From a Distance

Barker (Poppyland) continues her signature line of cozy romantic dramas with this feel-good story, which flips back and forth between the present and the period immediately following WWII. In 1946, British soldier Michael Marker returns to England from the war, but cannot bring himself to rejoin his parents and fiancée, for what now seems like a stultifying existence. Instead, he enters an artists’ colony on the coast of Cornwall, where he falls in love with Felicity, a textile artist; but their happiness proves short-lived. In the modern day, Kit Delaware comes to the same area of Cornwall to look over an old lighthouse left to him by his late mother. Kit, an affable bachelor, is intrigued by the lighthouse and by the nearby villagers, who all greet him warmly. Neighbors Luisa and Tom are particularly welcoming, and Kit soon develops a comfortable friendship with them. Barker slowly reveals the connection between the contemporary story and Michael and Felicity’s romance, but thanks to a cast of characters who often seem just too darn nice to be real, there’s little suspense. Sacrificing excitement, the reader is rewarded with a story refreshingly upbeat and free of any angst. Agent: Gaia Banks, Sheil Land Associates (U.K.). (July)