Curlew II: The River Between Us Book III
When St John Maltravers returns to his coastal hometown with nothing but a box of drawings and the weight of a past he can't outrun, the last thing he expects is a new beginning. But in the quiet, salt-washed boatyard where he once sought refuge, he finds Jost Dekker-steady-handed, sharp-eyed, unfailingly patient. A man who reads the grain of timber the way other people read emotions, and who sees straight through St John's carefully held composure.
Together, they decide to build a boat... and, slowly, a life.
Curlew II follows the intimate, day-by-day making of a traditional wooden vessel-a craft that becomes the spine of their growing partnership. Amid larch planks, oak frames, and the rhythm of honest work, St John learns to trust: the wood, the water, and the man beside him. But the world beyond the yard is watching-sometimes kindly, sometimes not-and old wounds don't always stay buried. As gossip stirs, memories sharpen, and perfection becomes both shield and prison, the two men must navigate not only the boat they're building but the fragile, hopeful thing taking shape between them.
Set against the shifting tides of an East Anglian river, Curlew II is a tender, slow-burning love story about craft, courage, visibility, and choosing a life built with deliberate hands. A novel for readers who savour character-driven fiction, quiet intimacy, and the beauty found in making something true-piece by piece, plank by plank.
For fans of:
Mary Renault - Sarah Waters - Mike Parker - Patrick Gale - slow, careful love stories rooted in place and craft.
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