Summer in Tintagel by Amanda James

 

"Everything she had ever known to be true was being pushed to the limit. Surety in the scientific and rational explanation was diminishing, shifting out of focus like the edges of a sepia photograph. She wanted to scream but instead out of her mouth came, "I can't begin to understand how this all works, I-".

Summer in Tintagel by Amanda James is a modern-day romance with a paranormal twist, set in Cornwall. 

Rosa Fernley is a travel journalist. Her assignments take her to often far-flung places, and she finds her job exciting and fulfilling. 

Visiting her dying grandmother Jocelyn, Rosa is burdened with a tragic secret from the distant past. She listens in disbelief to the story of what has happened in August 1968, when her grandmother had a short-lived affair in Cornwall. There was no happy ending. Jocelyn had a young daughter who she couldn't abandon to the care of her abusive husband. Jocelyn thinks of those six days in Tintagel as the best days of her life, and tells Rosa that she had never been so happy before or since. 

Jocelyn confides in Rosa that she had a dream of her lover Jory the night before and he told her they would be reunited, and that she needs to tell her granddaughter to visit the castle. Rosa is dubious about the task, thinking it doesn't make any sense, and that her grandmother is clearly under the influence of her medication. She begs and begs, and reluctantly, Rosa agrees to travel to Tintagel, as this could well be the very last request from her beloved grandmother.

When she arrives to Cornwall, she embraces the spirit of adventure. "She began to feel for the first time that she was no longer chasing after Jocelyn's wild goose, but was here for an important reason. That reason was as yet unknown, but Rosa had the unshakeable notion that it wouldn't be too long before she discovered what it was".

While on a mission to discover her grandmother's lost love, she manages to antagonise quite a few locals. She appears rude, whether it's due to her nerves, or the feeling of superiority towards the villagers, for example, she tells the waiter in the pub that "people come here with all sorts of twaddle in their heads, don't they?" and claims the locals just "fool the gullible city folk".

On her first evening in Tintagel she has a strange encounter which she cannot explain rationally. And then another one the next day. Is it her imagination playing up?

Rosa meets a handsome local guide Talan, who bears a distinctive resemblance to Jory. He is as unpredictable as the Cornish weather, and as mysterious.

"Into her hitherto normal and carefully planned life had come the spirit world, legends, unfathomable messages from a dead man, sightings of the aforementioned dead man, no idea about what was going to happen next, and of course the incredibly lovely Talan. Ah yes, the incredibly lovely Talan... the look-alike of the dead man".

Will Rosa be able to accept that life is not always explained in rational terms, and help her grandmother to come to terms with her past? Will Tintagel work its magic on her?

Rosa has to confront her own hidden secrets, buried deep inside her childhood memories and psyche. It's hard for her, as she's been brought up to be a rational human being, who finds a scientific explanation to everything.

She also has to work on her manners, as she is a bit of a social disaster.

Even during her fist date with Talan, she sends contradictory messages. She is described a few times as having two personalities: one shy, another over-confident who "flirts outrageously". 

For having the sixth sense, Rosa is pretty clueless at reading other people's reactions and moods. She appears to be a very naive 28-year-old, who enjoys cracking juvenile jokes which are not funny at all.

It's difficult to relate to her.

Talan can also be incredibly rude. He makes a wrong judgment, based on the previous tragic events related to someone he deeply cares about, but his rudeness has no excuses.

There are so many misunderstandings and misinterpretations, it's almost a "comedy of errors". And the romantic story is rather predictable.

The sex scene made me laugh, because it was so cheesy. "He had taken her to the most wonderful places already that morning. Places she'd never dreamed of". 

The Cornish setting was the most attractive element of the novel for me. I bought the book, based on the title and melancholy image of the rugged coastline. And atmospheric descriptions of Tintagel didn't fail.

Amanda James does a stellar job, describing the coastal village, the castle and church, as the land steeped in mystery. I could see in my mind the route the main character was taking, going down the sheer path towards the castle. The rendition of the unpredictable Cornish weather rings true as well.

We visited Tintagel a year ago, when we stayed in Cornwall. We didn't go all the way up to see the ruins of the castle, as it was a spontaneous visit, and you have to book everything in advance these days.

We saw that bridge from below, and I was glad I didn't have to walk across it, just the sight of it gave me palpitations.

Summer in Tintagel will remind you why Cornwall is so special. You will want to pack your bags and book the train ticket. A quirky and certainly unusual story and a great sense of place.