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The Farm at the Edge of the World
1939, and Will and Alice are evacuated to a granite farm in north Cornwall, perched on a windswept cliff. There they meet the farmer's daughter, Maggie, and against shimmering barley fields and a sky that stretches forever, enjoy a childhood largely protected from the ravages of war.
But in the sweltering summer of 1943 something happens that will have tragic consequences. A small lie escalates out of all proportion. Over 70 years on Alice is determined to make amends - but has she left it too late?
2014, and Maggie's granddaughter Lucy flees to the childhood home she couldn't wait to leave thirteen years earlier, marriage over; career apparently ended thanks to one terrible mistake. Can she rebuild herself and the family farm? And can she help her grandmother, plagued by a secret, to find some lasting peace?
This is a novel about identity and belonging; guilt and atonement; the unrealistic expectations placed on children and the pain of coming of age. It's about small lies and dark secrets; and how the need to love and be loved endures. But above all it's about a beautiful, desolate, complex place.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2016
About the author
Sarah Vaughan
17 books1,451 followersSarah Vaughan read English at Oxford and went on to be a journalist. After training with the Press Association, she worked for The Guardian for 11 years as a news reporter, health correspondent and political correspondent before leaving to freelance and write fiction. Her 3rd novel, Anatomy of a Scandal, was an instant international bestseller, a Sunday Times top five bestseller, a kindle number 1 bestseller, a Richard & Judy pick, and was longlisted for the Theakson's Old Peculier Crime Novel and shortlisted for awards in France, Sweden and the UK. It has been translated into 22 languages and is being adapted for TV. Her 4th novel, Little Disasters, will be published in France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the UK on April 2 and the US on August 18. She lives in Cambridge with her husband and two young children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
October 11, 2016
Three and a half stars
The book starts with a prologue about the farm before taking the reader to 2014 and an elderly woman who has just been given news that she has not long to live. Before she dies she wants to try and set some things right that happened seventy years earlier. The novel then shifts back to 1944 and the farm in Cornwall. Maybe it’s me at the moment but I initially found this book a bit frustrating as it jumped around in time and jumped between characters. It took me a little while to settle into. It was certainly helpful to have the time clearly stated at the begging of each change of scene. That made it easier to follow the time shifts. Even then sometimes I got irritated at being dragged out of one time frame and story into the other.
The Cornwall setting is described beautifully. You can absolutely picture it. The characters are also well portrayed. Will and Alice are evacuated to the farm in 1939. They enjoy spending time with Maggie, the daughter of the farm’s owners. But in 1943 an event happens that changes all their lives. The other main character is Lucy who has come back to her childhood home and her mother and grandmother after a failed marriage and trouble in her career. The farm is as much a character as any of the people.
I found this an interesting read, although there is one major plot point which I queried could have been kept secret the way it was for so long. But if you accept that then the rest hangs together. Those who like book about secrets, family stories, especially those with a Cornish setting will enjoy this novel. I liked the way some of the issues with the farm and with relationships were resolved at the end.
The book starts with a prologue about the farm before taking the reader to 2014 and an elderly woman who has just been given news that she has not long to live. Before she dies she wants to try and set some things right that happened seventy years earlier. The novel then shifts back to 1944 and the farm in Cornwall. Maybe it’s me at the moment but I initially found this book a bit frustrating as it jumped around in time and jumped between characters. It took me a little while to settle into. It was certainly helpful to have the time clearly stated at the begging of each change of scene. That made it easier to follow the time shifts. Even then sometimes I got irritated at being dragged out of one time frame and story into the other.
The Cornwall setting is described beautifully. You can absolutely picture it. The characters are also well portrayed. Will and Alice are evacuated to the farm in 1939. They enjoy spending time with Maggie, the daughter of the farm’s owners. But in 1943 an event happens that changes all their lives. The other main character is Lucy who has come back to her childhood home and her mother and grandmother after a failed marriage and trouble in her career. The farm is as much a character as any of the people.
I found this an interesting read, although there is one major plot point which I queried could have been kept secret the way it was for so long. But if you accept that then the rest hangs together. Those who like book about secrets, family stories, especially those with a Cornish setting will enjoy this novel. I liked the way some of the issues with the farm and with relationships were resolved at the end.
August 16, 2017
Une entrée en matière assez poussive, tous les éléments de l'histoire prennent du temps à se mettre en place. Après l'avoir mis en pause au bout d'un tiers du livre, je lui ai donné une seconde chance et j'ai été agréablement récompensée. C'est une belle intrigue qui nous tient finalement en haleine, pour découvrir de quelle façon les événements du passé trouveront une résolution à l'époque actuelle. Un roman émouvant.
Ma chronique : http://unjour-unlivre.fr/2017/08/la-f...
Ma chronique : http://unjour-unlivre.fr/2017/08/la-f...
June 13, 2018
J'ai savouré chaque minute de la lecture, aussi bien pour la promesse d'évasion qu'elle offre, mais aussi pour son histoire empreinte d'émotion et de sensibilité. J'ai eu la sensation de voyager, j'ai pris un plaisir fou à plonger dans le cadre sauvage et fascinant des Cornouailles, j'ai aimé partager le quotidien de la ferme, où j'ai pris le temps de panser les plaies et les peines de cœur. J'ai vécu au rythme des passions et des drames. En gros, le rendez-vous parfait & sans attente particulière. J'ai beaucoup aimé.
http://blogclarabel.canalblog.com/arc...
http://blogclarabel.canalblog.com/arc...
June 30, 2016
Skylark Farm is the farm set at “the edge of the world” on the Cornish Coast and has been farmed by the same family for six generations in this story set in two time frames; Now (2014) and Then (1943/1944). Alice and Will are evacuees on the farm during WWII where Maggie is the daughter of the family. Something happened during that summer which has had lifelong ramifications for the characters in a read stuffed with love, romance, lies, secrets, guilt and atonement. In 2014, Lucy (Maggie’s granddaughter) is returning to the farm after living in London. After the break up of her marriage and problems in her career, she is looking for a place to heal. But after 70 years, someone else is also returning to the farm to hopefully heal a rift and right a wrong.
The sections of the story set during WWII have a really nice easy flow to them and at first it seems as if you are reading a family saga like any other, until you realise that this story has quite a lot of meat to it. I was struck by the contrast in the feel of the story – life on the farm in the 1940s seems almost idyllic with wall to wall sunshine, despite the long back breaking hours needed to keep the farm going. However, things are different now. It is a daily struggle to keep the farm going and things look very bleak for Lucy and her family. Although Lucy’s father has died some years before the story starts, his presence is still very much felt and his story really brings home the pressures faced by today’s farming community.
It is a really nice read, one that I easily immersed myself in with characters I could easily connect with. The only thing I was not sure about was the fact that the parts of the story told in the present are in the present tense and the more historical ones are told in the past tense and I did find that switching back and forth to be a bit annoying at times. Similarly, the 1940s part of the story is not always told in chronological order and did flit about a bit at times. On the whole though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
The sections of the story set during WWII have a really nice easy flow to them and at first it seems as if you are reading a family saga like any other, until you realise that this story has quite a lot of meat to it. I was struck by the contrast in the feel of the story – life on the farm in the 1940s seems almost idyllic with wall to wall sunshine, despite the long back breaking hours needed to keep the farm going. However, things are different now. It is a daily struggle to keep the farm going and things look very bleak for Lucy and her family. Although Lucy’s father has died some years before the story starts, his presence is still very much felt and his story really brings home the pressures faced by today’s farming community.
It is a really nice read, one that I easily immersed myself in with characters I could easily connect with. The only thing I was not sure about was the fact that the parts of the story told in the present are in the present tense and the more historical ones are told in the past tense and I did find that switching back and forth to be a bit annoying at times. Similarly, the 1940s part of the story is not always told in chronological order and did flit about a bit at times. On the whole though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
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December 16, 2024I loved the first two books I read by this author, and was really looking forward to this one.
I read the first half in one sitting, but was not desperate to get back to it, which told me that I was not really intrigued, and should probably not go any further...
Such a shame.
I read the first half in one sitting, but was not desperate to get back to it, which told me that I was not really intrigued, and should probably not go any further...
Such a shame.
September 22, 2017
A sense of place was central to this multigenerational novel of a farming family on the beautiful Cornish coast. It was literally brimming with vivid descriptions of Cornwall and surroundings! You could almost smell the sea air! However, the dark sides of this challenging life were difficult for me. I literally had to skip over pages which set forth in detail the grim fates of the farm animals. Harsh was the existence also, of the farming families themselves, as they were very much subject to the whims of nature.
‘And then she thinks of the loneliness, the harshness of farming on the moor: the way in which a rogue cloud can drench you to the bone and leave you quaking with cold, when the sun goes in: the bogs that suck you down to your knees, or even thighs; the carcasses of elderly or ill sheep, lying, scavenged. The isolation of a farmhouse, circled by rocks, whipped by the wind.’
Fortunately, the glorious physical backdrop did provide a welcome contrast. Sarah Vaughan says in a note at the end that her inspiration to write the book ‘emerged from her love of a specific area’. That is not surprising, as one considers her obvious passion for the setting. This is a major strength of the novel.
‘She turns to look back at the moor. The weather really does change everything. It glows today, almost luminous: as different to the bleak landscape of her memory as the becalmed estuary is to the Atlantic churned by a storm. The brilliant sunshine makes the hill benign; softens their colours. And the whole is framed by the tendrils of a hedgerow, burgeoning in late summer with unripe blackberries, rosehips, and the dulled black marbles of sloes’.
The plot, presented effectively in dual timelines, was quite engaging but at times approached melodrama. It’s fair to say that the well written book did contain a few syntax errors, but overall is deserving of a robust three stars, or maybe four....
‘And then she thinks of the loneliness, the harshness of farming on the moor: the way in which a rogue cloud can drench you to the bone and leave you quaking with cold, when the sun goes in: the bogs that suck you down to your knees, or even thighs; the carcasses of elderly or ill sheep, lying, scavenged. The isolation of a farmhouse, circled by rocks, whipped by the wind.’
Fortunately, the glorious physical backdrop did provide a welcome contrast. Sarah Vaughan says in a note at the end that her inspiration to write the book ‘emerged from her love of a specific area’. That is not surprising, as one considers her obvious passion for the setting. This is a major strength of the novel.
‘She turns to look back at the moor. The weather really does change everything. It glows today, almost luminous: as different to the bleak landscape of her memory as the becalmed estuary is to the Atlantic churned by a storm. The brilliant sunshine makes the hill benign; softens their colours. And the whole is framed by the tendrils of a hedgerow, burgeoning in late summer with unripe blackberries, rosehips, and the dulled black marbles of sloes’.
The plot, presented effectively in dual timelines, was quite engaging but at times approached melodrama. It’s fair to say that the well written book did contain a few syntax errors, but overall is deserving of a robust three stars, or maybe four....
June 30, 2016
When I reviewed Sarah Vaughan's debut, The Art of Baking Blind last year, I said that I looked forward to reading more from this author. Well, here is is, almost a year later, and it has certainly been worth the long wait. The Farm at the Edge of the World is absolutely beautifully written, it's a story that holds the reader enthralled, from first page to last.
I have a real fondness for a dual-time story, and this one is done particularly well, spanning the seventy years from World War II, to the present day. Sarah Vaughan weaves the stories from both eras together incredibly well, growing her vibrant characters so very well. They creep into the reader's life and stay there, long after the last page is turned.
The glorious setting of Skylight Farm, set on the edge of the hill, with nothing between it and the fierce Atlantic ocean is poetically and artfully described, giving a sense of place and a feel for the Cornish countryside that makes the farm, and Cornwall characters in themselves. Sarah Vaughan doesn't just recreate the summery, sunshine-filled Cornwall of happy holiday memories though, she also shows her readers the darkness and desolation of the wide open spaces and the raging sea, and she does it so very well.
Alice and Will are young evacuees, sent from London to Skylark Farm to escape the bombs of London. Both of them embrace their new life in the countryside. Will soon realises that life on the farm is his destiny and is determined to stay. Alice, younger and quieter is thrilled with the open spaces and the wild rabbits in the fields. Both of them are taken under the wing of Maggie, the daughter of the house, who teaches them how to be a child in the country.
Life on Skylark Farm is uninterrupted by the horrors of war, although local families have lost their sons and brothers in the conflict. Life and farming carries on, it's hard work and often bloody and cruel, but Will and Alice are happy. Relationships change as the years pass by, and in the long, hot summer of 1943, life for all of them will change forever.
Fast forward to 2014, and Maggie is still at Skylark Farm. Farming is a tough business to be in nowadays, and she and her daughter Judith are determined to protect their legacy from rich developers who would like nothing more than to turn their home into a holiday complex. Maggie's granddaughter Lucy joins their fight when she flees London, and her failing marriage and career, and arrives back at the farm that she calls home.
Maggie has lived with the consequences of the events of 1943 for all of her life, she's sometimes very bitter, she finds it very hard to express love towards her family, Alice too has regretted her actions for many years and it's her decision to try and atone for what she has done that reveals the dark secrets that have been hidden for so many years.
Sarah Vaughan is a very clever author. She's created a story based on love, guilt, regret and pain that is, at times quite heart breaking. She's captured the feelings and emotions of her characters, both as young people just starting out in the world, and also when they are in the last years of their lives.
Convincing, compelling, strong and charismatic characters, The Farm at the Edge of the World is absolutely captivating, I loved it
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
I have a real fondness for a dual-time story, and this one is done particularly well, spanning the seventy years from World War II, to the present day. Sarah Vaughan weaves the stories from both eras together incredibly well, growing her vibrant characters so very well. They creep into the reader's life and stay there, long after the last page is turned.
The glorious setting of Skylight Farm, set on the edge of the hill, with nothing between it and the fierce Atlantic ocean is poetically and artfully described, giving a sense of place and a feel for the Cornish countryside that makes the farm, and Cornwall characters in themselves. Sarah Vaughan doesn't just recreate the summery, sunshine-filled Cornwall of happy holiday memories though, she also shows her readers the darkness and desolation of the wide open spaces and the raging sea, and she does it so very well.
Alice and Will are young evacuees, sent from London to Skylark Farm to escape the bombs of London. Both of them embrace their new life in the countryside. Will soon realises that life on the farm is his destiny and is determined to stay. Alice, younger and quieter is thrilled with the open spaces and the wild rabbits in the fields. Both of them are taken under the wing of Maggie, the daughter of the house, who teaches them how to be a child in the country.
Life on Skylark Farm is uninterrupted by the horrors of war, although local families have lost their sons and brothers in the conflict. Life and farming carries on, it's hard work and often bloody and cruel, but Will and Alice are happy. Relationships change as the years pass by, and in the long, hot summer of 1943, life for all of them will change forever.
Fast forward to 2014, and Maggie is still at Skylark Farm. Farming is a tough business to be in nowadays, and she and her daughter Judith are determined to protect their legacy from rich developers who would like nothing more than to turn their home into a holiday complex. Maggie's granddaughter Lucy joins their fight when she flees London, and her failing marriage and career, and arrives back at the farm that she calls home.
Maggie has lived with the consequences of the events of 1943 for all of her life, she's sometimes very bitter, she finds it very hard to express love towards her family, Alice too has regretted her actions for many years and it's her decision to try and atone for what she has done that reveals the dark secrets that have been hidden for so many years.
Sarah Vaughan is a very clever author. She's created a story based on love, guilt, regret and pain that is, at times quite heart breaking. She's captured the feelings and emotions of her characters, both as young people just starting out in the world, and also when they are in the last years of their lives.
Convincing, compelling, strong and charismatic characters, The Farm at the Edge of the World is absolutely captivating, I loved it
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February 10, 2026
"The Farm at the Edge of the World" is the second Sarah Vaughan novel I've had the pleasure of reading. It is a generational story spanning a little more than 70 years - from the earliest days of the Second World War to the summer of 2015 - that faithfully evokes the essence and spirit of an era fast receding into history, as well as a tangible look and feel of contemporary Cornwall.
The novel begins with the evacuation of a brother and sister - Will, 13 and his younger sister, Alice, 9 - from London to Cornwall in Southwest England shortly after Britain had declared war on Germany in September 1939. Many families with young children in London, fearful of being bombed by the Luftwaffe, entered into a government plan which relocated children from the urban areas of the country judged likely to be subjected to bombing to the countryside. Children were considered to be in places of greater safety in the countryside. So it was that Will and Alice Cooke were put in the care of the Retallick family, who owned and lived on a granite farm (Skylark) near the Cornish cliffs.
As I said, this novel is a story that spans the generations. And thus, the reader is provided in alternating chapters, views of the life Will and Alice had with the Retallicks at Skylark through most of the war to Skylark some 7 decades later. In the latter period (i.e. the summer of 2014), Maggie - who had befriended Will and struck up what began as a close friendship with him -- is nearing her 90th birthday. Her granddaughter Lucy, a nurse by training, has left London, where she lived with her husband Matt, to return to Cornwall to help her family from losing Skylark. She had lived many years in London, but in light of her father's death, feels the need to reconnect with her family. The author skillfully brings to life the struggles and divisions within the family in light of Skylark's troubles. This is wonderfully contrasted with life there during the war, which brought Will and Maggie Retallick closer together as both neared adulthood-- before Fate cruelly separated them.
The more I read this novel, the more the story grew within my imagination. There is something about Cornwall that is both evocative and mesmerized, situated as it is hard by the Atlantic Ocean. (Ever since I read the Poldark novels over 10 years ago, I have become utterly enchanted with Cornwall. I hope someday to visit there.) Vaughan has a knack for creating characters with whom the reader can relate to because they become real people. I love the way she writes.
THE FARM AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD is a novel the reader will find him/herself reflecting upon long after he/she has read it, for it is very well told and has elements of love, loss, nostalgia, hope, and rediscovery.
The novel begins with the evacuation of a brother and sister - Will, 13 and his younger sister, Alice, 9 - from London to Cornwall in Southwest England shortly after Britain had declared war on Germany in September 1939. Many families with young children in London, fearful of being bombed by the Luftwaffe, entered into a government plan which relocated children from the urban areas of the country judged likely to be subjected to bombing to the countryside. Children were considered to be in places of greater safety in the countryside. So it was that Will and Alice Cooke were put in the care of the Retallick family, who owned and lived on a granite farm (Skylark) near the Cornish cliffs.
As I said, this novel is a story that spans the generations. And thus, the reader is provided in alternating chapters, views of the life Will and Alice had with the Retallicks at Skylark through most of the war to Skylark some 7 decades later. In the latter period (i.e. the summer of 2014), Maggie - who had befriended Will and struck up what began as a close friendship with him -- is nearing her 90th birthday. Her granddaughter Lucy, a nurse by training, has left London, where she lived with her husband Matt, to return to Cornwall to help her family from losing Skylark. She had lived many years in London, but in light of her father's death, feels the need to reconnect with her family. The author skillfully brings to life the struggles and divisions within the family in light of Skylark's troubles. This is wonderfully contrasted with life there during the war, which brought Will and Maggie Retallick closer together as both neared adulthood-- before Fate cruelly separated them.
The more I read this novel, the more the story grew within my imagination. There is something about Cornwall that is both evocative and mesmerized, situated as it is hard by the Atlantic Ocean. (Ever since I read the Poldark novels over 10 years ago, I have become utterly enchanted with Cornwall. I hope someday to visit there.) Vaughan has a knack for creating characters with whom the reader can relate to because they become real people. I love the way she writes.
THE FARM AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD is a novel the reader will find him/herself reflecting upon long after he/she has read it, for it is very well told and has elements of love, loss, nostalgia, hope, and rediscovery.
June 30, 2016
This book had everything for me- set on the rugged North Cornish coastline on a granite farm and featuring the war years and present day. The Cornish setting seeps through the pages and made me want to return! The very essence of Cornwall is so well depicted and that is always a winner for me, The characters were brilliantly drawn and easy to engage with. I loved the way that the three generations stories were weaved together and flowed easily. Full of love, heartbreak and loss through troubled times from the evacuee days during the war at Skylark Farm ‘on the edge of the world’ to present time.
My own father lived on a hill farm in Wales as a youngster in a very primitive location and his stories throughout my childhood helped me picture the war years at Skylark Farm. I think it's a book my dad would love to read. If I can find an audio copy I really must buy it for him- he's unable to read print copy now.
I was so sorry to reach the end of this one and can imagine myself picking this one up again when I am in North Cornwall later this year.
I loved Sarah Vaughans’ writing style- and loved her previous book ‘The Art of Baking Blind’ so much that I was very eager to read this one. I will definitely look out for her next book.
With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this one.
My own father lived on a hill farm in Wales as a youngster in a very primitive location and his stories throughout my childhood helped me picture the war years at Skylark Farm. I think it's a book my dad would love to read. If I can find an audio copy I really must buy it for him- he's unable to read print copy now.
I was so sorry to reach the end of this one and can imagine myself picking this one up again when I am in North Cornwall later this year.
I loved Sarah Vaughans’ writing style- and loved her previous book ‘The Art of Baking Blind’ so much that I was very eager to read this one. I will definitely look out for her next book.
With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this one.
July 5, 2016
The Farm at the End of the World set the page alight for me from the very start of the novel with its prologue, which is, without doubt, one of the most visually expressive prologues I've read in a long time. It's so beautifully descriptive that I had to read it twice over, and by the end of page two, I had the most perfect picture of Skylark Farm in my mind, and I just knew that this book would make my heart sing, and it did.
It’s a dual time narrative set in the shimmering summer of 1943, and in the difficult financial days of 2014. Skylark Farm, or to give it is proper name Polblazey, has seen much in its three hundred year history, and there is no doubt that the family who have lived and worked on the farm have faced challenging times, not just from what has happened in the past, but also from what is now happening in the present. Firmly steeped in memories, but keeping its secrets close, Skylark farm is now facing financial difficulties, and to move forward the farm must grasp new opportunities and yet, long buried secrets from the past threaten to overwhelm the future.
The Farm at the Edge of the World is primarily a love story, not just between two people who really deserved to be happy, but it’s also a love story to Cornwall, to its rolling seas, to its high and willful tides, to its glistening wheat fields and to its rugged landscape. And ultimately, it’s also a love story from an author to her readers. An author whose talent shines through with every word she so carefully places and who is able to conjure a world so alive with possibility that you smell the sea spray, hear the rustle of hay bales and watch, in fascination, as lazy dust motes swirl in the haze of a love so strong, it hurts.
It’s a dual time narrative set in the shimmering summer of 1943, and in the difficult financial days of 2014. Skylark Farm, or to give it is proper name Polblazey, has seen much in its three hundred year history, and there is no doubt that the family who have lived and worked on the farm have faced challenging times, not just from what has happened in the past, but also from what is now happening in the present. Firmly steeped in memories, but keeping its secrets close, Skylark farm is now facing financial difficulties, and to move forward the farm must grasp new opportunities and yet, long buried secrets from the past threaten to overwhelm the future.
The Farm at the Edge of the World is primarily a love story, not just between two people who really deserved to be happy, but it’s also a love story to Cornwall, to its rolling seas, to its high and willful tides, to its glistening wheat fields and to its rugged landscape. And ultimately, it’s also a love story from an author to her readers. An author whose talent shines through with every word she so carefully places and who is able to conjure a world so alive with possibility that you smell the sea spray, hear the rustle of hay bales and watch, in fascination, as lazy dust motes swirl in the haze of a love so strong, it hurts.
July 9, 2017
This was one of those books that I should have devoured and sped through in no time, but I ended up finding it a little disjointed and that spoilt my enjoyment of an interesting family drama.
The characters are all very solid, and I did find the chopping and changing of timelines a little confusing at the beginning as well as being a little confused with all the characters, but I found that had settled down past the halfway stage which made for much more entertaining and absorbing reading.
It is the story of a family and their trials and tribulations of running a farm, set now and during the war when they faced a whole different set of problems and also the battles facing evacuees who were expected to just settle into a whole different life without their families.
it discussed some fascinating family dramas and how some of those decisions were still such a big part of their lives many years later. The secrets of then begin to unravel and this was very nicely dealt with by the author and kept me reading until the end!
The characters are all very solid, and I did find the chopping and changing of timelines a little confusing at the beginning as well as being a little confused with all the characters, but I found that had settled down past the halfway stage which made for much more entertaining and absorbing reading.
It is the story of a family and their trials and tribulations of running a farm, set now and during the war when they faced a whole different set of problems and also the battles facing evacuees who were expected to just settle into a whole different life without their families.
it discussed some fascinating family dramas and how some of those decisions were still such a big part of their lives many years later. The secrets of then begin to unravel and this was very nicely dealt with by the author and kept me reading until the end!
March 20, 2019
Des choses intéressantes mais trop lent et trop long et des personnages que je n'ai pas forcément appréciés. Et puis, c'est un peu trop "romance" pour moi !
April 17, 2019
This is a lovely, heartwarming dual timeframe story set in Cornwall during WWII and the present day. It’s a family saga, a tale of secrets and regrets. It fits all the bills for me with the two timelines, a skeleton in the cupboard and a fabulous setting.
I love that it’s set in Cornwall. The descriptions are wonderfully written and easy to visualise. The story itself flows well and the two timeframes are woven together beautifully. The characters are well drawn and likeable. It’s a moving love story, but it also touches on the harsh realities of living on a farm, especially during a war. It doesn’t always hold back from the grimmer aspects of life but it does point out that there can be light at the end of the tunnel if one is only patient. There is a little surprise at the end which I wasn’t expecting!
A captivating, engaging and uplifting story which I thoroughly enjoyed and can recommend wholeheartedly.
I love that it’s set in Cornwall. The descriptions are wonderfully written and easy to visualise. The story itself flows well and the two timeframes are woven together beautifully. The characters are well drawn and likeable. It’s a moving love story, but it also touches on the harsh realities of living on a farm, especially during a war. It doesn’t always hold back from the grimmer aspects of life but it does point out that there can be light at the end of the tunnel if one is only patient. There is a little surprise at the end which I wasn’t expecting!
A captivating, engaging and uplifting story which I thoroughly enjoyed and can recommend wholeheartedly.
November 17, 2018
Beau roman qui nous fait voyager en Cornouaille et nous fait connaître la dure réalité de la vie sur une ferme.
Plusieurs sujets sont abordés ici, qui font réfléchir, et nous donne envie de connaître la suite, chapitre par chapitre.
Une belle découverte.
Plusieurs sujets sont abordés ici, qui font réfléchir, et nous donne envie de connaître la suite, chapitre par chapitre.
Une belle découverte.
June 5, 2017
Pouifff...
January 4, 2022
I enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and the author did a great job portraying the landscape. I had a hard time putting this book down as there are some mysterious happenings!
June 22, 2016
From the prologue of this book describing the farm and its setting high above the sea on the north coast of Cornwall, I knew I was going to love it. And I was right, it was such a wonderful read. Sarah Vaughan weaves together three generations of women in stories of Cornwall past and present. At the beginning of the Second World War, Will and Alice are evacuated to Skylark Farm, properly Polblazey Farm, where Will works on the land. Maggie is the farmer’s daughter and forms close bonds with both Will and Alice. Then one summer, Will and Maggie’s relationship develops into something stronger and when her mother finds out Will is sent away, devastating Maggie. In the present day, Lucy, Maggie’s granddaughter, returns reluctantly to her childhood home. She needs time and space to consider the future of her marriage and career but the farm holds so many memories of her beloved late father, she has always found it difficult to return. The farm, like many, is struggling to survive yet her grandmother is determined to stay and resists attempts by her son Richard to sell to developers. Why is she so insistent on staying?
The Farm at the Edge of the World is such a beautifully written book. Sarah Vaughan’s way of writing makes her characters seem so real. I found my thoughts turning to them even when not reading. In particular, I was drawn to Maggie. The love she felt for Will came through so strongly and I could empathise with her anguish when he left and she had no way to contact him. Her further heartbreak throughout the intervening years was clear in the Maggie we meet in the present. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to live with such sadness all her life, concealing it from her family and yet still clinging on to a small shred of hope. Alice too, must have experienced a lot of guilt over the years at the thought of her part in what happened, though as a young teenager, could hardly be blamed.
Almost a character in itself is Cornwall. This isn’t a romanticised version of Cornwall with sunny skies and blue seas all the time. This is a place which feels real. Sarah Vaughan writes evocatively of the sea in all its moods, whether dark and stormy or blue and tranquil. She does not shy away from the realities of life working on the land. Farming is shown as hard work, relentless, often with despair when crops fail or are ruined by the weather and where illness can decimate the livestock. This is a place where the residents are at the mercy of the elements and life can be harsh.
The Farm at the Edge of the World is a book which had me entranced and reading late into the night to find out what would happen to the characters. It is an exquisitely written story of love, betrayal, heartbreak but also of hope and forgiveness. I loved it from the evocative prologue right to the last pages.
The Farm at the Edge of the World is such a beautifully written book. Sarah Vaughan’s way of writing makes her characters seem so real. I found my thoughts turning to them even when not reading. In particular, I was drawn to Maggie. The love she felt for Will came through so strongly and I could empathise with her anguish when he left and she had no way to contact him. Her further heartbreak throughout the intervening years was clear in the Maggie we meet in the present. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to live with such sadness all her life, concealing it from her family and yet still clinging on to a small shred of hope. Alice too, must have experienced a lot of guilt over the years at the thought of her part in what happened, though as a young teenager, could hardly be blamed.
Almost a character in itself is Cornwall. This isn’t a romanticised version of Cornwall with sunny skies and blue seas all the time. This is a place which feels real. Sarah Vaughan writes evocatively of the sea in all its moods, whether dark and stormy or blue and tranquil. She does not shy away from the realities of life working on the land. Farming is shown as hard work, relentless, often with despair when crops fail or are ruined by the weather and where illness can decimate the livestock. This is a place where the residents are at the mercy of the elements and life can be harsh.
The Farm at the Edge of the World is a book which had me entranced and reading late into the night to find out what would happen to the characters. It is an exquisitely written story of love, betrayal, heartbreak but also of hope and forgiveness. I loved it from the evocative prologue right to the last pages.
June 30, 2016
A lovely family story. The book tells two stories from different points of view and spanning seventy years.
Lucy goes home to her family farm in Cornwall when she lost her confidence in her nursing abilities after nearly making a mistake that would have had fatal consequences; and after she discovered her husband's infidelity. She arrives to find the viability of the farm is in doubt as, following her father's death, the debts have got out of control.
Her Grandmother Maggie, has spent her whole life on the farm. Her family think they understand why she never wants to leave it. However Maggie has other reasons and we hear of her experiences when she was a teenager in the middle of WW2.
I really enjoyed the way the story switched back & forth. The characters were engaging and believable. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.
Lucy goes home to her family farm in Cornwall when she lost her confidence in her nursing abilities after nearly making a mistake that would have had fatal consequences; and after she discovered her husband's infidelity. She arrives to find the viability of the farm is in doubt as, following her father's death, the debts have got out of control.
Her Grandmother Maggie, has spent her whole life on the farm. Her family think they understand why she never wants to leave it. However Maggie has other reasons and we hear of her experiences when she was a teenager in the middle of WW2.
I really enjoyed the way the story switched back & forth. The characters were engaging and believable. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.
June 18, 2016
A wonderfully drawn tale of love, loss and forego needs set against the amazing backdrop of the Cornwall coast. I love all things Cornwall and the dramatic descriptions drew me into the book so I felt I was there. Maggie, Alice and Lucy were such strong characters but so were the supporting cast around them. I really cared what had happened to them all as the author pulled me the reader into the story and gradually revealed the drama of what happened. This was a sad book in many ways but ultimately uplifting as the various pieces fell into place.
With thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
With thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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April 10, 2016A beautifully evocative story of love, loss and forgiveness. You can taste, feel, see and hear Cornwall on every page as the characters pull you into their lives. Loved it.
June 16, 2017
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J’ai juste adoré ! De toute façon, tout était fait pour me plaire dans ce roman : le lieu, les personnages, l’histoire, la couverture (elle est juste sublime), l’édition. Et oui, je suis une grande fan des éditions Préludes ! Comment ne pas tomber sous le charme de cette histoire ? Nous somme un coup dans le présent, un coup dans le passé, avec les mêmes personnages. On découvre leurs histoires, on apprend à les connaitre, à les aimer. Et puis, on découvre des secrets. Des secrets restés cachés pendant 70 ans !
L’écriture est douce, pleine de poésie. On ne lache pas l’histoire. Les chapitres défilent, sans que l’on s’en rende compte. On veux absolument savoir ce qui a bien pu se passer dans cette jolie petite ferme en Cornouailles. Ce qui a bien pu arriver à cette famille vivant là-bas depuis maintenant plusieurs générations. Une saga familiale qui se dévore ! Un roman parfait pour l’été qui approche maintenant à grand pas ! Les émotions se succèdent : les rires, les larmes, les sourires, le stress aussi parfois. Bravo à l’auteure pour ce roman absolument remarquable ! On a envie d’aller nous aussi dans cette petite ferme, de plonger nos pieds dans l’océan, de monter sur les rochers, d’acheter les glaces, de prendre une chambre, de prendre le petit-déjeuner devant une vue sublime… Bref, de partir en vacances là-bas, et de rencontrer Maggie, Will et tous les autres !
C’est un roman vraiment magnifique, à découvrir de toute urgance !
J’ai juste adoré ! De toute façon, tout était fait pour me plaire dans ce roman : le lieu, les personnages, l’histoire, la couverture (elle est juste sublime), l’édition. Et oui, je suis une grande fan des éditions Préludes ! Comment ne pas tomber sous le charme de cette histoire ? Nous somme un coup dans le présent, un coup dans le passé, avec les mêmes personnages. On découvre leurs histoires, on apprend à les connaitre, à les aimer. Et puis, on découvre des secrets. Des secrets restés cachés pendant 70 ans !
L’écriture est douce, pleine de poésie. On ne lache pas l’histoire. Les chapitres défilent, sans que l’on s’en rende compte. On veux absolument savoir ce qui a bien pu se passer dans cette jolie petite ferme en Cornouailles. Ce qui a bien pu arriver à cette famille vivant là-bas depuis maintenant plusieurs générations. Une saga familiale qui se dévore ! Un roman parfait pour l’été qui approche maintenant à grand pas ! Les émotions se succèdent : les rires, les larmes, les sourires, le stress aussi parfois. Bravo à l’auteure pour ce roman absolument remarquable ! On a envie d’aller nous aussi dans cette petite ferme, de plonger nos pieds dans l’océan, de monter sur les rochers, d’acheter les glaces, de prendre une chambre, de prendre le petit-déjeuner devant une vue sublime… Bref, de partir en vacances là-bas, et de rencontrer Maggie, Will et tous les autres !
C’est un roman vraiment magnifique, à découvrir de toute urgance !
October 9, 2016
The events surrounding Will and Alice in Cornwall in 1939 will have reverberations across the decades.
What a glorious book. Sarah Vaughan has the ability to transport the reader to a different time and place with just a single word. There’s a beauty and an emotional truth to her prose which is enthralling. I loved The Farm at the Edge of the World.
Sarah Vaughan is so skilled in gradually revealing the secrets of the past, weaving a mesmerising tale that draws in the reader without their realising it. There is a poetry to the prose so that settings come alive in vivid colour. Emotions too ripple, ebb and flow like the seas on the beaches of Cornwall so that Cornwall itself becomes like another presence or character. And what a cast of characters there is. Each person, from the harshly disappointed Evelyn to the flawed and complex Maggie plays an important role so that they are as important to the novel as the suggested protagonist Lucy. I believed in every single one of them.
Cleverly constructed narrative so the tenses change and match the times, Sarah Vaughan subtly alters the vocabulary she uses to add an extra layer of authenticity. The passages set Now are subtly different to those set Then. Both captivate the reader.
I was entirely wrapped up in the themes of The Farm at the Edge of the World. Deftly plotted, love, grief and betrayal are emotionally portrayed alongside a realism that means not everyone will get a happy ending. This is such compelling writing. Although I couldn’t draw myself away, neither did I want the read to end, so wonderful was the writing.
The Farm at the Edge of the World is one of those books that has stayed with me long after I closed the covers because of the emotional intensity of reading it. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
What a glorious book. Sarah Vaughan has the ability to transport the reader to a different time and place with just a single word. There’s a beauty and an emotional truth to her prose which is enthralling. I loved The Farm at the Edge of the World.
Sarah Vaughan is so skilled in gradually revealing the secrets of the past, weaving a mesmerising tale that draws in the reader without their realising it. There is a poetry to the prose so that settings come alive in vivid colour. Emotions too ripple, ebb and flow like the seas on the beaches of Cornwall so that Cornwall itself becomes like another presence or character. And what a cast of characters there is. Each person, from the harshly disappointed Evelyn to the flawed and complex Maggie plays an important role so that they are as important to the novel as the suggested protagonist Lucy. I believed in every single one of them.
Cleverly constructed narrative so the tenses change and match the times, Sarah Vaughan subtly alters the vocabulary she uses to add an extra layer of authenticity. The passages set Now are subtly different to those set Then. Both captivate the reader.
I was entirely wrapped up in the themes of The Farm at the Edge of the World. Deftly plotted, love, grief and betrayal are emotionally portrayed alongside a realism that means not everyone will get a happy ending. This is such compelling writing. Although I couldn’t draw myself away, neither did I want the read to end, so wonderful was the writing.
The Farm at the Edge of the World is one of those books that has stayed with me long after I closed the covers because of the emotional intensity of reading it. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
June 29, 2021
Un livre agréable à lire. Une histoire de famille avec une double temporalité : les années 40 et 2014. Au milieu, un secret qui, bien sûr, ne sera dévoilé que dans les derniers chapitres.
L'écriture est assez fluide mais le rythme assez inégal. Après un bon départ (2014), j'ai mis un peu de temps à entrer dans la partie concernant le passé (les années 40). Mais le dernier tiers m'a bien plu.
Lecture sympathique donc, sans plus.
L'écriture est assez fluide mais le rythme assez inégal. Après un bon départ (2014), j'ai mis un peu de temps à entrer dans la partie concernant le passé (les années 40). Mais le dernier tiers m'a bien plu.
Lecture sympathique donc, sans plus.
April 26, 2021
Peut être plus 3,5.
Je trouvais injuste de mettre 3 par rapport au bon temps passé à lire le livre mais j'ai tout de même était gênée par la longueur un peu trop long et rempli de détails pas forcément intéressant. Ainsi que certaines tournures de phrases.
Je trouvais injuste de mettre 3 par rapport au bon temps passé à lire le livre mais j'ai tout de même était gênée par la longueur un peu trop long et rempli de détails pas forcément intéressant. Ainsi que certaines tournures de phrases.
April 8, 2017
Ce livre est une petite pépite. Des histoires de famille,des secrets le tout en Cornouailles. Ce livre est juste magnifique
April 22, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a bit of everything, love, loss, regret, redemption, and it was a beautiful story.
April 16, 2022
This was one of those books where the setting is so beautifully described, it's like another character in the book. There were a lot of characters but they were all interesting and nuanced, and the mysteries, misunderstandings, and miscommunications amongst them made for a very entertaining and thought-provoking read. Some parts of the plot were predictable to this genre, but overall I'd definitely recommend it.
August 27, 2018
1 livre, 2 histoires. Bon petit livre de vacances
July 26, 2016
Skylark Farm, perched on a windswept cliff on the North Cornish coast has always been home to Maggie, and over the following years, her own growing family. By 2014 it has seen good times and bad, but always simmering under the surface are the secrets and lies of a fateful summer in 1943 that 70 years later still has a hold over Maggie.
Dual time frames seem to be the order of the day at the minute, but unlike some this is well done and helps to gradually unfold the story of Maggie and the farm's evacuees Will and his sister Alice.
Flitting between the inhabitants in the present day with their own unique worries and collective problems and the unravelling mystery of the past, Maggie is the lynch pin holding everything together, but the question is for how long. When a surprise visitor comes to stay in one of the cottages, her return is a catalyst for change not only for Maggie, but also the wider family as they confront realities and discover what they really want for the future.
I really enjoyed this book, and thought that in this instance the dual time frame aspect worked well. It added to the tension and also helped to emphasise that the past was also very much a part of the present for Maggie. It also helped to place the farm very much at the heart of the story, which was crucial when it came to looking at it's present day situation.
The characters are all believable and it's impossible not to sympathise with both Alice and Maggie, when faced with their dilemma, although their actions leave both feeling guilty and remorseful for differing reasons. They are both in their own way young and naive and it takes their older selves to cope with the consequences which have haunted them.
But the story is not all about the past, it's also a realistic look at the problems of modern day farming and the way forward for many struggling farms as they look to diversify or fail.
From the beginning this was a story that had me hooked, both in the present and in the past. It deals with age old themes, of love and loss, family and responsibility, truth and lies and of coming to terms with the consequences of actions. It was a story well told with an ending that was fitting.
I received a review copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Dual time frames seem to be the order of the day at the minute, but unlike some this is well done and helps to gradually unfold the story of Maggie and the farm's evacuees Will and his sister Alice.
Flitting between the inhabitants in the present day with their own unique worries and collective problems and the unravelling mystery of the past, Maggie is the lynch pin holding everything together, but the question is for how long. When a surprise visitor comes to stay in one of the cottages, her return is a catalyst for change not only for Maggie, but also the wider family as they confront realities and discover what they really want for the future.
I really enjoyed this book, and thought that in this instance the dual time frame aspect worked well. It added to the tension and also helped to emphasise that the past was also very much a part of the present for Maggie. It also helped to place the farm very much at the heart of the story, which was crucial when it came to looking at it's present day situation.
The characters are all believable and it's impossible not to sympathise with both Alice and Maggie, when faced with their dilemma, although their actions leave both feeling guilty and remorseful for differing reasons. They are both in their own way young and naive and it takes their older selves to cope with the consequences which have haunted them.
But the story is not all about the past, it's also a realistic look at the problems of modern day farming and the way forward for many struggling farms as they look to diversify or fail.
From the beginning this was a story that had me hooked, both in the present and in the past. It deals with age old themes, of love and loss, family and responsibility, truth and lies and of coming to terms with the consequences of actions. It was a story well told with an ending that was fitting.
I received a review copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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