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The Visitors
From the highly acclaimed author of The Photographer of the Lost, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick, comes a tale of a young war widow and one life-changing, sun-drenched visit to Cornwall in the summer of 1923...
Esme Nicholls is to spend the summer in Cornwall. Her late husband Alec, who died fighting in the war, grew up in Penzance, and she’s hoping to learn more about the man she loved and lost.
While there, she will stay with Gilbert, in his rambling seaside house, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. Esme is fascinated by this community of eccentric artists and former soldiers, and as she gets to know the men and their stories, she begins to feel this summer might be exactly what she needs.
But everything is not as idyllic as it seems – a mysterious new arrival later in the summer will turn Esme’s world upside down, and make her question everything she thought she knew about her life, and the people in it.
Full of light, laughter and larger-than-life characters, The Visitors is a novel of one woman finally finding her voice and choosing her own path forwards.
Esme Nicholls is to spend the summer in Cornwall. Her late husband Alec, who died fighting in the war, grew up in Penzance, and she’s hoping to learn more about the man she loved and lost.
While there, she will stay with Gilbert, in his rambling seaside house, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. Esme is fascinated by this community of eccentric artists and former soldiers, and as she gets to know the men and their stories, she begins to feel this summer might be exactly what she needs.
But everything is not as idyllic as it seems – a mysterious new arrival later in the summer will turn Esme’s world upside down, and make her question everything she thought she knew about her life, and the people in it.
Full of light, laughter and larger-than-life characters, The Visitors is a novel of one woman finally finding her voice and choosing her own path forwards.
445 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2021
34 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Scott
8 books235 followersAfter completing a PhD in History, at the University of Durham, Caroline Scott worked as a researcher in Belgium and France. She has a particular interest in the experience of women during the First World War, in the challenges faced by the returning soldier, and in the development of tourism and pilgrimage in the former conflict zones. Caroline lives in southwest France and is now writing historical fiction for Simon & Schuster UK and William Morrow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
November 14, 2021
Esme Nicholls like so many women of her generation, lost her husband Alec in The Great War and she’s being mourning him for years. As time goes by, she tries to hold on to the precious memories she shared with Alec, and they only had seven months together when he marched off to war.
Her employer and friend Mrs. Fernlea Pickering notices Esme's looking rather peaked, she suggests spending the summer with her in Cornwall and where her brother Mr. Gilbert Edgerton owns a house called Esperance. Alec grew up in nearby Penzance, she hopes to be able to visit the cottage where he lived as a child, and it might make her feel closer to her deceased husband?
Esme works in Mrs. Pickering’s garden, it saved her from succumbing to her grief, and she enjoys looking at the beautiful scenery as she travels by train from Devon to Cornwall. Gilbert’s newly renovated garden and house is lovely, and he shares it with members of his regiment, former soldiers, Sebastian, Rory, Hal and Clarence. A group of artists, writers and misfits, and all have suffered terribly during the war and Esme hears men crying out during the night.
Esme finds solace in Cornwall, she and Rory become friends, they share the love of gardening and she doesn't feel so old and downtrodden. Another member of the regiment visits Esperance house, it causes Esme to question what really happened during the war to Alec, and she feels betrayed.
The Visitors is a story set five years after the end of The Great War, it's about the lasting impact it had on the men who fought so bravely, many struggled mentally, and they couldn’t to return to work, and their marriages failed. Caroline Scott has a way of writing about WW I, that immediately grabs your attention and through her narrative, you feel and experience the burden of the war to end all wars. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK, brilliant, and five stars from me.
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Her employer and friend Mrs. Fernlea Pickering notices Esme's looking rather peaked, she suggests spending the summer with her in Cornwall and where her brother Mr. Gilbert Edgerton owns a house called Esperance. Alec grew up in nearby Penzance, she hopes to be able to visit the cottage where he lived as a child, and it might make her feel closer to her deceased husband?
Esme works in Mrs. Pickering’s garden, it saved her from succumbing to her grief, and she enjoys looking at the beautiful scenery as she travels by train from Devon to Cornwall. Gilbert’s newly renovated garden and house is lovely, and he shares it with members of his regiment, former soldiers, Sebastian, Rory, Hal and Clarence. A group of artists, writers and misfits, and all have suffered terribly during the war and Esme hears men crying out during the night.
Esme finds solace in Cornwall, she and Rory become friends, they share the love of gardening and she doesn't feel so old and downtrodden. Another member of the regiment visits Esperance house, it causes Esme to question what really happened during the war to Alec, and she feels betrayed.
The Visitors is a story set five years after the end of The Great War, it's about the lasting impact it had on the men who fought so bravely, many struggled mentally, and they couldn’t to return to work, and their marriages failed. Caroline Scott has a way of writing about WW I, that immediately grabs your attention and through her narrative, you feel and experience the burden of the war to end all wars. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK, brilliant, and five stars from me.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KarrenReadsH...
November 22, 2021
Esme Nichols is to spend the summer in Cornwall. Her late husband Alec, who died fighting in the war, grew up in Penzance, and she's hoping to learn more about the man she loved and lost. While there, she will stay with Gilbert, in his rambling seaside house, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. Esme is fascinated by the community of eccentric artists and former soldiers, and as gets to know the men and their stories, she begins to feel the summer might be exactly what she needs.
What an emotional read this book is. The former brothers in arms that are staying with Gilbert are all suffering from PTSD. The story is set five years after the end of the great war. A beautifully poignant story. I loved this book.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #SimonSchuster and the author #CarolineScott for my ARC of #TheVisitors in exchange for an honest review.
What an emotional read this book is. The former brothers in arms that are staying with Gilbert are all suffering from PTSD. The story is set five years after the end of the great war. A beautifully poignant story. I loved this book.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #SimonSchuster and the author #CarolineScott for my ARC of #TheVisitors in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2021
I absolutely loved Caroline Scott’s two previous books, The Photographer of the Lost and When I Come Home Again and In The Visitors, she continues her exploration of the impact of the First World War on both those who fought and the loved ones of those who never came home.
Having enjoyed many happy holidays in Cornwall, I loved the setting and the way the author conjured up the beautiful landscape and seascape of the area around St. Ives. There is some wonderful descriptive writing that at times is almost poetic in nature. ‘Esme watched the morning mist lifting. In this opalescent light, the garden was a watercolour and the birdsong was like a salutation.’
The theme of the healing power of nature runs throughout the book. Having originally found solace in tending the garden of her employer, Mrs Pickering, when she was first widowed, Esme feels an immediate affinity with Mrs Pickering’s brother, Gilbert Edgerton, who has channelled his energy into creating a wonderful garden. Esme’s love of nature is shared by Rory, one of the former soldiers who form part of Gilbert’s household. Together Rory and Esme find joy in observing the flora and fauna that surround the house. ‘Rose-chafer beetles shone among the browning May blossom, glinting a metallic copper green.’ And I thought it was clever to include excerpts from the nature column that Esme contributes to her local newspaper back in Yorkshire.
I loved the idea that the act of planning a garden, nurturing plants, saving seed and sowing it again, and planting trees provide a sense of continuity and demonstrates a belief in the future. And that, with time, nature will return to even the most barren landscape, evidenced by the poppies and other wildflowers that bloomed in the abandoned battlefields of the Western Front.
Esme’s memories of her marriage to Alec, her reflection that more time has passed since his death than they spent together, is a poignant reminder of the grief that so many women experienced during and after the First World War; the dreams dashed and the lives changed forever. At one point Esme recalls how she and Alec had vowed to ‘be braver together, travel further, and never be like those couples who sat in disappointed silence’. Now, often all Esme has is that disappointed silence.
Each of the members of Gilbert’s household are deftly drawn so that the reader gets a sense of the very different ways in which the war has affected them, whether that’s physically, emotionally or psychologically. So there’s silence where once there was a beautiful singing voice, sleep disturbed by nightmares, a lingering sense of guilt at not having been able to save others. However, what also comes across is that they are a band of brothers who share a bond forged in war, one that can never be broken. The excerpts from Rory’s book documenting his experiences on the frontline provide the reader with a stark insight into the reality of war and depict the dreadful sights that he and his comrades witnessed. For Esme, reading Rory’s book also provides answers to the many questions that arise following the unexpected event part way through the book that turns everything on its head.
The Visitors is a book that rewards the reader on so many different levels. It’s a meditation on grief, betrayal and loss but also an affirmation that, despite discovering what you always believed to be true may have been an illusion, it is possible to find the strength to start over again and the courage to follow your heart.
Did The Visitors pass the ultimate test, namely that a Caroline Scott novel makes me cry at some point? You bet it did.
Having enjoyed many happy holidays in Cornwall, I loved the setting and the way the author conjured up the beautiful landscape and seascape of the area around St. Ives. There is some wonderful descriptive writing that at times is almost poetic in nature. ‘Esme watched the morning mist lifting. In this opalescent light, the garden was a watercolour and the birdsong was like a salutation.’
The theme of the healing power of nature runs throughout the book. Having originally found solace in tending the garden of her employer, Mrs Pickering, when she was first widowed, Esme feels an immediate affinity with Mrs Pickering’s brother, Gilbert Edgerton, who has channelled his energy into creating a wonderful garden. Esme’s love of nature is shared by Rory, one of the former soldiers who form part of Gilbert’s household. Together Rory and Esme find joy in observing the flora and fauna that surround the house. ‘Rose-chafer beetles shone among the browning May blossom, glinting a metallic copper green.’ And I thought it was clever to include excerpts from the nature column that Esme contributes to her local newspaper back in Yorkshire.
I loved the idea that the act of planning a garden, nurturing plants, saving seed and sowing it again, and planting trees provide a sense of continuity and demonstrates a belief in the future. And that, with time, nature will return to even the most barren landscape, evidenced by the poppies and other wildflowers that bloomed in the abandoned battlefields of the Western Front.
Esme’s memories of her marriage to Alec, her reflection that more time has passed since his death than they spent together, is a poignant reminder of the grief that so many women experienced during and after the First World War; the dreams dashed and the lives changed forever. At one point Esme recalls how she and Alec had vowed to ‘be braver together, travel further, and never be like those couples who sat in disappointed silence’. Now, often all Esme has is that disappointed silence.
Each of the members of Gilbert’s household are deftly drawn so that the reader gets a sense of the very different ways in which the war has affected them, whether that’s physically, emotionally or psychologically. So there’s silence where once there was a beautiful singing voice, sleep disturbed by nightmares, a lingering sense of guilt at not having been able to save others. However, what also comes across is that they are a band of brothers who share a bond forged in war, one that can never be broken. The excerpts from Rory’s book documenting his experiences on the frontline provide the reader with a stark insight into the reality of war and depict the dreadful sights that he and his comrades witnessed. For Esme, reading Rory’s book also provides answers to the many questions that arise following the unexpected event part way through the book that turns everything on its head.
The Visitors is a book that rewards the reader on so many different levels. It’s a meditation on grief, betrayal and loss but also an affirmation that, despite discovering what you always believed to be true may have been an illusion, it is possible to find the strength to start over again and the courage to follow your heart.
Did The Visitors pass the ultimate test, namely that a Caroline Scott novel makes me cry at some point? You bet it did.
December 15, 2021
For the third time, Caroline Scott has produced a book of the most exceptional beauty – and one so stunning that I have no idea how I can possibly find the words to capture it in a review.
It’s 1923, and seven years since Esme Nicholls lost her husband Alec in the Great War. Their time together was brief, but it was an extraordinary love affair – her great sadness at his loss and her status of widowhood is central to her being – and also forced changes in her circumstances, first working as gardener and then as live-in housekeeper and companion, also writing a newspaper column as their nature correspondent. She finds herself spending the summer in Cornwall, staying with her employer’s brother and the group of damaged ex-soldiers who have made Espérance their home – and, as her husband was originally from Penzance, it also offers her the opportunity to feel closer to the landscape that shaped him, and to find out more about his childhood.
The characterisation in this book is quite exceptional. Esme herself is enveloped in her sadness – everything about her echoes her loss, the dark colours she wears, her attachment to convention, the solace she finds only in the beauty of nature – but there are glimpses of the independent and vibrant young woman she used to be. Through the course of the book and the unexpected twists and turns of the story, she shows extraordinary strength and resilience and slowly rediscovers that vibrancy and sense of fun – it was a sheer joy to see her blossom once more. But the individuals of Espérance are equally fascinating – their camaraderie forged through the most difficult of times, their separate fragilities hidden beneath their eccentricities, their air of bonhomie and their bohemian lives.
The story is told from Esme’s perspective, but interspersed with the nature articles she continue to write – and also passages from an unpublished book, an account of his wartime experiences, written by Rory, one of the band of brothers with whom she develops an attachment that I found both moving and enchanting. Through the pages of that book, Esme hopes to find some understanding, some insight into the experiences that her husband lived through – and she most certainly does, along with developing a deeper knowledge of the horror and immense sadness that drew the individuals together and some of the moments that left an indelible mark on Rory himself.
The writing is ineffably beautiful – particularly in the way it draws on the natural world, the weather and the way it changes both the scenery and the mood, the way it provides solace, the small details of birds and flowers, those splashes of beauty and colour that the author always captures so well. And on an emotional level, I can hardly tell you how very deeply this book made me feel – it’s an entirely compelling story, powerful in its impact, poignant and desperately moving. I loved every single moment – and, once more, I just have to say that the author has produced one of the very best books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year.
It’s 1923, and seven years since Esme Nicholls lost her husband Alec in the Great War. Their time together was brief, but it was an extraordinary love affair – her great sadness at his loss and her status of widowhood is central to her being – and also forced changes in her circumstances, first working as gardener and then as live-in housekeeper and companion, also writing a newspaper column as their nature correspondent. She finds herself spending the summer in Cornwall, staying with her employer’s brother and the group of damaged ex-soldiers who have made Espérance their home – and, as her husband was originally from Penzance, it also offers her the opportunity to feel closer to the landscape that shaped him, and to find out more about his childhood.
The characterisation in this book is quite exceptional. Esme herself is enveloped in her sadness – everything about her echoes her loss, the dark colours she wears, her attachment to convention, the solace she finds only in the beauty of nature – but there are glimpses of the independent and vibrant young woman she used to be. Through the course of the book and the unexpected twists and turns of the story, she shows extraordinary strength and resilience and slowly rediscovers that vibrancy and sense of fun – it was a sheer joy to see her blossom once more. But the individuals of Espérance are equally fascinating – their camaraderie forged through the most difficult of times, their separate fragilities hidden beneath their eccentricities, their air of bonhomie and their bohemian lives.
The story is told from Esme’s perspective, but interspersed with the nature articles she continue to write – and also passages from an unpublished book, an account of his wartime experiences, written by Rory, one of the band of brothers with whom she develops an attachment that I found both moving and enchanting. Through the pages of that book, Esme hopes to find some understanding, some insight into the experiences that her husband lived through – and she most certainly does, along with developing a deeper knowledge of the horror and immense sadness that drew the individuals together and some of the moments that left an indelible mark on Rory himself.
The writing is ineffably beautiful – particularly in the way it draws on the natural world, the weather and the way it changes both the scenery and the mood, the way it provides solace, the small details of birds and flowers, those splashes of beauty and colour that the author always captures so well. And on an emotional level, I can hardly tell you how very deeply this book made me feel – it’s an entirely compelling story, powerful in its impact, poignant and desperately moving. I loved every single moment – and, once more, I just have to say that the author has produced one of the very best books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year.
June 9, 2024
Honestly, it took me a bit to get into this but I had other things going on and didn’t give it a lot of concentration. But as I settled down and read more of it, I loved it. The writing is gorgeous, the characters are familiar, just a good book.
March 20, 2023
It's difficult to know where to start with a Caroline Scott book but perhaps I'll begin by saying that as usual I was captivated by the prose.
"Three sustained notes were repeated, pure and piercing, and then a pause. It wasn't a joined-up song like a blackbird's, but there was an arresting directness and focus to the notes, as if the bird might be performing from a musical score. There was also a forcefulness to it, a great energy, and I felt that the nightingale must be putting its whole heart and soul into the song." Page 112
And this about sums up my feeling when I read a Caroline Scott novel (this is my third). Ms Scott puts her whole heart and soul into the story and her generosity is felt in the intricate web of imagery she creates that takes me into the time, the moment and the emotion of these damaged survivors of an evil beyond comprehension, WAR.
Ms Scott writes about the First World War and the tangled horror that permeates the pages of each truly exceptional cameo picture of a time that can scarcely be explained. The lives cut short, the hyphened and abbreviated plans, romances, promises made and broken through psychological alteration due to an evil no human being should have to endure.
Ms Scott has a way of threading the Ariadne cord of hope and redemption through the most scarring lacerations of both nature and the human soul. The sacred song of a nightingale pierces the raining incessance of bombs and artillery, its cry for love bleeding through the worst of human insanity and immorality. That the song touches the hearts of the two desperately young men who hear it is nothing short of genius storytelling.
I love the balance of light and shadow in Ms Scott's work and the capturing of a time faded to graves and old photographs. She brings the summer of 1923 to vivid, dazzling life in a tale twisted and strange, the shocking revelations coming to light in the magical cove in Cornwall where healing is fervently sought and eminently possible.
She brings the horror of war alive in passages like this one Pge 189.
"As we go forward, there is almost no break in the noise and darkness pitches about. It rushes and roars around us, and my thoughts no longer form themselves into words. All I know is sensation: the fork of leaping light that leaves an echo behind my eyes, the lurch of the earth beneath my feet, the smell of lyddite and smoke, the sourness of fear in my mouth and the slam of sound that is so very much more than a drumroll."
All the senses are assaulted and engaged in this single paragraph. There is no escaping the war and its horror. And later, in Cornwall, after another revelation, Pge 349.
"The sea lashed white against the black rocks, sending up shocks of foam. She felt it boom beneath her feet. Some almighty detonation might be going off in the mines deep below. The promontory seemed to be throbbing with it, as if the whole cliff might fall away at any moment."
Ms Scott is a consummate storyteller, a painter of word pictures so vividly alive the images breathe, seduce and embroil.
Highly recommended for all readers who love a compelling story told by a master wordsmith.
"Three sustained notes were repeated, pure and piercing, and then a pause. It wasn't a joined-up song like a blackbird's, but there was an arresting directness and focus to the notes, as if the bird might be performing from a musical score. There was also a forcefulness to it, a great energy, and I felt that the nightingale must be putting its whole heart and soul into the song." Page 112
And this about sums up my feeling when I read a Caroline Scott novel (this is my third). Ms Scott puts her whole heart and soul into the story and her generosity is felt in the intricate web of imagery she creates that takes me into the time, the moment and the emotion of these damaged survivors of an evil beyond comprehension, WAR.
Ms Scott writes about the First World War and the tangled horror that permeates the pages of each truly exceptional cameo picture of a time that can scarcely be explained. The lives cut short, the hyphened and abbreviated plans, romances, promises made and broken through psychological alteration due to an evil no human being should have to endure.
Ms Scott has a way of threading the Ariadne cord of hope and redemption through the most scarring lacerations of both nature and the human soul. The sacred song of a nightingale pierces the raining incessance of bombs and artillery, its cry for love bleeding through the worst of human insanity and immorality. That the song touches the hearts of the two desperately young men who hear it is nothing short of genius storytelling.
I love the balance of light and shadow in Ms Scott's work and the capturing of a time faded to graves and old photographs. She brings the summer of 1923 to vivid, dazzling life in a tale twisted and strange, the shocking revelations coming to light in the magical cove in Cornwall where healing is fervently sought and eminently possible.
She brings the horror of war alive in passages like this one Pge 189.
"As we go forward, there is almost no break in the noise and darkness pitches about. It rushes and roars around us, and my thoughts no longer form themselves into words. All I know is sensation: the fork of leaping light that leaves an echo behind my eyes, the lurch of the earth beneath my feet, the smell of lyddite and smoke, the sourness of fear in my mouth and the slam of sound that is so very much more than a drumroll."
All the senses are assaulted and engaged in this single paragraph. There is no escaping the war and its horror. And later, in Cornwall, after another revelation, Pge 349.
"The sea lashed white against the black rocks, sending up shocks of foam. She felt it boom beneath her feet. Some almighty detonation might be going off in the mines deep below. The promontory seemed to be throbbing with it, as if the whole cliff might fall away at any moment."
Ms Scott is a consummate storyteller, a painter of word pictures so vividly alive the images breathe, seduce and embroil.
Highly recommended for all readers who love a compelling story told by a master wordsmith.
December 20, 2021
An exquisitely written story. The depictions of the countryside in Cornwall and the descriptions of the weather are so beautiful and mirror feelings and events in the lives of the characters. I love how Rory's experiences of war are interspersed with Esme's articles on the Flora and Fauna and with the daily occupations of the merry band of people staying at the house in the summer of 1923. A absolutely loved this heartwarming story. So moving.
May 3, 2022
https://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/revie...
This story is nothing like I thought it was going to be …
I’ve read The Photographer of the Lost and so knew Caroline Scott’s passion for bringing to light untold perspectives and stories from the Great War. What I wasn’t expecting was how easy it was to empathise with Esme and become tangled up in all the emotions.
After losing Alec, Esme is trying to find where she belongs. She’s gone from budding journalist to wife, then a gardener during the war, to widow and housekeeper. And housekeeper isn’t the role she’s been educated for …
Touching briefly on how displaced and disparaged the women were after the war, (it’s not just the men who had to adjust to change), Esme is hoping to come to some decisions during her summer stay in Cornwall.
And wow! There are shocks and surprises while she’s in Cornwall staying at Esperance!
There I was, enjoying the introspection and the pace of the story and getting to know the characters when BAM. No! How could that be?
Morally and ethically, this opens up so many questions. I had no idea what Esme would do. I understood her conflicting thoughts and emotions and have to say, held a great deal of respect for how she handles it.
I thought then I knew where the story was going (which I kind of did) but there’s still another surprise in store. Was this ever going to go the way I wanted it to? The suspense had me guessing.
I have to say that I FELT how unsettling life was for Esme. When you don’t know what life holds for you anymore and you don’t have any ideas of what you can do next and you’re always second guessing yourself – exhausting and draining. Especially when you’re a person who finds it difficult to cope without a plan (yep, that’s me).
I understood the reluctance of Esperance’s occupants to talk about the war. My dad was the same about WWII. I found it quite emotive getting to know Gilbert and his brothers in arms – what their lives were like before the war and how it changed them. Their experiences during the war are covered in Rory’s first hand account which is poignant and adds another layer to the story.
Esme’s column in the newspaper grounded me in the here and now whilst also giving valuable insights into the myths, legends, flora and fauna of the landscape.
The Visitors is an emotive story on many levels. I think you can tell just how much I loved it 🙂
This story is nothing like I thought it was going to be …
I’ve read The Photographer of the Lost and so knew Caroline Scott’s passion for bringing to light untold perspectives and stories from the Great War. What I wasn’t expecting was how easy it was to empathise with Esme and become tangled up in all the emotions.
After losing Alec, Esme is trying to find where she belongs. She’s gone from budding journalist to wife, then a gardener during the war, to widow and housekeeper. And housekeeper isn’t the role she’s been educated for …
Touching briefly on how displaced and disparaged the women were after the war, (it’s not just the men who had to adjust to change), Esme is hoping to come to some decisions during her summer stay in Cornwall.
And wow! There are shocks and surprises while she’s in Cornwall staying at Esperance!
There I was, enjoying the introspection and the pace of the story and getting to know the characters when BAM. No! How could that be?
Morally and ethically, this opens up so many questions. I had no idea what Esme would do. I understood her conflicting thoughts and emotions and have to say, held a great deal of respect for how she handles it.
I thought then I knew where the story was going (which I kind of did) but there’s still another surprise in store. Was this ever going to go the way I wanted it to? The suspense had me guessing.
I have to say that I FELT how unsettling life was for Esme. When you don’t know what life holds for you anymore and you don’t have any ideas of what you can do next and you’re always second guessing yourself – exhausting and draining. Especially when you’re a person who finds it difficult to cope without a plan (yep, that’s me).
I understood the reluctance of Esperance’s occupants to talk about the war. My dad was the same about WWII. I found it quite emotive getting to know Gilbert and his brothers in arms – what their lives were like before the war and how it changed them. Their experiences during the war are covered in Rory’s first hand account which is poignant and adds another layer to the story.
Esme’s column in the newspaper grounded me in the here and now whilst also giving valuable insights into the myths, legends, flora and fauna of the landscape.
The Visitors is an emotive story on many levels. I think you can tell just how much I loved it 🙂
January 20, 2023
Caroline Scott writes the most amazing, moving stories about the men and women whose lives were impacted by the Great War. She has clearly researched her subject as she highlights the horrors that the men were subjected to and how their experiences affected the women left at home without spending pages and pages detailing the fighting.
In this third novel, we meet Esme, a war widow, whose husband’s death nine years earlier has forced her to give up her marital home and go to work for Fenella Pickering, becoming first a gardener, then, after the return from the war of the previous gardener, as housekeeper and companion. Mrs Pickering has been very unwell and is going down to Cornwall from Yorkshire, to spend the summer convalescing at the house owned by her brother Gilbert. She dispatches Esme in advance to check that the house is suitably clean and well appointed, having been horrified by its lack of facilities on a previous visit. The house, Esperance, is occupied by Gilbert and a group of his friends, all comrades from the war. They are mostly artists or writers and they live as a kind of commune, sharing household tasks and tending to the beautiful garden, whilst also working on their own projects.
Esme is bemused at the start of her stay by the set up, but as the summer progresses, she notices how idyllic and peaceful their surroundings are and how well the occupants get along together. As she settles in and gets to know the men and their routines she gradually starts to make progress with her grief at the loss of her husband Alec. He had grown up in nearby Penzance so she hopes to find out what his childhood home was like and hopefully to meet someone who knew him. Her progress is derailed later in the summer by the arrival of another former comrade , as it turns her world upside down and makes her question everything she previously thought she knew. Her growing friendship with all the men, but particularly with Rory and Hal start to help her move forward, and Mrs Pickering, who she previously only thought of as a rather prim and proper employer, starts to become more of a friend.
The descriptions of the garden, the birds and even the brief descriptions of warfare are so vivid that I felt I was there. Esme is a great character and Ms Scott really portrays her emotions throughout, and the other characters, particularly Rory and Hal are lovely. Sebastian is spiteful and unkind to Esme at times but by the end of the book even he starts to unbend. By the end of the summer Esme has started to heal from her grief and shock and has a decision to make.......
If you loved The Photographer of the Lost and When I Come Home Again as much as I did, you will love this book too. I cannot recommend it highly enough and am waiting to see what Caroline Scott writes next.
In this third novel, we meet Esme, a war widow, whose husband’s death nine years earlier has forced her to give up her marital home and go to work for Fenella Pickering, becoming first a gardener, then, after the return from the war of the previous gardener, as housekeeper and companion. Mrs Pickering has been very unwell and is going down to Cornwall from Yorkshire, to spend the summer convalescing at the house owned by her brother Gilbert. She dispatches Esme in advance to check that the house is suitably clean and well appointed, having been horrified by its lack of facilities on a previous visit. The house, Esperance, is occupied by Gilbert and a group of his friends, all comrades from the war. They are mostly artists or writers and they live as a kind of commune, sharing household tasks and tending to the beautiful garden, whilst also working on their own projects.
Esme is bemused at the start of her stay by the set up, but as the summer progresses, she notices how idyllic and peaceful their surroundings are and how well the occupants get along together. As she settles in and gets to know the men and their routines she gradually starts to make progress with her grief at the loss of her husband Alec. He had grown up in nearby Penzance so she hopes to find out what his childhood home was like and hopefully to meet someone who knew him. Her progress is derailed later in the summer by the arrival of another former comrade , as it turns her world upside down and makes her question everything she previously thought she knew. Her growing friendship with all the men, but particularly with Rory and Hal start to help her move forward, and Mrs Pickering, who she previously only thought of as a rather prim and proper employer, starts to become more of a friend.
The descriptions of the garden, the birds and even the brief descriptions of warfare are so vivid that I felt I was there. Esme is a great character and Ms Scott really portrays her emotions throughout, and the other characters, particularly Rory and Hal are lovely. Sebastian is spiteful and unkind to Esme at times but by the end of the book even he starts to unbend. By the end of the summer Esme has started to heal from her grief and shock and has a decision to make.......
If you loved The Photographer of the Lost and When I Come Home Again as much as I did, you will love this book too. I cannot recommend it highly enough and am waiting to see what Caroline Scott writes next.
March 29, 2022
It is the summer of 1923 and Esme Nicholls, a war widow, is visiting Cornwall, the home county of her late husband. Like many women she is grieving and living with the consequences of World War One, as are the group of men and women she stays with. Their story is told through the narratives of the characters, interspersed with Esme's newspaper articles on the flora and fauna, and excerpts from the memoirs of one of the male war veterans.
Essentially this is a book in two halves. The first is a slow, meandering establishment of the characters, the second follows a twist that drives the book forward, although the pacing remains very relaxed. There was a lot to admire here. The author captures the turmoil of grief for both women and male survivors of the war. The main characters are well developed. However, what began as the books strength for me, soon became its nemesis. This is a very long, very wordy novel. It is full of description. Every single item or scene appears to warrant sentences full of adjectives and even for a reader like me who loves words and description, this became too much and detracted rather than added to the story. I also found myself somewhat at odds with Esme, her flaws, her indecision, her final conclusions, and I had to regularly remind myself that this was the 1920s (although there were some other problems with actions and the time period as well).
Ultimately this is a book about grief and love, and while I sometimes struggled, it was overall an enjoyable read with (sometimes too) many beautiful descriptions of Cornwall.
Essentially this is a book in two halves. The first is a slow, meandering establishment of the characters, the second follows a twist that drives the book forward, although the pacing remains very relaxed. There was a lot to admire here. The author captures the turmoil of grief for both women and male survivors of the war. The main characters are well developed. However, what began as the books strength for me, soon became its nemesis. This is a very long, very wordy novel. It is full of description. Every single item or scene appears to warrant sentences full of adjectives and even for a reader like me who loves words and description, this became too much and detracted rather than added to the story. I also found myself somewhat at odds with Esme, her flaws, her indecision, her final conclusions, and I had to regularly remind myself that this was the 1920s (although there were some other problems with actions and the time period as well).
Ultimately this is a book about grief and love, and while I sometimes struggled, it was overall an enjoyable read with (sometimes too) many beautiful descriptions of Cornwall.
December 13, 2021
3-stars 📚
The Visitors by Caroline Scott
Published by Simon & Schuster
436 pages (hardback)
Authors should look to Scott’s writing if they want first-class poetically beautiful descriptions. She transports you back in time to another world and you can see the landscape and feel the wind in your hair whilst you’re reading.
The Visitors follows Esme’s story after losing a loved one during the war.
I felt every emotional element of this story - from the character’s happiness to their sadness and betrayal, it’s hard not to become attached when Scott writes them so well.
I enjoyed how nature and the elements really impacted on the reading experience, allowing you as a reader to pick up on subtle imagery and emotions.
I preferred The Photographer of the Lost, which was my first read by Scott. This felt more like a historical romance which explored World War One and the themes of grief, ptsd and ultimately, hope.
A (at most) lovely, easy read with some hard-hitting moments.
{Gifted in exchange for an honest review for a blog tour}
The Visitors by Caroline Scott
Published by Simon & Schuster
436 pages (hardback)
Authors should look to Scott’s writing if they want first-class poetically beautiful descriptions. She transports you back in time to another world and you can see the landscape and feel the wind in your hair whilst you’re reading.
The Visitors follows Esme’s story after losing a loved one during the war.
I felt every emotional element of this story - from the character’s happiness to their sadness and betrayal, it’s hard not to become attached when Scott writes them so well.
I enjoyed how nature and the elements really impacted on the reading experience, allowing you as a reader to pick up on subtle imagery and emotions.
I preferred The Photographer of the Lost, which was my first read by Scott. This felt more like a historical romance which explored World War One and the themes of grief, ptsd and ultimately, hope.
A (at most) lovely, easy read with some hard-hitting moments.
{Gifted in exchange for an honest review for a blog tour}
February 21, 2023
Slow first half and a bit too descriptive at times.
June 29, 2022
I found this book quite slow at first. The first half of the book is filled with beautiful descriptions of Cornwall and develops the characters. But it is slow and there is not much action.
The second half of the book picks up the pace. There are some big events and some interesting character development. And the introduction of chapters set in WW1 Ultimately, I really enjoyed these chapters. The battlefield scenes were in huge contrast to the poetic descriptions of Cornwall. And I wish there had been more of the stories from WW1 and the back stories of Gilbert’s troops. But I loved the ending and ultimately the book left me feeling warm and hopeful for the future.
The second half of the book picks up the pace. There are some big events and some interesting character development. And the introduction of chapters set in WW1 Ultimately, I really enjoyed these chapters. The battlefield scenes were in huge contrast to the poetic descriptions of Cornwall. And I wish there had been more of the stories from WW1 and the back stories of Gilbert’s troops. But I loved the ending and ultimately the book left me feeling warm and hopeful for the future.
April 11, 2023
Came for what I thought was going to be a murder mystery, stayed for the characters and the romance 😆😆😆 Lovely.
December 6, 2021
Caroline Scott has done it again!! Created a storyline and characters that captivate and affect you emotionally as you connect with their plight and watch the drama unfold as they try to make sense of the world, and do their best to move on.
Set in 1923 Cornwall, this is the story of Esme who is looking to try and come to terms with the grief she feels after losing her husband in the Great War. She comes to the area as that is where he grew up, and she wants to see if that will help her. She stays amongst a group of artists/soldiers who are all dealing with their own pain and suffering, but the community brings them some peace and comfort.
What stuck me most about this book was the link with nature. There are so many mentions that it just brings the surroundings to life and that healing feeling that only nature can bring to a soul.
One of the soldiers she meets is Rory, and he deals with his past by writing about it and that not only helps him, but helps Esme too as she reads his experiences of the war to help her connect with her husband.
The connection with nature is there again as you read about his experiences in the war - at times it feels like they're on a birdwatching break, but it cleverly shows that by them noticing the nature around them, helps them to cope with the brutality of war that they are facing on a daily basis. It makes them feel more human - they're just young men who have been sent off to be part of something so horrific and totally alien to the normal side of human behaviour. Watching the local wildlife helps them detach.
Esme is then rocked by a mystery visitor arriving in the area and you get the sense that maybe the past will never leave her, despite her desire to try and move on with her life.
This was a beautifully written story set over a few different timelines that blend seamlessly. The connection between characters was wonderfully touching and I adored it!!
Set in 1923 Cornwall, this is the story of Esme who is looking to try and come to terms with the grief she feels after losing her husband in the Great War. She comes to the area as that is where he grew up, and she wants to see if that will help her. She stays amongst a group of artists/soldiers who are all dealing with their own pain and suffering, but the community brings them some peace and comfort.
What stuck me most about this book was the link with nature. There are so many mentions that it just brings the surroundings to life and that healing feeling that only nature can bring to a soul.
One of the soldiers she meets is Rory, and he deals with his past by writing about it and that not only helps him, but helps Esme too as she reads his experiences of the war to help her connect with her husband.
The connection with nature is there again as you read about his experiences in the war - at times it feels like they're on a birdwatching break, but it cleverly shows that by them noticing the nature around them, helps them to cope with the brutality of war that they are facing on a daily basis. It makes them feel more human - they're just young men who have been sent off to be part of something so horrific and totally alien to the normal side of human behaviour. Watching the local wildlife helps them detach.
Esme is then rocked by a mystery visitor arriving in the area and you get the sense that maybe the past will never leave her, despite her desire to try and move on with her life.
This was a beautifully written story set over a few different timelines that blend seamlessly. The connection between characters was wonderfully touching and I adored it!!
December 17, 2021
This is a beautifully written and emotional book, looking at how the people who survived the First World War years dealt with the legacy of the war – the loss of lives, health, happiness and expected futures. Many of the survivors returned with physical and mental health issues, which were much less understood then.
When we first meet Esme, she is a living a quiet life as a widow who is mourning her husband, their marital home and her imagined future. Spending time in a house with men who fought in the war, and are dealing with their personal battles is an eye opener.
The house in Cornwall is owned by Gilbert (the brother of her employer, Fenella) and we discover via the diary style writing of Rory from 1916 onwards, how the other men (Sebastian, Hal and Clarence) came to meet each other and develop close bonds. We also find out more about Miles, who has moved away to London.
This is a summer of discovery for Esme, who seems to be stuck in limbo. She discovers a different pace of life and new friends, although some take longer than others to be nice to her. But can she finally shake off her widow’s clothes and embrace life again as a young woman?
I enjoyed Caroline’s first two books but this has become my new favourite. Cornwall comes to life with the beautiful descriptions of the flora, fauna and views. The characters are well developed and you quickly find yourself caring for them, especially as you learn more about their experiences. The book also reminds us how the war changed lives in ways you may not have appreciated before.
The mix of stories from the past from Esme and Rory, interwoven into the stories of the present (although set 100 years ago), made this a book I didn’t want to put down. I’m trying desperately not to give away any spoilers because this is a book that should be enjoyed in the exact order it was written. Another 5 star read from Caroline Scott (although I would like to give more than 5!).
When we first meet Esme, she is a living a quiet life as a widow who is mourning her husband, their marital home and her imagined future. Spending time in a house with men who fought in the war, and are dealing with their personal battles is an eye opener.
The house in Cornwall is owned by Gilbert (the brother of her employer, Fenella) and we discover via the diary style writing of Rory from 1916 onwards, how the other men (Sebastian, Hal and Clarence) came to meet each other and develop close bonds. We also find out more about Miles, who has moved away to London.
This is a summer of discovery for Esme, who seems to be stuck in limbo. She discovers a different pace of life and new friends, although some take longer than others to be nice to her. But can she finally shake off her widow’s clothes and embrace life again as a young woman?
I enjoyed Caroline’s first two books but this has become my new favourite. Cornwall comes to life with the beautiful descriptions of the flora, fauna and views. The characters are well developed and you quickly find yourself caring for them, especially as you learn more about their experiences. The book also reminds us how the war changed lives in ways you may not have appreciated before.
The mix of stories from the past from Esme and Rory, interwoven into the stories of the present (although set 100 years ago), made this a book I didn’t want to put down. I’m trying desperately not to give away any spoilers because this is a book that should be enjoyed in the exact order it was written. Another 5 star read from Caroline Scott (although I would like to give more than 5!).
March 20, 2022
SO. MUCH. REPETITION.
Pages and pages with lists of plants. Pages with lists of colours and lists of insects and lists of birds. As if the author had made all these lists in preparation for writing the book, and then was loathe to not use every single one.
The protagonist mulls over things, and we’re dragged along to mull (and mull) with her. Her angst and insecurities become extremely tedious very quickly. And with no storyline in sight by the time the first third of the book has lulled you to sleep, it’s hard to even care enough to speed read and skim the pages to the end.
It’s such a pity really, because it’s clear the author is able to write beautifully. But I can’t help feeling that her writing is in dire need of some good, sharp editing.
And then, unexpectedly almost half way through the book, the story finally takes off. I have no idea why the author felt that so many chapters were required for what most books accomplish with a prologue and chapter 1. Honestly. But in the end the second half of the book is a story with a fairly decent pace. The protagonist never becomes a heroine though; she remains hesitant and slightly irritating. As Mrs P said so well, “Must I shake you?” I felt like that about Esme all the way through.
Pages and pages with lists of plants. Pages with lists of colours and lists of insects and lists of birds. As if the author had made all these lists in preparation for writing the book, and then was loathe to not use every single one.
The protagonist mulls over things, and we’re dragged along to mull (and mull) with her. Her angst and insecurities become extremely tedious very quickly. And with no storyline in sight by the time the first third of the book has lulled you to sleep, it’s hard to even care enough to speed read and skim the pages to the end.
It’s such a pity really, because it’s clear the author is able to write beautifully. But I can’t help feeling that her writing is in dire need of some good, sharp editing.
And then, unexpectedly almost half way through the book, the story finally takes off. I have no idea why the author felt that so many chapters were required for what most books accomplish with a prologue and chapter 1. Honestly. But in the end the second half of the book is a story with a fairly decent pace. The protagonist never becomes a heroine though; she remains hesitant and slightly irritating. As Mrs P said so well, “Must I shake you?” I felt like that about Esme all the way through.
February 19, 2022
This stunning novel focuses on the impact that the First World War had on people, from the widows of men who died in foreign fields, to the soldiers who returned to a world that they no longer believed they belonged in, and the families who did not know how to handle them.
The location in Cornwall was idyllic and really helped highlight the healing qualities of being in nature.
When Esme is sent by her employer to spend the summer at the house, which is called Esperance (which means hope), Esme hopes to find the home where her late husband Alec grew up, to find a way to reconnect with his memory. Her employer’s brother Gilbert lives in Esperance with members of his regiment, who are all dealing with different traumas as a result of the war.
When the summer progresses, as Esme finds the location healing for her, her life is suddenly turned upside down by a betrayal that makes her question everything.
This beautiful novel captures the after-effects of war and how some people were able to eventually heal, while others found healing to be elusive.
The location in Cornwall was idyllic and really helped highlight the healing qualities of being in nature.
When Esme is sent by her employer to spend the summer at the house, which is called Esperance (which means hope), Esme hopes to find the home where her late husband Alec grew up, to find a way to reconnect with his memory. Her employer’s brother Gilbert lives in Esperance with members of his regiment, who are all dealing with different traumas as a result of the war.
When the summer progresses, as Esme finds the location healing for her, her life is suddenly turned upside down by a betrayal that makes her question everything.
This beautiful novel captures the after-effects of war and how some people were able to eventually heal, while others found healing to be elusive.
December 17, 2021
Esme is on her way to Cornwall.
It’s going to be hard to convey quite what a beautiful book The Visitors is. It has a luminosity and an almost ethereal allure that captivates from the very first sentence. I was completely lost between the pages of The Visitors. The quality of Caroline Scott’s prose is astounding. It is lyrical and occasionally brutal so that not only do we have a real insight into the very souls of the characters, but our own emotions are heightened by reading this story. Descriptions are so vivid and clear it almost felt as if I were there with the characters, and the intimacy of their lives touched me completely.
The plot is exquisitely crafted, blending Esme’s nature writing and her time in Cornwall alongside the men’s experiences in WW1 to perfection. The balance of light and shade between the settings is heart rending and adds to the heightened sensation of reading The Visitors. I genuinely felt physical emotion reading this narrative, like an ache deep inside, because it is so sensitive and touching. I think that what works so well in The Visitors is the authenticity of even the most dramatic aspects of the plot. It feels as if the author has written with her heart and soul as well as with meticulously researched authority.
I loved all the characters because they are so fully rounded and convincing. Initially I loathed Sebastian because of the way he reacted to Esme, but by the end of The Visitors I understood completely why each person in this story behaved the way they did. I’m not sure I forgive them all their actions and this is one of the successes of the story. Caroline Scott doesn’t preach or steer her reader to any particular conclusion so that the narrative resonates long after the story is finished. Cornwall itself feels as much a character as any of the humans as it is so perfectly, visually, described, but Esme is the real star of the narrative. She embodies the hopes and fears, the trials and tribulations of an entire generation of women. Her uncertainty about her position in society, her present and future roles and the way she questions the veracity of her past make her fascinating and frequently heart-breaking. In Esme, Caroline Scott has afforded the reader a crystal clear glimpse into post war England and given them a whole new understanding of how lives were altered.
The themes of The Visitors are very much of the era, but equally resonate today, making this such an affecting read. Friendship and loyalty, love and relationships, trauma and healing, the power of nature and the spoken or written word, forgiveness and personal growth weave through the pages in a glorious mosaic of meaning that I found enthralling. I loved the ultimate message of making the most of life, of being creative and of forgiving ourselves as well as others.
The Visitors is a beautiful book. That beauty comes through glorious prose, perfect storytelling and wonderful characterisation but somehow those elements seem to blend into something far greater than the sum of their parts. This is a haunting book that will linger with me for a very long time. I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it highly enough.
It’s going to be hard to convey quite what a beautiful book The Visitors is. It has a luminosity and an almost ethereal allure that captivates from the very first sentence. I was completely lost between the pages of The Visitors. The quality of Caroline Scott’s prose is astounding. It is lyrical and occasionally brutal so that not only do we have a real insight into the very souls of the characters, but our own emotions are heightened by reading this story. Descriptions are so vivid and clear it almost felt as if I were there with the characters, and the intimacy of their lives touched me completely.
The plot is exquisitely crafted, blending Esme’s nature writing and her time in Cornwall alongside the men’s experiences in WW1 to perfection. The balance of light and shade between the settings is heart rending and adds to the heightened sensation of reading The Visitors. I genuinely felt physical emotion reading this narrative, like an ache deep inside, because it is so sensitive and touching. I think that what works so well in The Visitors is the authenticity of even the most dramatic aspects of the plot. It feels as if the author has written with her heart and soul as well as with meticulously researched authority.
I loved all the characters because they are so fully rounded and convincing. Initially I loathed Sebastian because of the way he reacted to Esme, but by the end of The Visitors I understood completely why each person in this story behaved the way they did. I’m not sure I forgive them all their actions and this is one of the successes of the story. Caroline Scott doesn’t preach or steer her reader to any particular conclusion so that the narrative resonates long after the story is finished. Cornwall itself feels as much a character as any of the humans as it is so perfectly, visually, described, but Esme is the real star of the narrative. She embodies the hopes and fears, the trials and tribulations of an entire generation of women. Her uncertainty about her position in society, her present and future roles and the way she questions the veracity of her past make her fascinating and frequently heart-breaking. In Esme, Caroline Scott has afforded the reader a crystal clear glimpse into post war England and given them a whole new understanding of how lives were altered.
The themes of The Visitors are very much of the era, but equally resonate today, making this such an affecting read. Friendship and loyalty, love and relationships, trauma and healing, the power of nature and the spoken or written word, forgiveness and personal growth weave through the pages in a glorious mosaic of meaning that I found enthralling. I loved the ultimate message of making the most of life, of being creative and of forgiving ourselves as well as others.
The Visitors is a beautiful book. That beauty comes through glorious prose, perfect storytelling and wonderful characterisation but somehow those elements seem to blend into something far greater than the sum of their parts. This is a haunting book that will linger with me for a very long time. I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it highly enough.
December 10, 2021
England, 1923. Like thousands upon thousands of other young women, Esme Nicholls is a widow. Husband Alec lies in a functional grave in a military cemetery in Flanders. His face remains in a few photographs, and in her memories. Left penniless, she ekes out a living by writing a nature-notes feature for a northern provincial newspaper, and serving as a personal assistant to an older widow, Mrs Pickering. Mrs P has the advantage of being able to visit her husband’s grave whenever she wants, as he was not a victim of the war.
Mrs P decides she would like to visit her brother in Cornwall. and sends Esme on ahead. Gilbert Stanedge, funded by his sister, presides over a community of damaged young men he once commanded during the war. They live in a rambling old house they have renamed Espérance. Each man has been scarred – physically and mentally – by the horrors they faced in the trenches. Sebastian, Hal, Clarence and Rory contribute as best they can – paintings, pottery, husbandry – to the upkeep of the house.
Esme’s initial reluctance to go to Cornwall is tempered by the fact that it was where Alec grew up. Could a visit to the street where he lived, or a stroll along the beaches he played on as a child keep the flame of remembrance burning a little brighter, for a little longer?
Caroline Scott treats us to a high summer in Cornwall, where every flower, rustle of leaves in the breeze and flit of insect is described with almost intoxicating detail. Readers who remember her previous novel When I Come Home Again will be unsurprised by this detail. In the novel, she references that greatest of all poet of England’s nature, John Clare, but I also sense something of Matthew Arnold’s poems The Scholar Gypsy and Thyrsis, so memorably set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Another clever plot device brings us face to face with the horrors that the men faced in the trenches of Flanders. Rory has written a book detailing what happened. It is still unpublished but, as Esme grows closer to him, he lets her read it. She is still, of course searching for something – anything – of Alec.
Half way through the novel, Caroline Scott employs a vertiginous plot twist. Readers must decide for themselves if it is plausible. Further detail from me would be a spoiler, but yes, after a few raised eyebrows it did work. The Visitors is an astonishing tale of love, betrayal, heartache and – finally – redemption. With its two predecessors (click on the images below for more information) it makes a remarkable trilogy of novels about the men and women who survived the carnage of 1914 – 1918, but came away with scars and damage that sometimes never healed. Published by Simon & Schuster, The Visitors is out now.
June 30, 2022
The Visitors is set in Cornwall in 1923, and tells the story of war widow Esme Nicholl’s life-changing holiday there. Her late husband Alec, who died fighting in the war, grew up in Penzance, and she's hoping to learn more about the man she loved and lost.
While there, she will stay with Gilbert, in his rambling seaside house, Esperance, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. Esme is fascinated by this community of eccentric artists and former soldiers, and as she gets to know the men and their stories, she begins to feel this summer might be exactly what she needs.
But everything is not as idyllic as it seems - a mysterious new arrival later in the summer will turn Esme's world upside down, and make her question everything she thought she knew about her life, and the people in it.
The novel contains the most beautiful descriptions of the Cornish coast and countryside. You feel as though you right there, so vividly are things described: you can hear the sea, see the drifts of cow parsley along the lanes, feel the sultry heat of the Cornish summer.
The idyllic Cornish setting, the lyrical pastoral descriptions of the countryside, and the nature notes Esme writes for her local paper, all contrast markedly with the extracts from Rory’s wartime diary which are equally descriptive and vivid, so that you fully appreciate the hell of being a First World War soldier in the trenches.
For the first 200 pages the novel is uneventful but then then something happens which I really didn't see coming. This development is just what the novel needed at this point to maintain the reader’s interest and provide a proper narrative arc.
I really enjoyed the characterisation, especially the “band of brothers” at Esperance: Gilbert, Sebastian, Clarrie, Rory and Hal. Such a lovely community of friends that have become a family for each other. The communal scenes with them all around the dinner table are just delightful.
The development of the two main characters, Esme and Rory, is also good. Esme is quite prim and still grieving the loss of her husband Alec. She is a little annoying sometimes with her passivity, her refusal to move on, constantly questioning everything and worrying what her employer might think, but towards the end of the novel she becomes less "buttoned up" and starts to live for herself. Rory too grows in strength and confidence as the novel progresses and begins to come to terms with his wartime experiences.
All in all, The Visitors is a charming period piece with a gorgeous Cornish setting. Thank you to Tandem Collective, Simon & Schuster and Caroline Scott for giving me the opportunity to read this novel as part of a readalong.
While there, she will stay with Gilbert, in his rambling seaside house, Esperance, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. Esme is fascinated by this community of eccentric artists and former soldiers, and as she gets to know the men and their stories, she begins to feel this summer might be exactly what she needs.
But everything is not as idyllic as it seems - a mysterious new arrival later in the summer will turn Esme's world upside down, and make her question everything she thought she knew about her life, and the people in it.
The novel contains the most beautiful descriptions of the Cornish coast and countryside. You feel as though you right there, so vividly are things described: you can hear the sea, see the drifts of cow parsley along the lanes, feel the sultry heat of the Cornish summer.
The idyllic Cornish setting, the lyrical pastoral descriptions of the countryside, and the nature notes Esme writes for her local paper, all contrast markedly with the extracts from Rory’s wartime diary which are equally descriptive and vivid, so that you fully appreciate the hell of being a First World War soldier in the trenches.
For the first 200 pages the novel is uneventful but then then something happens which I really didn't see coming. This development is just what the novel needed at this point to maintain the reader’s interest and provide a proper narrative arc.
I really enjoyed the characterisation, especially the “band of brothers” at Esperance: Gilbert, Sebastian, Clarrie, Rory and Hal. Such a lovely community of friends that have become a family for each other. The communal scenes with them all around the dinner table are just delightful.
The development of the two main characters, Esme and Rory, is also good. Esme is quite prim and still grieving the loss of her husband Alec. She is a little annoying sometimes with her passivity, her refusal to move on, constantly questioning everything and worrying what her employer might think, but towards the end of the novel she becomes less "buttoned up" and starts to live for herself. Rory too grows in strength and confidence as the novel progresses and begins to come to terms with his wartime experiences.
All in all, The Visitors is a charming period piece with a gorgeous Cornish setting. Thank you to Tandem Collective, Simon & Schuster and Caroline Scott for giving me the opportunity to read this novel as part of a readalong.
February 12, 2022
4.5 Stars
A beguiling and beautifully layered Cornish-set tale that will sweep readers away, prepare to be completely and utterly enthralled by Caroline Scott’s latest novel, The Visitors.
It’s 1923 and Esme Nicholls has decided to spend the summer in Cornwall. With her husband having died fighting in the war, Esme hopes that her sojourn in the county Alec had grown up in will help her feel closer to him and enable her to learn more about the man she loved and lost. Esme is going to be staying with Gilbert in his rambling house by the seaside, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. She immediately finds herself fascinated by the community of eccentric artists that welcomes her from the very moment she arrives in Cornwall. However, Esme soon realises that this Cornish utopia isn’t quite as idyllic as it initially seemed…
Esme had thought that her holiday in Cornwall was just what she needed – until a visitor arrives unexpectedly and threatens to turn her world on its axis. Esme had thought that she knew everything there was to know about her life and the people in it, however, she begins to question just how well she can trust those closest to her and whether she has spent a lifetime being fed lie after lie after lie.
Will Esme finally manage to unshackle herself from the weight of past secrets and start living life on her own terms? Or will she forever be derailed from finding her own voice and pursuing her own path?
Caroline Scott is such a fantastic writer. She draws her readers into her story from the very first line and creates a vivid, evocative and beautifully detailed world full of intriguing characters that leap off the page. The Visitors is a spellbinding page-turner written with flair, precision and depth readers will not be able to put down.
With a fascinating heroine, a terrific cast of supporting players and plenty of drama, intrigue and intensity, Caroline Scott’s The Visitors is brilliantly woven page-turner that is complex, engrossing and hard to forget.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A beguiling and beautifully layered Cornish-set tale that will sweep readers away, prepare to be completely and utterly enthralled by Caroline Scott’s latest novel, The Visitors.
It’s 1923 and Esme Nicholls has decided to spend the summer in Cornwall. With her husband having died fighting in the war, Esme hopes that her sojourn in the county Alec had grown up in will help her feel closer to him and enable her to learn more about the man she loved and lost. Esme is going to be staying with Gilbert in his rambling house by the seaside, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. She immediately finds herself fascinated by the community of eccentric artists that welcomes her from the very moment she arrives in Cornwall. However, Esme soon realises that this Cornish utopia isn’t quite as idyllic as it initially seemed…
Esme had thought that her holiday in Cornwall was just what she needed – until a visitor arrives unexpectedly and threatens to turn her world on its axis. Esme had thought that she knew everything there was to know about her life and the people in it, however, she begins to question just how well she can trust those closest to her and whether she has spent a lifetime being fed lie after lie after lie.
Will Esme finally manage to unshackle herself from the weight of past secrets and start living life on her own terms? Or will she forever be derailed from finding her own voice and pursuing her own path?
Caroline Scott is such a fantastic writer. She draws her readers into her story from the very first line and creates a vivid, evocative and beautifully detailed world full of intriguing characters that leap off the page. The Visitors is a spellbinding page-turner written with flair, precision and depth readers will not be able to put down.
With a fascinating heroine, a terrific cast of supporting players and plenty of drama, intrigue and intensity, Caroline Scott’s The Visitors is brilliantly woven page-turner that is complex, engrossing and hard to forget.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 13, 2021
This is by far the most eloquently written book that I have read in 2020. My introduction to Caroline Scott and I really wasn’t disappointed. I wanted to get to the end however when I did get there, I was devastated.
Esme Nicholls is a war widow. With no money she secures a housekeeping job wit Fenella. They go to spend the summer in Cornwall, at the home of her employers’ brother, Gilbert. Not a usual household. It is made up of men who befriended one another while fighting for their country in World War 1. They all have different characteristics, which makes for enjoyable reading. Gilbert, who is the brother, is the one who got the men to all move into this rambling Cornish house. Sebastian, who does seem rather grouchy most of the time. Rory is understanding and he has written a book detailing his time in Flanders. It is through this that we learn a little about the men. Hal, is unable to speak brought on by the war. The time we are in Cornwall is written through the eyes of Esme.
We are taken between the past and present. As we are transported back to the trenches, you can feel the fear coming from the men. As the battle rages, you can feel the ground shake. Such is the descriptive text you cannot help but feel that you are there with them.
Back in Cornwall as Esme wanders around trying to find out about her dead husband’s past, you can visualise the splendour of this county. The attention to everything around her is amazing. The sea at is roughest and how quickly it can take people. The smell of the fauna. The insects buzzing around and the honey bee coming out of the flower and watching the pollen shake from it.
There are twists and turns, laughter and tears as Esme learns about her new house mates and her husband’s past. Thank you, Caroline, for the most amazing read of 2020. I don’t think I can do it enough justice. If you have a Christmas book list, this should definitely be on it. A better present you could not get. Start the New Year on a high.
Esme Nicholls is a war widow. With no money she secures a housekeeping job wit Fenella. They go to spend the summer in Cornwall, at the home of her employers’ brother, Gilbert. Not a usual household. It is made up of men who befriended one another while fighting for their country in World War 1. They all have different characteristics, which makes for enjoyable reading. Gilbert, who is the brother, is the one who got the men to all move into this rambling Cornish house. Sebastian, who does seem rather grouchy most of the time. Rory is understanding and he has written a book detailing his time in Flanders. It is through this that we learn a little about the men. Hal, is unable to speak brought on by the war. The time we are in Cornwall is written through the eyes of Esme.
We are taken between the past and present. As we are transported back to the trenches, you can feel the fear coming from the men. As the battle rages, you can feel the ground shake. Such is the descriptive text you cannot help but feel that you are there with them.
Back in Cornwall as Esme wanders around trying to find out about her dead husband’s past, you can visualise the splendour of this county. The attention to everything around her is amazing. The sea at is roughest and how quickly it can take people. The smell of the fauna. The insects buzzing around and the honey bee coming out of the flower and watching the pollen shake from it.
There are twists and turns, laughter and tears as Esme learns about her new house mates and her husband’s past. Thank you, Caroline, for the most amazing read of 2020. I don’t think I can do it enough justice. If you have a Christmas book list, this should definitely be on it. A better present you could not get. Start the New Year on a high.
December 9, 2021
Esme Nicholls is still grieving the loss of her husband whose death in WW1 has left her not only with a lasting legacy of sadness, but also a desperate need to put the lost pieces of her husband back together. On the advice of her employer, Esme spends a summer at Espérance, a house in Cornwall, ostensibly to discover more about the area her husband grew up in, but, whilst there, she gets to know the group of ex-soldiers, who make Espérance their home.
The Visitors is a poignant and compelling story about surviving great loss, not just the loss of a life partner but also the loss of self which has been brought about by experiencing, and surviving, great psychological trauma. Set some years after the end of the war there is still a noticeable burden of sorrow carried by those who survived what they had seen, and experienced, in Northern France. This eclectic band of brothers, all survivors of the Great War, hide their troubles behind an air of bravado and glorious eccentricities and even as they shield their sadness under cloaks of respectability, their hidden horrors are all too evident.
Thoughtfully written, and meticulously researched, detailed aspects of the war come through in poignant snippets of a memoir written by Rory, a gentle soul, whose trauma runs deep and whose burgeoning friendship with Esme is sensitively expressed. Esme herself is quietly introspective, her sense of loss is palpable and yet, when needed, she shows such utter strength of character that it quite broke my heart to see her diminished by a set of circumstances she could never have imagined.
Beautifully reminiscent of a fractured time in history, the gentle eloquence of the novel shines through with every well written word as, once again, this talented story teller gives us a powerful and poignant story which shines the spotlight on human frailty, the horror of war, and its devastating aftermath.
The Visitors is a poignant and compelling story about surviving great loss, not just the loss of a life partner but also the loss of self which has been brought about by experiencing, and surviving, great psychological trauma. Set some years after the end of the war there is still a noticeable burden of sorrow carried by those who survived what they had seen, and experienced, in Northern France. This eclectic band of brothers, all survivors of the Great War, hide their troubles behind an air of bravado and glorious eccentricities and even as they shield their sadness under cloaks of respectability, their hidden horrors are all too evident.
Thoughtfully written, and meticulously researched, detailed aspects of the war come through in poignant snippets of a memoir written by Rory, a gentle soul, whose trauma runs deep and whose burgeoning friendship with Esme is sensitively expressed. Esme herself is quietly introspective, her sense of loss is palpable and yet, when needed, she shows such utter strength of character that it quite broke my heart to see her diminished by a set of circumstances she could never have imagined.
Beautifully reminiscent of a fractured time in history, the gentle eloquence of the novel shines through with every well written word as, once again, this talented story teller gives us a powerful and poignant story which shines the spotlight on human frailty, the horror of war, and its devastating aftermath.
August 31, 2021
The story
The First World War is over. Esme married Alec before the war. They met when she worked at a museum in Yorkshire and he, a journalist previously from Cornwall visited. Within a short time they were married. Both Esme’s and Alec’s parents had died and they have no siblings. When she has to give up her job on getting married, she stays home and plants a garden. When Alec died, she gave up the house and moves in to take care of the garden of a large house. The owner has also lost her husband. When the original gardener returns from war, Esme takes up the housekeeper position. The war has been over for years but Esme still grieves for Alec. Then her employer arranged for them to spend the summer with her brother at his house in Cornwall. It’s an opportunity for Esme to see where Alec grew up and feel closer to him. Gilbert’s home is occupied by a band of soldiers that fought with him in the war. They now have a type of retreat, each pursuing their art while battling their personal demons.
My thoughts
This story is poignant, emotional and spends much time trying to deal with the PTSD each of the house residents is experiencing. There are beautiful excerpts of the book that one, Rory, has written of his war experience. There are also beautifully written newspaper articles that Esme writes for the nature column back home in Yorkshire. I loved the references to the different birds that connect the points in time. There is a migration in the story from long term grief, that slowly rises and lifts as love and moving on blends into the story. Beautiful words placed with gentle eloquence ❤️
I read a copy of the ARC courtesy of Netgalley.
The First World War is over. Esme married Alec before the war. They met when she worked at a museum in Yorkshire and he, a journalist previously from Cornwall visited. Within a short time they were married. Both Esme’s and Alec’s parents had died and they have no siblings. When she has to give up her job on getting married, she stays home and plants a garden. When Alec died, she gave up the house and moves in to take care of the garden of a large house. The owner has also lost her husband. When the original gardener returns from war, Esme takes up the housekeeper position. The war has been over for years but Esme still grieves for Alec. Then her employer arranged for them to spend the summer with her brother at his house in Cornwall. It’s an opportunity for Esme to see where Alec grew up and feel closer to him. Gilbert’s home is occupied by a band of soldiers that fought with him in the war. They now have a type of retreat, each pursuing their art while battling their personal demons.
My thoughts
This story is poignant, emotional and spends much time trying to deal with the PTSD each of the house residents is experiencing. There are beautiful excerpts of the book that one, Rory, has written of his war experience. There are also beautifully written newspaper articles that Esme writes for the nature column back home in Yorkshire. I loved the references to the different birds that connect the points in time. There is a migration in the story from long term grief, that slowly rises and lifts as love and moving on blends into the story. Beautiful words placed with gentle eloquence ❤️
I read a copy of the ARC courtesy of Netgalley.
December 10, 2021
A lovely book - touching and emotional without being overly sentimental, with some delightful descriptions of Cornwall and nature. The narrative is told through the eyes of Esme Nicholls, a First World War widow and the war diary of Rory, a soldier on the Western Front. Esme works as a housekeeper for Fenella, whose brother Gilbert has bought a house in the wild landscape of West Cornwall. Gilbert has offered a bohemian home to four men he was close to in Flanders; here they find healing, in planning a garden, in painting, writing and pottery. When Fenella visits her brother one summer, Esme accompanies her.
We learn more about Esme, still mourning her dead husband after seven years and about Rory and the other men in the Winter in the Spring of the treeless mud of the trenches.
I liked that the characters in the book read each other’s body language and are not afraid to mention it, that when at cross purposes they talk about it.
It is a gentle read but has more substance that many books of this type with some well rounded characters. Esme has that reticence of a post war world just out of the Edwardian era, of averting her eyes at slightly risqué behaviour, of talk of manure at the dinner table and talk of lavatories with five strange men!
There is an unexpected twist at the heart of the book and the sadness of lost friends and trauma in wartime but this is leavened by little flashes of humour. The present day Cornish narrative, Esme’s newspaper articles and Rory’s diary are often linked by swallows in a barn, a nightingale’s song - a nice touch I thought.
We learn more about Esme, still mourning her dead husband after seven years and about Rory and the other men in the Winter in the Spring of the treeless mud of the trenches.
I liked that the characters in the book read each other’s body language and are not afraid to mention it, that when at cross purposes they talk about it.
It is a gentle read but has more substance that many books of this type with some well rounded characters. Esme has that reticence of a post war world just out of the Edwardian era, of averting her eyes at slightly risqué behaviour, of talk of manure at the dinner table and talk of lavatories with five strange men!
There is an unexpected twist at the heart of the book and the sadness of lost friends and trauma in wartime but this is leavened by little flashes of humour. The present day Cornish narrative, Esme’s newspaper articles and Rory’s diary are often linked by swallows in a barn, a nightingale’s song - a nice touch I thought.
December 13, 2021
This is such a beautiful book. Exquisitely written using sensitive, evocative language, we really feel we are there in Cornwall and in the trenches in France during the Great War.
It’s 1923 and Esme has been widowed for seven years. Her husband of only a few months went to war in France but after two years of regular letters, they suddenly stopped. Then one fateful day the letter she dreads arrives and she is informed that he has died.
His death turns her life upside down and she has to sell their house and take a position with Mrs Fenella Pickering, whose brother Gilbert Edgerton lives in a community of ex-servicemen in a large house in Cornwall. Sharing the property and land with him, this group of young men fought alongside him in France during the First World War and are both mentally and physically scarred by their dreadful experiences.
It’s a scorching hot summer and Mrs Pickering has asked Esme to travel down to Cornwall to check out the state of Gilbert’s house – her previous visit did not go well – before she embarks on the journey herself. The sea air will be good for her health but the previous lack of facilities will not.
Esme is welcomed by the men and soon finds herself relaxing in their company. I loved the part where she learns how to swim for the first time in her life.
Esme also has a side job – she writes a weekly article for the Huddersfield Courier called ‘Nature Diary’ and it is here that we read about the beauty of her surroundings in Cornwall.
Can Esme finally put the past behind her and find happiness again? This story will have you wrapped up in its beauty. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours and to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read
It’s 1923 and Esme has been widowed for seven years. Her husband of only a few months went to war in France but after two years of regular letters, they suddenly stopped. Then one fateful day the letter she dreads arrives and she is informed that he has died.
His death turns her life upside down and she has to sell their house and take a position with Mrs Fenella Pickering, whose brother Gilbert Edgerton lives in a community of ex-servicemen in a large house in Cornwall. Sharing the property and land with him, this group of young men fought alongside him in France during the First World War and are both mentally and physically scarred by their dreadful experiences.
It’s a scorching hot summer and Mrs Pickering has asked Esme to travel down to Cornwall to check out the state of Gilbert’s house – her previous visit did not go well – before she embarks on the journey herself. The sea air will be good for her health but the previous lack of facilities will not.
Esme is welcomed by the men and soon finds herself relaxing in their company. I loved the part where she learns how to swim for the first time in her life.
Esme also has a side job – she writes a weekly article for the Huddersfield Courier called ‘Nature Diary’ and it is here that we read about the beauty of her surroundings in Cornwall.
Can Esme finally put the past behind her and find happiness again? This story will have you wrapped up in its beauty. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours and to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read
January 2, 2022
Another Pigeonhole book, The Visitors was a warm story of a young war widow re-learning what it is to live your own life, shaking off the expectations of others, and the weight of grief and loss. Esme spends a summer in Cornwall with her employer at her employer’s brother’s home – an almost commune-type set-up for him and some of his unit of soldiers from the war. Esme is hoping to learn more about her late husband by spending time in the county of his birth – more about his early years of which she didn’t know much. Esme doesn’t quite know how to settle, how to behave, how to act with the soldiers – she’s an employee, more a companion than a servant, but still having to acknowledge “her place” and yet, the men, with their various afflictions from the war, are encouraging her to just be, to just be Esme.
And then, one night, everything changes. Everything she thought she was is turned upside down, and she has to decide how she will live her life going forward.
This is a gentle, warm tale, full of friendship, support, kindness and love. I did not see the twist/upset coming which is always good! I really enjoyed this one.
And then, one night, everything changes. Everything she thought she was is turned upside down, and she has to decide how she will live her life going forward.
This is a gentle, warm tale, full of friendship, support, kindness and love. I did not see the twist/upset coming which is always good! I really enjoyed this one.
July 1, 2022
I have never been to Cornwall, but now I really want to, after reading the descriptive imagery within the book and really feeling as if I was there. Caroline has a way of writing, where it kept me hooked and turning the pages.
I really liked the characters within the book and the strong friendships and relationships that were shown. The bond between the men was so fun to read and I especially loved the chapters from Rory's point of view during the war. This gave an insight into the bond they had built during such a hard time and also gave the reader a look at their past and why they are still together. I would really have loved to see more about Hal, as I found him an intriguing and sweet character, especially after the end where we see him use his voice.
The descriptive chapters for Esme's magazine could have been left out in my opinion, as although they were very descriptive and nice to read, they really did not add to the story. I also felt the first half of the book was a bit of a slow burner, but once the twist had been revealed this definitely picked up. Overall, I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it.
I really liked the characters within the book and the strong friendships and relationships that were shown. The bond between the men was so fun to read and I especially loved the chapters from Rory's point of view during the war. This gave an insight into the bond they had built during such a hard time and also gave the reader a look at their past and why they are still together. I would really have loved to see more about Hal, as I found him an intriguing and sweet character, especially after the end where we see him use his voice.
The descriptive chapters for Esme's magazine could have been left out in my opinion, as although they were very descriptive and nice to read, they really did not add to the story. I also felt the first half of the book was a bit of a slow burner, but once the twist had been revealed this definitely picked up. Overall, I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it.
October 11, 2022
This was a gorgeous post-World War I story about Esme Nicholls, a war widow and housekeeper who visits Cornwall with her employer for the summer and discovers a beautiful landscape, an eclectic group of veterans, and a possible future for herself.
I was initially drawn to the story by the immersive descriptions of the Cornish landscape, flora, and fauna — all things that blew me away when I did a walk along the coastal path from St. Ives to Penzance, the area where this book takes place. As the chapters went on I became fascinated with the characters and their stories, especially Esme’s struggle between her past and her future and Rory's reflections on his time in the war.
There's a twist that comes about halfway through the story, and even though I saw it coming I still felt the impact. This is definitely a character-driven story (where Cornwall feels like another member of the cast of characters) full of self-discovery and the journeys we take to overcome grief and embrace life.
Read on Five Sentence Reviews
I was initially drawn to the story by the immersive descriptions of the Cornish landscape, flora, and fauna — all things that blew me away when I did a walk along the coastal path from St. Ives to Penzance, the area where this book takes place. As the chapters went on I became fascinated with the characters and their stories, especially Esme’s struggle between her past and her future and Rory's reflections on his time in the war.
There's a twist that comes about halfway through the story, and even though I saw it coming I still felt the impact. This is definitely a character-driven story (where Cornwall feels like another member of the cast of characters) full of self-discovery and the journeys we take to overcome grief and embrace life.
Read on Five Sentence Reviews
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