When Kate Herrick’s grandmother asks her to travel down from Scotland to her childhood home in Todhall to retrieve some papers and family mementoes before Rose Cottage is sold, Kate is happy enough to go, but curious as to the changes she may find there. Widowed in the recent war – this is the summer of 1947 – and comfortably settled now in London, she is in some doubt as to how the village will receive her. Rose Cottage – a tiny thatched dwelling with fragrant roses in the garden – is unchanged, and the villagers seem friendly. But there is evidence of a break-in at the cottage, and then her nearest neighbours, three elderly ladies from what the villagers call ‘Witches’ Corner’, come with tales of night-time prowlers in the cottage garden, and even ghosts. In the process of solving the mystery, Kate finds romance.
My Perspective
This is the eleventh book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart from Penny at Life On The Cutoff. You can read her thoughts on the book here.
Rose Cottage is about Kate or Kathy, who at a request from her grandmother, travels down to the home of her childhood to collect the special items hidden in the safe there that her grandmother left behind. However her grandmother has forgotten where she has hidden the key.
I really enjoyed this story and although it was slightly predictable and happily ever after, it was still interesting and sweet with some good old mystery.
Kate (or Kathy) was very easy to like, as were most of the other characters.
There was a whimsical, kind of old world charm about the book and I can see why Penny loved it so much – there were some gorgeous descriptions of landscapes, gardens and flora.
Overall it was a lighthearted, short read with a bit of mystery and romance that I enjoyed and would definitely recommend.