Researching ‘China Court’ by Rumer Godden
"The house date is under the passionflower that has ramped over the front door as other creepers have done over the garden front and side walls, softening their outline and weathering the granite, while lichen and house leek…”
Rumer Godden, China Court
As many of you will know already, we have another title in the pipeline, which we very much hope to publish later this year. Cross your fingers!
It is a brand new edition of China Court by the luminous writer Rumer Godden (whose talent the New York Times described as follows: "Her craftsmanship is always sure; her understanding of character is compassionate and profound; her prose is pure, delicate, and gently witty".
I couldn't agree more!
In case you are new to Rumer Godden (1907-98), she was the acclaimed author of over 60 works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. She was born in England, but grew up with her siblings in Narayanganj, India, and later spent many years living in Kolkata and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River. She was appointed OBE in 1993.
I am so delighted to let you know that our brand-new edition of China Court has already been given a gorgeous front cover, illustrated by the wonderful artist Emily Maude. Cover reveal to follow in due course.
China Court is set in a country house near St Austell in Cornwall, and I have been researching as much as I can about the area and the history of the local china clay mines and the nearby grand old houses, as well as the inspirational surrounding countryside too.
So many authors have been drawn to and inspired by this part of the world, including one of my favourites - Daphne du Maurier…
But in recent months, I have found a few more must-reads relating to Cornwall - and here is my current addiction: The White Road - a history of porcelain by the artist, master potter and writer Edmund de Waal.
The White Road: A Pilgrimage of Sorts
By Edmund de Waal
I'm sure many of you are also huge fans of de Waal's memoir The Hare with the Amber Eyes (one of my all time, return-to-again-and-again, reads). This book is just as fascinating (and haunting) - and I could devote a whole post to a review. But time is of the essence so I will refer you to just one small section, in which the author follows in the footsteps of Josiah Wedgwood, via an account of his 1775 'Journey into Cornwall':
"We were now in the midst of the mines, & hillocks thrown up from them, being within 2 miles of St Austle we were extremely eager to examine their contents..."
This is exactly where Rumer Godden set her novel China Court: the tale of a grand old house built from the proceeds of just such a mine - and the extended family of Quins who lived there over several generations.
I can't wait to find out more about the history of the area (next stop: Wheal Martyn Clay Works Museum).