A Strange World

Maurice Clissold's world is one of old houses, hidden histories, and feelings too deep to stay private. In this Victorian tale of mystery and romance, he moves through Cornwall and London alike, drawn into families shadowed by tragedy, social change, and the lingering power of memory. At Penwyn Manor and the rough-hewn Trevanard farm of Borcel End, he encounters contrasting worlds of fading gentility and practical labor, where hospitality, pride, secrecy, and unease coexist beneath the surface. A year later, Maurice has found literary fame by transforming heartbreak into a widely admired book of sorrowful poems, yet public success only sharpens his awareness of danger, especially in the Penwyn circle. Along the way, he is reunited with unexpected figures from his past, including the gifted Justina Elgood, whose stage triumph reveals the emotional truth behind her awkward beginnings. Through Maurice's encounters with the Penwyns, the Elgoods, and the households that shelter them, the novel explores love, loss, class, ambition, and the uneasy line between performance and real feeling. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.