Rodmoor: A Romance

"Rodmoor: A Romance" by John Cowper Powys is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story explores themes of love, personal struggle, and the complex nature of relationships, centering around the characters Nance Herrick and Adrian Sorio as they navigate the challenges of love and family loyalty against the backdrop of the locality of Rodmoor. With elements of psychological intrigue and emotional depth, the narrative promises to capture the intricacies of human connection. The beginning of the tale introduces us to Nance Herrick, who engages in a heartfelt conversation with Adrian Sorio, revealing the emotional tensions shaped by their pasts and present relationships. As Nance reflects on the complexity of her familial duties and the happiness she derives from her newfound love, she also grapples with internal conflicts concerning her sister Linda and their mentor Rachel Doorm. Adrian's premonitions about the future and the mention of Rodmoor heighten the narrative's allure, suggesting that their journey may lead them towards unforeseen challenges shaped by both their emotional landscapes and the setting itself. This opening lays a rich foundation for exploring the intertwined fates of its characters in a world where love and personal history collide. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

John Cowper Powys was an English novelist, philosopher, lecturer, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse in 1896 and a first novel in 1915, but gained success only with his novel Wolf Solent in 1929. He has been seen as a successor to Thomas Hardy, and Wolf Solent, A Glastonbury Romance (1932), Weymouth Sands (1934), and Maiden Castle (1936) have been called his Wessex novels. As with Hardy, landscape is important to his works. So is elemental philosophy in his characters' lives. In 1934 he published an autobiography. His itinerant lectures were a success in England and in 1905–1930 in the United States, where he wrote many of his novels and had several first published. He moved to Dorset, England, in 1934 with a US partner, Phyllis Playter. In 1935 they moved to Corwen, Merionethshire, Wales, where he set two novels, and in 1955 to Blaenau Ffestiniog, where he died in 1963.