The magnet

In Short

This novel is a breezy, nautical romantic comedy set among the wealthy yachting set of the early twentieth century. It follows the three daughters of a retired, irritable naval officer living aboard a schooner, whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious, eccentric poet who pursues them with maddening persistence. While the plot involves high-seas adventure and physical peril, the story thrives on its lighthearted exploration of courtship, feminine independence, and the absurdity of obsession. It has lasted as a charming, if period-specific, look at Edwardian-era leisure.

The Story

The story begins in Shoal Harbour, Maine, where the Shark, an aging but immaculate schooner-yacht, serves as the permanent home for Captain Eliphalet Bell and his three daughters: Cécile, Paula, and Hermione. Their quiet, predictable life is overseen by Christian Heldstrom, a rugged and protective Norwegian sailing-master. Their routine is shattered when a small yawl named the Daffodil appears, piloted by Harold Applebo, a man who presents himself as a poet and a self-described "pilot-fish" to the larger vessel. Applebo’s behavior is bizarre; he keeps his back to the Shark while sailing, speaks in cryptic riddles, and bombards the girls with verse.

The youngest daughter, the impulsive and sharp-witted Hermione, is simultaneously irritated and fascinated by this intruder. When she encounters him on shore, she discovers he is a man of hidden depth and physical prowess, capable of surprising violence and gentle tenderness. While Hermione struggles with her growing attraction to this strange, cat-like man, her sister Cécile finds herself swept into a romantic obsession with the poet, despite never having formally met him. The rivalry—and the confusion—deepens as Applebo continues his strange, hovering presence, leading the Shark on a voyage that tests the nerves of the captain and the loyalty of the crew.

The tension peaks when the yachts are caught in a violent storm at sea. The Shark suffers catastrophic damage, losing its masts and leaving the aging Heldstrom crushed and gravely injured beneath the wreckage. In the chaos, the true character of the participants is revealed. Once the danger passes and the Shark is secured, the romantic threads finally untangle. The mystery of Applebo’s motives is solved when he seeks the Captain’s blessing to marry. In a final, humorous confrontation, the poet reveals to a skeptical and hot-tempered Hermione that he has successfully negotiated for her hand with her father, who was distracted by his own culinary pursuits. The story concludes with the couple embracing, settling the long-standing question of whether the poet’s bizarre behavior was merely a ruse to win the heart of the most spirited daughter of the fleet.

How It Unfolds

The arrival of the poet The Shark is peacefully anchored in Maine when the peculiar yawl Daffodil appears. Harold Applebo, its strange, tawny-haired captain, begins a campaign of obsessive following that confuses the crew and intrigues the Bell daughters.

The game of cat and mouse Hermione attempts to ignore the poet, yet finds herself drawn into verbal skirmishes and physical encounters with him. Meanwhile, the older sister, Cécile, becomes infatuated with the mystery of Applebo’s persistent and romanticized devotion.

The sea voyage Captain Bell, irritated by the poet’s presence, dares the Daffodil to follow them into the open ocean. As the vessels head into heavy fog and rougher waters, the psychological tension between the characters grows as thick as the mist.

The storm Nature intervenes when a gale strikes, causing the Shark to lose its masts and endangering the life of the sailing-master, Christian Heldstrom. The crisis forces the characters to set aside their petty romantic games to focus on survival.

The resolution After the wreckage is cleared, the romantic entanglements come to a head. Applebo approaches Captain Bell, and the poet’s bizarre, long-game pursuit is finally rewarded with the father’s grudging consent to marry Hermione.

The People

Hermione Bell is the heart of the story, an impulsive and athletic young woman who navigates the world with a mix of aggression and vulnerability. She initially views Applebo with suspicion but is eventually "tamed" by his strength. Harold Applebo is the "magnet," an inscrutable, cat-like poet whose strange, yellow-eyed intensity masks a forceful, decisive nature. He is a man who knows exactly what he wants and uses performance to keep others off-balance. Captain Eliphalet Bell is the blustery, culinary-obsessed father who values etiquette above all else, often serving as the comedic foil to his daughters’ romantic lives. Christian Heldstrom, the Norwegian sailing-master, represents the old world; his deep, brooding suspicion of Applebo adds a layer of mystery and danger, as he senses something from his own past in the poet’s voice.

In Its Own Voice

"The port-hole over her bunk commanded a view of the harbour-mouth, and resting on brackets overhead was a big, battered old-fashioned telescope."

Hermione monitors the mysterious intruder from the privacy of her cabin.

"I am wedded to my Muse. She will not brook a rival. Should Hermione enter my life, I would never write another poem."

Applebo justifies his eccentric behavior as a necessary sacrifice for his craft.

"The lady who tames lions must not forget that, after all, they are far stronger than she, and the next second Hermione found herself in an embrace which left her not so much as the power to wriggle."

The poet finally drops his mask of detachment to claim his prize.

What It's Really About

The book explores the tension between performative identity and genuine desire. The characters are obsessed with the "game" of courtship—using masks, poems, and daredevil stunts to hide their true intentions. Underlying the lighthearted plot is a question about the nature of love: is it something to be carefully constructed and poetically observed, or is it a raw, uncontrollable force that demands total surrender? The story argues that the most sophisticated intellectual games eventually collapse in the face of basic, human emotion, and that true partnership requires a balance between the "tiger" and the "boy," or the "poppy" and the "poet."

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the atmosphere of early twentieth-century maritime fiction will find this a cozy, if occasionally frustrating, retreat. It captures a specific, vanished world of leisure, where the biggest problems are fog, broken masts, and an unwelcome suitor on a nearby boat. However, modern readers should be prepared for its period-specific attitudes; the characters’ views on women and the casual, sometimes condescending treatment of the "Finn" or the "servant" reflect the rigid social hierarchies of 1910. The prose is warm and descriptive, particularly when painting the shifting colors of the sea or the intense, almost animalistic magnetism of the protagonist. It feels like a long, sunny afternoon on a deck, with just enough drama to keep the pages turning. While the pacing can be leisurely—with plenty of time spent on the Captain’s cooking or the nuances of sailing—the sharp, witty banter between Hermione and Applebo provides a surprising amount of energy. If you appreciate a story that doesn't take its own romantic melodrama too seriously, you will likely find the Shark and its passengers to be delightful, if eccentric, company.