With its swashbuckling scenario and big themes of betrayal, revenge and sacrifice, J. Meade Falkner’s Moonfleet is an undeniable classic of adventure fiction. And, with its embossed gold foil features and beautiful cover, this edition (part of Wordsworth’s Exclusive Collection) makes a great gift for readers young and old.
Fifteen-year-old orphan John Trenchard lives in Moonfleet with his aunt. When she banishes him, John is looked after by grumpy innkeeper Elzevir Block, whose son was killer by customs officials. In the smuggler’s care, John falls under the spell of the local legend of ghostly Blackbeard, who’s said to rise each winter to search for a missing diamond. As John sets out on his own quest to find Blackbeard’s gem, he becomes embroiled in the village’s real secret - and Elzevir’s.
Brimming with bravery, atmosphere and all-out action, this is a tale to be dazzled by, and lose yourself in.
This rollicking tale of smugglers, hidden treasure, and a wandering ghost casts the same kind of gripping spell as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and other adventure classics. Set in an English village during the 1750s, it tells of an orphan boy who discovers a dangerous secret down in a church crypt, which results in a series of perilous encounters on land and sea. In the mid-eighteenth century, an epidemic of smuggling sweeps across England's south coast. The law, enforced by Magistrate Maskew of Moonfleet Manor, is unforgiving. So when young John Trenchard accidentally uncovers illegal activity and gets involved with a smuggling ring, he's drawn into a life-or-death struggle with the magistrate. Their conflict leads John into an even deeper mystery that climaxes with the search for a pirate's loot and resolves with the help of loyal friendship and the warmth of romance.
