Penhaligon's Attic (Penhaligon Saga) Paperback – September 12, 2017

Barely recovered from almost drowning when she went out at night to welcome her dear father back from his fishing, a new tragedy shatters eight-year old Freya’s heart: her mother is taking her away from her beloved Cornish village to London – for ever, it seems.Her father Matthew is also broken with remorse, as he admits his unrestrained drinking was responsible not only for his family’s breakup but also for the accident which caused his skipper friend’s injury and the resulting hostility of that man’s son, his best childhood friend. With no permanent job, Matthew moves in with his elderly parents, who run a second-hand bookshop, called Penhaligon’s Attic.The plot thickens seven years later when, after all, Freya is sent back to her father, who has stopped drinking, because her mother is running off with her new man to America, and the mysterious Anna Garvey arrives from Ireland with her teenage daughter Mairead, claiming she owns the village pub. A project to revitalise the bookshop, a sordid girly affair and a widows’ mutual help guild are some of the intriguing subplots. Freya’s morbid fear of the sea as a result of her near-death incident as a child and Mairead’s epileptic seizures add to the vivid drama. In fact, all the main players are very well developed and we catch a realistic glimpse into the lives of rather hard-up Cornish fishermen and tin miners in the early 20th century.Things come to dramatic head when Anna’s supposedly dead surgeon husband arrives from Ireland and is enraged by discovering she has started a romantic relationship with Matthew Penhaligon. The last chapters introduce unexpected twists and a highly ingenious solution, but here the pace and rapid mood changes are somewhat implausible.Altogether a vivid, very well written book, which inspires the reader to find the next book of the series.

This is one of those stories that I love. Cosy, but fraught with mystery that involves families, dark secrets and hidden pasts.I find Cornwall quite mysterious anyway with its tales of folklore and more so it was a perfect story to be set here. There is a lot of warmth and depth to the novel with talk of boats and the fishing industry, and the importance of naming a boat. Integrating yourself in such a tight community cannot be easy and taking over a pub there even less so, so I enjoyed experiencing that part of the story as the characters grew and became real.The book reads easily as the ebb and flow of the text matches the tide – I felt immersed in Cornwall and its misty air and enjoyed this heartwarming and mysterious tale. There’s something about outsiders in small communities that really draws me in. Will be sure to pick out some of the author’s past books based on this one!Visit the locations in Penhaligon's Attic on Thebooktrail.com

Freya used to love the sea, but an awful incident when she was still a little girl made her afraid of the water. After a long period of absence she's back with her father, Matthew, once more and has another chance to live at the Cornish coast, where she once was so happy. Matthew made a few big mistakes when Freya was younger, but he's trying to do things right this time. He works hard as a fisherman on someone else's boat to keep his father's bookshop afloat and he's living for his family. He wants Freya to have a good life and he will do everything he can to make that happen.There are new faces in the village. Anna and her daughter Mairead have fled Ireland to start over at the place Anna's ancestors are from. Anna inherited the local pub and she's trying to make it as successful as possible. At first people are rude because they know she's keeping secrets, but when Freya needs her help Anna gives it generously without hesitation and because of this the lives of Anna and Matthew become intertwined. Will this mean there truly is a new beginning for Mairead and her mother or will the past eventually catch up with them?Penhaligon's Attic is a beautiful story about two families with complicated histories. I loved the detailed and compassionate way Terri Nixon writes about her characters. The beginning of the twentieth century isn't an easy time to live in and through her thorough descriptions I could get a good grasp of what life was like in those days. The story has a well researched basis that's being combined with a fantastic intriguing plotline. The characters felt familiar and are easy to like. Because of that everything that happened to them kept me glued to the pages.Terri Nixon's sentences have a nice natural flow and her writing is warm and comforting. I immediately fell in love with Penhaligon's Attic, it's a gorgeous story that effortlessly found its way to my heart. I enjoyed reading about the decisions and emotions of the characters as well as the fascinating setting. The sea brings a lot of good, but it never just gives, it also takes. The community is tight and secrets always have a way of coming out. The sea and the beach play an important part in all of them, the sea is unpredictable and it always surprises, which is perfect for a complex and interesting story.Penhaligon's Attic has a lovely romantic ending that made me smile. The relationships in this book are complicated, but that doesn't matter when there's enough love in people's hearts. It's a great message. There's unconditional love, there's forgiveness, there are sacrifices and there are reconciliations, which all made the story riveting and compelling. I highly recommend this brilliant historical novel, it's a true gem.

Freya grew up in Caernoweth in Cornwall and loved the sea and her life there until one night she nearly drowned after going out looking for her father. Her father had an alcohol problem and Freya's mother had had enough and left him to go and live in London taking Freya with her until some years later she decides to move to America and so Freya returns to her father in Cornwall and helps her father in the shop Penhaligon's AtticAnna Garvey needs to escape Ireland and flees with her daughter Mairead to Cornwall to take up her inheritance, the village inn. Initially she is viewed with suspicion, the locals sense that she is keeping secrets but she has no choice but to stay and try and make a go of it and things get easier when they discover who she is descended from and she and her daughter befriend Freya and her fatherA great book of two family sagas intertwining and of the tough life in those days especially for the fishermen out at sea in all weathers and also shows how tight these communities could be although once accepted you had friends and support for life. I will be looking out for other books by this author