"A lovely treat of a feel-good and relationship novella set at Christmas on an island off of the Cornish coast."
With elements of folklore slipping nicely into a feel-good relationship tale, this really is a charming read. It sits as a novella, and focuses on an island village in need, a cat, and a young woman returning to memories of her childhood. Author Lili Hayward introduces the mysterious history of the island within the story at Christmas, ensuring a magical note sings throughout. Murr the cat is just gorgeous, everyone needs a Murr in their lives! I really enjoyed how the spotlight remains on the cottage and island, with each character becoming a part of the whole. While there is a potentially developing romance it doesn’t overtake the structure of the story, but rather snuggles in alongside. Highlighting love, kindness, and family, the plot absolutely sings as it reaches its conclusion. A Midwinter’s Tail is a joyous read, full of Christmas spirit and the fantastical.
| Primary Genre | Shorter Reads |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
A town in need.
An extraordinary cat.
A season for miracles...
It's nearly Christmas and committed Londoner, Mina Kestle, is close to signing a deal that will make her career and give her everything she's ever wanted. And then she receives a mysterious letter in the post along with an ancient key, sent by her long-estranged godfather . . .
Davy Penhallow is an artist who lives on the tiny Cornish island of Morgelyn with only his pet cat, Murr, for company. Mina hasn't seen or heard from him in decades, but now it seems he wants her to look after his cottage - and his cat - while he recovers from a stroke in hospital. Mina doesn't know why Davy has written after all these years, but she intends to do what's right: sort out the cottage and the cat and then get back to London in time for her career-saving meeting, before everything she's built comes crashing down around her.
But the more time Mina spends in the cottage, looking after Murr and remembering the magic of Cornish folklore, the harder it becomes for her to tear herself away. And when she discovers that a set of ruthless property developers are coming for Morgelyn, she realises she might be the only one who can stand in their way to save the island, Davy's cottage and Murr's home.
As Christmas draws ever closer and echoes of the past - her own and the island's - wash up in her memory, Mina begins to unravel a generation of secrets... and discover what it is she has truly always wanted . . .
The perfect magical read to cosy up with on chilly winter nights...
A Midwinter's Tail features in the following genres: Shorter Reads, Family Drama, Feel-Good Fiction, General Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Fiction, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Folklore studies / Study of myth (mythology), Fiction: special features, Fiction: narrative themes, Popular beliefs and controversial knowledge, Society and culture: general, Society and Social Sciences, eBooks of the Month, Recommendations, Festive Fiction
A Midwinter's Tail is available in Paperback, Hardback, Ebook (Epub)
A Midwinter's Tail was written by Lili Hayward and published by Sphere an imprint of Little, Brown
A Midwinter's Tail has 240 pages
£9.89
