Thoughts on The Stranger from the Sea.....

Beautiful Cliffs in Cornwall - http://www.natures-desktop.com/

I just finished reading book 8 in the Poldark series, The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham.  This was a fairly quick read and while I enjoyed it, it introduced the next generation and focused more on them than on Ross and Demelza.  However!  There are some lovely conversations with the now content couple that are heartening to read.

This story is fairly low-key without the gut-punching drama that was in the earlier books.  We meet Jeremy Poldark, who is now a young man, his younger sister Clowance, who is nearly 18, and the stranger from the sea, Stephan Carrington.  We also get some insight into Valentine's personality and I pretty much don't like him and I expect he'll be stirring up trouble in the future.

It opens with Ross away from home yet again where he runs into the infamous Colonel McNeil and Geoffrey Charles who is a soldier now and getting ready for battle.  Naturally Ross joins in because ...well he's ROSS.  LoL   He and Geoffrey Charles seem to have a lot in common and you can tell there is true affection there.

Meanwhile back in Cornwall, Jeremy and his friends are going fishing everyday.  Except he's not really fishing, but we learn that later in the story.  On one of their excursions, they find two bodies and bring them ashore - one of them is still alive!!  A handsome young man named Stephen Carrington.  Demelza and Clowance nurse him back to health.  Clowance is smitten. Stephen is smitten with her too, but he's a bit of a rake who lies to his rescuers about his background.  He and Jeremy hit it off  - he confesses that he was working aboard a privateer and he talks him into going off to get a small lugger with brandy aboard that his ship had captured and docked.  Things don't go exactly as they hoped. They are almost caught by Preventive men and as they escape, they separate and Jeremy ends up hiding in the gardens of an estate.  It is here that Jeremy meets Miss Cuby Trevanion and it changes his life forever.

Clowance goes off to London with Dwight and Caroline Enys to try and sort out her feelings towards Stephen and a local guy, Ben Carter.  She meets Lord Edward Fitzmaurice at a social event and he falls for her.  Now she has a 3 way problem. lol  Eventually, Demelza and Clowance go to meet Edward's family, which helps Clowance, at least a little, with what she should do.

George Warleggan has a part in this volume too.  He has never really gotten over losing Elizabeth, but he has decided it's time to find a new wife.  He has his eyes on a widow of good breeding and money and feels he must impress her.  He invests heavily on a speculation and loses his shirt instead.  So much so, he decides to sell all his shares in Wheal Leisure to John Treneglos, who keeps it secret that Ross will be a shareholder again.  Putting the screws to George is always a wonderful thing. lol

This all came about because Jeremy is interested in Wheal Leisure and goes in and investigates with Ben Carter.  He wants to build a steam engine to work the mine. He is obsessed with steam power and determined to learn everything about it.  Fortunately, Ben feels there is a chance that there is enough copper to open it again, which convinces Jeremy to ask his Dad to try and get it back.  He gives good argument and has an answer for all of Ross' questions.  Ross is impressed with his son, which is gratifying as his relationship with him has not been as good as it should have been.

Trenwith is falling into disrepair with no one living there.  You get the feeling that somewhere down the road, something will save it, but maybe that's just me and my wishful thinking.  Also, I don't trust this Stephen Carrington person.  I will have to get a copy of The Miller's Dance to find out if my gut instinct is right this time.  Don't tell me, please!  I want to read it. :-)