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Relitto
I naufragi fanno parte della vita quotidiana nel remoto villaggio di Porthmorvoren, in Cornovaglia. E quando il mare abbandona sulla spiaggia i corpi di coloro che sono annegati, porta anche tesori: barili di liquore, frutta esotica, la possibilità di sfilare un bel paio di stivali a un cadavere, forse anche un gioiello o due.
Quando, dopo una violenta tempesta nei pressi di un relitto sulla spiaggia, Mary Blight salva dal mare un uomo mezzo morto, ignora i pettegolezzi dei vicini e lo porta a casa sua per curarlo al meglio. Gideon Stone è un ministro metodista di Newlyn, e un uomo sposato. Commosso dal sacrificio di Mary e inorridito dalle superstizioni e dalle credenze pagane a cui gli abitanti del villaggio si aggrappano, Gideon si propone di portare luce e salvezza a Porthmorvoren costruendo una cappella sulla collina.
Ma il villaggio ha molti segreti e non tutti i suoi abitanti vogliono essere salvati. Mentre Mary e Gideon sono sempre più legati l'uno all'altra, la gelosia, le voci e i sospetti si diffondono a macchia d'olio. Gideon ha dei demoni da affrontare, e presto i nemici di Mary iniziano a tramare contro di lei...
Con una trama avvincente e una scrittura suggestiva, Relitto, romanzo d'esordio di Noel O'Reilly, racconta una storia d'amore, ingiustizia, superstizione e salvezza, ambientata nell'oscuro passato della Cornovaglia d'inizio Ottocento.
Quando, dopo una violenta tempesta nei pressi di un relitto sulla spiaggia, Mary Blight salva dal mare un uomo mezzo morto, ignora i pettegolezzi dei vicini e lo porta a casa sua per curarlo al meglio. Gideon Stone è un ministro metodista di Newlyn, e un uomo sposato. Commosso dal sacrificio di Mary e inorridito dalle superstizioni e dalle credenze pagane a cui gli abitanti del villaggio si aggrappano, Gideon si propone di portare luce e salvezza a Porthmorvoren costruendo una cappella sulla collina.
Ma il villaggio ha molti segreti e non tutti i suoi abitanti vogliono essere salvati. Mentre Mary e Gideon sono sempre più legati l'uno all'altra, la gelosia, le voci e i sospetti si diffondono a macchia d'olio. Gideon ha dei demoni da affrontare, e presto i nemici di Mary iniziano a tramare contro di lei...
Con una trama avvincente e una scrittura suggestiva, Relitto, romanzo d'esordio di Noel O'Reilly, racconta una storia d'amore, ingiustizia, superstizione e salvezza, ambientata nell'oscuro passato della Cornovaglia d'inizio Ottocento.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
September 13, 2018
A story that takes you back in time to the days of the smugglers in our coastal towns. The town where I live was no exception to the days of poverty when ships where lured into danger for the valuable cargos that they possibly carried. We lived in very different days back then where you had to rely on help from the parish you was born in. Poverty was rife and if you where caught smuggling you paid a very high price for the crimes that you had committed.
This story is not set in my town but on the coast of Cornwall in the town of Porthmorvoren a Cornish fishing village where wrecks often ran aground onto the rocks. One of the inhabitants of the village is Mary Blight who is searching the bodies of the dead that have been washed ashore. She is looking for any valuables that she might find and when searching one of the bodies she notices the expensive boots on the corpses body. How Mary longs for those boots to grace her own feet but it is a struggle to get the laced up boots off the body and when she gives an almighty tug the boot hits her in the face causing her lips to bleed. When Mary looks at the body she notices that her earlobes are missing but she notices too late because she has been seen by Aunt Madge the village snoop. With blood on her face and a body with missing ear lobes wrong assumptions are made and Mary is in fear of her life if Aunt Madge reveals what she believes is the truth.
The horror of the story soon makes the press but it's not the only thing that Mary has to worry about.
As chance has it Mary rescues a man from the sea who is tied to a log and is facing death in the oceans swell. It turns out that the man she rescues is a Methodist Minister who gives Mary the job of Sunday school teacher. Their is great resentment in the village and talk abounds but will this be the end for Mary.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and I loved the Cornish voice on the narration of this audiobook. It was a dark story of bygone days but one that will stay with me for a long time.
I'm so looking forward to more books from this author. Storytelling at it's best.
This story is not set in my town but on the coast of Cornwall in the town of Porthmorvoren a Cornish fishing village where wrecks often ran aground onto the rocks. One of the inhabitants of the village is Mary Blight who is searching the bodies of the dead that have been washed ashore. She is looking for any valuables that she might find and when searching one of the bodies she notices the expensive boots on the corpses body. How Mary longs for those boots to grace her own feet but it is a struggle to get the laced up boots off the body and when she gives an almighty tug the boot hits her in the face causing her lips to bleed. When Mary looks at the body she notices that her earlobes are missing but she notices too late because she has been seen by Aunt Madge the village snoop. With blood on her face and a body with missing ear lobes wrong assumptions are made and Mary is in fear of her life if Aunt Madge reveals what she believes is the truth.
The horror of the story soon makes the press but it's not the only thing that Mary has to worry about.
As chance has it Mary rescues a man from the sea who is tied to a log and is facing death in the oceans swell. It turns out that the man she rescues is a Methodist Minister who gives Mary the job of Sunday school teacher. Their is great resentment in the village and talk abounds but will this be the end for Mary.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and I loved the Cornish voice on the narration of this audiobook. It was a dark story of bygone days but one that will stay with me for a long time.
I'm so looking forward to more books from this author. Storytelling at it's best.
July 12, 2018
The Cornish coast is one of my favourite haunts in the British Isles, with its rugged and beautiful coastline, spectacular scenery and remote villages, it is a fantastic setting for a book. Combine this with a dark and treacherous story and you've got me - hook, line and sinker!
The story is narrated by Mary Blight and tells the tale of wreckers, who would watch the bodies of drowned sailors wash up on their shoreline, and due to the extreme poverty they endured, would think nothing of taking the sailors boots or clothing. They also know that with shipwrecks come treasure - barrels of liquor, exotic fruits, and perhaps if they were really lucky, a jewel or two. After a severe storm, Mary rescues Methodist minister Gideon Stone from the sea, and in direct conflict with what the rest of the villagers would like to happen, she nurses him until he is back to full-health. It soon becomes apparent that Stone wants to bring an end to the pagan beliefs and customs that the villagers live by, and sets out to build a chapel on the hill. As Mary and Gideon are drawn together, things become increasingly difficult when people become jealous and begin to plot against her.
This is a thoroughly engaging read based on true events that used to take place centuries ago. There is certainly an air of authenticity to it and O'Reilly's writing is beautiful, it easily draws you in and has you invested in the characters and the outcome from very early on. There are many different layers to the tale and they all interact effortlessly creating one of the best reads of the year for me. If the overall premise interests you, then I urge you to give it a go! I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed by this book in any way. I also wanted to give a quick shout out to the cover art - it fits the story impeccably! Kudos to both the author and the illustrator.
Many thanks to HQ for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The story is narrated by Mary Blight and tells the tale of wreckers, who would watch the bodies of drowned sailors wash up on their shoreline, and due to the extreme poverty they endured, would think nothing of taking the sailors boots or clothing. They also know that with shipwrecks come treasure - barrels of liquor, exotic fruits, and perhaps if they were really lucky, a jewel or two. After a severe storm, Mary rescues Methodist minister Gideon Stone from the sea, and in direct conflict with what the rest of the villagers would like to happen, she nurses him until he is back to full-health. It soon becomes apparent that Stone wants to bring an end to the pagan beliefs and customs that the villagers live by, and sets out to build a chapel on the hill. As Mary and Gideon are drawn together, things become increasingly difficult when people become jealous and begin to plot against her.
This is a thoroughly engaging read based on true events that used to take place centuries ago. There is certainly an air of authenticity to it and O'Reilly's writing is beautiful, it easily draws you in and has you invested in the characters and the outcome from very early on. There are many different layers to the tale and they all interact effortlessly creating one of the best reads of the year for me. If the overall premise interests you, then I urge you to give it a go! I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed by this book in any way. I also wanted to give a quick shout out to the cover art - it fits the story impeccably! Kudos to both the author and the illustrator.
Many thanks to HQ for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
June 7, 2018
I can't resist a trip into the dark and murky past of our forbears and Wrecker plunged me into the world of bygone coastal Corwall.
This is a take of poverty stricken fishing folk who often struggle to put another pilchard on the table and whom desperation makes reckless. These villagers live in crude hovels with naught to their names but the hand me down pagan beliefs they have inherited. They eke out the meagre living they try to sustain with fishing and farming, by scavenging goods which have been washed up from the many shipwrecks which occur in the area.
In this twisty tale of times gone by we meet Mary Blight, a feisty feckless heroine, who lives with her ailing Mam and her beloved sister. Mary wants to better herself and is about to seize any opportunity that comes her way, but she is apt to make a bad decision or two:
like the time she goes to the beach to see what pickings she can find following a shipwreck and impulsively pulls a pair of expensive boots from the body of a dead woman whose body has already been mutilated by a previous wrecker, an act she is to come to regret.
Like the time she gets very drunk at a village gathering and lifts her skirts to try and ensnare a man who is promised to someone else, alienating herself from her peers.
Like the attachment she makes to a man she rescues from the sea Gideon Stone a married Methodist minister who, after his salvation at Mary's hands finds in himself a burning ambition to save the villagers of Porthmorven from their pagan superstitions and returns to build them a chapel where he can preach and save their souls.
Mary is a character I rooted for, yet didn't wholly like, she is cunning with a mercenary streak but seems to lack the sharpness of wit required to fully make the most of her opportunities. She treats people badly and her motives are sometimes unclear but mostly driven by greed and understandable dissatisfaction with her lot.
The book is a gripping historical story, with love at its core and secrets and superstition at its heart, yet it's as far removed from a regency romance as the characters are from the drawing rooms of polite society.
Atmospheric and rather dark its a great read for the lover of gritty historical fiction.
This is a take of poverty stricken fishing folk who often struggle to put another pilchard on the table and whom desperation makes reckless. These villagers live in crude hovels with naught to their names but the hand me down pagan beliefs they have inherited. They eke out the meagre living they try to sustain with fishing and farming, by scavenging goods which have been washed up from the many shipwrecks which occur in the area.
In this twisty tale of times gone by we meet Mary Blight, a feisty feckless heroine, who lives with her ailing Mam and her beloved sister. Mary wants to better herself and is about to seize any opportunity that comes her way, but she is apt to make a bad decision or two:
like the time she goes to the beach to see what pickings she can find following a shipwreck and impulsively pulls a pair of expensive boots from the body of a dead woman whose body has already been mutilated by a previous wrecker, an act she is to come to regret.
Like the time she gets very drunk at a village gathering and lifts her skirts to try and ensnare a man who is promised to someone else, alienating herself from her peers.
Like the attachment she makes to a man she rescues from the sea Gideon Stone a married Methodist minister who, after his salvation at Mary's hands finds in himself a burning ambition to save the villagers of Porthmorven from their pagan superstitions and returns to build them a chapel where he can preach and save their souls.
Mary is a character I rooted for, yet didn't wholly like, she is cunning with a mercenary streak but seems to lack the sharpness of wit required to fully make the most of her opportunities. She treats people badly and her motives are sometimes unclear but mostly driven by greed and understandable dissatisfaction with her lot.
The book is a gripping historical story, with love at its core and secrets and superstition at its heart, yet it's as far removed from a regency romance as the characters are from the drawing rooms of polite society.
Atmospheric and rather dark its a great read for the lover of gritty historical fiction.
August 9, 2018
Loved the atmosphere and setting of this novel of Mary Blight an impoverished young woman living in a small village along the sea in 19th century Cornwall. It is a place where the local villagers deeply believe in their superstitions and lore, a place where shipwrecks wash ashore the bodies of it's dead and where the villagers descend upon them to pick the bodies clean for the possessions they may still have. On such a day Mary comes upon a drowned woman with a pair of boots she covets for her own and notices that her earlobes have been savagely bitten off no doubt for the earrings the victim wore. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time Mary finds herself suspected as the culprit to this savage crime when she ends up saving a minister, Gideon Stone who washed ashore and helps to nurse him back to health to much of the gossip of her fellow villagers. Gothic and descriptive, this novel is also historically correct in it's portrayal of Cornish wreckers.
June 20, 2018
I really enjoyed this. It's an engaging story with an interesting exploration of religion, morality, love and small communities. I probably would have preferred a slightly different ending, but overall this was a great read.
Read
May 29, 2018A gripping historical tale. Laced Cornwall and menace in equal measure. Loved it.
July 16, 2018
Wrecker is a fantastic, atmospheric and quite dark piece of historical fiction that I really enjoyed.
The author is very good at setting the scene and I really felt transported to the Cornwall of the past. Cornwall’s myths and legends as well as the local dialogue is cleverly interwoven into the story which further helped evoke 18th Century Cornwall for me. The author has clearly done his research and I found it fascinating to learn more about the history behind the book.
Wrecking was quite an emotional practice to read about, especially when the shipwreck caused death. The people who did it or who stole from the dead must have been desperate to do it as I don’t think it’s something I could have done. The descriptions of what Mary sees when she visits the ship wrecks makes for quite hard reading at times, especially when it involved children .I did find myself skipping the passages that described those scenes.
I wasn’t entirely sure if I liked the main character Mary. On one hand I liked her don’t care attitude towards a lot of things and felt sorry for her for having to visit the ship wrecks in order to provide for her family. However she comes across as quite bitter about her position in life and vain as she cares a lot about her looks which meant I wasn’t able to warm to her. I found myself thinking she’d be a lot happier if she just accepted her position and her looks as a lot of people seem to like her.
For a historical fiction novel this was surprisingly fast paced with lots of stuff happening that helped keep my interest. The story is quite unusual and I wanted to keep reading to learn more about the history of place and to find out how it would end. I’m always slightly dubious when a novel is described as being like Daphne Du Maurier as she’s one of my favourite authors, but I did feel that it was justified this time as the styles are similar.
Huge thanks to Joe Thomas from HQ stories for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
The author is very good at setting the scene and I really felt transported to the Cornwall of the past. Cornwall’s myths and legends as well as the local dialogue is cleverly interwoven into the story which further helped evoke 18th Century Cornwall for me. The author has clearly done his research and I found it fascinating to learn more about the history behind the book.
Wrecking was quite an emotional practice to read about, especially when the shipwreck caused death. The people who did it or who stole from the dead must have been desperate to do it as I don’t think it’s something I could have done. The descriptions of what Mary sees when she visits the ship wrecks makes for quite hard reading at times, especially when it involved children .I did find myself skipping the passages that described those scenes.
I wasn’t entirely sure if I liked the main character Mary. On one hand I liked her don’t care attitude towards a lot of things and felt sorry for her for having to visit the ship wrecks in order to provide for her family. However she comes across as quite bitter about her position in life and vain as she cares a lot about her looks which meant I wasn’t able to warm to her. I found myself thinking she’d be a lot happier if she just accepted her position and her looks as a lot of people seem to like her.
For a historical fiction novel this was surprisingly fast paced with lots of stuff happening that helped keep my interest. The story is quite unusual and I wanted to keep reading to learn more about the history of place and to find out how it would end. I’m always slightly dubious when a novel is described as being like Daphne Du Maurier as she’s one of my favourite authors, but I did feel that it was justified this time as the styles are similar.
Huge thanks to Joe Thomas from HQ stories for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
July 29, 2018
Mary Blight is a Wrecker; a scavenger who picks over the detritus washed up onto her Cornish beach. When she rescues a half dead man strapped to a barrel and it turns out to be the local minister, Mary strikes up a friendship with him and thinks her troubles are over. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I have to say, it does frustrate me when there is a quote from a "celebrity reviewer" splashed across the front of the novel which clearly indicatest that that person has not been anywhere near the book itself. Essie Fox seems ot think that this novel has "Echoes of Daphne du Maurier" and, whilst I suppose it is true to say that this novel is also set in Cornwall, I cannot imagine how appalled Ms du Maurier might rightfully be to have her work compared to the story here.
This is a generally unpleasant story all round. Mary Blight is a really unlikeable character with no redeeming features, as are all her neighbours. The setting is supposed to be dark and evocative but is actually just negative and miserable and, as for the story, there just really isn't any.
If there is one redeeming feature, it is that the hardback cover is beautifully drawn and promised much which is not delivered. I found this novel really hard going and I am afraid it is not one that I would recommend.
Thank you to LoveReading for the ARC.
I have to say, it does frustrate me when there is a quote from a "celebrity reviewer" splashed across the front of the novel which clearly indicatest that that person has not been anywhere near the book itself. Essie Fox seems ot think that this novel has "Echoes of Daphne du Maurier" and, whilst I suppose it is true to say that this novel is also set in Cornwall, I cannot imagine how appalled Ms du Maurier might rightfully be to have her work compared to the story here.
This is a generally unpleasant story all round. Mary Blight is a really unlikeable character with no redeeming features, as are all her neighbours. The setting is supposed to be dark and evocative but is actually just negative and miserable and, as for the story, there just really isn't any.
If there is one redeeming feature, it is that the hardback cover is beautifully drawn and promised much which is not delivered. I found this novel really hard going and I am afraid it is not one that I would recommend.
Thank you to LoveReading for the ARC.
July 2, 2018
Such an atmospheric and moody tale of life, jealousy, poverty, love and survival in a small and remote coastal village in western Cornwall in the early 1800s. I would have liked a bit more 'wrecking' but otherwise I enjoyed this beautifully written novel. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
August 31, 2023
Atmospheric and immersive - full review to follow
Read
August 28, 2019The world and environment of the book couldn't get me hooked. I DNFed it at 35%. But a friend of minereally enjoyed it as she was very invested and interested in the world and the era of the book.
So you might aswell love it!
So you might aswell love it!
August 18, 2018
Mary Blight finds a women’s body washed up on Porthmorvoren shore and takes something that doesn’t belong to her. Littered across the sand are fine clothes, sparkling jewels, tasty fruits and brilliant trinkets once possessed by a nearby wreckage’s wealthy passengers. They are now treasure for the poor villagers of Porthmorvoren to sell. What the villagers – and Mary herself – do not know is that peril came in on the tide with all of those treasures, peril that will in the months ahead draw the gaze of the whole county to their small cove.
When Mary sees a man drowning in the cove, she leaps into the sea to save him. A risk easily taken; a risk easily regretted. Mary takes him home despite a warning from her sister Tegan because she is entranced by the man and she is determined to nurse him back to health. Over the weeks that follow, Gideon Stone, as he is known, grows stronger and soon begins to change Porthmorvoren. Taking up the mantle of its old Methodist minister, he decides to finish building the chapel and bring light into the small village. As so many of the local women scrounge his attention, Mary sees an opportunity to slot herself into his life. After agreeing to be the villages’ new teacher, Mary and Gideon travel to Newlyn so she can start her lessons. But her life is about to change. And not for the better. Because suspicion and jealousy are brewing in the streets of Porthmorvoren and Mary is the one who will suffer.
Mary is different from the other women in the village, they see her as a bit of an enigma. She wants something more than to settle down with a local man and be a good wife. She wants a future where she isn’t tied down and forced to do as tradition dictates. In Gideon she sees a future for herself that could be extraordinary, a life of freedom. Wrecker is suffused with atmosphere, emotion and an incredible detail that will tether you to its pages.
Noel O’Reilly exquisitely encapsulates the brooding mystery of Cornwall’s dark past in his sumptuous prose. I grew up in Cornwall and for a whole day this book transported me back to its rugged beauty and rekindled that fascination and wonder about its history. Brimming with unforgettable characters – especially heroine Mary Blight – and an atmosphere and detail that steals your breath away, Wrecker is a stunning tale of jealousy, revenge and love set against a backdrop where the only rival for its darkness and depth, is its beauty and mystery!
Atmospheric. Compelling. Exquisite.
When Mary sees a man drowning in the cove, she leaps into the sea to save him. A risk easily taken; a risk easily regretted. Mary takes him home despite a warning from her sister Tegan because she is entranced by the man and she is determined to nurse him back to health. Over the weeks that follow, Gideon Stone, as he is known, grows stronger and soon begins to change Porthmorvoren. Taking up the mantle of its old Methodist minister, he decides to finish building the chapel and bring light into the small village. As so many of the local women scrounge his attention, Mary sees an opportunity to slot herself into his life. After agreeing to be the villages’ new teacher, Mary and Gideon travel to Newlyn so she can start her lessons. But her life is about to change. And not for the better. Because suspicion and jealousy are brewing in the streets of Porthmorvoren and Mary is the one who will suffer.
Mary is different from the other women in the village, they see her as a bit of an enigma. She wants something more than to settle down with a local man and be a good wife. She wants a future where she isn’t tied down and forced to do as tradition dictates. In Gideon she sees a future for herself that could be extraordinary, a life of freedom. Wrecker is suffused with atmosphere, emotion and an incredible detail that will tether you to its pages.
Noel O’Reilly exquisitely encapsulates the brooding mystery of Cornwall’s dark past in his sumptuous prose. I grew up in Cornwall and for a whole day this book transported me back to its rugged beauty and rekindled that fascination and wonder about its history. Brimming with unforgettable characters – especially heroine Mary Blight – and an atmosphere and detail that steals your breath away, Wrecker is a stunning tale of jealousy, revenge and love set against a backdrop where the only rival for its darkness and depth, is its beauty and mystery!
Atmospheric. Compelling. Exquisite.
August 10, 2018
Mary Blight is a memorable heroine. Strong and feisty she is as hot blooded as her hair is red. Eking out a living in the close-knit community of Porthmorvoren, she is as guilty of stealing from the dead of a wrecked vessel as the rest of the inhabitants. Vessels offered by the sea are accepted gratefully, no-one is ever turned over to the authorities and what takes place on the beach stays on the beach. But Mary dreams of escape, of leaving the narrow minded, superstitious village behind. When she saves preacher Gideon Stone from the sea, she sees him as her saviour, regardless that he is a married man.
Consumed with religious fervour, Gideon embarks on building a chapel for the village; driven by his own demons, he is desperate to save others from theirs. His desire to help Mary is seized upon by the women, their jealousy instigating a chain of events that can only have one ending.
Wrecker is a great read. It evokes the Cornish landscape, the mystery of the age-old customs, the link between the people and the land and their endless struggle to survive. The characters are strong, some more likeable than others, but all believable. You feel yourself rooting for Mary, even though she is mightily flawed: she tries, she works hard and she strives for a better life. Yes, she lies, she thieves she snoops, but she has her own morality and sticks to it. Excellent.
Consumed with religious fervour, Gideon embarks on building a chapel for the village; driven by his own demons, he is desperate to save others from theirs. His desire to help Mary is seized upon by the women, their jealousy instigating a chain of events that can only have one ending.
Wrecker is a great read. It evokes the Cornish landscape, the mystery of the age-old customs, the link between the people and the land and their endless struggle to survive. The characters are strong, some more likeable than others, but all believable. You feel yourself rooting for Mary, even though she is mightily flawed: she tries, she works hard and she strives for a better life. Yes, she lies, she thieves she snoops, but she has her own morality and sticks to it. Excellent.
May 11, 2020
I had such high hopes for this book but was bitterly disappointed. I will admit that I was enticed by the cover and the Cornish setting but the actuality of reading the novel left me feeling decidedly 'meh' for the majority of the read.
I've long been interested in the history of wrecking, as a darker element of Cornwall's history and thought that I'd be getting some of that. Ships used to be thrown off course by 'wreckers' along the Cornish coast, causing them to be dashed against dangerous rocks so that their goods and wares could be picked up, pocketed and sold on by the scavengers waiting on the shores. Many died and it was not uncommon for survivors of the wrecks to be dealt with. So I was surprised that a book called 'Wrecker' had very little wrecking in it.
Potential spoilers ahead!
The premise of the book is that our protagonist, Mary, steals some boots from a dead woman washed ashore in a wreck before discovering that someone has bitten off her ears. She is sickened by this but is spotted by one of the elder women of the cove as she bends over the body, blood on her lips from smacking herself in the face with a boot as she tried to pull it free. The threat of this old biddy's 'knowledge' hangs over Mary for the rest of the novel. But only when convenient. She actually does very little to try and set the record straight.
After she saves a minister, Gideon Stone, from being drowned in the waves, she becomes besotted with him and spends the majority of the rest of the novel brooding over him; thinking up ways to impress him; or flirting with him over bible talk. So much weird bible flirting.
After the first few chapters, the book really takes a tail spin into dull as dishwater territory. Our wild and sturdy protagonist becomes bland and predictable (rather like the plot). The plot line concerning the cannibal who chewed off a dead woman's ears is only ever brought up to give Mary a moral quivering and then tied up in a lazy and random couple of lines of dialogue. This would have been a much more interesting road to travel but instead we get a lukewarm affair and a rushed and unsatisfactory finale.
Its saving grace was the opening but beyond that, for me, this novel was wrecked.
I've long been interested in the history of wrecking, as a darker element of Cornwall's history and thought that I'd be getting some of that. Ships used to be thrown off course by 'wreckers' along the Cornish coast, causing them to be dashed against dangerous rocks so that their goods and wares could be picked up, pocketed and sold on by the scavengers waiting on the shores. Many died and it was not uncommon for survivors of the wrecks to be dealt with. So I was surprised that a book called 'Wrecker' had very little wrecking in it.
Potential spoilers ahead!
The premise of the book is that our protagonist, Mary, steals some boots from a dead woman washed ashore in a wreck before discovering that someone has bitten off her ears. She is sickened by this but is spotted by one of the elder women of the cove as she bends over the body, blood on her lips from smacking herself in the face with a boot as she tried to pull it free. The threat of this old biddy's 'knowledge' hangs over Mary for the rest of the novel. But only when convenient. She actually does very little to try and set the record straight.
After she saves a minister, Gideon Stone, from being drowned in the waves, she becomes besotted with him and spends the majority of the rest of the novel brooding over him; thinking up ways to impress him; or flirting with him over bible talk. So much weird bible flirting.
After the first few chapters, the book really takes a tail spin into dull as dishwater territory. Our wild and sturdy protagonist becomes bland and predictable (rather like the plot). The plot line concerning the cannibal who chewed off a dead woman's ears is only ever brought up to give Mary a moral quivering and then tied up in a lazy and random couple of lines of dialogue. This would have been a much more interesting road to travel but instead we get a lukewarm affair and a rushed and unsatisfactory finale.
Its saving grace was the opening but beyond that, for me, this novel was wrecked.
July 20, 2018
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.
This is a story about a remote, poverty stricken Cornish community in the 1800s, where superstitions and ghost stories are rife. Every now and then a ship wrecks in the dangerous waters of the cove and at these times the local folk rush out to claim the spoils of cargo, stripping ships to the bare bones and the dead of their possessions and even their clothing. Mary Blight is a spirited young women who raises a few eyebrows with her wild red hair and somewhat wanton ways. One day whilst down on the shore Mary spots a man tied to a barrel, floating out on the water. Without a second thought she rushes out into the swell and rescues the man from drowning. The saved man turns out to be a Minister who takes it upon himself to oversee the building of a chapel for the local people in an attempt to help them find God and do away with their superstitious, pagan beliefs. Even Mary tries to live a more pious life to gain the favour of the Minister, but her past sins threaten to come back and haunt her.
This is a very atmospheric story about a community doing what it has done for generations in order to survive. I found Mary to be a very likeable character, a tart with a heart if you like, despite her sometimes questionable deeds and decisions. The writing is lovely and descriptive, though the religious elements were a bit much for me at times. Generally this is a very engrossing and enjoyable read.
3.5*
This is a story about a remote, poverty stricken Cornish community in the 1800s, where superstitions and ghost stories are rife. Every now and then a ship wrecks in the dangerous waters of the cove and at these times the local folk rush out to claim the spoils of cargo, stripping ships to the bare bones and the dead of their possessions and even their clothing. Mary Blight is a spirited young women who raises a few eyebrows with her wild red hair and somewhat wanton ways. One day whilst down on the shore Mary spots a man tied to a barrel, floating out on the water. Without a second thought she rushes out into the swell and rescues the man from drowning. The saved man turns out to be a Minister who takes it upon himself to oversee the building of a chapel for the local people in an attempt to help them find God and do away with their superstitious, pagan beliefs. Even Mary tries to live a more pious life to gain the favour of the Minister, but her past sins threaten to come back and haunt her.
This is a very atmospheric story about a community doing what it has done for generations in order to survive. I found Mary to be a very likeable character, a tart with a heart if you like, despite her sometimes questionable deeds and decisions. The writing is lovely and descriptive, though the religious elements were a bit much for me at times. Generally this is a very engrossing and enjoyable read.
3.5*
April 6, 2021
Che lettura deludente!
Ho incrociato questo libro una volta in libreria e, dato che non lo acquistai subito, ho fatto i salti mortali per poterlo recuperare. Ma tutta l'ispirazione iniziale e le promesse suggerite dal magnifico lavoro grafico della cover e dallo strillo in quarta di copertina, che paragona l'autore a Daphne du Maurier (sacrilegio!), si sono infrante come le navi sulle ingannevoli coste della Cornovaglia già dopo la prima pagina di lettura. Purtroppo il suggestivo setting cornico non rimedia ad una protagonista odiosa che pensa come un uomo (non in senso positivo) e ad una storia vuota ed insulsa scritta nella maniera più volgare possibile.
Date tutte le premesse iniziali, è un peccato che questo libro si sia rivelato così squallido. E' proprio il caso di descriverlo come un relitto di una storia con potenziale.
Ho incrociato questo libro una volta in libreria e, dato che non lo acquistai subito, ho fatto i salti mortali per poterlo recuperare. Ma tutta l'ispirazione iniziale e le promesse suggerite dal magnifico lavoro grafico della cover e dallo strillo in quarta di copertina, che paragona l'autore a Daphne du Maurier (sacrilegio!), si sono infrante come le navi sulle ingannevoli coste della Cornovaglia già dopo la prima pagina di lettura. Purtroppo il suggestivo setting cornico non rimedia ad una protagonista odiosa che pensa come un uomo (non in senso positivo) e ad una storia vuota ed insulsa scritta nella maniera più volgare possibile.
Date tutte le premesse iniziali, è un peccato che questo libro si sia rivelato così squallido. E' proprio il caso di descriverlo come un relitto di una storia con potenziale.
October 30, 2018
In a tiny Cornish village Mary Blight drags a man from the sea. The minister she saves leads her to far more trouble than he's worth. He's come to investigate the 'cannibal' who stole from the dead victims of recent wrecks. As the villagers turn on Mary and the minister provokes a religious fervour what will become of them.
Not a bad book but not really for me, too long winded for not enough to happen.
Not a bad book but not really for me, too long winded for not enough to happen.
December 13, 2022
This was similar to "The Essex Serpent" and started well but seemed to get lost the further I read. When a young Cornish woman rescues religious fanatic Gideon from the sea she see's it as a chance to escape her small village. As they work together to spread his gospel, they become close, but Gideon is already married and the young woman's reputation in her village isn't exactly squeaky clean. Bit disappointing.
June 24, 2019
Le mie aspettative sono naufragate.
Ebbene sì, convinta dall'incipt e dalla favolosa copertina (complimenti al grafico), non ho potuto fare a meno di aggiungere questo romanzo storico alla mia chilometrica lista di letture.
Detta così sembra quasi che me ne penta, ma in realtà l'esordio di O'Reilly sa il fatto suo... fino a metà racconto.
Ambientata in uno sperduto villaggio della Cornovaglia, la storia ci mostra fin da subito le precarie condizioni di vita degli abitanti della costa. Si tratta di un luogo selvaggio, ostile, e solo i relitti delle navi che vi affondano sembrano portare un po' di prosperità alla gente. Infatti lo sciacallaggio è ormai abitudine, almeno finché la pepata Mary non salverà dal mare un ministro di fede.
Gideon.
Una volta riprese le forze, l'uomo farà della conversione del villaggio la sua missione. Ricomincerà a lavorare sulla cappella, a indire riunioni e a scegliere chi delle donne istruite farà da maestra di catechismo ai bambini.
Mary è legata alla terra e ai riti pagani. Conosce a memoria le scritture perché ha imparato con esse a leggere, ma la sua indole selvaggia le porterà non poche grane, specialmente quando verrà nominata lei come insegnante. Come se non bastasse, fin dalla prima volta che ha posato i suoi occhi su Gideon, ne è stata stregata.
Anche se lui è sposato, ovviamente.
I due inizieranno quindi a passare parecchio tempo insieme, suscitando non pochi pettegolezzi e la gelosia della moglie dell'uomo. Come uno scoglio, Mary se ne frega di tutto e di tutti, finché le ripercussioni delle sue scelte non si faranno sempre più pesanti e pericolose.
Dal canto suo, Gideon non nasconde il suo favoritismo, ma nemmeno prova a prendere una decisione definitiva.
Un uomo risoluto insomma.
La vicenda arriverà al climax tanto atteso solo alla fine, concludendo il tutto in poche pagine che, sinceramente, mi hanno lasciato l'amaro in bocca.
Ma, non mancano i lati positivi.
L'ambientazione e le atmosfere descritte nel romanzo sono impeccabili e lo stile di O'Reilly cattura fin da principio il lettore. Persino le nozioni di vita quotidiana, di solito tediose, sono fonte d'interesse e per quanto riguarda l'aspetto religioso...
Ecco, possiamo dire che un buon 70% del libro verte sulla religione e, all'inizio, vedere le diverse vedute di Mary e Gideon scontrarsi era anche divertente. Poi sono diventate pesanti e riperitive, ma dettagli.
Di per sé questi elementi erano abbastanza per renderlo un romanzo gradevole, ma dopo la metà Relitto inizia un po' a perdersi e a tergiversare.
La storia d'amore non mi ha per nulla colpita, anzi... ho provato pena per l'ex amante di Mary. E, come se non bastasse, tutta la faccenda del Cannibale avrà pochissimo spazio e una conclusione parecchio monotona.
In sintesi, Relitto è un romanzo storico/gotico dal buon potenziale. Nonostante le pecche, rimane comunque una lettura piacevole e ricca di dettagli sulla vita dell'epoca.
Consigliato agli amanti del genere.
Ebbene sì, convinta dall'incipt e dalla favolosa copertina (complimenti al grafico), non ho potuto fare a meno di aggiungere questo romanzo storico alla mia chilometrica lista di letture.
Detta così sembra quasi che me ne penta, ma in realtà l'esordio di O'Reilly sa il fatto suo... fino a metà racconto.
Ambientata in uno sperduto villaggio della Cornovaglia, la storia ci mostra fin da subito le precarie condizioni di vita degli abitanti della costa. Si tratta di un luogo selvaggio, ostile, e solo i relitti delle navi che vi affondano sembrano portare un po' di prosperità alla gente. Infatti lo sciacallaggio è ormai abitudine, almeno finché la pepata Mary non salverà dal mare un ministro di fede.
Gideon.
Una volta riprese le forze, l'uomo farà della conversione del villaggio la sua missione. Ricomincerà a lavorare sulla cappella, a indire riunioni e a scegliere chi delle donne istruite farà da maestra di catechismo ai bambini.
Mary è legata alla terra e ai riti pagani. Conosce a memoria le scritture perché ha imparato con esse a leggere, ma la sua indole selvaggia le porterà non poche grane, specialmente quando verrà nominata lei come insegnante. Come se non bastasse, fin dalla prima volta che ha posato i suoi occhi su Gideon, ne è stata stregata.
Anche se lui è sposato, ovviamente.
I due inizieranno quindi a passare parecchio tempo insieme, suscitando non pochi pettegolezzi e la gelosia della moglie dell'uomo. Come uno scoglio, Mary se ne frega di tutto e di tutti, finché le ripercussioni delle sue scelte non si faranno sempre più pesanti e pericolose.
Dal canto suo, Gideon non nasconde il suo favoritismo, ma nemmeno prova a prendere una decisione definitiva.
Un uomo risoluto insomma.
La vicenda arriverà al climax tanto atteso solo alla fine, concludendo il tutto in poche pagine che, sinceramente, mi hanno lasciato l'amaro in bocca.
Ma, non mancano i lati positivi.
L'ambientazione e le atmosfere descritte nel romanzo sono impeccabili e lo stile di O'Reilly cattura fin da principio il lettore. Persino le nozioni di vita quotidiana, di solito tediose, sono fonte d'interesse e per quanto riguarda l'aspetto religioso...
Ecco, possiamo dire che un buon 70% del libro verte sulla religione e, all'inizio, vedere le diverse vedute di Mary e Gideon scontrarsi era anche divertente. Poi sono diventate pesanti e riperitive, ma dettagli.
Di per sé questi elementi erano abbastanza per renderlo un romanzo gradevole, ma dopo la metà Relitto inizia un po' a perdersi e a tergiversare.
La storia d'amore non mi ha per nulla colpita, anzi... ho provato pena per l'ex amante di Mary. E, come se non bastasse, tutta la faccenda del Cannibale avrà pochissimo spazio e una conclusione parecchio monotona.
In sintesi, Relitto è un romanzo storico/gotico dal buon potenziale. Nonostante le pecche, rimane comunque una lettura piacevole e ricca di dettagli sulla vita dell'epoca.
Consigliato agli amanti del genere.
February 11, 2020
I'm nearly half way through and have decided to give up on this book. To me, the main character is 2d and neither likeable, nor particularly interesting. The plot has been slowly meandering along and I'm still not quite sure where it's heading - or maybe I know and am in denial, because I want it to be so much more.
I suppose there are some vivid descriptions of the Cornish landscape and details of the inhabitants of a remote fishing village, scratching out a living for themselves, are well described and probably well researched. But after a very evocative first chapter (the wreckers at work on a remote beach before dawn, their grisly finds, the creepy old hag who emerges from the shifting mists shaking her finger at the main character) it all just fell flat.
The book was sold to me by its dramatic title and comparisons made with Jamaica Inn, which I loved, and was a bitter disappointment when it failed to deliver. At the half way mark, the plot involves a young girl's infatuation with a missionary minister who has come to rebuild the local church and bring the wayward villagers back to the methodist fold. This is not really my scene.
I tried to stick with the book. I even tried to reduce listening time by playing back at triple speed (a first for me). I didn't realise I could listen that fast! Ultimately though, I've thrown in the towel. There are so many other books I would much rather be reading.
I suppose there are some vivid descriptions of the Cornish landscape and details of the inhabitants of a remote fishing village, scratching out a living for themselves, are well described and probably well researched. But after a very evocative first chapter (the wreckers at work on a remote beach before dawn, their grisly finds, the creepy old hag who emerges from the shifting mists shaking her finger at the main character) it all just fell flat.
The book was sold to me by its dramatic title and comparisons made with Jamaica Inn, which I loved, and was a bitter disappointment when it failed to deliver. At the half way mark, the plot involves a young girl's infatuation with a missionary minister who has come to rebuild the local church and bring the wayward villagers back to the methodist fold. This is not really my scene.
I tried to stick with the book. I even tried to reduce listening time by playing back at triple speed (a first for me). I didn't realise I could listen that fast! Ultimately though, I've thrown in the towel. There are so many other books I would much rather be reading.
April 4, 2019
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2.75 STARS
Pensavo di andare incontro a un romance storico, alla tormentata storia di un amore proibito tra un ministro metodista e un'umile ragazza di un villaggio barbaro. Mi aspettavo qualcosa di simile a Ross Poldark di Winston Graham, invece di simile ho avuto solo la Cornovaglia, i banchi di sardine, le miniere e i saccheggi illegali dei relitti. Nelle arringhe finali, tuttavia l'autore mi ha accontentata, ma è stato rapido e irruento come uno schiaffo. Ecco perché ho deciso di avvicinarmi alle 3 stelle, perché Gideon e Mary sono proprio bellini T_T
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2.75 STARS
Pensavo di andare incontro a un romance storico, alla tormentata storia di un amore proibito tra un ministro metodista e un'umile ragazza di un villaggio barbaro. Mi aspettavo qualcosa di simile a Ross Poldark di Winston Graham, invece di simile ho avuto solo la Cornovaglia, i banchi di sardine, le miniere e i saccheggi illegali dei relitti. Nelle arringhe finali, tuttavia l'autore mi ha accontentata, ma è stato rapido e irruento come uno schiaffo. Ecco perché ho deciso di avvicinarmi alle 3 stelle, perché Gideon e Mary sono proprio bellini T_T
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June 16, 2019
Potete leggere la recensione completa sul mio blog a questo link
https://blogunostudioinrosa.wordpress...
“Relitto” di Noel O’Reilly è un romanzo gotico ambientato nella Cornovaglia dell’Ottocento e pubblicato da HarperCollins Italia che ringrazio per la copia omaggio.
Il libro racconta le condizioni di miseria in cui vivono gli abitanti di Porthmorvoren, una località marittima della Cornovaglia, isolata dal resto dell’Inghilterra.
Superstizione, violenza e soprusi: queste sono le condizioni di vita degli abitanti di questo piccolo villaggio arroccato su un angusto e sperduto promontorio sulle cui rive spesso fanno naufragio navi fantasma cariche di tesori.
La gente del posto per vivere pratica lo sciacallaggio sui relitti che si arenano sulla loro costa rubando tutto quello che trovano e senza farsi scrupoli, profanano i corpi dei morti privandoli anche dei loro vestiti e gioielli…
La protagonista è Mary Blight, una giovane e passionale donna dai capelli rossi, la cui vita cambierà per sempre quando salverà dalle acque Gideon, un ministro metodista.
Pur essendo “Relitto” una lettura scorrevole, la storia non è riuscita a conquistarmi completamente. Il motivo principale è perché l’autore rimane molto in superficie sia nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi che nella trama stessa, per non parlare della storia d’amore che sembra quasi buttata lì per caso…
Se gli elementi del romanzo storico ci sono tutti e l’autore ha fatto una ricostruzione adeguata degli usi e costumi della Cornovaglia dell’epoca, manca del tutto l’aspetto “gotico”.
https://blogunostudioinrosa.wordpress...
“Relitto” di Noel O’Reilly è un romanzo gotico ambientato nella Cornovaglia dell’Ottocento e pubblicato da HarperCollins Italia che ringrazio per la copia omaggio.
Il libro racconta le condizioni di miseria in cui vivono gli abitanti di Porthmorvoren, una località marittima della Cornovaglia, isolata dal resto dell’Inghilterra.
Superstizione, violenza e soprusi: queste sono le condizioni di vita degli abitanti di questo piccolo villaggio arroccato su un angusto e sperduto promontorio sulle cui rive spesso fanno naufragio navi fantasma cariche di tesori.
La gente del posto per vivere pratica lo sciacallaggio sui relitti che si arenano sulla loro costa rubando tutto quello che trovano e senza farsi scrupoli, profanano i corpi dei morti privandoli anche dei loro vestiti e gioielli…
La protagonista è Mary Blight, una giovane e passionale donna dai capelli rossi, la cui vita cambierà per sempre quando salverà dalle acque Gideon, un ministro metodista.
Pur essendo “Relitto” una lettura scorrevole, la storia non è riuscita a conquistarmi completamente. Il motivo principale è perché l’autore rimane molto in superficie sia nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi che nella trama stessa, per non parlare della storia d’amore che sembra quasi buttata lì per caso…
Se gli elementi del romanzo storico ci sono tutti e l’autore ha fatto una ricostruzione adeguata degli usi e costumi della Cornovaglia dell’epoca, manca del tutto l’aspetto “gotico”.
September 24, 2019
Really enjoyed this book, compelling storyline told by an evocative and authentic narrator. Great read for fans of Daphne Du Maurier and Winston Graham.
June 8, 2023
2.5 ⭐
Un po' una delusione, una narrazione incantevole sprecata.
Un po' una delusione, una narrazione incantevole sprecata.
July 2, 2019
Onestamente ho dato 3 stelle solo per la copertina, ma in realtà questo romanzo è di una noia mortale. L’ho preso perché catturata dalla copertina ( che credo sia una delle più belle mai viste fin’ora) ma ragazzi...no, non fa assolutamente per me! :(
June 25, 2018
Originally posted at Chain Interaction
I will start by saying that there isn’t actually much wrecking in this book. It happens at the start and from there on out it doesn’t happen again. So, for those looking for an exploration of wrecking should probably look elsewhere. While this was slightly disappointing I persevered regardless because it was probably my fault for not reading the blurb properly. I wanted to give this book a fair chance and to see what it was about – if not wrecking.
What it is about is a woman called Mary Blight, who gets caught up in the many changes in her small Cornish town when a Methodist minister Gideon Stone decides to rebuild the church and to start converting the ‘backwards’ people to the way of the lord. Yes, it’s all about religion. I would definitely say that the author did his biblical research, there’s scripture laced throughout and you get the sense of the religious leanings from the time. I can’t say whether this is a good description of Methodist faith at the time, but what I do know of that denomination seemed to be represented. I liked the way this book pushed at the was Christianity conflicted with local tradition, there are a lot of what might be called pagan rituals and superstitions in Mary’s town that don’t quite agree with the new minister’s teachings. Obviously, this process of ‘civilising’ was so much worse outside of Britain, but it is interesting to view it through the lens of this small town.
What I did not enjoy was the way that Mary was written. A lot of her character could have been exactly what I enjoy. She had a lot of bite to her, she wasn’t willing to take nonsense from people, she did what she wanted and then dealt with the consequences as they came. But Mary’s only motivation seemed to be to find a wealthy man. That was pretty much it. You could argue that is more to do with the idea of bettering herself, of finding an easier life, of learning and changing and all those slightly better things. But it just reads as ‘everything I do will be in aid of getting a man and nothing else is really significant.’ Obviously, that could just be my reading of it, but I have come to expect a lot from female characters and Mary wasn’t quite enough for me. Since the book is totally focussed on Mary this made the entire thing fall a little flat for me.
The other problem I had with this book is that not very much happens. I’m not expecting this to be full of action sequences and explosions or anything, but for the number of significant moments in the story, this book is quite long. I felt like that offset the pacing somewhat and made reading it quite slow. Again, that’s a matter of personal preference and if you prefer a slower burn then this may be the book for you.
I can see a lot of people very much enjoying this story, however, I found it a little too slow and a little too religiously heavy for my liking. I would have also liked a little more character development for Mary.
My rating: 3/5 stars
I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I will start by saying that there isn’t actually much wrecking in this book. It happens at the start and from there on out it doesn’t happen again. So, for those looking for an exploration of wrecking should probably look elsewhere. While this was slightly disappointing I persevered regardless because it was probably my fault for not reading the blurb properly. I wanted to give this book a fair chance and to see what it was about – if not wrecking.
What it is about is a woman called Mary Blight, who gets caught up in the many changes in her small Cornish town when a Methodist minister Gideon Stone decides to rebuild the church and to start converting the ‘backwards’ people to the way of the lord. Yes, it’s all about religion. I would definitely say that the author did his biblical research, there’s scripture laced throughout and you get the sense of the religious leanings from the time. I can’t say whether this is a good description of Methodist faith at the time, but what I do know of that denomination seemed to be represented. I liked the way this book pushed at the was Christianity conflicted with local tradition, there are a lot of what might be called pagan rituals and superstitions in Mary’s town that don’t quite agree with the new minister’s teachings. Obviously, this process of ‘civilising’ was so much worse outside of Britain, but it is interesting to view it through the lens of this small town.
What I did not enjoy was the way that Mary was written. A lot of her character could have been exactly what I enjoy. She had a lot of bite to her, she wasn’t willing to take nonsense from people, she did what she wanted and then dealt with the consequences as they came. But Mary’s only motivation seemed to be to find a wealthy man. That was pretty much it. You could argue that is more to do with the idea of bettering herself, of finding an easier life, of learning and changing and all those slightly better things. But it just reads as ‘everything I do will be in aid of getting a man and nothing else is really significant.’ Obviously, that could just be my reading of it, but I have come to expect a lot from female characters and Mary wasn’t quite enough for me. Since the book is totally focussed on Mary this made the entire thing fall a little flat for me.
The other problem I had with this book is that not very much happens. I’m not expecting this to be full of action sequences and explosions or anything, but for the number of significant moments in the story, this book is quite long. I felt like that offset the pacing somewhat and made reading it quite slow. Again, that’s a matter of personal preference and if you prefer a slower burn then this may be the book for you.
I can see a lot of people very much enjoying this story, however, I found it a little too slow and a little too religiously heavy for my liking. I would have also liked a little more character development for Mary.
My rating: 3/5 stars
I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
April 29, 2020
Non credevo che questo libro potesse catturarmi come ha fatto! Lo stile di scrittura dell'autore è molto scorrevole ma al tempo stesso molto descrittivo, mi sono ritrovata nelle brughiere della Cornovaglia tra i suoi fiori e la sua vegetazione, ho sentito l'odore dell'aria salmastra di mare e mi sono sentita partecipe della vita di questo piccolo villaggio lungo la baia dei relitti, così legato alle sue leggi tacite, le sue credenze e superstizioni. La trama è ben snocciolata e ogni capitolo invoglia a leggere il successivo. Il punto di vista è quello di Mary, una protagonista vincente e non scontata, perfettamente inserita nel contesto socio-culturale in cui si svolge la vicenda, ma che combatte fino alla fine per non essere succube delle sue regole e soprattutto le sue ingiustizie.
Spero arrivino presto altre opere di questo autore che mi ha già conquistata, super consigliato!
Spero arrivino presto altre opere di questo autore che mi ha già conquistata, super consigliato!
July 23, 2018
Shipwrecks are a part of life on the coast of Cornwall. In the remote village of Porthmorvoren, things are no different. Bounty and corpses wash up on the beaches regularly, and the locals take what they can. On one such day, Mary Blight helps herself to a fine pair of boots from the body of a dead noblewoman, not realising that she has set herself up as the prime suspect for biting off the woman’s earlobes to steal her earrings. As word spreads of the so-called ‘Porthmorvoren Cannibal’, Mary’s safety becomes less and less certain. The arrival of a handsome Methodist minister to the village only makes matters worse.
Wrecker is the perfect book for fans of Poldark. The story itself isn’t particularly exciting. It’s a detailed snapshot of a time in Mary’s life where some unfortunate things happen to her, but nothing overly dramatic. There is no big adventure, no gruesome murder to solve, no epic romance. Just some interesting stuff happening to a pretty unlucky woman.
The quality of the writing is what brings this story up. I didn’t like the characters very much – especially Mary – but I still found myself caring about her. To be honest, she deserved a lot of the bad things that happened to her, but I was rooting for her nonetheless. My main takeaway from this book was that I felt really, really sorry for Johnenry.
My favourite thing about Wrecker was that it is written using old Cornish dialect (which is much easier to understand if you have watched Poldark). The character voices were so realistic and so full of attitude that, even though I found the story a teeny bit boring, it was a pleasure to read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Wrecker is the perfect book for fans of Poldark. The story itself isn’t particularly exciting. It’s a detailed snapshot of a time in Mary’s life where some unfortunate things happen to her, but nothing overly dramatic. There is no big adventure, no gruesome murder to solve, no epic romance. Just some interesting stuff happening to a pretty unlucky woman.
The quality of the writing is what brings this story up. I didn’t like the characters very much – especially Mary – but I still found myself caring about her. To be honest, she deserved a lot of the bad things that happened to her, but I was rooting for her nonetheless. My main takeaway from this book was that I felt really, really sorry for Johnenry.
My favourite thing about Wrecker was that it is written using old Cornish dialect (which is much easier to understand if you have watched Poldark). The character voices were so realistic and so full of attitude that, even though I found the story a teeny bit boring, it was a pleasure to read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 14, 2019
«Il mio unico desiderio è salvare la tua anima per l’eternità.»
«Non posso aspettare così a lungo. Non intendo rinunciare a tutto per l’amore perfetto nell’aldilà. Sono una donna appassionata e voglio l’amore in questa vita, perfetto o no. E se non l’amore, almeno la vita.»
Questo romanzo mi ha sorpresa in positivo sin dalle prime pagine, tutto mi aspettavo fuorché un romanzo divertente, ironico, ma anche profondo e spirituale. Mary è una donna forte che ne ha passate tante e che ancora non ha finito di lottare per la sua vita, per molti aspetti è una donna con uno spirito che anticipa i tempi: è ironica, sfacciata, stoica e non si lascia (quasi) mai sconfiggere dalle maldicenze; però è anche una donna del XIX secolo, molto superstiziosa e anche un po’ vanitosa. Alla fine, il giudizio degli altri pesa per tutti noi. Eppure, in qualche modo, riesce sempre a fregarsene e fare quello che le passa per la testa. Con l’arrivo del ministro, il suo animo si placa e cerca di dimostrargli quanto sia una donna devota e di fede, ma il suo destino è un mare in burrasca e neanche le preghiere saranno in grado di salvarla. Gideon, invece, è un uomo invasato, che cerca di nascondere dietro una fede ferrea tutti gli errori del suo passato e i demoni che abitano il suo cuore. È un ministro, ma è anche un uomo, capace di peccare.
Se vi piace l'avventura, il mare, gli amori impossibili, gli uomini testardi e i personaggi femminili tosti, ironici, ma anche fragili, vale la pena di dare un'occasione a Relitto. Questo romanzo vi farà ridere, certo, ma soprattutto riflettere sulla natura dell’uomo, sulla superstizione e anche sulla fede. In più, le descrizione marine vi lasceranno senza fiato, così come il finale.
«Non posso aspettare così a lungo. Non intendo rinunciare a tutto per l’amore perfetto nell’aldilà. Sono una donna appassionata e voglio l’amore in questa vita, perfetto o no. E se non l’amore, almeno la vita.»
Questo romanzo mi ha sorpresa in positivo sin dalle prime pagine, tutto mi aspettavo fuorché un romanzo divertente, ironico, ma anche profondo e spirituale. Mary è una donna forte che ne ha passate tante e che ancora non ha finito di lottare per la sua vita, per molti aspetti è una donna con uno spirito che anticipa i tempi: è ironica, sfacciata, stoica e non si lascia (quasi) mai sconfiggere dalle maldicenze; però è anche una donna del XIX secolo, molto superstiziosa e anche un po’ vanitosa. Alla fine, il giudizio degli altri pesa per tutti noi. Eppure, in qualche modo, riesce sempre a fregarsene e fare quello che le passa per la testa. Con l’arrivo del ministro, il suo animo si placa e cerca di dimostrargli quanto sia una donna devota e di fede, ma il suo destino è un mare in burrasca e neanche le preghiere saranno in grado di salvarla. Gideon, invece, è un uomo invasato, che cerca di nascondere dietro una fede ferrea tutti gli errori del suo passato e i demoni che abitano il suo cuore. È un ministro, ma è anche un uomo, capace di peccare.
Se vi piace l'avventura, il mare, gli amori impossibili, gli uomini testardi e i personaggi femminili tosti, ironici, ma anche fragili, vale la pena di dare un'occasione a Relitto. Questo romanzo vi farà ridere, certo, ma soprattutto riflettere sulla natura dell’uomo, sulla superstizione e anche sulla fede. In più, le descrizione marine vi lasceranno senza fiato, così come il finale.
July 6, 2018
The wild and windswept Cornish coast with its rich history of ship wrecks comes alive in this story of village secrets and ancient superstition.
Like all the villagers in the remote Cornish village of Porthmorvoren whenever there is a ship wreck, Mary Blight heads to the beach to see what she can salvage, sometimes it’s a trinket or two, or occasionally, something more serviceable like a pair of wearable boots. When she discovers a distressed man in the sea, Mary risks everything to rescue him and nurses him back to health, but the villagers soon start to gossip about Mary’s motives for helping this stranger. The rescued man is Gideon Stone, an evangelical Methodist minister, who, on regaining his strength, sets out to bring salvation to this remote village which is blighted by religious fervour and age old superstitions.
Wrecker is something of a slow burner of a story which I think is quite deliberate as it allows the place and its people to feature in a very realistic sort of way. The harsh realities of eking out a meagre existence in this unforgiving landscape are well described, as is the way that petty differences and scurrilous gossip are allowed to wreck and ruin lives. With a strong sense of time and place Wrecker comes beautifully to life, bringing together a strong story which is filled with a sense of destiny and which captures perfectly the spirit of this harsh and unforgiving time.
My thanks to Lovereading.co.uk for my review copy of this book.
Like all the villagers in the remote Cornish village of Porthmorvoren whenever there is a ship wreck, Mary Blight heads to the beach to see what she can salvage, sometimes it’s a trinket or two, or occasionally, something more serviceable like a pair of wearable boots. When she discovers a distressed man in the sea, Mary risks everything to rescue him and nurses him back to health, but the villagers soon start to gossip about Mary’s motives for helping this stranger. The rescued man is Gideon Stone, an evangelical Methodist minister, who, on regaining his strength, sets out to bring salvation to this remote village which is blighted by religious fervour and age old superstitions.
Wrecker is something of a slow burner of a story which I think is quite deliberate as it allows the place and its people to feature in a very realistic sort of way. The harsh realities of eking out a meagre existence in this unforgiving landscape are well described, as is the way that petty differences and scurrilous gossip are allowed to wreck and ruin lives. With a strong sense of time and place Wrecker comes beautifully to life, bringing together a strong story which is filled with a sense of destiny and which captures perfectly the spirit of this harsh and unforgiving time.
My thanks to Lovereading.co.uk for my review copy of this book.
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