A Year of Marvellous Ways

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What to expect

Cornwall, 1947. Marvellous Ways is a ninety-year-old woman who's lived alone in a remote creek for nearly all her life. Recently she's taken to spending her days sitting on a mooring stone by the river with a telescope. She's waiting for something - she's not sure what, but she'll know it when she sees it.

Drake is a young soldier left reeling by the war. He's agreed to fulfil a dying man's last wish and hand-deliver a letter to the man's father in Cornwall. But Drake's journey doesn't go to plan, and sees him literally wash up in Marvellous' creek, broken in body and spirit. When Marvellous comes to his aid, an unlikely friendship grows between the two. Can Drake give Marvellous what she needs to say goodbye to the world, and can she give him what he needs to go on?

(P)2015 Headline Digital

Critics Review

Fanciful imagery and beautiful prose that ebbs and flows
Independent
Winman excels in her sweeping prose and her unwavering theme of love in all its forms
Stylist
Beautifully written
Sun on Sunday, Fabulous Magazine
One to read slowly so you can savour every beautiful sentence
Good Housekeeping (Book of the Month)
A lavish and clever read which will stand the test of time
Irish Examiner
Moving... offbeat and memorable
Woman & Home
A Year of Marvellous Ways is like Dylan Thomas given a sexy rewrite by Angela Carter
Patrick Gale, author of A PLACE CALLED WINTER
A glorious poem of a novel - a story to read slowly and to marvel at the beauty of it
Rosamund Lupton, author of SISTER
Yet again Sarah Winman has written a beautiful, beautiful novel. A Year of Marvellous Ways will hypnotise, seduce, until you can do nothing but pick it up and read it again
Tiffany Murray, author of DIAMOND STAR HALO and SUGAR HALL
A gripping waiting game ... The novel's surprising denouement is also well worth the wait
Observer
In this warm, kindly novel, the sea is both magical and healing. Lovely
The Times
The book demonstrates vividly how we need family around us, whether homegrown or grafted, to live our fullest lives... By the end of this novel, we too belong in the world of Marvellous Ways
Sunday Express, S Magazine
The sense of magic infused through the novel casts a spell over the reader that makes you not want to put the book down until you've turned the final page
Hannah Beckerman, author of THE DEAD WIFE’S HANDBOOK
A book to savour, to read in wonderful, rich little bits like dark chocolate. Winman's prose is poetry, with a rhythm, a heartbeat, that carries you through like music
Emma Hooper, author of ETTA AND OTTO AND RUSSELL AND JAMES
A truly enchanting book
Irish Times
A breathtaking reading experience... a beautiful book that is unafraid to reveal the ugliness of the world
Toronto Star
She is particularly good at bringing the sensations of landscape to bear - its smell, sound and look - and in Marvellous has created a character of warmth and eccentricity
Metro
The stories are touching and the twist of magical realism lends them a joyful, fairytale element
Daily Record
What struck me was Winman's gorgeous imagery, beautiful passages and imaginative storytelling. Quirky and slightly hairbrained, A Year of Marvellous Ways is an unforgettable book
Mitford Society Summer Reads
Spellbinding
The Times

User Reviews

Book 4.7
Narration 5.0
5.0
5.0
A wonderful whimsical and heart-warming story with all the guts and glory of real human emotion amongst the journeys through the respective PTSD and Alzheimer’s experiences of the 2 main characters. The magical elements of Marvelous Ways were my favourite parts. The Cornish village setting was a delight and the growing community surrounding the characters was a true pleasure to be a part of. A book that sparks a warm glow on these cold rainy days.
sarah456 20/11/2025
4.0
5.0
choglodyte 02/07/2025
5.0
5.0
Beautifully read. Beautifully written. I do not want to think about whether i prefer this to Still Life. Both are moving and warm - full of life and love, without any sentimentality.
jo tait 02/11/2023

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