Historical Fiction Review: A Castaway in Cornwall by Julie Klassen

Book Description:
Set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers, Laura Callaway now lives with her uncle and his disapproving wife in North Cornwall. There she feels like a castaway, always viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong.

While wreckers search for valuables along the windswept Cornwall coast--known for its many shipwrecks but few survivors--Laura searches for clues to the lives lost so she can write letters to next of kin and return keepsakes to rightful owners. When a man is washed ashore after a wreck, Laura acts quickly to protect him from a local smuggler determined to destroy him.

As Laura and a neighbor care for the survivor, they discover he has curious wounds and, although he speaks in careful, educated English, his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Despite the evidence against him, the mysterious man might provide her only chance to discover the truth about her parents' fate. With danger pursuing them from every side, and an unexpected attraction growing between them, will Laura ever find the answers she seeks?

My Review:
Cornwall's coast is fascinating, especially to Laura Callaway. Although she feels like an outsider in her new home, she fills her days helping others and working to return lost flotsam and jetsam to the rightful owners. On the day she discovers a man who has washed ashore, her life changes. Julie Klassen has done her research in this interesting story of love and loss. I found the characters compelling and the setting remarkable. Although the book was a bit slow, the story is well written. Klassen goes into detail to make the reader feel the chilly coast and the heartache Laura carries. If you enjoy historical fiction set in England, this is the book for you. I received a complimentary copy of this item. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.