Every evening, just at sundown, a ghostly bell rings just once in the village of Sealey Head. Most of its inhabitants don't even notice it anymore, but a couple of them wonder about its mystery, and an enigmatic stranger is determined, with their help, to solve it.
This is the premise of THE BELL AT SEALEY HEAD, but the story is much richer and more layered the deeper you delve into it. There is the bookish daughter of the local merchant, Gwyneth, who is determined to write the story of the bell's origins. Her childhood friend, the equally bookish son of the local innkeeper, Judd, is intrigued by a visitor from the city who arrives with a load of books and aspirations of solving the mystery once and for all. Then there is Aislinn House, the local manor, full of secrets, where the dying lady dreams her days away as her heir arrives from the city with an entourage, exciting the local society. Add a local wood witch, several amusing townspeople, and a Fairy Princess, and you've got a recipe for a wonderful fairy tale set against the backdrop of the ever-present sea.
McKillip is a wonderful storyteller; I have yet to read anything by her that I didn't love. Every one is different from the others, yet all are full of rich, rounded characters and well-thought-out stories and settings. Like the last book of hers that I read, SOLSTICE WOOD, this one was just really fun to read. I liked the characters a lot, which is vital to enjoying any story. It left me wanting more, which is a high compliment in my book. Evocative without being bloated, a quick read without being fluffy, I found myself looking forward to stealing away some time to continue reading it, and was sorry when it had ended. Highly recommended.
