The cry of the owl

by Margaret Mayhew

Vintage book

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Margaret Mayhew was born in London and her earliest childhood memories were of the London Blitz. She began writing in her mid-thirties and had her first novel published in 1976. She is married to American aviation author, Philip Kaplan, and lives in Gloucestershire.

Reviews

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Mayhew is one of my favorite authors, so finding a title of hers I haven't read is a big treat.
Tamazine Tresham is told by her dying father that their house and property will be inherited by a distant cousin. She and her mother and sister will have nothing. When Joslan Penrose arrives he offers to marry Tamazine or her teenaged sister Agnes for appearance sake only. Joslan is interested in profiting from the estate's production of high quality wool shorn from their large flock of sheep. Joslan joins a band of smugglers known as owlers - for their cry of the owl as a night time signal - who illegally import fleeces to France. As Tamazine and Joslan get to know one another they begin to get along and gain a mutual respect which could possibly turn into love.