Susanna Kearsley falls into that 'finished this one with a satisfying sigh' category of reads. Her books may not appeal to everyone, but if you like a good, engaging story, often a historical novel, with a liberal dash of romance thrown in you might take a look at her work if you've not yet done so. She is another of my go-tos when it comes to a well written yet page-turning comfort reads. I'm sure I must say this with every new book she writes, but I think The Rose Garden, her most recent novel, is now my favorite. There is a blurb on the cover that mentions Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (I'm not sure I like it when publishers do this with books--why not sell an author on her own merits?), but I think I think a better readalike would be DdM's Frenchman's Creek (one of my favorites by her).
The Rose Garden is another time slip novel with two parallel storylines that are very closely connected and merge flawlessly throughout the telling of the story. I'm hesitant to read time slip novels, though I suppose I do so more than I think and probably like them more than I think, as they are the sort of story that if done poorly will completely ruin the reading experience. I think I return to Susanna Kearsley's books time and again because she does this type of story so well. Yes, you are going to have to suspend belief to a certain degree. In a case like this, I prefer a well told story that will take me away from life's minor irritations for a while, than worrying that everything that happens is not entirely realistic. However, I know this is not the case for every reader. But if you go into the story knowing more or less what you're getting it's easy to simply enjoy it on its own merits.
Once again, like her previous novel, this is the type of time slip where the heroine literally goes back in time. In this case 18th century Cornwall is the destination--a world filled with royal intrigues and tales of smuggling along the Cornish Coast. Eva Ward has returned to Trelowarth in the little village of Polgelly after the death of her sister Katrina. The two spent their childhood summers in Cornwall with the Hallett family who still live at Trelowarth. The house has stood for centuries but is a constant drain on the family's finances as they try and pay for its upkeep. Growing up, Katrina was romantically involved with Mark Trelowarth but left to follow her dream and become an actress in America where she married another man. Eva believes it would have been her wish to have her ashes scattered on the Cornish Coast certain that is where she had found real happiness.
It is perhaps Eva who is looking to regain some happiness, though. She also traveled to Canada to live as well as to California to work, but without Katrina there seems little to keep her in LA. She sells her home, picks up stakes and accepts the Hallett's offer to stay at Trelowarth in order to help the family convert an old greenhouse into a tea room in the hopes they can help save Trelowarth itself. Located high up on the coast a short distance from the village Eva finds a certain contentment there. Often when she is out walking on the grounds she notices paths that she hadn't seen before emerge and in the house she hears the faint sound of voices talking in rooms that seem to be empty.
And then one day it happens. Eva walks right out of the 20th century and into the year 1714. She's still in Cornwall and more importantly still at Trelowarth, which is much changed yet still very much the same. Only now the house is owned by Daniel Butler, recently widowed, and his brother Jack. It's Fergal, a family friend who will aid her in making a transition from 21st century to 18th. The Butler brothers are well known and well loved in the village of Polgelly, though perhaps not by the local lawmen. As freetraders they sail the Sally to France and bring back goods that are otherwise heavily taxed in England, but they are mixed up in even more secretive and dangerous deeds that involve an exiled King. Eva finds herself falling for Daniel but can't predict when she will slip back and forth in time. She's confused and uncertain as she knows some of the history of the Butler brothers and their lives at Trelowarth, and the more time she spends in 1714 the harder she finds it to return to her own modern world.
This was a really well done story and Kearsley is a very good storyteller. I was sad to turn the last page and although I'm satisfied with the ending, I wish Kearsley would revisit these characters again, so well constructed were they. This story was particularly twisty and turny and provided not a few surprises along the way. This is a book I would happily pass along to a friend. In case you are curious, I've read and written about Mariana and The Winter Sea. Now what should I read by Susanna Kearsley? Any recommendations?
You can read more thoughts on The Rose Garden by Eva at A Striped Armchair, Marg at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Lyn at I Prefer Reading. And check out Susanna Kearsley's website here (she shares her own photos of Cornwall there). My copy came compliments of Sourcebooks (but I would have bought this one in any case!).