Summer Visitors (by Susan Sallis)

I think this is the first novel I have read by Susan Sallis. The cover looked intriguing, the blurb on the back sounded like my kind of book - nostalgic, character-driven, and relatively light.

'Summer Visitors' begins with Madge in Cornwall, at the funeral of an old friend. Then there's a long flashback, showing us the time when Madge was a little girl, and saw Cornwall for the first time.

The flashback takes up a considerable amount of the book, showing how Maggie grows up and learns about life and love. Her young brother survives a horrifying accident, but is handicapped severely.

There are many realistic characters, and I found the book highly readable, although rather confusing in places as the people span generations, and the plot moves pretty rapidly.

There is a satisfying ending, which is always a good thing, in my opinion.

This book seems to be out of print, but can often be found second-hand, online or from charity shops.

Recommended, if you like this kind of novel.