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The Cornwall Adventures #1
Laurel's Quest
A trip to England sounds like a grand adventure, but Laurel Rowan can't escape from her true reality. Her mother is terminally ill, and her father needs her to go so he can spend his time at the hospital. On a train to Penzance, Laurel meets a new friend, Coll. On the property of her host, she stumbles upon a magical spring. There she meets the White Lady, who offers her a chance at gaining her heart's true desire, if only she can solve a riddle.
Pursuing her quest amidst the magic of the Cornish countryside, she is aided by Coll and her new friends Gort and Aisling. They are also helped by creatures of legend and myth, Vear Du, the Selkie, Gwin Scawen, the Cornish Piskie, Belerion the fire salamander, Morgawr the flying sea serpent who does Vear Du a favour, and Cormoran, the last giant of Cornwall. The friends must battle the odds in the form of bullies and confusing clues. Will they emerge victorious? Will Laurel have the courage to solve the riddle and fulfill her quest?
Pursuing her quest amidst the magic of the Cornish countryside, she is aided by Coll and her new friends Gort and Aisling. They are also helped by creatures of legend and myth, Vear Du, the Selkie, Gwin Scawen, the Cornish Piskie, Belerion the fire salamander, Morgawr the flying sea serpent who does Vear Du a favour, and Cormoran, the last giant of Cornwall. The friends must battle the odds in the form of bullies and confusing clues. Will they emerge victorious? Will Laurel have the courage to solve the riddle and fulfill her quest?
278 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2014
8 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Marie Bell
30 books40 followersNancy Marie Bell is a proud Albertan and lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She is a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. Nancy has numerous writing credits to her name, having three novels published and her work has been published in various magazines. She has also had her work recognized and honoured with various awards, and most recently, a silver medal in the Creative Writing category of the Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games in 2013. Nancy has presented at the Surrey International Writers Conference in 2012 and 2013, and at the Writers Guild of Alberta Conference in 2014. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 30, 2016
The world is a magical place.
Anyone who has ever stood on a mountaintop watching the sun rise, or seen the ocean dancing beneath a star-laden sky knows this to be true.
But what if magic is not just allegorical, but real?
What if there really are little people who can appear and disappear at will; giants, flying horses, and all manner of magical creatures both big and small?
Laurel Rowan is about to find out if that's true in the pages of this extraordinary story of a young Canadian woman from the prairies who is sent to spend a few months with an old family friend in Cornwall while her mother battles cancer back home.
Laurel, needless to say, doesn't want to be in England while her mother is fighting for her life. The people talk funny and she doesn't always understand what they're saying even though they're (allegedly) speaking English. The mountains and the sea are unlike the flatlands she's used to and she knows no one except for a boy she met briefly on the train.
Homesick, frustrated, and angry that she has been shipped off while her mother is desperately ill; Laurel soon discovers that Cornwall is more than just a collection of small villages with unpronounceable names.
It is, in fact, a place where magic dwells just below the surface and might well hold a cure for her mother's cancer.
"Laurel's Quest" by Nancy M. Bell is a charming novel that speaks of love, loneliness, the value of friendship, and sacrifice. It is a story that reminds us that not everything can be explained with charts and graphs; that sometimes what lies beneath can be just as real as sidewalks and buildings even if, at first, that seems hard to believe.
Bell has a strong narrative voice and an eye for detail that makes "Laurel's Quest" a joy to read. She also has a gift for creating interesting characters ranging from Laurel, to her friends, the woman she is staying with, and even those that spring from myth and legend. Her descriptions of Cornwall are so complete that they read almost as a travelogue.
Truly, a fine piece of writing and a book I highly recommend.
Anyone who has ever stood on a mountaintop watching the sun rise, or seen the ocean dancing beneath a star-laden sky knows this to be true.
But what if magic is not just allegorical, but real?
What if there really are little people who can appear and disappear at will; giants, flying horses, and all manner of magical creatures both big and small?
Laurel Rowan is about to find out if that's true in the pages of this extraordinary story of a young Canadian woman from the prairies who is sent to spend a few months with an old family friend in Cornwall while her mother battles cancer back home.
Laurel, needless to say, doesn't want to be in England while her mother is fighting for her life. The people talk funny and she doesn't always understand what they're saying even though they're (allegedly) speaking English. The mountains and the sea are unlike the flatlands she's used to and she knows no one except for a boy she met briefly on the train.
Homesick, frustrated, and angry that she has been shipped off while her mother is desperately ill; Laurel soon discovers that Cornwall is more than just a collection of small villages with unpronounceable names.
It is, in fact, a place where magic dwells just below the surface and might well hold a cure for her mother's cancer.
"Laurel's Quest" by Nancy M. Bell is a charming novel that speaks of love, loneliness, the value of friendship, and sacrifice. It is a story that reminds us that not everything can be explained with charts and graphs; that sometimes what lies beneath can be just as real as sidewalks and buildings even if, at first, that seems hard to believe.
Bell has a strong narrative voice and an eye for detail that makes "Laurel's Quest" a joy to read. She also has a gift for creating interesting characters ranging from Laurel, to her friends, the woman she is staying with, and even those that spring from myth and legend. Her descriptions of Cornwall are so complete that they read almost as a travelogue.
Truly, a fine piece of writing and a book I highly recommend.
September 2, 2014
Teenager Laurel reluctantly travels to Cornwall to visit Sarie, a family friend she has never met, but all her instincts tell her she should be at home in Canada with her mother who is dangerously ill. Her teenage angst and overwhelming feelings of rejection and loss are portrayed clearly by the author and I felt quite motherly towards Laurel, who clearly needed to be at home at such a time.
However she is soon drawn into the local politics of a Cornish village and its conflict among schoolfriends and neighbours. This is partly due to the fact Sarie is believed to be a local witch and her influence over Coll, Gort and Aisling, three young people who befriend Laurel, is frowned on - or maybe envied.
Coll introduces Laurel into the folk lore and traditions of West Cornwall on the train even before she arrives, so by the time she encounters her new hosts, talk of witches and magic is already part of her experience. Homesick and worried, Laurel is at her lowest ebb when she meets a White Lady at a rock pool who sets her a quest which ensures her greatest wish will come true. Laurel is not only that she needs friends to complete this yet to be revealed task with an enigmatic outcome. What exactly is the White Lady promising?
Laurel is a typical teenager in that she swings between happiness and despair. She also has a defensive streak she cannot control and her method of handling the local bully is to take a stick to him! Ms Bell takes the reader into a fantasy world of piskies, magical stones and pagan traditions, some of which I have never heard of, and I lived in Cornwall for several years! combined with some unpleasant adult behaviour the youngsters come up against. The author certainly gives Cornwall a unique and mystical character which is compelling to read as Laurel takes on the challenge set her.
However she is soon drawn into the local politics of a Cornish village and its conflict among schoolfriends and neighbours. This is partly due to the fact Sarie is believed to be a local witch and her influence over Coll, Gort and Aisling, three young people who befriend Laurel, is frowned on - or maybe envied.
Coll introduces Laurel into the folk lore and traditions of West Cornwall on the train even before she arrives, so by the time she encounters her new hosts, talk of witches and magic is already part of her experience. Homesick and worried, Laurel is at her lowest ebb when she meets a White Lady at a rock pool who sets her a quest which ensures her greatest wish will come true. Laurel is not only that she needs friends to complete this yet to be revealed task with an enigmatic outcome. What exactly is the White Lady promising?
Laurel is a typical teenager in that she swings between happiness and despair. She also has a defensive streak she cannot control and her method of handling the local bully is to take a stick to him! Ms Bell takes the reader into a fantasy world of piskies, magical stones and pagan traditions, some of which I have never heard of, and I lived in Cornwall for several years! combined with some unpleasant adult behaviour the youngsters come up against. The author certainly gives Cornwall a unique and mystical character which is compelling to read as Laurel takes on the challenge set her.
August 4, 2015
Filled With Mystical Wonder
Although Laurel is shipped off to stay with a friend of the family who she doesn't really know, during a time when she feels she should be at home with her terminally ill mother, she adapts. She finds fast and true friends who help her in a quest that she hopes will save her mother's life.
Ms. Bell is an artist with words and the computer screen is her canvas. She creates beautiful descriptions of the Cornwall countryside. The legends and mythology are spell bounding. As I read, I found myself wanting to look up the different places Laurel and her friends traveled.
Overall, I found the story enjoyable and filled with mystical wonder.
Although Laurel is shipped off to stay with a friend of the family who she doesn't really know, during a time when she feels she should be at home with her terminally ill mother, she adapts. She finds fast and true friends who help her in a quest that she hopes will save her mother's life.
Ms. Bell is an artist with words and the computer screen is her canvas. She creates beautiful descriptions of the Cornwall countryside. The legends and mythology are spell bounding. As I read, I found myself wanting to look up the different places Laurel and her friends traveled.
Overall, I found the story enjoyable and filled with mystical wonder.
July 12, 2017
This story was an absolute gem. Not only is it beautifully written with lovely descriptions of the settings, but it has a well-developed plot, and the characters are people you can relate to--full of flaws, but containing goodness in their hearts. The author has done much research into the history of Cornwall and myths and legends that go along with the area. Although it is written for the YA crowd, it is a story adults can treasure as well. I'm so glad that the story doesn't end with Laurel. I'm looking forward to seeing what adventures Gort had.
January 23, 2016
An imaginative story with quite a twist near the end that took my by surprise. When I began reading this novel, I thought it was going to be another horse story, but not so. It's full of mythical beings who help Laurel on her quest to find a cure for her mother's cancer. The fact that it takes place in Cornwall makes it even more intriguing. This is a novel that has transported me to a world I didn't know existed. Thank you, Ms. Bell for an enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews