions you think we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments!
additional words carina covella
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