[3] Shifting in time, the novel tells the story of Penelope Keeling, the daughter of unconventional parents (an artist father and his much-younger French wife), examining her past and her relationships with her adult children.

Much of the forward impetus of the novel involves the work of her father, including a painting called The Shell Seekers, given to Penelope as a wedding present.

This Emmy-nominated television film of the book in the Hallmark Hall of Fame starred Angela Lansbury as Penelope Keeling.

It was filmed in Cornwall with scenes shot at St Michael’s Mount, Lamorna, Port Isaac and Prideaux Place at Padstow, directed by Piers Haggard.

The novel was dramatised for BBC Radio 4 in 2024 by Lin Coghlan, starring Emma Fielding as Penelope and narrated by Jessica Turner.