Customer Reviews:
 Even better than "The Shell Seekers" October 4, 2008
Yeah, it's chick-lit but not overly so and is simply a great read. Think Maeve Binchy but way better.
 Not her best... February 24, 2008
On a bad day, Rosamunde Pilcher is still a really good writer. But I have to say, it wasn't such a great day when she was writing this one. While books like this are all about happy endings, the twists and turns of the plot in this one are so obvious that halfway through, I could pretty much have told you the entire rest of the story. That might be ok if the characters themselves had any depth or complexity, but they're all pretty much stock characters... the one with the broken heart, the child with uncaring parents, and so on. You could take them out of any other novel, mix them up, and there you are. Not that I didn't enjoy the book... I did, but it's probably the worst of her full length novels. Start with something else; read this when you've run out of other ones.
All time favorite February 4, 2008
I have read all of Rosemunde Pilcher's books and this one is my most favorite. Mostly because the title character and I are of the same age and life situation. My little cottage resembles hers and I felt so closely related to her. I loved the story, and hope there will be more. I wonder if I moved to SW England if my life would be as hers. Such a memorable story.
A Scottish Christmas for the reader, with love December 20, 2007
I was completely captivated by Winter Solstice, so much so that I immediately started it all over again and enjoyed it the second time around as well. Winter Solstice tells the story of three loosely connected pairs of people, from three different generations who are thrown together over a snowbound Scottish Christmas. It has elements of romance, but the only couple who gets a happily ever after is the geriatric pair, so it's not a traditional romance. Oscar, the older man, has just suffered the tragic loss of his wife and young daughter. Elfrida, a retired actress, impulsively offers to help him relocate to a small town in Scotland, so far north that the sun rises at 8:45 AM, and by noon people plan their activities to be home before dark. Somehow, Pilcher makes this grim environment seem enchanting and magical. Elfrida's younger cousin and her niece invite themselves for Christmas, having no better option, and the stage is set for an unexpectedly festive holiday for Elfrida and Oscar.
Pilcher has a restrained British narrative that picks out little details of the setting like curtains and appliances and makes each one stand for a way of life. Her description of the Scottish landscape is clearly firsthand and done with tremendous affection. Similarly, her touch with Elfrida's dog Horace is light and the most realistic dog in fiction that I can recall. He's a character of his own without being anthropomorphized.
This is a great book to read in the month of December. If you enjoy Maeve Binchy or Mary Wesley, you'll like this one too. The only negative about Winter Solstice is that it's Pilcher's last book, as she retired after writing it. I may have read other books recently that were more literary, but few that were more pleasing.
One of those rare books I've read twice December 13, 2007
This book is a perfect cozy, gentle read, and I greatly enjoyed it. The characters are charming and easy to empathize with, the plot is interesting, the pace steady without being too fast or slow, and the ending is very satisfying. Pilcher has always had a wonderful talent for description, and creating characters that are easy to identify with. In this case, the romance between the older couple is touching as well as the one between the younger couple. The little girl is charming without being too treacly. All in all, a great book, especially around Christmas time.
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