I am thrilled to be taking part in the Random Things blog
tour for The Island House. I received a copy of this book as part of the tour.
I love Cornwall and reading books set there, so I was really
excited to join the blog tour for The Island House. This is a non-fiction book
which details Mary and Patrick’s move to the tiny St George’s Island (also
known as Looe Island) in Cornwall.
The book covers the background of how Mary and Patrick met,
their life in London and Mary’s childhood holidays spent at the Island.
It also goes through the history of the house and the
previous owners. The Island was bought by The Atkins sisters in the 1960s and
stayed in their possession until they died and left it to the Cornwall Wildlife
Trust. The two sisters would do tours and have tourist visits during the summer
season and during the winter, when the sea was too rough to make the short
crossing, they would simply hunker down with lots of books and cases of gin and
whisky that they had bought. I love the sound of just staying on the island for
the winter with lots of books!
The book also cover
the renovation that Mary and Patrick started on the house, a condition of their
long term lease and spending Christmas there.
I loved reading about the history of the island and Island
House, it read like a novel and includes hidden treasures and secret smugglers
coves.
This is a fantastic book that I would recommend, especially
if you have an interest in Cornwall.
5 stars
