
Storm Castle - home of the Trevarwiths - on the wild Cornish coast. A bride and bridegroom driving up to the doors...a white-faced child peering from a turret window... the first dread meeting between the bride and her red-haired vixen of a step-mother... After the death of her father, young Celia Trevarwith was tortured by the tragedy of his loss. In later years, she was cared less for the inheritance that was jealously denied her then a for the sweet rapturous love she longed for but had never known. During the Second World War, the Free-French fisherman, Paul Manton comes to the district. Then he met the orphan heiress on the desolate Cornish coast, and she falls madly in love with him. But she knew at once from the way he held her that he was not what he seemed. Yet she dared not ask the question that seared her waking dreams: Would the dashing Frenchman open his soul...as well as his arms...to enfold her in a world of tender love? She then embarks on a passionate struggle for her love and happiness with Paul, always up against her step-mother's opposition.
Celia Trevarwith faces a life of isolation and emotional deprivation at Storm Castle until the arrival of a mysterious Frenchman disrupts her status quo. Following the death of her father, Celia navigates a hostile domestic environment dominated by her manipulative step-mother. Her objective is to secure personal happiness and authentic connection, which she finds in the enigmatic Paul Manton. The narrative follows her internal and external conflicts as she attempts to reconcile her growing affection for Paul with the reality of his hidden identity and the societal pressures of the Second World War era.
Readers often identify this work as a classic example of mid-century romantic fiction characterized by its dramatic atmosphere and emotional intensity. Discussion frequently centers on the gothic elements of the setting, which serve to heighten the protagonist's sense of entrapment and longing. Critics note that the pacing prioritizes the development of the central relationship over complex plot mechanics, reflecting the conventions of the genre during the period. Many readers highlight the contrast between the bleak, isolated environment of Storm Castle and the passionate nature of the central romance as a primary draw for the narrative.
Page Count:
192
Publication Date:
1970-09-07
Publisher:
Arrow Bks.
ISBN-10:
0090035909
ISBN-13:
9780090035908
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