Winter at Cliff's End Cottage

by Sheila Norton

A cosy, heartwarming Christmas read about the growing friendship between a young journalist and an old woman who lives in a house teetering on the edge of the Devon cliffs, by the bestselling author of The Vets of Hope Green and The Petshop on Pennycombe Bay

Cliff's End Cottage is a local landmark. Perched on the South Devon coast, its garden has begun slowly toppling into the sea, yet the elderly and infamously stubborn owner Stella refuses to leave her home. When Holly, a young journalist and single mum struggling to make ends meet, decides to interview Stella about her life, at first she's given short shrift. However, helped by a slice or two of cake and a couple of friendly cats, a tentative friendship begins to develop between the two lonely women.

Stella and Holly may live different lives, but over the cold winter nights, as Stella shares her story, the two women discover more and more in common. Time is running out for the house on the edge, but perhaps, together, Stella and Holly can find a new way forward.

A heart-warming story by the author of The Vets of Hope Green, where two women from different generations find that a new friend - no matter how late in life they may appear - can mean everything

Winner of the RNA Award for Best Holiday Read

Praise for Sheila Norton's delightful books

'Thoroughly enjoyable' KATIE FFORDE

'A truly lovely read with delightful characters' PHILLIPA ASHLEY

'Like a plate of hot-buttered crumpets and a mug of tea - warm, comforting and utterly delightful!' ANNIE LYONS

'A charming and heartwarming book, that will bring a smile to every reader's face' CRESSIDA MCLAUGHLIN

'A charming read. Made me want to move to the country and buy a cottage with roses around the door' SARAH MORGAN

Genres: Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2022

About the author

Winner of the RoNAs 'Christmas and Winter Seasonal Award' novel, 2022, with 'Winter at Cliff's End Cottage'.

I live in Chelmsford, UK, with my husband Alan. We have three married daughters and six grandchildren. I've been writing ever since I was a little girl, and finally achieved my lifelong ambition to have a novel published, with the acceptance in 2002 of 'The Trouble With Ally'. Prior to this, I'd been having short stories published in women's magazines for about ten years.

My most recent books are stories set in the English county of Devon, and most include pets in the story! They are feel-good contemporary fiction.

I worked for most of my life as a medical secretary. I now write full-time. I like to relax by reading, walking,swimming, and seeing my family and friends.

I am passionate about my writing and love to hear from my readers. I am also happy to give talks to writers' groups and others, and book signings, in my local area.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my Christmas selection. It’s not really a Christmas themed book, but the suggestion of it being Winter was enough for it to be included! This was a lovely, lovely book which I absolutely adored! Based on the south Devon coast, Cliff’s End Cottage is the home of elderly widow Stella. The cottage is precariously balanced on the edge of the cliff thanks to coastal erosion but stubborn Stella refuses to move out. Single mum and journalist, Holly lives in the seaside village down the cliff and wants to write a story about Stella and the cottage. Over numerous pots of tea and slices of cake, the two women form an unlikely friendship and Stella begins to tell Holly all about her life.

The story alternates between present day and many years before when Stella was younger. It’s also told from Stella and Holly’s perspectives, and whilst this seems like a lot of switching between characters and times, it’s all done effortlessly and not in the least confusing. I loved Stella’s character and initially felt so sorry for her. She was most definitely a lonely old woman, stuck up on the top of the cliff, but with Holly’s friendship and help, the loneliness seemed to disappear. Stella’s life memories were lovely and very emotional. She was evacuated to South Devon from London during the war and her story is told from this point. Holly is also a lovely character, but she also seems to have her own issues and problems that she needs to deal with.

The location was perfect, and whilst you don’t get to have too many images of the little village at the bottom of the cliff, you are certainly treated to great mind’s eye views as to what Stella’s cottage looks like perched up on the edge of the windswept cliff. This isn’t really a romantic read as such, although there is a little bit of romance scattered through the pages. It is however a wonderful heart-warming and emotional story of love, life, friendship and regrets. Stella’s story tugged at my heart-strings and as the book moved on, I loved her more at the turn of each page. Keep the tissues ready for the ending though as I certainly needed them!

This was a beautiful read which once I’d started, I couldn’t put down. It’s definitely a book which will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart and a smile on your face whilst wiping the tears away at the same time. Loved this book, would definitely recommend!

[Dani (piggindani_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most adorable book I’ve read. EVER!

We meet Stella, the “crazy-cat-lady-potential-witch” and single mum, Holly.

Stella’s cottage is, as the title suggests, on the edge of a cliff and as the Winters get harsher, bringing stronger weather, it will soon crumble to the sea along with everything in it. Including Stella!
Holly is a part-time journalist, part-time cleaner, that’s just trying to provide a better life for herself & her little girl, Maisie.
Everyone has tried to get an interview with “the crazy lady” who won’t leave the doomed cottage, to no avail, but when Holly pitches a different angle to her editor, she might have what it takes to get that elusive interview.

What starts off a little rocky soon develops into a heartwarming friendship between 2 lonely women, from different generations as they find what they’ve both been missing from their lives in this unlikely bond.

There is so much life in this story. It’s bursting with joy, laughter, sadness, hard times, love, secrets, heartaches absolutely everything.
It’s moving, touching and a perfect read all year round, but especially at Christmas.

I love History especially WWII, and reading the little ‘flashbacks’ about life during and after the war was wonderful. And I’m even more grateful that I read it before Remembrance Day. I know others won’t get that chance, but for me, it seems very serendipitous.

I adore this book. From the stories within a story all the way to the lovable cats. And the humans too lol

I want to thank NetGalley & the publishers, as well as the author, Sheila Norton (for writing such a sweet story) for giving me an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Frenchorchidea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful book by Sheila Norton!!! This book is telling the story of two women, an older and a younger one who are going to become very good friends and tell eachother their lives. This book will bring us back to the time when the older lady was young. I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit slow at times, I would have prefered to have less details about the life of the older lady but more about the younger one but all in all this book was really good and very well written! And i had a lot of emotions while reading it! So much is going on in there! You won't be disappointed if you read it! It's a 4 stars book for me!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming story.

[Nicola Clough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow an outstanding book from the first page cannot praise it enough so well written and you want to read it to see what does happen. Full of two different stories but bringing them together. Full of loneliness but moves to a strong friendship and sharing stories so they can move on and be happy it’s heartwarming and heartbreaking but also happiness and romance. A simple must read book.
Cliff end cottage is a local landmark but the garden is slowly toppling into the sea and the house will go to but Stella who lives there won’t move out as full of history for her. Holly who is a journalist wants to get a story about the house so writes to the lady abs Stella decides she will speak with her. Holly goes up to the cottage to listen to her history and she shares small sections at a time but she learns that Holly has a past to abs wants her to open up to. They soon become firm friends and she’s slowly writing the history of Stella’s life and when her grandson turns up and she didn’t no she had one so she needs to get to know him to. Stella and Holly have different lives but both open up and both start to move forward time is running out for the house will they sort Stella’s out and will Holly find romance with someone so close and be happy again.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story - Stella and her back story and the developing romance between Holly and Alex. The author spent quite some time describing Stellas history which in places was quite sad. Loved the relationship between Holly and Stella. We had to wait till the end of the book for our happy ending - but it was tinged with sadness too. I am hoping that there might be a sequel.

[Flori✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

6⭐️

[G B Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this feel good story. Took me away from the mundanities of every day into a world created by the author.

[Joanne D'Arcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

You could almost be forgiven you were about to embark on reading some gothic novel about a reclusive women who lives in a cottage on the cliff edge, where strange sounds come from and that local villagers think of as a witch and that the lady is probably a witch.

However what you get with this new novel from Sheila Norton is something much much more and I thoroughly enjoyed the developing friendship between two lonely women across the generations.

Stella lives at Cliff’s End Cottage, it has been her home since she was in her early twenties, now in her eighties, as she is slowing down the cottage is slowly disappearing as the cliff begins to erode, taking part of the cliff face with it often. Everyone thinks she should move, but Stella is determined to stay.

Holly, single mum to the wonderful Maisie, is a freelance journalist and part time cleaner and determined to make her new piece for a magazine stand out she deicides to go out and see this woman at Cliff’s End Cottage. Faced initially with suspicion, a strange respect grows between these two women. With plenty of home made cake and tea made in a teapot, Holly starts to listen to Stella’s story.

As Holly finds out about Stella’s life, so do we, as we are taken back to Stella as a five year old evacuee, with a cockney accent and away from everything she knows. Until she sees the sea and decides that perhaps this is the best place. As Stella grows, she makes friends and decides to take up violin lessons. Those memories of the past are still very much in the present and it seems that the secrets of Stella are not all that they seem.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and one that you can lose yourself in as the wind batters the rain against the window and you can snuggle down and simply escape. I enjoyed all the strands of the story whether it be past or present and they weaved together nicely. Nothing is shied away from or made light of and it really was an impactful book about how friendships can come and go at any time during your life and that age is no barrier. All friendships can show us lies and truths, coldness and warmth, hate and love and we can learn from them all.

A warm hug of a book for all those that need it.

[Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

What on earth?!!!! I don't know if I'm most gobsmacked by the storyline of this book or the glowing reviews. Surely I'm not the only person to have spotted a HUGE issue with this plot?

At the start, this book appears to be a fairly predictable cosy tale of two women befriending each other. Stella is a lonely elderly lady who appears to have no family, while Holly is a young single mum, struggling to build a career as a journalist whilst healing from a toxic relationship and caring for her daughter. So far, so good. Might have rated 3-4 stars if it had carried on like that.

But then we start to hear Stella's story. As a 14-year-old, she develops a crush on her handsome school music teacher who is 9 years older. At 17, she is going to him for 'private lessons' which are a cover for sex. Throughout the book, 'Ernest' is portrayed as this wonderful, loving, caring man and Stella's family are portrayed as unfeeling and cruel for trying to separate them.

Every single thing about this relationship screams 'grooming'. Nine year age gap, 'special attention' given by a teacher to a child below the age of consent, the way he turned the relationship sexual just as soon as she was old enough for it to be legal...the red flags are not hard to spot. The bizarre thing is that the author is very clear about the dangers of coercively controlling relationships for women in their 20s, but seems to have no issue at all with grooming.

Yes, I know that 'things were different in the 1950s' - although this kind of relationship would still have been regarded as wrong by many people then. But even the modern day characters view Stella's relationship and ultimate marriage to Ernest as being totally wonderful. It's worrying that no one picked up on this during publication and that no previous reviewers here have done so either. Grooming of children should never, ever, ever be portrayed as 'romance'.

[Kirsty (BookBlogger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter at Cliff's End Cottage by Sheila Norton

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group and I am leaving this review voluntarily

'The house is small but solid looking, with a grey slate roof and whitewashed walls. You can see it from quite a long way off, especially during these cold months of winter, when there's nothing but the gloomy sky and the circling seagulls interrupting the view. It's on its own, sitting up there so close to the edge.'

Cliff's End Cottage is a local landmark. Perched on the South Devon coast, its garden has begun slowly toppling into the sea, yet the elderly and infamously stubborn owner Stella refuses to leave her home. When Holly, a young journalist and single mum struggling to make ends meet, decides to interview Stella about her life, at first she's given short shrift. However, helped by a slice or two of cake and a couple of friendly cats, a tentative friendship begins to develop between the two lonely women.

We follow Stella and Holly, two very different characters as they tell each other about their lives. This is a nice read, and in places it was slow so it was easy to put down and read when I needed an escape from reality. An enjoyable read, set in winter but can be read at any time of year and leaves you with that heart-warming feeling.

Rating 4/5

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't get enough of this story, it was one of those rare books that completely and utterly got under my skin and wouldn't let me go until I had devoured the book. I read it in only a few short hours and was gripped during that time.

It's an enchanting story about Stella and Holly, two people who perhaps didn't quite realise just how lonely they were until they met each other and formed a cross generational friendship.

For Stella is in her eighties and is living alone on a cliff top, in a house that is getting closer and closer to the cliff's edge, due to soil erosion. While Holly is a single mother to Maisie, and has trouble trusting people and letting them get close to her, and for understandable reasons.

But yet when Holly starts to listen to Stella's life story, it moves her. And Stella has lived an ordinary but incredibly interesting life, not without its intrigue and scandal. She's a fascinating character and I'm glad I had the opportunity to get to know her via this book.

This was a utterly charming and heartwarming novel, and shows that friends can be made at whatever age you are. Simply superb.

Thank you to Piatkus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheila Norton is a new author for me. And the story is a little different to my usual fare. However, it sounded appealing, so I gave it a go.

I loved it! The plot is delightful, really gentle and enjoyable. I loved the flashbacks to Stella’s life, and although horrible things happened to her, it’s written in such a way that it didn’t feel traumatic to me.

I really liked Holly and Stella, and the way their friendship grew. I loved the way that they encouraged each other, and helped each other out. Alec was a great character too, and I really enjoyed the slow development of the relationship between him and Holly.

Altogether, this was such a lovely, gentle story, and yet compelling enough that it kept me reading until I’d finished. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by Sheila Norton.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a gorgeous and heartwarming read. I really enjoyed reading it. Holly is a Single Mum who works part time as a Journalist. She is fascinated by a House which is perched on the edge of a cliff, due to Costal Erosion. With stories such as mysterious wailing, and a witch who lives there, she is desperate to write a story about it. Stella, the reclusive owner reluctantly agrees to meet with Holly. As her story is slowly told, an unlikely friendship slowly develops between the two Women. I was very interested in reading about Stella's life as a child during World War 2. The book alternates between Holly and Stella narrating their stories. It is well written and easy to follow. I liked both of the Characters and Alex was a great character too. There are some very sad parts of the book, but it is ultimately a lovely cosy read. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

[Angela DT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter at Cliff's End Cottage by Sheila Norton

The house is small but solid looking, with a grey slate roof and whitewashed walls. You can see it from quite a long way off, especially during these cold months of winter, when there's nothing but the gloomy sky and the circling seagulls interrupting the view. It's on its own, sitting up there so close to the edge.'
Not a love story , but one of a certain wariness of two very different woman , who have a common interest in a cottage , and the developing friendship as one opens up her home to the other. A delightful story to warm you on a winters evening. Magical.

[JoJo Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stella is in her 80s and lives in the cottage at Cliff’s End - a cliff that is gradually eroding into the sea.

Holly is a single mother, a freelance journalist and is hiding from her past.

When Holly visits Stella to ask to interview her for an article in a local magazine, little does she know that a deep friendship is about to form, one that allows both women to face their past and look forward to their future.

This is a lovely, heartwarming novel that is, at it’s heart, a tale of the impact men can have on a woman’s life. The narrative is from 3 PoV - young Stella and present day Stella and Holly.

Whilst not specifically a romance novel, there is still a hint of it within the pages. The ending wasn’t a surprise, but it was uplifting.

A lovely read.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute book that shows that the true value of friendship doesn't depend on age, and can happen in any situation, Holly is a journalist who needs a story, she braves the house of Stella - it is falling down and Stella seems to be completely hiding from the world. Holly starts to befriend Stella, and we find out so much about her history, and why she is in the house. The warmth that develops between the pair is wonderful; it gives a lot of Stella's history and the reasoning as to why she is how she is; the ice melts and a wonderful relationship is formed. I would certainly recommend this book.

[Brii · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly the kind of book i would want to read around the Christmas Holidays. I don’t know how the author managed to portrait such a sensible story with such ease but she did a great job. Everything, from how Holly and Stella met, to how they became friends, to Stella’s life during the war and her relationship with Ernest; Alec’s appearance in both Stella and Holly’s life and how they all ended up living together in the end was just so perfect. It was a heartwarming, very emotional book that I will most definitely recommend to lots of other people.💞💞☕️

[Amanda Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I really do not like the cover for this book. But I'm so glad I did not let that deter me from reading it because I thoroughly enjoyed the content! A story of unlikely friendship, love, loss, redemption, and finding the joy in life - I fell in love with the characters and even enjoyed a good cry at the end! I recommend :-)

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Netgalley, Winter at Cliff's End Cottage, by Sheila Norton. I love this book. Stella and Holly are great characters at very different stages in life.

[Sarah Kingsnorth · Rating 5 out of 5]

WINTER AT CLIFF’S END COTTAGE by SHEILA NORTON.

Cliffs’s End Cottage sits precariously, as the title would suggest, on the edge of a cliff top, in South Devon. It’s inhabitant; eccentric octogenarian, Stella, is a mysterious character who keeps herself somewhat aloof from the rest of the village.
Holly is a journalist, keen to find out about the elusive lady who lives in the house on the edge of the cliff.
As Stella lets Holly in on the story of her life, the two women begin to bond, and their time together is a life changer for them both.

Told in the present day and in a series of flashbacks to Stella’s younger life, this book is beautifully written.
It’s warm, charming, sometimes sad, but ultimately uplifting.
There are secrets along the way, some very cute cats and a bit of feel good romance for good measure.

A stunning read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With grateful thanks to #Netgalley and #TheLittoeBrownBookGroup for an ARC of #WinterAtCliff’sEndCottage by #SheilaNorton.

[Leeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

[Joyce tuffs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story.

This is a delightful story about Stella and her life and love with the house at Cliffe Edge and her husband Ernest.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This lovely book is about friendship between generations and the power of love.
Stella and Holly are both lonely and it is through their unlikely connection that they move on and fine happiness.

[Becky Gotch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this book. Such a heart warming easy read and now I want to read more by this author!

[Beth Cooksey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book at the same time Queen Elizabeth 11 died was particularly poignant.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25*

[Tracey]

A really enjoyable read about forming friendships across different generations, and how good it is to talk and share experiences.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book on Audible and absolutely adored it! Stella is just one of my favorite literary characters now. I was struck by the timelessness of this book. Young and old don’t always understand each other, and yet so many things don’t change- love, loss, family.