Seldom Come By by Sherryl Caulfield

Published By: Cedar Pocket Publishing
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #SeldomComeby & #SeldomComeByBlogTour

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Seldom Come By” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Sherryl Caulfield, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

I remember catching a glimpse of this novel, whilst checking my feeds on Twitter, and thinking to myself how incredible visceral this novel sounded! I immediately tweeted the author & Ms. Bruno concurrently; I had the happiness of finding there was a spot on the blog tour and I was tucked inside the list of book bloggers! My visit to the author’s website for the first time revealed such a bevy of delight: from the behind-the-scenes extras to the depth of layers the author knitted into her author’s site to give any reader a heap of joy on their returning visits! I love websites you cannot simply devour in seconds, but rather have to linger over and absorb one page at a time! Caulfield has given us all something hearty to read whilst engaging our hearts into the stories flowing out of her pen!

Icebergs and glaciers have captured my attention from a young age — the Goliath of marvel within the natural world has a splendidness about it which is truly unique! I’d love to visit certain regions of North America where you can see icebergs as much as you can kiss the cold breath of their gracefulness! Awe-inspiring yet a ticking reminder of how fragile the balance is within the natural environment for which they are residing. Everything has a natural rhythm and balance — although I also grew up with the realisation of how destructive an iceberg can be to a ship (Titanic always drew my eye, my heart, and part of my soul) there is a measure of acceptance of tinkerature of chaos of which none of us can control.

What truly drew me into this enchanting premise of a novel is simply how it was sparked an experience in a Eastern Canadian Maritime Province I was already curious about (Newfoundland) and how the author herself, drew you into this slice of time breathing in an awareness of known truths out of the tanglements of war, life, and love.

(originally shared on my interview with Ms. Caulfield)

Seldom Come By

Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, fifteen year-old Rebecca Crowe’s fascination with icebergs leads her to save a shipwrecked survivor, Samuel Dalton, the nineteen-year old son of a Toronto medical family.

Love sparks in the crystal cave of an iceberg but is thwarted by an unreasonable father and the Great War that drags Samuel and his brother, Matthew, to the Western Front as medical officers. Knowing Rebecca is home and safe in Newfoundland brings Samuel great comfort. But as the war moves towards its final harrowing days, they both discover that tragedy and terror can strike anywhere, setting their love on an unforeseen path.

Only when Samuel and Rebecca can fully come to terms with such devastating loss and their impossible choices can their love soar. With an emotional intensity reminiscent of The Bronze Horseman, Seldom Come By, named after an actual place in Newfoundland, is an unforgettable journey across waves and time and the full spectrum of human emotions.

Places to find the book:

Series: The Iceberg Trilogy, No.1

Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters

on 10th October, 2013

Format: Paperback

Pages: 490

Newfoundland | frozen beauty:

I originally came to find Newfoundland by a Newfie who is an actor in television movies and series; my interest was further perked when I had learnt of the story behind Gander’s influence on the travellers who landed at their airport on 11th of September, 2001. Previously I had stumbled across the non-fiction book at my local library, but during the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, the special documentary which went back to Gander was soul-inspiring. This was the Newfoundland I had uncovered whilst researching the Province, the people, and the land which encompasses it as a whole. I even sent for travel pamphlets wherein I received so much more from the tourism bureau, including a bookmark! The bookmark was one small clue to the fact Newfies love the art of story-telling and the craft behind how the stories evolve over the time they are first told aloud. The stories they tell are natural bourne, fused directly into their veins as the common celebration of alighting together in a pub or a friend’s house over supper; the stories linger onward into the night as conversation cascade the joy through the moment.

Moreso than even the depth of their connection to each other, is the connection they share with the land and sea. Like their American North Atlantic neighbours (in Northern New England; especially in regards to Maine), they rely on a living by what the sea and the land can yield as much as the dependency on what the weather will bring. There was always an undercurrent of Newfoundlanders as a whole, as a particular type of person you’d meet if you were to visit in everything I listened to or read. What I found amazing when I started to tuck inside Seldom Come By is how inherently precise Caulfield curated this awareness inside her story! It is something you have to feel as your senses gather an instinct of insight through your intuition as it is not tangible nor is it able to be seen outright. A bit more of a thread of how life can be lived whilst united with the people who stand behind you and of a place both untamed and preserved. Read More