The Stonecutter's Daughter

by Janet Woods

Dorset, 1838. When a ship is wrecked in a storm off the Portland coast, a taciturn stonecutter by the name of Joseph Rushmore sends his rescue dog to haul in plunder. What it brings instead is a baby in a cradle. As Joseph's wife has just given birth to a stillborn child, the couple decide to keep the infant girl. The Rushmores never tell their adopted daughter the truth about her origins, but on the death of Joseph and his wife, when the girl, Joanna, is 16, she finds herself at the mercy of her abusive and violent Rushmore cousins. She is rescued by a middle-aged sea captain, Tobias Darsham, who is making a pilgrimage to visit his wife's grave. When Tobias suggests that he and Joanna should get married, the desperate girl feels she has no choice but to agree. However, soon after the wedding, Tobias gets a nasty shock when he discovers Joanna's childhood cradle - because he carved it himself for his daughter. Horrified at the thought that he might have married his own daughter, Tobias fakes his own death and sets sail for Australia, leaving Joanna in the care of his second-in-command, Alexander Morcant. Finding themselves mutually dependent, Alexander and Joanna's initial animosity gradually dissolves into a passionate attraction. But will she ever discover the truth about her origins?

Genres: Historical Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of life in Victorian Dorset which tells how a baby is brought up by substitute parents after being found in the sea off Portland,Dorset one stormy night.
Themes of shipping and sailing are evident throughout the book and the vocabulary would be familiar to those with an interest in sailing.
Interesting background to the Portland way of courting: the male ensuring his female is 'with cheil' before they marry to ensure the couple are compatible ,fertility-wise.

[Joti Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a relaxing and good read. Proper period drama type.

[Mrs Carol M Meres · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stonecutters Daughter

Kept me reading from start to finish, predictable but most enjoyable. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good story

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought up on the island of Portland off England's rugged south coast, Joanna Rushmore thinks the stonecutter is her father - in fact he saved a baby in a cradle from a wrecked ship and gave her to his childless wife to raise as their own.

This state of affairs later gives rise to moral dilemmas when a ship-owner visiting wreck graves on the island takes a fancy to Joanna and offers her the security of a marriage.

The contrasts are good in this tale, set at a time in 1838 when London suffers from cholera and the Thames has a stench, when steam is a fast way of carrying goods around coastlines but not for a long voyage to Australia or the Indes as ships needed to refuel often. Sail is still king. We learn a good deal about the shipping trade at this time and about life on Portland, Dorset, which does not come across as complimentary. The families here had bred large Portland Sea Dogs to help them grab flotsam and pull it ashore, and carry the stuff home. While they did not lure ships to rocks, they felt entitled to profit from plundering wrecks and drowned bodies.

I was not sure that at this time a prosperous merchant and ship owner would remain single for long, as he had no heir, but the characters are all well drawn and we meet a man afflicted with epilepsy, which had no remedy. This is a decent, absorbing read.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting -- plot turns

epilepsy -- treatment of disabled for time period

difference of classes

absolute powerless of women unless they had wealth and status or support of very wealthy

relationship of Australia and Victorian Enland

[Debbie Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, a predictable storyline, was right there with each of the characters. My first time reading from this Author. I would read more of her novels. I am not sure if there is a sequel to this story but could see the potential for one.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author enjoyed it very much, thought it was going to be quite predictable but had a little twist to what I expected to happen, will definately be reading more by her.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical romance