It's my turn on the Blogtour Seahaven by Ruth Enright.
About the Author
Ruth Enright is from Halifax, West Yorkshire. She enjoys holidays in Whitby, Scarborough and the surrounding area; with Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby being the inspiration for her debut novel ‘Seahaven.’ Her second book, ‘Button Box’ is for children and young adults. A young girl finds herself living in two worlds – the modern day and a dangerous Victorian past in 1850s London.
Ruth studied English Language and Literature at Reading University and has always had the ambition to write herself. She lives in Manchester with her family and works for local government, where she has held a number of posts. She is now an Information Governance Officer. Ruth came to Manchester as a graduate trainee in Librarianship with Manchester Polytechnic before changing career paths and training for a certificate in teaching lipreading to adults with acquired deafness in Adult Education. Ruth then had her daughter and later became a local government officer.
Ruth has always kept on writing and started a blog a few years ago for her poems, stories and other items. Encouraged by readers, she has recently succeeded in having five short stories published by ‘Yours Fiction’ special short story quarterly magazine.
Ruth loves to read and enjoys writing in both historic and modern settings, experimenting with different genres. Ideas for her writing come from many sources, for instance the name of Robin’s uncle Jorfant in ‘Seahaven’ came from researching her partner’s family tree!
Ruth lives with her partner Jack, and a cat called Margot. Ruth is delighted to be a published author and is looking forward very much to writing more novels. Follow Ruth Enright on Twitter, Visit r-enright58.co.uk
About the book
England, 1700’s. Seahaven is a lawless fishing village on the wild East Coast of Yorkshire. When a sailing ship is wrecked, three young people from very different backgrounds are caught up in a race against time.
Solomon must escape his bondage as an American slave and his two friends, Robin and Sophie, are desperate to help him. However, this is a time of smuggling, slavery, robbery and betrayal. The whole community, whether rich or poor, is involved in outlawed activity.
Robin’s strange and feared Uncle Jorfant leads the underground smuggling ring. Soldiers, the militia and excise men are always on patrol and the Press Gang is a constant fear to the men of the village. It is a volatile, complex world, one in which past and present collide mysteriously.
Solomon, Robin and Sophie all have their own personal reasons for wishing to escape.
During their adventures, both alone and together, they meet many people along the way; some become allies, others a threat, and the three friends also face new dangers. Hampered by their circumstances and those with power, who control and surround them, escape is never a certainty.
Will Solomon find freedom at last and what will become of Robin and Sophie? An exciting and gripping adventure, portraying the harsh realities of life from a very different era!
Review
When you sit along the Yorkshire coast and enjoy the beauty and the peace, it's easy to forget some of the shenanigans that went on in the majority of coastal areas. Of course it's also important to note that a lot of them were linked to criminal activities and often the misery of other people. A lot of history there.
Robin and his friends, including the newly found one, want to a life beyond the close and strict boundaries of the life they are used to. It makes them seek adventure in places they perhaps shouldn't - like snooping around Jorfan and his secret business.
Jorfan sometimes appears, okay a lot, to be cruel and lacks empathy for those around him. Never more evident than when he is able to just walk past those fighting for their lives. It's important to remember that later on in the story, especially when it comes to Robin.
Although the story certainly has a certain feeling of hope and reaching for better times and a parcel of joy, it doesn't shy away from the truth and the hardships.
It's an adventure, a story of coming-of-age and of friendships, and equally one about family and loyalty. About accepting the fact the reality of life is a disappointment, that people and their lack of ability to accept others will always be a constant. Yeh, the lightness gets deep at times, but the story also maintains an element of the reader being along for the ride in the lives of the characters.
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