August 28, 2024
Destination: Devon & Cornwall
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A Devon and Cornwall Reading List. 10 Books to Read
Christie, Conan Doyle, du Maurier, Austen – four literary titans, but what connects them all? Answer? The West Country – Devon and Cornwall.
Whether your visit to Devon and Cornwall is to walk along the coast path, ride a bike in the quieter inland or simply soak up the sun on a beach, here are ten Devon and Cornwall books to take with you.
1. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
Cornwall’s windswept cliffs, dramatic seascapes, and atmospheric moors are the perfect backdrop for this novel’s brooding and mysterious atmosphere. The story follows a young woman who marries a wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter, and moves to his grand estate, Manderley.
The novel delves into themes of love, jealousy, and the haunting power of the past, she grapples with the shadows of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca, whose presence lingers throughout the house and the hearts of its inhabitants.
Though the publication of Rebecca edges towards its 100th anniversary, there are still many locations around Cornwall that visitors can trace back to the book’s inception. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” is the famous opening line of Rebecca. Du Maurier, based Manderely on the Cornish country house of Menabilly. Though the main house is private, there are three holiday cottages to rent on the estate. Ferryside in Boddinick, the former shipwright’s workshop, brought by the du Maurier family – and where Daphne spent some of her Cornish holidays – is another place for visitors to head. Best seen from the Bodinnick car and passenger ferry, the whitewashed walls and waterside location give the house fantastic appeal.
1. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
2. War Horse - Michael Morpurgo
2. War Horse - Michael Morpurgo
“War Horse” by Michael Morpurgo is a powerful and evocative story that unfolds against the backdrop of the Devon countryside. The tale follows the journey of a horse named Joey and his unbreakable bond with his young owner, Albert, during the turmoil of World War I.
As Joey navigates the harrowing landscapes of war-torn Europe, the story beautifully captures the resilience and unwavering spirit of both the horse and his human companions.
For travellers wanting a picture of rural Devon, Michael Morpurgo’s vivid portrayal of its landscape and deep connection to the characters make “War Horse” a compelling read.
3. The Hound of the Baskervilles Novel - Arthur Conan Doyle
The third book on our list is the classic detective novel “The House of the Baskervilles”. Author, Arthur Conan Doyle does a remarkable job of capturing the eerie and atmospheric landscape of Dartmoor. The book’s main protagonists, Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson investigate the legend of a supernatural hound that haunts the Baskerville family.
For visitors keen to visit locations from the book, Fox Tor Mires slap bang in the centre of Dartmoor served as the inspiration for Grimpen Mire. Meanwhile, Park Hill House in Ipplepen was the house of Bertram Fletcher Robinson, a former editor of Vanity Fair who told Doyle of strange happenings in and around his local village
3. The Hound of the Baskervilles Novel - Arthur Conan Doyle
4. And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie
4. And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie
Burgh Island, on Devon’s south coast, England, is thought to be the inspiration for the setting of the mystery novel, “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie.
The story is set on an isolated island where a group of people are lured under false pretences. As they gather on the island, they realize that each of them has been involved in the death of another person, and one by one they start to die mysteriously. The novel is well known for its intricate plot and unexpected twists. Burgh Island itself is a tidal island, accessible only at low tide when it’s possible to walk across a small strip of sand from the mainland.
When the tide is higher, the famous Sea Tractor ferries people the short distance across the water. The island is well-known today as the home of a popular art-deco-inspired hotel.
5. Tarka the Otter - Henry Williamson
“Tarka the Otter” is a novel written by Henry Williamson that follows the life of an otter in the Devon countryside. Set in Devon’s rolling hills, the novel vividly portrays the otter’s journey through the rivers, streams, and coastline of this beautiful region.
The book beautifully captures the deeply rural, natural environment of Devon and its accompanying wildlife. Here are two of our favourite quotes: “When the bees’ feet shake the bells of the heather, and the ruddy strings of the sap-stealing dodder are twined about the green spikes of the furze, it is summertime on the commons.” And: “The rising sun silvered the mist lying low and dense on the meadow, where cattle stood on unseen legs. Over the mist the white owl was flying, on broad soft wings.”
The book is immortalized in the Tarka Trail, a 180-mile traffic-free cycling route that crisscrosses Devon – it’s one of the best cycling routes in Devon.
5. Tarka the Otter - Henry Williamson
6. Sense & Sensibility - Jane Austen
6. Sense & Sensibility - Jane Austen
“Sense and Sensibility” is a classic English novel by Jane Austen that follows the lives of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, as they navigate love and heartbreak in 19th-century England.
While the story primarily unfolds in the Sussex countryside and in London, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters move from their family home to “four miles north of Exeter”.Though Barton Cottage and its surroundings don’t play a huge role in proceedings, it is thought that Austen spent several summers in Devon, such was its proximity to Bath – a location renowned for its association with the author.
Those who have seen the BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility might be interested to know that Blackpool Mill on the Hartland Abbey estate served as the location for Barton Cottage. The house is a holiday home and provides a great base for walking on the North Devon coast.
7. Poldark - Winston Graham
Before it was launched into popular culture by the TV adaptation featuring a semi-naked Aidan Turner, Winston Graham’s Poldark historical fiction series set in 18th-century Cornwall, was a fantastic way to look behind the veil of Cornish history.
The books follow the life of Ross Poldark, a British Army officer who returns to his home in Cornwall after the American War of Independence, only to find his father dead, his estate in ruins, and his sweetheart engaged to his cousin. The series delves into themes of love, betrayal, and social change while providing a rich portrayal of Cornwall’s rugged landscapes and the hardships faced by its inhabitants.
Remarkably the author Graham, began writing in 1945, completing the mammoth 12-book series 57 years later in 2002!
7. Poldark - Winston Graham
8. The Salt Path - Raynor Winn
8. The Salt Path - Raynor Winn
It’s the first non-fiction book on our list, but one that – on the face of it – seems too unlucky not to be fiction. Author Raynor Winn tells her story of how days after learning her husband had a terminal diagnosis they also lost their home. In a courageous, some would say silly, step they decided to walk the entire length of the South West Coast path – a 630-mile route which traces the entire Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset coastline.
Not only does Winn perfectly encapsulate the landscape of the Southwest: “A hidden land of weather and rock, remote and isolated. Unchanged through millennia yet constantly changed by the sea and the sky, a contradiction at the western edge.” But it’s her evocative illustrations of the South West Coast Path itself which bring the book to life. “The ground breaks and heaves, pushing up boulders, turning the path into a spew of sharp, impassable rock. We scrambled on, through, around, over, behind.” Then there’s the weather that accompanies their walk too.
All-in-all, as a body of work, The Salt Path is uplifting, inspiring and a reminder to us all, that even in adversity, it is possible to keep fighting and carry on!
9. Under a Mackeral Sky - Rick Stein
From his travelogue TV adventures in his Land Rover Defender accompanied by faithful companion Chalky to his library of cookery books, if you’re a foodie of a certain age, you’ll have come across Rick Stein. “Under a Mackerel Sky” is Stein’s complete autobiography.
Though Stein is associated with Cornwall (and seafood), he was born in the Cotswolds and although he holidayed in the area as a child it wasn’t until his early 20s that Stein relocated to the South-West.
Stein’s story in Cornwall began in the 1970s when he started running, of all things, a nightclub in Padstow, before a series of events led him to open his first restaurant. Fast forward over 50 years and the town of Padstow on the north Cornwall coast is now so synonymous with Stein, that it has now been given, perhaps somewhat unfairly, the nickname. ‘Padstein.’
9. Under a Mackeral Sky - Rick Stein
10. Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town - Lamorna Ash
10. Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town - Lamorna Ash
Though Cornwall’s fishing industry hasn’t returned to the heights of the late 1880s, it continues to be a prominent theme in the county’s economic and social story.
“Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town” is a poetic, lyrical but often plain-speaking assessment of the area’s fishing past, present and future. Much of the book is based around Newlyn, a town which has become the modern-day hub of the Cornish fishing industry.
Lamorna herself is named after a Cornish cove, so she’s well placed to detail something which, at times, can seem completely at odds with the bucolic, touristy picture of Cornwall.
