When this book was published by St Martin's Press in New York and Piatkus in London, in 1997, it attracted the following notices:

Ultraprolific Irish author Macdonald's 27th book ... an amiable story full of iron-fibered characters and their agreeable wisechat as Macdonald unspools from his heart long passages of period description that seemingly celebrate his own powers of memory and the tug of the past. Appealing calendar art brought to life on a tide of romantic passion and much tartly genial irony. — Kirkus

Macdonald sprinkles his tales with credible historical details and Cornish colloquialisms but he is at his best when writing straightforward narrative. For all its subplots and quaint village characters, the novel unfolds with a light enough touch to satisfy most readers of the genre — Publishers Weekly

Lengthy but well written, this could have been a lot worse — Newcastle Evening Chronicle

Another splendid novel from Malcolm Ross which reveals a true knowledge of Cornwall and the Cornish — The West Briton, Truro

An intriguing novel of family rivalry and Cornish life, with vivid portrayals of character and landscape — Kingsbridge Gazette, Devon

He is every bit as bad as Dickens – Martin Seymour-Smith