Book Review – The Returning Tide

by Liz Fenwick (Orion) ISBN 978140916200

The Second World War casts its shadow even in idyllic Cornwall, with all its rugged romance, brooding secrets, and shrouds of mist. Sensible Adele and her twin sister, the rather more daring Amelia, enlist in the Women’s Royal Naval Service and, as Wrens, their adventures start.

For the first time in their young lives, the beautiful sisters will map and chart their own destiny, independent of each other. The test of their freedom leads to a terrible betrayal – one that will affect Adele for over seventy years. The past is the returning tide of the title and it leads the sisters from Cornwall to America, from the past to the present, in a mesmerising narrative current.

Liz Fenwick surpasses herself in her new novel. The author of the bestselling The Cornish House, she once again delivers a poignant, engrossing tale of love, betrayal, and redemption – with enough romance to satisfy the reader.  The characters are likeable, the settings vividly rendered, and a riveting plot.  This one goes beyond the usual ‘chick lit’ conventions.

Anthony Ehlers
4/5

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