This book grabbed me from the start. It reminded me of Maeve Binchy's style of writing. The reader is taken into the psyche of the characters immediately and shown their vulnerabilities, defenses, and perspective on life. The setting is a real village in Cornwall called …more Boscastle. I felt a part of this small rural village as the story progressed. The book pulls you in and makes you an intimate observer of the villagers. It offers a variety of characters from a nine year old girl who is very wise for her age and knows everything that goes on in the village to "witches" who have compassion, understanding and intuition. (There is a witchcraft museum in this village so witchcraft is a part of the village culture).

The two main characters, Andrew and Nicky meet here. Both have been deeply wounded by people they love, Andrew emotionally and Nicky physically. Andrew comes to the village to take a class on constructing stone hedges from a master builder in the village. I loved learning about how to build stone hedges. It was like I was part of the class, as well! As he learns about building with stone, he ironically begins to deconstruct the wall he has built around himself. Nicky moved to the village to escape an abusive relationship. She is a gifted artist and slowly learns to build trust again as she becomes part of the village. I looked up the village of Boscastle on the internet because it is a place I would love to visit after reading this book. Good book! (less)