A new Julie Klassen novel is a great way to start the new year, wouldn’t you agree? “A Castaway in Cornwall” was published in December of 2020 by Bethany House, but it was the first novel I read in 2021 – and an intriguing story it was, too!

Set on the coast of Cornwall in 1813, this sea-swept story brings the cold ocean breezes and rugged land to life before our eyes. Featuring mystery, adventure, and growing danger with each passing chapter, this story piqued my imagination even as the shipwrecks tugged my heartstrings. . . How hopeless it must have felt when the captain of a sinking ship, and his sailors, could see land so close but have no ability to swim to it and therefore usually perished. This was the harsh reality of the time period, but “A Castaway in Cornwall” is the story of a (fictitious) anomaly, a man who DID manage to escape the watery grave of his follow shipmates and found himself ashore and rescued by a young woman whose past is almost as ambiguous as his own.

Although the setting and characters of this novel were not quite in the norm for Julie Klassen, it was nonetheless a diverting tale of love, adventure, and finding our places in life. I was impressed with how clean the story was despite several occasions where it could have easily crossed the line into inappropriateness, and how everything was tied up so satisfactorily in the end. If you are ready to take a trip back in time to Cornwall, where the windswept coast holds secrets that some may wish to leave unanswered, I definitely recommend reading this newest historical drama from the amazing Julie Klassen.

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”