"Sobs racked my chest, tears flooding my cheeks. To be here again. To be free. To have escaped my pigpen. The air was so fresh it almost hurt to breathe, yet I gulped lungfuls of the salty air, laughing, crying, blinded by the brilliance of the sun's reflection. Reaching for great handfuls, I let the glistening sand slip through my fingers. I never thought to be here again. Never thought to be free again."
The Cornish Captive by Nicola Pryce is an evocative, tightly-woven historical novel.
This is the sixth novel in the historical saga, set in the 18C - early 19C Cornwall. It reads as a standalone, but it might help to understand the dynamics and relationships between the characters, if you're familiar with their backstory, based on the previous books.
Madeleine Pelligrew, the former mistress of Pendenning Hall, has been imprisoned on false grounds for fourteen years. She's being locked away in a series of madhouses, moved from one place to another, under false name and identity. Each move brings on a new faked identity, while the previous records are destroyed, so that nobody is able to find her.
When a stranger comes to her rescue, she doesn't know if she can trust him. Is she going to be sent away to a worse place, even more decrepit and destitute than her last prison?
The years of imprisonment have taken their toll on Madeleine. Her mental health is fragile, she is being abused by her prisoners. She's lost her hair, her body is covered in sores from the lice, she is starved and has no strength.
How can she be sure Marcel Bernard, the person who rescues her from the madhouse, is going to take her to France? They arrive to Fosse, waiting for the ship which would take them to France and freedom. While staying in the Cornish town, close to her former manor house, Madeleine is hiding her true identity. If the current owner of her former home finds out who she is, her life will be in great danger.
Her past is painful and tragic. She has lost her husband, and the baby she was carrying. Her home was forfeited to the ruthless predator, who has sent her to the madhouse. Madeleine is determined to discover the truth about what has happened fourteen years ago, how her husband has died and who has been behind the plot to keep her hidden in the series of madhouses.
Madeleine can only count on Rowan, a girl who has been her companion in the last imprisonment. Rowan is like a child she has lost, a gentle soul, who loves and cares for her well-being.
She strikes a hesitant friendship with Captain Pierre de la Croix, a French prisoner on parole, whom she meets on the coach on her way to Fosse. He is solicitous and courteous, and there is a definite chemistry between them. But as the member of the French aristocracy, Madeleine believes Pierre's sympathies lie with the new regime. Is he a spy for the new government? He is always conveniently around, whenever Madeleine's life is under threat.
"I wanted to tell him... that I was filled with great emptiness. That my heart was breaking. That loneliness accompanied my nights and envy poisoned my days. That I wished he was not who he was, but someone I could admire".
Men in her life have lied to her and betrayed her so many times, that it's nearly impossible for Madeleine to begin believing any of them again. As she discovers the real reasons behind her imprisonment, she is even more hesitant to count on men's honesty.
Is Pierre who he claims he is?
As the past threatens to catch up with her, can Madeleine find the strength to learn to trust again? Will she be able to open her heart? Love or freedom, what will she choose?
The Cornish Captive had me gripped right to the end. I loved the vulnerable intelligent main protagonist, her dramatic escape and journey to self-discovery. This novel skilfully transports you to another place and time. It's a beautifully written book, with a complicated plotline and a spirited heroine to root for.
The author explores the themes of men's power and women's identity against the historical background, where females were viewed as subordinates of males. In the male-dominated society women had no legal rights. The scene where Madeleine's sanity has to be confirmed by two doctors would make your blood boil with indignation.
Yet despite these societal constrictions, we see strong female protagonists, who fight for the social justice. The theme of the sisterhood and the support to each other goes through the book, from gentle little Rowan, to Mrs Pengelly who takes Madeleine in her house and cares for her deeply, and several other generous-spirited women of all walks of life.
Books set in Cornwall hold a special place in my heart, as they make me feel closer to my favourite place on Earth. Nicola Pryce's descriptions of the nature and landscapes of Cornwall are masterly and accomplished. I could just smell the sea breeze and the scent of the heath. While I am not a captive, every time we arrive to the Cornish coast, I rejoice at the sense of freedom. I can't have enough of that salty sea air, the fragrance and the colours of the gorse and heather, the sound of the waves and the wind. This novel has captured the essence of the Cornish coastline perfectly.
I should also mention the atmospheric book cover design for The Cornish Captive, with the winswept heath, the rocks, and a solitary linhay. And that understated elegant dress!
If you like this review, you might enjoy checking out my review for The Cornish Lady by Nicola Pryce.
This post is part of the blog tour for The Cornish Captive.
Many thanks to Nicola Pryce, Corvus and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!
Purchase Link - http://amzn.to/3ASk1xR
Author Bio – Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. She has always loved literature and completed an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. Together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure.
Social Media Links –
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