I was wondering if anyone might have some information about good travel books set in Cornwall. I am looking for something more along the lines of memoirs than travel guides. Thanks
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Well, Daphne du Maurier's books come immediately to mind. While they are a memoir, they are certainly evocative of place.
Posted by
Burbank, CA
18 posts
Not travel books but the Poldark series by Winston Graham have made me long to see Cornwall.
Posted by
Lake Oswego, Oregon
1315 posts
I second the Daphne du Maurier books (Rebecca is a favorite). Also, The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher which is a novel, not a memoir or travel book.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
Check out Part of the Scenery by Mary Wesley. It's part travel book, part memoir, about her life in the West Country. For novels, you might enjoy Penmarric by Susan Howatch, set in the far west of Cornwall. While it is a novel, the settings are based on the real landscape.
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4140 posts
Randy , a perfect book for you , replete with gorgeous photos is " Poldark's Cornwall " by Winston Graham . This is not part of the Poldark series but a coffee table art and photo volume about Cornwall with Winston Graham's impressions of the place . Used copies are available on Amazon US and also , at Amazon UK . I think this is just what you are looking for !! EDIT : published 1983 , 1998 .
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
'Vanishing Cornwall' by Daphne Du Maurier - it's a memoir, by contrast to her several novels. I believe it's out of print, but there are some used copies available through Amazon, and I found it in a library.
Posted by
near Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
521 posts
The Camomile Lawn, by Mary Wesley. I'm sure the novel is still in print, and we enjoyed the BBC TV dramatisation, which is available on DVD. Split between Cornwall and London in WW2 and the early 1980s. It's excellent. Tessa Hainsworth has a couple of books about giving up her executive job in London and moving to Cornwall. I'm sure it's the kind of thing that will have Cornishmen and women grumbling about incomers pushing up the house prices (and goodness knows Cornwall isn't unique in that respect). Not my sort of thing, so can't give you a recommendation.
Posted by
OP
El Dorado Springs, MO, USA
2 posts
Thank you all for your reccomendations. I will look into them.
Posted by
washington
837 posts
Randy, I am well aware that you have asked for books. I do not know what you are seeking. If you are looking for a feel of the place, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. You may already be aware of it, but a wonderful portrayal of the area is the BBC series, Doc Martin. I believe that it is currently playing on PBS. If not in your neck of the woods, you could sign up for a free Netflix trial and order some of the discs or stream.