A Cornish Stranger
GENRE
DRAMA
Core Theme
THE CONSEQUENCES OF DECEPTION
TIME PERIOD
1940s & '50s,Contemporary
COMPARABLE TITLES
N/A
CHARACTER LIST
GABE: 30. LEAD. PENSIVE AND TROUBLED.
JAUNTY, 93. GABE’S GRANDMOTHER AND A RECLUSIVE FAMOUS PAINTER.
FIN, 30S. A MYSTERIOUS MAN WHO SHOWS UP AND STAYS WITH JAUNTY AND GABE. GABE’S
ROMANTIC INTEREST.
JEAN, 20S. JAUNTY’S FRIEND WHO DIED IN A BOAT ACCIDENT JAUNTY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON.
Logline
Save a stranger from the sea and he’ll turn your enemy. Reclusive artist Jaunty Blythe is nearing the end of her life and the secrets she has held so long must be told, but does she have the strength to do it and what will happen to her granddaughter when the truth is known?
Target Audiences
Age: 55+,35-54,18-34
Target Gender: Female Leaning
Setting
Cornwall - Frenchman’s Creek and Brittany during WW2
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: with a Publisher
Publisher: Orion
Year Published: 2014
Starting Description
Reclusive artist Jaunty knows her days are dwindling and what she must do before she dies, tell the truth. Her granddaughter, Gabe, returns to the cabin on the mouth of Frenchman’s Creek to care for her and hide further from the world. One night Gabe rescues a stranger from the sea.
Ending Description
The secrets Jaunty has been hiding since WW2 emerge and her lies rock the art world and Gabe’s understanding of who she is. The stranger Fin is not who he appeared to be. Can Gabe find her way beyond her past and let love in?
Group Specific
Set on Frenchman’s Creek in Cornwall and would appear Daphne du Maurier fans
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
978-1409148241
Mature Audience Themes
Sexual Abuse
Plot - Other Elements
Twist,Happy Ending
Plot - Premise
Internal Journey/Rebirth
Main Character Details
Name: Jaunty Blythe
Age: 90
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Complex,Faithful,Heroic,Honorable,Secretive,Selfless,Educated
Additional Character Details
Name: Gabriella Blythe
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Empathetic,Educated,Honorable,Insecure,Secretive
Additional Character Details
Name: Fin (Alexander) Falk
Age: 35
Gender: Other
Role: emotional
Key Traits: Masculine,Charming,Confident,Complex,Educated,Honorable,Leader,Secretive
Additional Character Details
Name: Max OPie
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Role: sidekick
Key Traits: Charming,Complex,Empathetic,Engaging,Educated,Honorable,Visionary,Romantic
Genre
ROMANCE, DRAMA, WAR
Brief
A famous, reclusive painter has her granddaughter come to take care of her in her old age. A mysterious stranger’s boat capsizes and he comes to stay with them. We find out the old lady isn’t who she says she is and a great mystery is unravelled upon her death.
Overall Rating
EXCELLENT
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: EXCELLENT
Characterization: EXCELLENT
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: FAIR
Pace: EXCELLENT
Premise: EXCELLENT
Structure: EXCELLENT
Theme: EXCELLENT
Accuracy of Book Profile
It is accurate.
Draw of Story
Richly drawn, talented characters and the promise of a mystery.
Possible Drawbacks
No.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS.
Primary Hook of Story
A famous painter who may not be who she says she is.
Fanbase Potential
Word of mouth, awards potential and a story that would attract top talent would give it a large fan base.
Awards Potential
Yes. The characters and a good adaptation would attract top level talent.
Envisioned Budget
LOW BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
N/A
What’s New About the Story
The unique world of art and music in Europe through the decades. It needs nothing to be more unique.
Lead Characters
They are very good at what they do, namely art and music. Also, the mysterious life of one of the leads.
Uniqueness of Story
A rare gem.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
RECOMMEND
Justification
Besides being written excellently, the story is very compelling as are the characters. There are twists and turns that keep the pace going at a good clip, and the romance doesn’t hurt at all.
Brief
A reclusive old lady, Jaunty, is a famous painter and her granddaughter Gabe moves in to take care of her. When Fin enters their lives, Jaunty entrusts him with secrets he shouldn’t tell Gabe until Jaunty dies. Jaunty has taken the identity of her friend who died at sea, and when Jaunty dies, the secret and its consequences make headlines and cause a rift between Gabe and Fin.
What We Liked
The characters are intelligent and troubled, and this leads to excellent reveals and unintended consequences when secrets inevitably come out. Nothing feels forced or melodramatic, and the relationships feel authentic. Very well-written, with characters that are at once unique and relatable – and it’s set in an interesting world.
Film: This would make an excellent, small budgeted film that could have awards potential.
The characters are richly portrayed and there are mysteries that are revealed at their proper pace. There are twists that are interesting and complex characters to root for and mistrust.
TV: Not for TV.
Key points:
Beautiful setting
Mysterious stranger
Art and music
Rich, profound characters
Mysteries and secrets
Synopsis
Jaunty is 92 and reclusive. She is a painter who is famous, although she lives alone, until her granddaughter, a musician and singer, moves in to take care of her in her final years. We find out she barely survived WWII and her best friend died in a boating accident – which she herself should have been on.
Gabe is 30 and also reclusive, having been raped by an opera critic after her lauded performance. She moves in with Jaunty and writes commercial jingles to pay the bills. Fin is an art historian whose boat wrecks off Jaunty’s seaside home and the sexual tension between him and Gabe is palatable, while Jaunty entrusts him with secrets.
Through flashbacks and reveals, we find that Jaunty took over her friend’s life after her friend died in the boating accident. She has gone on painting, using her friend’s moniker, although she is an excellent, celebrated painter in her own right. When she dies, the truth comes out. Gabe blams Fin for the negative press at first, then finds out he has true intentions - and they sail off together.