Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War

by R.D. Blackmore

In a quiet coast village, a great war stirs just beyond the hills and hedges.

A calm, sunlit setting by the bay hides the pull of danger and the pull of romantic longing. Through Dolly Darling and her family's storied house, the tale blends intimate village life with the wider echoes of conflict along England’s shoreline.

This edition centers on Springhaven’s sheltered the gate and land inside it belong to the Darling family, and the Round-house lies at the edge of history and rumor. A quiet girl’s imagination collides with a world where war and duty press close to home, shaping daily life, loyalties, and the pull of a larger sea. Vivid coastal scenery that frames personal moments of hope, curiosity, and romance. Family history, local pride, and the tension between peaceful village life and looming conflict. A bildungsogue feel as Dolly navigates longing, imagination, and the weight of circumstance. A sense of place that blends gentle humor with hints of danger on the horizon. Ideal for readers who enjoy atmospheric historical fiction with a strong sense of place and character-driven storytelling.

Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction, British Literature

536 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1887

About the author

Richard Doddridge Blackmore, referred to most commonly as R.D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of his generation. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world. He won literary merit and acclaim for his vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside, sharing with Thomas Hardy a Western England background and a strong sense of regional setting in his works.[1] Noted for his eye for and sympathy with nature, critics of the time described this as one of the most striking features of his writings.

Blackmore, a popular novelist of the second half of the nineteenth century, often referred to as the "Last Victorian", acted as pioneer of the new romantic movement in fiction that continued with Robert Louis Stevenson and others. He may be said to have done for Devon what Sir Walter Scott did for the Highlands and Hardy for Wessex. Blackmore has been described as "proud, shy, reticent, strong-willed, sweet-tempered, and self-centred."

Though very popular in his time, Blackmore's work has since been altogether ignored, and his entire body of work, save for his magnum opus Lorna Doone, which has enjoyed considerable popularity since its being published, has gone out of publication. Thus his reputation rests chiefly upon this romantic work, in spite of the fact that it was not his favourite.

Reviews

[Susan Hylton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published in 1887. So it took about a hundred pages to adjust my mind and reading to the older style, and pace. It is actually quite full of droll British humour. There are several romances, mayn’t intrigues and subplots and I found it very enjoyable once I adjusted.

[William LaFond · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not get into the style of writing, it seemed to drag on. I did enjoy this author's famous book, but they are from a long time ago and I guess I want faster stories now.