Liz Fenwick’s books were on my shelves long before I ever imagined owning a bookshop. She’s one of those early favourites, the kind that quietly stays with you, and has been part of my reading journey from the beginning. She was also one of the very first authors to visit and sign books here. Liz Fenwick was in our bookshop. She’s even come back since, and will be joining us again for our Festival in September!
But fan-girling aside, I always review books honestly and if anything, there’s even more pressure when the author is not only incredibly talented but also genuinely lovely and passionate about books, bookshops, and literature.
Rest assured: this one is fabulous. In fact, The Secrets of Harbour House might be one of my favourites of Liz’s novels. I’ve always loved her books for their sense of place, beautiful, evocative Cornwall, but this story felt different. While still set in Cornwall, the novel stands solidly on its own, not relying too heavily on the landscape. Cornwall is there, vividly so, but it’s Harbour House that truly takes centre stage. A character in its own right, the house is brought to life through Liz’s exquisite storytelling, the perfect setting for secrets to slowly unravel, both past and present.
It’s a dual timeline novel, something I sometimes find tricky to connect with, but here, the two narratives are woven together so seamlessly that I was equally invested in both. There’s romance, grief, illness, history, art, and layered relationships. We move between Venice and Cornwall, past and present, and throughout, there’s a rich exploration of the world of art, auctions, and society.
The Secrets of Harbour House is haunting, beautiful, and absorbing, and it will linger long after you’ve turned the final page.
About the Book
When Kerensa is sent by her father’s auction house to catalogue a neglected house overlooking the sea in Newlyn, Cornwall, it’s a welcome escape. Once the home of two female artists, Harbour House is a treasure trove, but one painting in particular catches Kerensa’s eye – a hypnotically sensual portrait of a beautiful young woman which dominates the hallway.
Captivated and intrigued, Kerensa finds herself piecing together the enigma of Bathsheba Kernow, a fiercely talented young artist who left St Ives almost a hundred years before, eager to escape a society that wouldn’t understand her, and her sweeping journey from the underbelly of Paris to the heady luxury of Venice, where a chance encounter would change her life for ever, drawing her into the most dangerous and forbidden of love affairs.
For Kerensa, still reeling with a grief of her own and facing an uncertain future in love, Harbour House will have secrets that will change her life too, and in ways she could never have imagined…
About The Author
Called ‘the queen of the contemporary Cornish novel’ by the Guardian, Liz Fenwick is the author of nine books, including the most recent The River Between Us which won the Popular Romantic Fiction Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She lives with her husband and two mad cats near the Helford River in Cornwall. When not writing Liz is reading, painting, knitting, plot walking, and procrastinating on social media.
Purchase the Book
This book can be purchased in our store either on its own or in a cosy Book Box.
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