What do you think?
Rate this book
A Year of Marvellous Ways
From the author of STILL LIFE, TIN MAN and WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT.'Will stand the test of time' Irish Examiner'Beautiful prose that ebbs and flows' Independent'A Year of Marvellous Ways is like Dylan Thomas given a sexy rewrite by Angela Carter'Patrick GaleThis is a story about Marvellous Ways, an eighty-nine-year-old woman who lives alone in a remote Cornish creek, spending her days sitting by the river, peering through a telescope. And it's about Francis Drake, a young soldier who washes up in her creek, shattered by war and broken-hearted. It's about the magic in everyday life and the lure of the sea, the healing powers of storytelling and sloe gin, love and death, and how we carry on when grief comes snapping at our heels.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2015
About the author
Sarah Winman
11 books3,194 followersSarah Winman (born 1964) is a British actress and author. In 2011 her debut novel When God Was a Rabbit became an international bestseller and won Winman several awards including New Writer of the Year in the Galaxy National Book Awards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,594 reviews
July 23, 2015
This is a difficult book to review. Those readers who enjoy beautiful sentences and lyrical writing will rave about it. Those who just want a good story will struggle to get into it. I had to keep re-reading bits as I keep losing the thread of the tale. And I'm still not sure I understood what happened in the end!
August 26, 2017
This book is filled with imagery beautifully painted. It is filled with song, the harmonies and accompaniments to a melody in the key of life. These feelings can usually only be found in heart stirring poetry, yet they are found throughout this moving story written in prose.
An old woman at the end of her life and a young man at the beginning of his. Young, broken Francis Drake comes into the old woman’s sphere of existence to deliver a letter, and finds deliverance for himself. Through her stories of her life and the beauty of nature surrounding them, he finds healing and purpose.
The accompaniments to their melody and harmony are found in other people who are seeking their purpose and find it through their connections with each other. And at the center of it all, the old woman’s melody sings true and holds the life notes of everyone together until they are able to follow their own melody.
This is such a beautiful and inspiring book and I recommend it to everyone.
An old woman at the end of her life and a young man at the beginning of his. Young, broken Francis Drake comes into the old woman’s sphere of existence to deliver a letter, and finds deliverance for himself. Through her stories of her life and the beauty of nature surrounding them, he finds healing and purpose.
The accompaniments to their melody and harmony are found in other people who are seeking their purpose and find it through their connections with each other. And at the center of it all, the old woman’s melody sings true and holds the life notes of everyone together until they are able to follow their own melody.
This is such a beautiful and inspiring book and I recommend it to everyone.
July 22, 2018
“What a dream I had
Pressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline of smoky Burgundy
Softer than the rain
“I wandered empty streets down
Past the shop displays
I heard cathedral bells
Tripping down the alleyways
As I walked on”
-- For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her, Simon & Garfunkel, Songwriters: Paul Simon
”So here she was, old now, standing by the roadside waiting.
“Ever since she had entered her ninetieth year Marvellous Ways spent a good part of her day waiting, and not for death, as you might assume, given her age. She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for because the image was incomplete. It was a sense, that’s all, something that had come to her on the tail feather of a dream – one of Paper Jack’s dreams, God rest his soul – and it had flown over the landscape of sleep just before light and she hadn’t been able to grasp that tail feather and pull it back before it disappeared over the horizon and disintegrated in the heat of a rising sun. But she had known its message: Wait, for it’s coming.”
An ode to life with all the mystical and magical ways it has of sweeping you off one course and onto another, into another’s life and when those lives become linked and mingle and bring forth new life – and this is how life goes on. This story is filled with life: the beginnings and the ends, the highs and the lows, and all the somethings and someones in between that give life meaning.
Weaving in and out of time, from her childhood to the days when American Soldiers roamed England and this little village of St. Ophere, a hamlet, really, and Marvellous Ways was still a young woman, through the years that follow, and shared as she looks back over those years.
This reads like a fairy tale, a dream, like a song of love and yearning and loss, a poem that tells a lifelong tale and leaves you wanting more, but acknowledging that this is the story of a life, the way of life to begin. To end. An ode to life, to living a life that is true to your own beliefs, despite what the other villagers think or say.
I loved this story, these characters, the way in which this story was told with so much charm, and this magical view of love and life and the world.
”Love. It’s the only thing to have faith in.”
This is the second book written by Sarah Winman that I have read, and I have loved both of them in very different ways. I’m now really looking forward to reading her “When God Was a Rabbit.”
Pressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline of smoky Burgundy
Softer than the rain
“I wandered empty streets down
Past the shop displays
I heard cathedral bells
Tripping down the alleyways
As I walked on”
-- For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her, Simon & Garfunkel, Songwriters: Paul Simon
”So here she was, old now, standing by the roadside waiting.
“Ever since she had entered her ninetieth year Marvellous Ways spent a good part of her day waiting, and not for death, as you might assume, given her age. She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for because the image was incomplete. It was a sense, that’s all, something that had come to her on the tail feather of a dream – one of Paper Jack’s dreams, God rest his soul – and it had flown over the landscape of sleep just before light and she hadn’t been able to grasp that tail feather and pull it back before it disappeared over the horizon and disintegrated in the heat of a rising sun. But she had known its message: Wait, for it’s coming.”
An ode to life with all the mystical and magical ways it has of sweeping you off one course and onto another, into another’s life and when those lives become linked and mingle and bring forth new life – and this is how life goes on. This story is filled with life: the beginnings and the ends, the highs and the lows, and all the somethings and someones in between that give life meaning.
Weaving in and out of time, from her childhood to the days when American Soldiers roamed England and this little village of St. Ophere, a hamlet, really, and Marvellous Ways was still a young woman, through the years that follow, and shared as she looks back over those years.
This reads like a fairy tale, a dream, like a song of love and yearning and loss, a poem that tells a lifelong tale and leaves you wanting more, but acknowledging that this is the story of a life, the way of life to begin. To end. An ode to life, to living a life that is true to your own beliefs, despite what the other villagers think or say.
I loved this story, these characters, the way in which this story was told with so much charm, and this magical view of love and life and the world.
”Love. It’s the only thing to have faith in.”
This is the second book written by Sarah Winman that I have read, and I have loved both of them in very different ways. I’m now really looking forward to reading her “When God Was a Rabbit.”
August 6, 2026
⭐️ 4 ⭐️ Some stories help us survive guilt and some stories are like medicine for the heart and this story, A Year of Marvelous Ways is one of unexpected friendships that feels like a new beginning.
Year is 1947. An 89 year old woman, Marvellous Ways, lives a very quiet life in Cornwall. She’s waiting for someone but she doesn’t know who or why. She leads a very isolated, reclusive life full of memories, dreams and at its center is her love for nature that she believes has always been her calling. One day a young WWII soldier-Frances Drake, washes ashore and she nurses him back to life physically and emotionally by sharing stories from her own life. He is emotionally bruised, beaten and haunted by guilt and memories from the war but in time, they develop an unlikely friendship and a deep connection. Slowly, Drake begins confronting his trauma and in turn helps the wise Marvellous Ways to get clarify over her own life.
Marvellous was truly marvelous. She's had an unusual childhood and a complicated family history. Her mother was emotionally distant and her father was a gentle, affectionate man who always encouraged her curiosity. Marvellous may come off as eccentric but she's rather a very dreamy/curious individual who sees magic in every day moments. She is someone who built a meaningful life that is wholly connected to nature and thus she is a very compassionate and nurturing individual. As unconventional as she may have seemed, she's truly a magnificent person and I loved how patient she was with Drake and how she always found simple pleasures in daily life. I liked how Winman represented 'aging' in this story--that older individuals aren't nearing death but rather they are well alive and living and age is not portrayed as a a number but rather is rich and wise.
We meet Drake as an emotionally numbing man. He's carried survivor's guilt and had severe fear of moving onward & forward. As Marvellous nursed Drake back to life, she shared a lot of stories and memories. That sort of 'silenced healing' was beautiful to watch as it unfolded and bloomed into a wonderful friendship. Their connection set them on new beginnings and the novels magic comes in the form of waiting. Where every character is waiting for something either its hope, love, answers. I really connected to this part of novel because I feel that life is all about waiting, wether its for the right time, right person, right place, the right answer...
Shared memories and storytelling is like food for a broken heart. There is always ordinary magic around us, whether it's from our dreams, random connections or our intuitions/gut-feelings. Sometimes it's right in front of us and sometimes it takes a while to find us but almost always it will find us whenever it's the right time.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Putnam Publisher and the author Sarah Winman for the early eARC!
Publication date: June 16, 2026
Year is 1947. An 89 year old woman, Marvellous Ways, lives a very quiet life in Cornwall. She’s waiting for someone but she doesn’t know who or why. She leads a very isolated, reclusive life full of memories, dreams and at its center is her love for nature that she believes has always been her calling. One day a young WWII soldier-Frances Drake, washes ashore and she nurses him back to life physically and emotionally by sharing stories from her own life. He is emotionally bruised, beaten and haunted by guilt and memories from the war but in time, they develop an unlikely friendship and a deep connection. Slowly, Drake begins confronting his trauma and in turn helps the wise Marvellous Ways to get clarify over her own life.
Marvellous was truly marvelous. She's had an unusual childhood and a complicated family history. Her mother was emotionally distant and her father was a gentle, affectionate man who always encouraged her curiosity. Marvellous may come off as eccentric but she's rather a very dreamy/curious individual who sees magic in every day moments. She is someone who built a meaningful life that is wholly connected to nature and thus she is a very compassionate and nurturing individual. As unconventional as she may have seemed, she's truly a magnificent person and I loved how patient she was with Drake and how she always found simple pleasures in daily life. I liked how Winman represented 'aging' in this story--that older individuals aren't nearing death but rather they are well alive and living and age is not portrayed as a a number but rather is rich and wise.
We meet Drake as an emotionally numbing man. He's carried survivor's guilt and had severe fear of moving onward & forward. As Marvellous nursed Drake back to life, she shared a lot of stories and memories. That sort of 'silenced healing' was beautiful to watch as it unfolded and bloomed into a wonderful friendship. Their connection set them on new beginnings and the novels magic comes in the form of waiting. Where every character is waiting for something either its hope, love, answers. I really connected to this part of novel because I feel that life is all about waiting, wether its for the right time, right person, right place, the right answer...
Shared memories and storytelling is like food for a broken heart. There is always ordinary magic around us, whether it's from our dreams, random connections or our intuitions/gut-feelings. Sometimes it's right in front of us and sometimes it takes a while to find us but almost always it will find us whenever it's the right time.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Putnam Publisher and the author Sarah Winman for the early eARC!
Publication date: June 16, 2026
September 4, 2021
Sarah Winman's chimerical prose is as mellifluous as a lullaby, drifting in and out of the reader's consciousness, like a half-remembered dream.
I've snipped off one star, only because the story loses its way somewhat.
I've snipped off one star, only because the story loses its way somewhat.
August 26, 2015
A charming, magical read. The writing is superb, almost poetical and the characters well-developed.
Marvellous Ways is a kind, caring but strong and wise woman. A healer in many ways, but to a degree she is also naive, sheltered from the world, but that makes her even more appealing as a character and vulnerable as a person. When hers and Drake's paths cross, a magical journey begins, a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness and a beautiful friendship starts.
I loved that book. If you enjoy reading quirky, magical stories, this one is a must-read.
Marvellous Ways is a kind, caring but strong and wise woman. A healer in many ways, but to a degree she is also naive, sheltered from the world, but that makes her even more appealing as a character and vulnerable as a person. When hers and Drake's paths cross, a magical journey begins, a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness and a beautiful friendship starts.
I loved that book. If you enjoy reading quirky, magical stories, this one is a must-read.
November 12, 2025
3.5 rounded up.
Tin Man and Still Life by Sarah Winman are two books that still resonate with me, even though I read them several years ago . I loved everything about them so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read this earlier book by Winman that is being rereleased in June , 2026. These are very different stories, yet there is much about this story that reminded me of the two first two I read . It’s beautifully written, filled with emotion and characters who I will remember .
Marvelous Ways - what a marvelous name for a singular woman ! Marvelous, an 89 year old recluse lives along the coast of Cornwall with her now fading memories waiting for something to happen, although she doesn’t know what it will be . A young soldier returning from WWII washes up on the shore. His memories are newer and raw. It’s told in lyrical language and as life stories are shared, a lovely relationship of mutual caring between two unlikely characters blossoms. They connect through the stories of the loves of their lives, their happinesses, their losses and their grief. Dreams pass from one to another . One with a desire to know a father, one with a desire to know a mother .
A beautifully written story of the joy and heartbreak of love, of life and death . However, the magical realism was at times was too much for my taste . The bond between them would have been magical enough for me.
I received a copy of this from G.P. Putnam’s Sons through Edelweiss.
Tin Man and Still Life by Sarah Winman are two books that still resonate with me, even though I read them several years ago . I loved everything about them so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read this earlier book by Winman that is being rereleased in June , 2026. These are very different stories, yet there is much about this story that reminded me of the two first two I read . It’s beautifully written, filled with emotion and characters who I will remember .
Marvelous Ways - what a marvelous name for a singular woman ! Marvelous, an 89 year old recluse lives along the coast of Cornwall with her now fading memories waiting for something to happen, although she doesn’t know what it will be . A young soldier returning from WWII washes up on the shore. His memories are newer and raw. It’s told in lyrical language and as life stories are shared, a lovely relationship of mutual caring between two unlikely characters blossoms. They connect through the stories of the loves of their lives, their happinesses, their losses and their grief. Dreams pass from one to another . One with a desire to know a father, one with a desire to know a mother .
A beautifully written story of the joy and heartbreak of love, of life and death . However, the magical realism was at times was too much for my taste . The bond between them would have been magical enough for me.
I received a copy of this from G.P. Putnam’s Sons through Edelweiss.
January 7, 2022
I loved this almost more than Still Life. It's a wonderful story of how human lives intersect and interweave, and how even the cruellest hurts can be healed through patience, compassion and love. This occasionally edges into magical realism (a genre I usually dislike) but this author does it so brilliantly, blurring the margins between the earthly and the dreamlike/magical, that it feels exactly right for the story. Also, being of grandmotherly years myself, I appreciated the strong character of Marvellous, who is central to the story and is around my age.
July 1, 2024
A Year of Marvellous Ways is a book about Marvellous Ways, a ninety-year-old woman who has lived alone in a remote creek all her life and is now waiting for something and Freddy Drake, a young soldier left reeling by the war who is on a journey to deliver a letter, as their paths cross.
I don’t think its possible for me to dislike a book written by Sarah Winman. There’s something about the plot of her books that just captures your heart and refuses to let go. A Year of Marvellous Ways was a heartwarming book about love, friendship and sacrifice, about learning to live and appreciate life. I can’t say that I knew what was going on half of the time that I was reading this book but that was the beauty of the story, that it kept me guessing and wondering at what was happening and the secrets behind the plot. I have to admit though, that there were times that the plot was stronger and times where I felt like I was wading through a lot of the story, but I don’t think its possible for me to rate a book by Sarah Winman anything less than 5 stars. This book was truly magical, and the experience of reading it felt like magic as well.
Sarah Winman’s books always have such heartbreaking love stories within them. In this book, Marvellous’ three experiences of falling in love and Freddy’s relationship with his childhood lover just broke my heart into pieces. Why can’t we ever just have a happy ending? And this book was a little hopeful in it’s ending but that doesn’t change the fact that the romances and how they played out really made me cry bucket loads of tears. And that’s no surprise there. I don’t think its possible for me to read a book written by this author and not cry a lot. But the love between characters in this book strives to remind me of the beauty of life and living and how sometimes the ultimate test of love is loving someone enough to let them go.
As always, the writing was beautiful and poetic. But in this book, it also felt magical, like I could feel the magic of the story through it’s writing. It really helped set that atmosphere, especially because there were some magical elements that took place throughout the story, and the writing helped frame that mood and I really, really enjoyed it.
Overall, A Year of Marvellous Ways reminded me all over again why Sarah Winman is one of my favourite authors of all time. Her books will teach you how to love and break your heart, all in one go.
“It was as if a blade had shucked his heart like an oyster and stolen the beauty within. He said his heart never started beating again, it just started working and I never understood the difference, not until I was much older anyway, when I learnt that coming back from the dead is not quite the same as coming back to life.”
I don’t think its possible for me to dislike a book written by Sarah Winman. There’s something about the plot of her books that just captures your heart and refuses to let go. A Year of Marvellous Ways was a heartwarming book about love, friendship and sacrifice, about learning to live and appreciate life. I can’t say that I knew what was going on half of the time that I was reading this book but that was the beauty of the story, that it kept me guessing and wondering at what was happening and the secrets behind the plot. I have to admit though, that there were times that the plot was stronger and times where I felt like I was wading through a lot of the story, but I don’t think its possible for me to rate a book by Sarah Winman anything less than 5 stars. This book was truly magical, and the experience of reading it felt like magic as well.
“Love. It's the only thing to have faith in... Or the moon. Something that turns up every day when you can't. The sun. The moon. Anything. You have to have faith in something.”
Sarah Winman’s books always have such heartbreaking love stories within them. In this book, Marvellous’ three experiences of falling in love and Freddy’s relationship with his childhood lover just broke my heart into pieces. Why can’t we ever just have a happy ending? And this book was a little hopeful in it’s ending but that doesn’t change the fact that the romances and how they played out really made me cry bucket loads of tears. And that’s no surprise there. I don’t think its possible for me to read a book written by this author and not cry a lot. But the love between characters in this book strives to remind me of the beauty of life and living and how sometimes the ultimate test of love is loving someone enough to let them go.
“Love just enough. What's enough? Enough to hold. When it hurts, you're loving too much. Just enough to hold. Anything more than a handful and you're in trouble.”
As always, the writing was beautiful and poetic. But in this book, it also felt magical, like I could feel the magic of the story through it’s writing. It really helped set that atmosphere, especially because there were some magical elements that took place throughout the story, and the writing helped frame that mood and I really, really enjoyed it.
“He wanted to tell her that nothing felt right and he missed his home because how could he make a home in a land that whispered angry words? How could he make a home in a land that didn’t have her?”
Overall, A Year of Marvellous Ways reminded me all over again why Sarah Winman is one of my favourite authors of all time. Her books will teach you how to love and break your heart, all in one go.
July 16, 2017
This is such a beautiful book. In some ways it reminded me of Ben Okri's A Famished Road. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's one of those very special books that is beautifully written and has a great story. I absolutely loved it.
August 1, 2026
🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
In “A Year of Marvellous Ways” by Sarah Winman,
the author’s narration made the novel even more moving and memorable.
Such a uniquely voiced, lovely story!
May I highly recommend kindle and audible audio versions, if you’re inclined?
Marvellous!
An Extraordinary life’s journey!🩷
🌺 Read what you love! 🌺
In “A Year of Marvellous Ways” by Sarah Winman,
the author’s narration made the novel even more moving and memorable.
Such a uniquely voiced, lovely story!
May I highly recommend kindle and audible audio versions, if you’re inclined?
Marvellous!
An Extraordinary life’s journey!🩷
🌺 Read what you love! 🌺
February 1, 2018
A Year Of Marvellous Ways is a beautiful heart warming read that i enjoyed more than i expected (which is good SO GOOD)
It's about this eighty-nine-year-old brilliant woman called Marvellous Ways -I love her name SO BLOODY MUCH!!- Who sits by a creek waiting for her last adventure, she had plenty of them though but she is still waiting for the latest. And it's about Francis Drake a young soldier, worn out of war and broken hearted, these two characters will find their way to each other's lives and will tell tales you've never heard of before.
And i can promise you that you'll love her after reading only 2 pages of her POV, i mean come on who wouldn't love an old woman whose name is freaking MARVELLOUS
Okay I'll show you a bit of how she speaks and all :
'You again!'
And he said, 'Me again!'
'So what do you want? Wellness or hellness?'
And he quietly said, 'You-ness.'
And she said, 'ain't no Eunice living here.'
And he said, 'God damn iit, woman, you've still got a mouth! Now come down those steps and let me hold you.'
Um, i would like to see you try and write a better OTP than Marvellous and Jack...I've got all the time i am patiently waiting.
'Do you love me?'
'Yes Because i have more love to give.'
He reached for his ale. 'I still have guilt,' he said.
'Time swallowed mine.'
'Lucky.'
'No. Just very very tired,' said Marvellous.
'I won't go underground again,' said Jack. 'Just the sea for me now. I'll take my chances with the waves.'
'Swim with me,' said Marvellous.
'I can't swim. I don't know a sailor who can.'
'We'll stay shallow and I'll hold you.'
'I'm a lot to hold.'
'I'm a good anchor.'
AAAAAHHHHHH The writing is so beautiful and poetic it makes me want to cry.
~~~~
I want to be Marvellous Ways when i grow up.
It's about this eighty-nine-year-old brilliant woman called Marvellous Ways -I love her name SO BLOODY MUCH!!- Who sits by a creek waiting for her last adventure, she had plenty of them though but she is still waiting for the latest. And it's about Francis Drake a young soldier, worn out of war and broken hearted, these two characters will find their way to each other's lives and will tell tales you've never heard of before.
And i can promise you that you'll love her after reading only 2 pages of her POV, i mean come on who wouldn't love an old woman whose name is freaking MARVELLOUS
Okay I'll show you a bit of how she speaks and all :
'You again!'
And he said, 'Me again!'
'So what do you want? Wellness or hellness?'
And he quietly said, 'You-ness.'
And she said, 'ain't no Eunice living here.'
And he said, 'God damn iit, woman, you've still got a mouth! Now come down those steps and let me hold you.'
Um, i would like to see you try and write a better OTP than Marvellous and Jack...I've got all the time i am patiently waiting.
'Do you love me?'
'Yes Because i have more love to give.'
He reached for his ale. 'I still have guilt,' he said.
'Time swallowed mine.'
'Lucky.'
'No. Just very very tired,' said Marvellous.
'I won't go underground again,' said Jack. 'Just the sea for me now. I'll take my chances with the waves.'
'Swim with me,' said Marvellous.
'I can't swim. I don't know a sailor who can.'
'We'll stay shallow and I'll hold you.'
'I'm a lot to hold.'
'I'm a good anchor.'
AAAAAHHHHHH The writing is so beautiful and poetic it makes me want to cry.
~~~~
I want to be Marvellous Ways when i grow up.
January 21, 2015
Got this as a proof. And I can't decide if I liked it. After getting used to the style ( no "talking" marks anywhere in the book - which totally annoyed me) I wanted to see where everything tied in. It took about 3 chapters to adjust to the style and to be honest I found it hard work. Maybe people who rave on about Style and Lyrical Text and all that jazz will love it. Maybe it is some sort of experimental form. Personally I found it distracting and irritating.
The plot had more coincidences and unexpected relations than Jane Eyre and most of them I found to be unnecessary. The story kept me reading in spite of all this so the writer is onto something. Toward then end of the book I did find myself skimming the text rather than reading thoroughly -I just wanted it finished and to find out what happened to the characters.
As a book seller whenever I read a proof I find myself asking "Who would I recommend this book to?" and if I can think of 3 regular customers who would read it I think it is worth getting into the store. This will definitely find an audience with the literary set. Those who care more for form than story. Those who like the language and complexity of vocabulary. Those , in other words, who have a certain tolerance for literary bullshit.
The plot had more coincidences and unexpected relations than Jane Eyre and most of them I found to be unnecessary. The story kept me reading in spite of all this so the writer is onto something. Toward then end of the book I did find myself skimming the text rather than reading thoroughly -I just wanted it finished and to find out what happened to the characters.
As a book seller whenever I read a proof I find myself asking "Who would I recommend this book to?" and if I can think of 3 regular customers who would read it I think it is worth getting into the store. This will definitely find an audience with the literary set. Those who care more for form than story. Those who like the language and complexity of vocabulary. Those , in other words, who have a certain tolerance for literary bullshit.
June 18, 2017
She asked only for a moment so that the cataract veil between Time-Past and Time-Now could shift.
Are you a valuing the journey person, or all about the destination? If it's the former, how important is the style of the journey for you?
The blurb for this book (and the gorgeous cover; we all know I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover) sucked me right in. But this is not a straightforward story told in a straightforward way. The book has a magic realism feel to it; though the book ties itself to particular time periods at times, these don't really seem to anchor the book. The book seems to float in a world apart, in a time apart, where it follows its own rules. The time shifts in the book can be sudden and unannounced, and it took me a little to become used to this.
This is an author new to me, and I'm not sure if it the same with her other book, but in this book the author has a very distinct style, and this contributes to the hazy sense of time and place. Whilst set in Cornwall, the book had the feel to me of literature from the American south. The character names also added to the other worldly feel with characters such as Marvellous Ways; Francis Drake; Paper Jack; Peace, and so on.
There was beautiful imagery in the book, such as
I awoke dazed, looking up through a portal to a star-drenched sky. And beyond the stars bands of milky light stretched out to the hush of infinity.
You can dip into the book randomly and pull out descriptions and beautiful passages at will.
Some quotes I picked out as I read, that I thought captured the author's style were;
She tried to shove Doubt aside but Doubt laughed because you can't shove Doubt.
and
He unbuttoned his trousers, and she, once again unbuttoned his heart.
or there was this one that made me smile
Salvation, for me, will come from the dirt she once told Marvellous.
Like a potato? said the young child.
Coming back to my question about whether you enjoy the journey, or if it just to get to the destination: this book is a journey, a non-linear one, and one that is told in a particular style. I feel safe making a call it won't be a book for everyone. If you're unsure, pick the book up and read a few pages, or download a kindle sample. It will be apparent quickly whether this is a book that you feel comfortable and at home with.
With many grateful thanks to Goodreads First Reads and Hachette Australia for this proof copy to read and review.
Are you a valuing the journey person, or all about the destination? If it's the former, how important is the style of the journey for you?
The blurb for this book (and the gorgeous cover; we all know I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover) sucked me right in. But this is not a straightforward story told in a straightforward way. The book has a magic realism feel to it; though the book ties itself to particular time periods at times, these don't really seem to anchor the book. The book seems to float in a world apart, in a time apart, where it follows its own rules. The time shifts in the book can be sudden and unannounced, and it took me a little to become used to this.
This is an author new to me, and I'm not sure if it the same with her other book, but in this book the author has a very distinct style, and this contributes to the hazy sense of time and place. Whilst set in Cornwall, the book had the feel to me of literature from the American south. The character names also added to the other worldly feel with characters such as Marvellous Ways; Francis Drake; Paper Jack; Peace, and so on.
There was beautiful imagery in the book, such as
I awoke dazed, looking up through a portal to a star-drenched sky. And beyond the stars bands of milky light stretched out to the hush of infinity.
You can dip into the book randomly and pull out descriptions and beautiful passages at will.
Some quotes I picked out as I read, that I thought captured the author's style were;
She tried to shove Doubt aside but Doubt laughed because you can't shove Doubt.
and
He unbuttoned his trousers, and she, once again unbuttoned his heart.
or there was this one that made me smile
Salvation, for me, will come from the dirt she once told Marvellous.
Like a potato? said the young child.
Coming back to my question about whether you enjoy the journey, or if it just to get to the destination: this book is a journey, a non-linear one, and one that is told in a particular style. I feel safe making a call it won't be a book for everyone. If you're unsure, pick the book up and read a few pages, or download a kindle sample. It will be apparent quickly whether this is a book that you feel comfortable and at home with.
With many grateful thanks to Goodreads First Reads and Hachette Australia for this proof copy to read and review.
January 24, 2025
Gentle and charming story of friendship between souls who have experienced missed opportunities of the heart. Unfortunately I didn’t fall under the spell of the dreamlike magical sequences and found that my concentration was drifting at times. Decent read.
July 30, 2026
“All love starts with the flicker of a flame”. ❤️
Stories like this are why I read!
🌺 Read what you love! 🌺
Stories like this are why I read!
🌺 Read what you love! 🌺
September 16, 2017
Spoilers
The writing wasn't my cup of tea, particularly Marvellous's chapters, it was hard to understand what was going on. She kept banging on about starfish and weird dreams, and flip flopped between the past and present and it was difficult to keep track of what was when. It got better later on in the book, but even then it still wasn't great, her chapters were a wishy washy mess of magical realism and bizarre ponderings. I wasn't keen on Marvellous's personality either, she was too pathetic, her whole life was about some guy who kept ditching her and who lived a full life of his own and had his own adventures and only returned to her when he was dying and had nowhere else to go and had nothing else in his life. All his bullshit about loving Marvellous when he left her on her own for decades so he could travel the world, have relationships and a kid whilst she wasted away waiting for him was depressing, but it was written as if it was meant to be romantic. I mean Marvellous lived as a loner and even though she really wanted a kid, she didn't have one because she was waiting for him to come back to her, and when he did she was too old. She was too much of a desperate loser for me to care about her, and Marvellous/Jack supposedly being soul mates was beyond daft, the guy truly fucked her over and fucked off around the world whilst she grew old on her own.
Drake's POV was a little more interesting, for starters it wasn't impossible to follow. That said, he wasn't enough to hold the story together. The thing I was most engrossed with was a minor subplot where he had to deliver a letter from a young guy who died in war to the father, that was actually quite moving. Also, the mini romance between Peace and Ned was quite sweet. Everything else ranged from meh to WTF.
The writing wasn't my cup of tea, particularly Marvellous's chapters, it was hard to understand what was going on. She kept banging on about starfish and weird dreams, and flip flopped between the past and present and it was difficult to keep track of what was when. It got better later on in the book, but even then it still wasn't great, her chapters were a wishy washy mess of magical realism and bizarre ponderings. I wasn't keen on Marvellous's personality either, she was too pathetic, her whole life was about some guy who kept ditching her and who lived a full life of his own and had his own adventures and only returned to her when he was dying and had nowhere else to go and had nothing else in his life. All his bullshit about loving Marvellous when he left her on her own for decades so he could travel the world, have relationships and a kid whilst she wasted away waiting for him was depressing, but it was written as if it was meant to be romantic. I mean Marvellous lived as a loner and even though she really wanted a kid, she didn't have one because she was waiting for him to come back to her, and when he did she was too old. She was too much of a desperate loser for me to care about her, and Marvellous/Jack supposedly being soul mates was beyond daft, the guy truly fucked her over and fucked off around the world whilst she grew old on her own.
Drake's POV was a little more interesting, for starters it wasn't impossible to follow. That said, he wasn't enough to hold the story together. The thing I was most engrossed with was a minor subplot where he had to deliver a letter from a young guy who died in war to the father, that was actually quite moving. Also, the mini romance between Peace and Ned was quite sweet. Everything else ranged from meh to WTF.
March 24, 2015
The story of the last year of Marvellous Ways, ninety years old and still bathing naked in the creek. Set (I'm guessing it's never stated) in the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall. It's not an easy one to get into, with disparate characters introduced in stages, giving the opening chapters a jerky feel. The tale does not flow at the start and I can understand how some have found this hard to stick with and given up. It requires slow reading. It needs to be savoured. Stay with it: the story settles when the central characters come together to play their roles and a lush, eloquent, lyrical tale emerges. There's Francis Drake, returned from the war to find then lose his one true love, his heart healed by Marvellous and her gift for the rhythms of nature and life. There's Peace, whose moods can be tasted in the bread she bakes, loaves filled with names, songs and memories. Ned the fisherman is 'Cornish through and through' and woos, not with flowers, but bunches of whiting and oysters with 'the coolness, the saltiness of a prince's kiss'. And Marvellous herself, of course, a curious old woman who bathes naked and lives alone in a gypsy caravan, 'part woman, part child and neither knew what to do with the other', living in a landscape 'rich with leaf mulch and salt mud', where dawn winds blister across corrugated sands. Of 'dirt grass moor and sand, a whole history of the Peninsula laid down one on top of the other, like fossils, like prayers.' The poetry of the writing is, above all, what lifts this book and makes it sing. The description is lavish, prosaic and literary, but this never stalls the storytelling. A deeply moving tale told almost entirely in flashback, peppered with gentle twists and small surprises that became (after that admittedly very slow start) absolutely compelling. One bit of the last chapter made me sigh rather (it is a bit pat) but Marvellous' final parting more than made up for it. It is one of the most moving things I have ever read. A beautiful end to a beautiful novel.
April 17, 2015
I'd read and enjoyed When Rabbit was God, so I was looking forward to seeing what Sarah Winman would write next. And it was so worth the wait.
I absolutely love this magical, marvellous book. I feel as if I've been searching for a book like this for some time. One that seeps right into your soul, like the water from Marvellous' creek running over your welly boots, and makes you feel as squelchy as the mud she sinks down into when collecting cockles.
Everyone needs to spend some time with Marvellous Ways and listen to her stories - the stories which make up the story of her long life. It's beautiful and sad and tragic and poignant. It'll make you wonder at the world around you, marvel at the world which Marvellous inhabits, and long to pare yours back to a simpler existence where you fill your days and nights surrounded by those you love, doing something you love. This is a touching, beautiful book that I know I'll treasure and re-read every time I'm in need of reminding of that.
I absolutely love this magical, marvellous book. I feel as if I've been searching for a book like this for some time. One that seeps right into your soul, like the water from Marvellous' creek running over your welly boots, and makes you feel as squelchy as the mud she sinks down into when collecting cockles.
Everyone needs to spend some time with Marvellous Ways and listen to her stories - the stories which make up the story of her long life. It's beautiful and sad and tragic and poignant. It'll make you wonder at the world around you, marvel at the world which Marvellous inhabits, and long to pare yours back to a simpler existence where you fill your days and nights surrounded by those you love, doing something you love. This is a touching, beautiful book that I know I'll treasure and re-read every time I'm in need of reminding of that.
August 1, 2026
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Oh my, A Year of Marvellous Ways is my third book by Sarah Winman, loving them all. Through much of this book, I just had to suspend belief and enjoy the evocative and lyrical prose as we are immersed in the themes of healing in a remote and quiet creek in Cornwall, United Kingdom. But it is the blend of magical realism and the stark reality of these lives that can seem jarring. But I would urge everyone to keep reading as the remarkable power of Sarah Winman as a writer shines through in this book to be savored. This is a tale of people broken by grief who find healing in time and friendship with the tides. My heart is swelling as I write this review.
Marvellous Ways is eighty-nine years old and has lived alone in a remote Cornish creek much of her life. But lately she spends her days sitting on a mooring stone by the river with a telescope. She is waiting for something, what she is not sure, but she will know when she sees it.
And Francis Drake is a young soldier left reeling by the events of the Second World War. When his promise to a dying soldier’s last wish to deliver a letter to his father, sees him wash up in the creek of Marvellous Ways, broken in body and spirit, the old woman comes to his aid. And an unlikely friendship develops as the storytelling of Marvellous shares the stories of her life that rejuvenates Drake as he learns to marvel at life again. This is truly a lovely story that beautifully unfolds throughout the tale.
July 12, 2015
maybe I just wasn't paying good enough attention but this was like the most confusing book I've ever read. quotation marks weren't used so half the time I was trying to figure out who was speaking. the other half of the time I was trying to figure out if they were in present day or if Marvellous was telling a story from the past. even when the story came together at the end I was like whaaaat? I don't not recommend it but I warn you that you'll need to pay more attention than I did or you too will be finishing this book saying WTF?
March 2, 2018
I found this book harder to get into than When God was a Rabbit’ hence the four stars and there were sections in it at the beginning I’m not sure I understood. However, once I got a bit further in I was hooked. Sarah Winman is a truly gifted writer and so creative. There were beautiful images throughout such as descriptions of the Thames as being something alive as were the seasons, flowers, the sea which I believe is called animism. There was Marvellous herself being lifted by the kite and Peace with the bread. There’s a constant theme of magic throughout this book which put me in mind of elements in the writing of Joanne Harris. For example Vianne in Chocolat and Lollipop Shoes and the bottles in Blackberry Wine. Some of the images in this book will live with me for a long time. There are so many things I could pick out but who can forget the beautiful image of Paper Jack who had a ‘stowaway poet that lived in his soul’ who ‘gave that ship [a sailing ship] his heart for safekeeping’. I loved the way that characteristics were humanised like doubt which is true as we let it in. However in this book Doubt ‘lit a big fat pipe and lay back on the bed and rubbed its stomach seductively’. I loved the ending and hopefully through it Francis/Freddy can find peace and contentment. If you like books that are a bit different, that are lyrical and exquisitely crafted you’ll love this.
February 23, 2016
Very poetically written but, in my opinion, not in a good way. The author spent half the time using complex poetic phrases that I had to re-read the paragraph again to understand what was going on. Also the author, for who knows what reason, decided not to use any quotation marks throughout so I had no idea who was talking to who! Also the writing is very unclear you don't know who's story you are reading about or whether it is in the present or past. Disappointing end. This should have been a DNF but unfortunately I persisted until the end.
July 28, 2026
"We are born with the dead, they return and bring us with them". T.S. Elliot
Do you believe in genetic memory? Do you feel that the things that happened to our ancestors long ago could actually effect our very DNA and those events/traumas live and often direct our lives in ways unknown to us?
Can one believe in things that can not be seen, in a world outside of our reality that has no explanations in it.
This is a magical book and in order to enjoy it most you can't examine it too closely and it helps if you believe in magic. I loved it. The language it spoke in, the events it described. Part fairy tale, with a sprinkle of speculative fiction and a love for the wisdom of an old woman and a writer who describes it so well.
The audio was read by the author who did a fabulous job.
Do you believe in genetic memory? Do you feel that the things that happened to our ancestors long ago could actually effect our very DNA and those events/traumas live and often direct our lives in ways unknown to us?
Can one believe in things that can not be seen, in a world outside of our reality that has no explanations in it.
This is a magical book and in order to enjoy it most you can't examine it too closely and it helps if you believe in magic. I loved it. The language it spoke in, the events it described. Part fairy tale, with a sprinkle of speculative fiction and a love for the wisdom of an old woman and a writer who describes it so well.
The audio was read by the author who did a fabulous job.
March 24, 2021
I'm afraid I found this book pretty hard going. I wanted to like it, but in the end I didn't find it nearly as profound or beautiful as it thinks it is.
The story is really about the healing of broken lives and spirits. It concerns Francis Drake, a war-damaged ex-soldier in 1947, who returns to England and, by various means, ends up living in an isolated Cornish river inlet with 89-year-old Marvellous Ways, a wise old woman with considerable Second Sight and a Story Of Her Own needing resolution. Their two life histories emerge slowly in the narrative, as do those of two other characters who appear later, as they all strive for healing and hope in the semi-magical landscape and in the wisdom and insight of Marvellous Ways.
This is a perfectly decent basis for a story and character study. I am in sympathy with its message of finding the depth in things, finding the depth in yourself and putting that depth into what you say and do. I have spent a lot of time in Cornwall and in its more secret places, and I think it truly is a healing, almost magical place. All of this should have made me like this book a lot, but I'm sorry to say that I don't think it is well enough done to make it really work.
The book is written in heightened language almost throughout, which may be an appropriate idea but doesn't quite succeed. I began to feel as though I was wading through treacle after a while, with lots of bits like this, for example: "The hamlet was eerily deserted. It was so quiet he could hear the mercury drop in that still air of yesteryear." This sounds very atmospheric and profound, but "hear the mercury drop"? I know it's not to be taken literally, but it's pushing hyper-reality a bit far for me. Or this, later on: "...then a shyness took hold, a shyness so acute that at the height of summer even her shadow refused to go out and play." It's intended to be profound and evocative, but I'm afraid I just found it strained and a bit silly.
I found this a lot, with a great deal of rather mannered Fine Writing but a content which shifts, disperses and often vanishes as you look at it. It isn't helped by Marvellous telling her stories at length in a voice isn't that of a woman born in 1858 and speaking in 1947, but the author's own, modern, Fine Writing, narrative voice, which threw me further out of the story.
I'm sorry to be grumpy about this book. There's more I could say about anachronisms and use of language, but I'll stop. I really thought there was lots of Style here but a good deal less insight than meets the eye, and that the style itself was mannered and, in the end, rather irritating. I know that we are supposed to find books like this Beautiful, Profound And Uplifting, but I didn't, and had to slog my way to the (rather predictable) end. Others may enjoy this more than I did, but personally I can't recommend it.
The story is really about the healing of broken lives and spirits. It concerns Francis Drake, a war-damaged ex-soldier in 1947, who returns to England and, by various means, ends up living in an isolated Cornish river inlet with 89-year-old Marvellous Ways, a wise old woman with considerable Second Sight and a Story Of Her Own needing resolution. Their two life histories emerge slowly in the narrative, as do those of two other characters who appear later, as they all strive for healing and hope in the semi-magical landscape and in the wisdom and insight of Marvellous Ways.
This is a perfectly decent basis for a story and character study. I am in sympathy with its message of finding the depth in things, finding the depth in yourself and putting that depth into what you say and do. I have spent a lot of time in Cornwall and in its more secret places, and I think it truly is a healing, almost magical place. All of this should have made me like this book a lot, but I'm sorry to say that I don't think it is well enough done to make it really work.
The book is written in heightened language almost throughout, which may be an appropriate idea but doesn't quite succeed. I began to feel as though I was wading through treacle after a while, with lots of bits like this, for example: "The hamlet was eerily deserted. It was so quiet he could hear the mercury drop in that still air of yesteryear." This sounds very atmospheric and profound, but "hear the mercury drop"? I know it's not to be taken literally, but it's pushing hyper-reality a bit far for me. Or this, later on: "...then a shyness took hold, a shyness so acute that at the height of summer even her shadow refused to go out and play." It's intended to be profound and evocative, but I'm afraid I just found it strained and a bit silly.
I found this a lot, with a great deal of rather mannered Fine Writing but a content which shifts, disperses and often vanishes as you look at it. It isn't helped by Marvellous telling her stories at length in a voice isn't that of a woman born in 1858 and speaking in 1947, but the author's own, modern, Fine Writing, narrative voice, which threw me further out of the story.
I'm sorry to be grumpy about this book. There's more I could say about anachronisms and use of language, but I'll stop. I really thought there was lots of Style here but a good deal less insight than meets the eye, and that the style itself was mannered and, in the end, rather irritating. I know that we are supposed to find books like this Beautiful, Profound And Uplifting, but I didn't, and had to slog my way to the (rather predictable) end. Others may enjoy this more than I did, but personally I can't recommend it.
January 4, 2022
The very best thing about A Year of Marvellous Ways is the title is great for the start of the year. If only I loved the book as much as the title.
It really sounded like a book which I would like from the description in the blurb:
Cornwall, 1947. Marvellous Ways is a ninety-year-old woman who's lived alone in a remote creek for nearly all her life. Recently she's taken to spending her days sitting on the steps of her caravan with a pair of binoculars. She's waiting for something - she's not sure what, but she'll know it when she sees it.
I love strange old women and her name is awesome. I recently read a book with the main character named Every Mann, so I thought it might be as good as Everyman, which also had magical realism elements.
Beginning the book, I was enthralled with the lyrical quality, such beautiful style.
"“We were the centre of that liquid universe, for we were the night sun and we said to ships, do not come too close, we have rocks at our feet. And the crash of waves sent white spray flying, and I am scared and exhilarated and a little bit in love too.”
I'll admit to highlighting tons of quotes. I appreciated the fairy tale like quality. Then this fairy tale wrapped in beautiful prose continued and continued and continued and I found I was bored. I thought of putting the book down, because I really knew this was not a book for me, but I forged ahead so I could say I started my year of marvelous ways.
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book, if you love magical realism, a bit of a fairy tale, beautiful writing, do please read it.
If the story is a large part of the point of reading, you might want to give it a skip.
It really sounded like a book which I would like from the description in the blurb:
Cornwall, 1947. Marvellous Ways is a ninety-year-old woman who's lived alone in a remote creek for nearly all her life. Recently she's taken to spending her days sitting on the steps of her caravan with a pair of binoculars. She's waiting for something - she's not sure what, but she'll know it when she sees it.
I love strange old women and her name is awesome. I recently read a book with the main character named Every Mann, so I thought it might be as good as Everyman, which also had magical realism elements.
Beginning the book, I was enthralled with the lyrical quality, such beautiful style.
"“We were the centre of that liquid universe, for we were the night sun and we said to ships, do not come too close, we have rocks at our feet. And the crash of waves sent white spray flying, and I am scared and exhilarated and a little bit in love too.”
I'll admit to highlighting tons of quotes. I appreciated the fairy tale like quality. Then this fairy tale wrapped in beautiful prose continued and continued and continued and I found I was bored. I thought of putting the book down, because I really knew this was not a book for me, but I forged ahead so I could say I started my year of marvelous ways.
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book, if you love magical realism, a bit of a fairy tale, beautiful writing, do please read it.
If the story is a large part of the point of reading, you might want to give it a skip.
May 7, 2023
3.5 stars. I'm having a really hard time rating this book. I listened to the audio book, and as always Sarah Winman's narration is superb, but for some reason I struggled focusing on the story. I listened to Still Life by the same author last year, and had no such issues. Although the writing is as beautiful, there is fewer characters, less dialogue and a slower, more meandering pace in A Year of Marvellous Ways. Because of this I think I should rather have read this dreamlike story about love, loss and second chances, as I would this would have allowed me a deeper connection with the characters and the beautiful imagery.
The Story: This is a story about Marvellous Ways, an eighty-nine-year-old woman who lives alone in a remote Cornish creek, spending her days sitting by the river, peering through a telescope. And it's about Francis Drake, a young soldier who washes up in her creek, shattered by war and broken-hearted.
The Story: This is a story about Marvellous Ways, an eighty-nine-year-old woman who lives alone in a remote Cornish creek, spending her days sitting by the river, peering through a telescope. And it's about Francis Drake, a young soldier who washes up in her creek, shattered by war and broken-hearted.
January 10, 2024
Full of surprises, this book. Turns out ‘Marvellous Ways’ is a woman, the daughter of a mermaid no less. The story is set immediately after the Second World War in Cornwall. It deals with displacement and reunion if I understand correctly. Beautiful lyrical writing, sometimes a bit too much of the mystical surrealism, though. Nice to read a book by an author who has proper command of language. In hindsight I can understand why the author eschewed quotation marks for direct speech, although it really doesn’t aid comprehension…
July 4, 2015
Marvellous Ways is a little old lady who lives alone in a Cornish Creek waiting….until one day she gets an unexpected visitor.
Story in a nutshell
Marvellous Ways is eighty-nine years old and the Creek she calls home is almost all she’s ever known. She spends her days sitting by the river, telescope in hand, waiting for something – she’s not sure what but she’ll know when she sees it.
One day she comes along an injured soldier, also with an unusual name – Francis Drake – and like Marvellous he is used to people commenting on his name. He’s there to fulfill the wish of dying man. Marvellous offers to help him.
But who is really helping whom?
Marvellous lives in the middle of a remote and Cornish Creek (Roseland peninsula perhaps?) but to her this is more than a creek, this is a world and unique landscape she paints as her own. The imagery reads like a painting –
I awoke dazed, looking up through a portal to a star-drenched sky. And beyond the stars bands of milky light stretched out to the hush of infinity.
Her life is revealed by a series of fantastical and poignant stories she tells to the solider and often to herself in little snippets which read like dreams. She lives in a fictional place where the sign says St Ophere and the origins of that place name are a delight to discover! With a church at its centre. Her Cornwall is embedded in her soul, her mind and her very being. This is the place for thought and reflection –
For as long as she could remember the tide had carved around the church but the church had broken away from the people or maybe the people had broken away from the church?
The stories of Marvelous – how she came to be in that creek, and how Drake came to join her there are revealed by gentle ebbs and flows of the tide.
In the ‘undulating nocturnal silence’ Marvellous smiles as she keeps company with the moon, sitting on the ‘dirt grass moor and sand, a whole history of the Peninsula laid down one on top of the other, like fossils, like prayers’ . She tells stories…oh how she tells stories of wonderment.
With characters named Marvellous Ways; Francis Drake; Paper Jack; Peace, amongst others, the scene is set for some magical realism with stars and glow bugs lighting the stage.
Drake’s story is also told as a journey to Cornwall, his experiences in war and how he spends time in London adapting to civvie life before he sets off and ends up in the creek. Wartime London is evoked poignantly too but it’s when the journey starts to that creek when Drake is about to discover a world of stories, hope and salvation.
Bookish musings
Lyrical, quirky and magical in equal measure. Oh I so wanted to meet Marvelous when reading this. Her world was one of magical realism and it was a joy to linger with her beside the creek and experience the sounds and smells all around. Listen to her telling stories and seeing her relationship with Drake develop as it does was an unusual yet uplifting journey. I did find the writing style a little confusing at times (lack of speech marks) but then I did read some of it at night
She is a very memorable character and you leave it feeling as if you’ve learned something valuable from Marvellous about how it is to think about life, have hope, dream big and live a simple, pleasurable life in a little part of Cornish paradise.
Story in a nutshell
Marvellous Ways is eighty-nine years old and the Creek she calls home is almost all she’s ever known. She spends her days sitting by the river, telescope in hand, waiting for something – she’s not sure what but she’ll know when she sees it.
One day she comes along an injured soldier, also with an unusual name – Francis Drake – and like Marvellous he is used to people commenting on his name. He’s there to fulfill the wish of dying man. Marvellous offers to help him.
But who is really helping whom?
Marvellous lives in the middle of a remote and Cornish Creek (Roseland peninsula perhaps?) but to her this is more than a creek, this is a world and unique landscape she paints as her own. The imagery reads like a painting –
I awoke dazed, looking up through a portal to a star-drenched sky. And beyond the stars bands of milky light stretched out to the hush of infinity.
Her life is revealed by a series of fantastical and poignant stories she tells to the solider and often to herself in little snippets which read like dreams. She lives in a fictional place where the sign says St Ophere and the origins of that place name are a delight to discover! With a church at its centre. Her Cornwall is embedded in her soul, her mind and her very being. This is the place for thought and reflection –
For as long as she could remember the tide had carved around the church but the church had broken away from the people or maybe the people had broken away from the church?
The stories of Marvelous – how she came to be in that creek, and how Drake came to join her there are revealed by gentle ebbs and flows of the tide.
In the ‘undulating nocturnal silence’ Marvellous smiles as she keeps company with the moon, sitting on the ‘dirt grass moor and sand, a whole history of the Peninsula laid down one on top of the other, like fossils, like prayers’ . She tells stories…oh how she tells stories of wonderment.
With characters named Marvellous Ways; Francis Drake; Paper Jack; Peace, amongst others, the scene is set for some magical realism with stars and glow bugs lighting the stage.
Drake’s story is also told as a journey to Cornwall, his experiences in war and how he spends time in London adapting to civvie life before he sets off and ends up in the creek. Wartime London is evoked poignantly too but it’s when the journey starts to that creek when Drake is about to discover a world of stories, hope and salvation.
Bookish musings
Lyrical, quirky and magical in equal measure. Oh I so wanted to meet Marvelous when reading this. Her world was one of magical realism and it was a joy to linger with her beside the creek and experience the sounds and smells all around. Listen to her telling stories and seeing her relationship with Drake develop as it does was an unusual yet uplifting journey. I did find the writing style a little confusing at times (lack of speech marks) but then I did read some of it at night
She is a very memorable character and you leave it feeling as if you’ve learned something valuable from Marvellous about how it is to think about life, have hope, dream big and live a simple, pleasurable life in a little part of Cornish paradise.
March 26, 2022
Marvellous Ways, bir koydaki karavanında tek başına yaşayan 89 yaşında bir kadın. Yaşamına çok fazla ve çok farklı hikayeler sığdırmış. Birkaç bölüm okuduğunuzda ve hikayeler ortaya saçıldığında ne demek istediğimi anlayacak ve görüp görebileceğiniz en farklı karakterlerden biriyle tanışacaksınız.
” İşaret parmağıyla avucunun içinde bir alan çizerek, Kalbinin büyüklüğü bu kadar, dedi Missy. Yeteri kadar sev, Freddy.
Yeteri kadar nedir?
Dayanabileceğin kadar. Canını yakmaya başlarsa fazla seviyorsun demektir. Sadece dayanabileceğin kadar. Bir avuçtan fazla olan her şey başını derde sokar. Anladın mı?”
Drake ise savaştan sağ kurtulmuş olsa da o süreçte kendinden çok şey kaybetmiş. Mutluluğu, umudu, yaşam enerjisi ve hevesi kalmamış bir genç adam. Bir gün ölmek üzere olan bir askerle karşılaşıyor, onu hiç tanımasa da son isteğine karşı koyamıyor ve yazdığı mektubu babasına ulaştıracağına söz veriyor. Drake için mektubu ulaştırma yolculuğu da böylece başlıyor. Bu süreçte onu daha da yıpratan şeyler yaşıyor fakat her şeyin sonunda, çıktığı yolculuk onu Marvellous’a götürüyor. Ve daha sonra hikayeye bir de Peace dahil oluyor. Sonrasındaysa hem birlikte geçen zamanlarını hem de geçmişlerini okuyoruz ve Marvellous ile Drake arasındaki bağı adım adım çözmeye çalışıyoruz.
“Söylesene annen öldüğünde baban ne yaptı?
Ne mi yaptı? Nefes almayı bıraktı, dedi Marvellous.
Öldü mü yani?
Hayır, nefes almayı bıraktı.
Öldü mü?
Bunu kasten mi yapıyorsun?
Neyi?
Nefes almayı bıraktı dedim. İkisi farklı şey. Tıpkı bir istiridye gibi bir bıçakla kalbi yarılmış ve içindeki güzellik çalınmıştı. Kalbinin asla yeniden çarpmaya başlamadığını, sadece çalıştığını söylerdi ve aradaki farkı kendim de iyice yaşlanıp ölümden dönmenin yaşama geri dönmekle aynı şey olmadığını öğrenene dek anlamadım. Ne demek istediğimi anlıyor musun?”
Yazarın kitaplarından Teneke Adam’ı okumuştum o yüzden beni nasıl bir anlatımın beklediğini biliyordum. Tırnak işareti kullanmayışı, hikayenin geçmiş ve şimdiki zaman arasında sürekli sıçrayışı ve bir de hikayeye kattığı gerçeküstü öğeler derken önlenemez bir kafa karışıklığıyla karşı karşıya kalabiliyorsunuz. Marvellous’un yetenekleri, denizkızları, şarkı söyleyen dalgalar, dedikodunun duyulan sesi, Marvellous’un karşısına çıkan, onunla konuşan şüphe gibi gerçeküstü özellikler yüklenen duygular... hem çok farklı hem de çok güzel kılmış kitabı. Zorlayıcı yanları olsa da karakterlere, anlatıma ve hikayeye adapte olduktan sonra da su gibi akıp gidiyor kitap ama bence yavaş yavaş okumak daha keyifli bir hale getiriyor. Ben böyle farklı karakterler okumayı, onların duygularını hissetmeyi çok sevdiğim için kitabı severek okudum. Drake için farklı bir şey beklemiştim sonunda ama tabii ki sürprizlerle dolu bu kitapta tahminlerin tutması pek olası değildi.🙃
Duygu yüklü, etkileyici ve sürprizlerle dolu bir kitap arayışındaysanız kesinlikle tavsiye ediyorum.💙
” İşaret parmağıyla avucunun içinde bir alan çizerek, Kalbinin büyüklüğü bu kadar, dedi Missy. Yeteri kadar sev, Freddy.
Yeteri kadar nedir?
Dayanabileceğin kadar. Canını yakmaya başlarsa fazla seviyorsun demektir. Sadece dayanabileceğin kadar. Bir avuçtan fazla olan her şey başını derde sokar. Anladın mı?”
Drake ise savaştan sağ kurtulmuş olsa da o süreçte kendinden çok şey kaybetmiş. Mutluluğu, umudu, yaşam enerjisi ve hevesi kalmamış bir genç adam. Bir gün ölmek üzere olan bir askerle karşılaşıyor, onu hiç tanımasa da son isteğine karşı koyamıyor ve yazdığı mektubu babasına ulaştıracağına söz veriyor. Drake için mektubu ulaştırma yolculuğu da böylece başlıyor. Bu süreçte onu daha da yıpratan şeyler yaşıyor fakat her şeyin sonunda, çıktığı yolculuk onu Marvellous’a götürüyor. Ve daha sonra hikayeye bir de Peace dahil oluyor. Sonrasındaysa hem birlikte geçen zamanlarını hem de geçmişlerini okuyoruz ve Marvellous ile Drake arasındaki bağı adım adım çözmeye çalışıyoruz.
“Söylesene annen öldüğünde baban ne yaptı?
Ne mi yaptı? Nefes almayı bıraktı, dedi Marvellous.
Öldü mü yani?
Hayır, nefes almayı bıraktı.
Öldü mü?
Bunu kasten mi yapıyorsun?
Neyi?
Nefes almayı bıraktı dedim. İkisi farklı şey. Tıpkı bir istiridye gibi bir bıçakla kalbi yarılmış ve içindeki güzellik çalınmıştı. Kalbinin asla yeniden çarpmaya başlamadığını, sadece çalıştığını söylerdi ve aradaki farkı kendim de iyice yaşlanıp ölümden dönmenin yaşama geri dönmekle aynı şey olmadığını öğrenene dek anlamadım. Ne demek istediğimi anlıyor musun?”
Yazarın kitaplarından Teneke Adam’ı okumuştum o yüzden beni nasıl bir anlatımın beklediğini biliyordum. Tırnak işareti kullanmayışı, hikayenin geçmiş ve şimdiki zaman arasında sürekli sıçrayışı ve bir de hikayeye kattığı gerçeküstü öğeler derken önlenemez bir kafa karışıklığıyla karşı karşıya kalabiliyorsunuz. Marvellous’un yetenekleri, denizkızları, şarkı söyleyen dalgalar, dedikodunun duyulan sesi, Marvellous’un karşısına çıkan, onunla konuşan şüphe gibi gerçeküstü özellikler yüklenen duygular... hem çok farklı hem de çok güzel kılmış kitabı. Zorlayıcı yanları olsa da karakterlere, anlatıma ve hikayeye adapte olduktan sonra da su gibi akıp gidiyor kitap ama bence yavaş yavaş okumak daha keyifli bir hale getiriyor. Ben böyle farklı karakterler okumayı, onların duygularını hissetmeyi çok sevdiğim için kitabı severek okudum. Drake için farklı bir şey beklemiştim sonunda ama tabii ki sürprizlerle dolu bu kitapta tahminlerin tutması pek olası değildi.🙃
Duygu yüklü, etkileyici ve sürprizlerle dolu bir kitap arayışındaysanız kesinlikle tavsiye ediyorum.💙
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,594 reviews