A year of Marvellous Ways

by Sarah Winman · 2015

When the world is still reeling from the aftermath of World War II, an unlikely sanctuary appears in a quiet Cornish creek. Marvellous Ways, a solitary 89‑year‑old who has spent most of her life watching the river from a mooring stone, spends her days with a telescope, waiting for a sign she cannot name. One storm‑tossed night a wounded young soldier named Drake drifts ashore, his promise to a dying comrade pulling him into her secluded world. As Marvellous tends to his broken body and spirit, the two forge a fragile bond that awakens forgotten hopes. Winman's lyrical tale weaves the pull of the sea, the comfort of sloe gin, and the quiet power of storytelling into a meditation on love, loss, and the stubborn resilience of the human heart. "A Year of Marvellous Ways" celebrates the magic that lingers in everyday moments, reminding us that even in the deepest grief, a new horizon can appear on the horizon.