Another setting for a book....?
- Sara Sartagne
- May 3
- 2 min read
I’m just about to go on holiday to Madeira, and knowing me, I’ll come back with an idea for a book set there.
Nestled in the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago known for its stunning natural beauty and rich, distinctive culture—shaped by centuries of isolation, maritime heritage, and a deep connection to the land and sea. With its strong sense of tradition and community, it feels like the perfect setting for a culture clash between a modern English heroine and a well-connected, enigmatic local hero.
Funnily enough, that’s not far off what happened in my current work-in-progress: a standalone novel set in Corfu.
We visited Corfu two years ago, and I probably drove our holiday rep mad with all my questions about island life, local customs, and cultural quirks. Those conversations, along with the walking we did and the hours spent people-watching under café umbrellas, have found their way into the story. I hope those little details help bring the book to life.
The book (title still under wraps)
My heroine, Maddy, is under pressure to leave London after the death of her mother. She’s spent years stuck in a dead-end job, caring for her mum, with only the occasional joy of making clothes for others to top up her meagre income.
The moment she arrives in Corfu, she meets Kostantinos—and takes an instant dislike to him. Kos, a member of one of Corfu’s oldest families, isn’t used to being challenged, especially not by a penniless young English girl who speaks her mind.
And Maddy certainly is skint. She’s come to Corfu to let out her house and make ends meet by working in her aunt’s ceramics shop. But she also wants to see if she can turn her dressmaking into a real career—and finally follow her own dreams.
Whether she manages it? I’m three-quarters through the book… so you’ll have to wait and see.
What are your favourite places in the world featured in books? What have you read recently in a foreign land? Let me know!
Actually I am set here looking at a more rural view but to the same end, I've come to visit the home town of one my heroes to figure what he is going to do about well, you might have to wait for that.