Rating: 
Summary: A gift for her readers
Review: Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. A brief time, when darkness predominates. Yet in this brief time, Rosamund Pilcher has set a story filled with light and warmth.The book is classic Pilcher, full of detail and texture, housed in quirky old buildings and peopled with obliging neighbors, wet dogs, unexpected guests and a cast of characters we can grow to love. This is not a book to be rushed through. Don't read it in bits and pieces, wedged into stolen moments during lunch breaks or while waiting for your 11-year-old to finish soccer practice. Savor it. Sit in a comfy chair with a good reading light, have a nice restoring cup of tea and some biscuits at hand. (Okay, so here in the States we don't really have those kinds of biscuits - a good butter cookie will do.) Pace be damned. In fact, that's the whole thrust of the book - that these people are thrown together in a place and time that's out of their everyday world. They're forced to slow down, to wait, to exist in the here and now. And, by consequence, the few days they spend together make all the difference in their lives. There is more than a story here. It's not just a collection of lovely descriptions, unique characters, and a touch of romance. There are so many things to enjoy - Elfrida, the aging actress who's not too old to fall in love, the unspoiled 14-year-old Lucy, gentle Oscar with whom you just begin to get a bit irritated until he finally takes action. That's the thing - there's a philosophy here, about living. About what makes every life and each day worthwhile. They will come on you unexpectedly, those moments in the book, and they are what makes this book, and others by Ms. Pilcher, the books you remember, and reread, and leave you wishing you could know what these characters, these people, will be doing the rest of their lives. Winter Solstice, no matter what time of year you read it, is a true Christmas gift from Ms. Pilcher, to all her fans. And it is a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: NEVER A "SHORT DAY" WITH A GOOD PILCHER BOOK
Review: PLAIN & SIMPLE -- if you love Pilcher, you'll love this book. The Winter Solstice is considered to be the shortest day of the year. When reading a Pilcher book, it doesn't matter if the days are long or short because she will fill them with so much love and warmth that you'll be transported to the desired location in record time. While I'll admit that this book is not as good as Coming Home or The Shell Seekers, it has the same wonderful characters and wonderful descriptions that have become synonomous with Pilcher. In this book, all roads lead to one destination -- in this case Corrydale, the Estate House in Northern Scotland. You'll have to read the book to find out how everyone ends up there, however. Pilcher introduces us to a bevy of characters -- 62 year old Elfrida Phipps, a retired actress who has just left London to seek quiet in a little cottage in Dibton in Hampshire; Gloria and Oscar Blundell, along with their daughter Francesca, who make Elfrida feel more than welcome in her new town; Carrie, who has just left Austria and a broken romance to begin anew; Carrie's niece Lucy who, as a teenager, stands in the way of her mother's new and exciting relatonship with her American boyfriend and, last but not least, Sam, originally from England, but has been working in America for the past few years. He has now been called back by his company to go to Scotland to bring a broken down textile mill back to life. Somehow Pilcher manages to put all five of these characters together and the resulting effect will warm your heart. Through her descriptions, you'll feel like you're sitting in the house with them planning a Christmas holiday, while drinking tea the entire time. The more tea her characters drink, the more relaxed I become. I'm just sorry to hear that Pilcher has decided to retire but happy that I still have a few of her books that I've yet to read.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying
Review: This is my favorite of all of Rosamunde Pilcher's stories. There is a variety of ages and characters. There are big and small problems, lots of food and scenery, relationships in flux. Exactly what I want in one of her books, escape to a place where snow out a window becomes an art piece, the color of my 'jumper' makes a difference to me today, and dogs and stews and cologne all make me feel these people are a part of my family. I have read this book at least 5 times and plan to do so again the week before Thanksgiving every year!
Rating:
Summary: NEVER A "SHORT DAY" WITH A GOOD PILCHER BOOK
Review: PLAIN & SIMPLE -- if you love Pilcher, you'll love this book. The Winter Solstice is considered to be the shortest day of the year. When reading a Pilcher book, it doesn't matter if the days are long or short because she will fill them with so much love and warmth that you'll be transported to the desired location in record time. While I'll admit that this book is not as good as Coming Home or The Shell Seekers, it has the same wonderful characters and wonderful descriptions that have become synonomous with Pilcher. In this book, all roads lead to one destination -- in this case Corrydale, the Estate House in Northern Scotland. You'll have to read the book to find out how everyone ends up there, however. Pilcher introduces us to a bevy of characters -- 62 year old Elfrida Phipps, a retired actress who has just left London to seek quiet in a little cottage in Dibton in Hampshire; Gloria and Oscar Blundell, along with their daughter Francesca, who make Elfrida feel more than welcome in her new town; Carrie, who has just left Austria and a broken romance to begin anew; Carrie's niece Lucy who, as a teenager, stands in the way of her mother's new and exciting relatonship with her American boyfriend and, last but not least, Sam, originally from England, but has been working in America for the past few years. He has now been called back by his company to go to Scotland to bring a broken down textile mill back to life. Somehow Pilcher manages to put all five of these characters together and the resulting effect will warm your heart. Through her descriptions, you'll feel like you're sitting in the house with them planning a Christmas holiday, while drinking tea the entire time. The more tea her characters drink, the more relaxed I become. I'm just sorry to hear that Pilcher has decided to retire but happy that I still have a few of her books that I've yet to read.
Rating: 
Summary: I did not like it.
Review: I did not like the style it was written in. I thought there were too many characters, and none of which I liked.. I thought it was too much like a fairy tale. Overall, bad vibes from this book. But I guess some people could enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Worth re-reading
Review: Not being a genre that I normally read, I was pleasantly surprised. Pilcher was able to paint a picture of the lives of a handful of people without any wasted words or descriptions. She made you a deal that you were there. Two worlds that is just as real as the one that you wake up to. Yet even though the people are familiar the environment is unique. It is what you that he'll as you read this book that makes it worth of re-reading. My only wish is that there would be a sequel.
I'm now reading the book after first listening to the tape-recording, Read by Lynn Redgrave. Lynn has a pleasant reading voice and can distinguish between the characters well enough that you don't have to guess who is talking. The abridged version allows you to follow the story without taking too many sidetracks. Rosamunde Pilcher, Is one of the few writers that can make the sidetrack is interesting is the main story. She has made the reconsider this genre
I would describe the story itself, but it is better to have it unfold before your eyes. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Pilcher fabulous yet again
Review: I could go on and on about this book, but to review the plot again is not necessary. Let it be said that Pilcher has done it again - a fabulous read for sure. I'm sure I am not alone in saying that I hope and pray this is not her last book, as others have said in this forum, "this book demands a sequel!"
Rating:
Summary: Curl up with Winter Solstice
Review: Winter Solstice has all the marks of a classic Pilcher novel. But as I read I felt a twinge of guilt. Guilt at reading what was obviously not great literature, guilt that I enjoyed it so. Having visited Pilcher's world before, I saw the clean and convenient storyline unfold before me. I even began to predict the next solution to the next storm in a teacup. We know these situations, and yet...they're just so darn nice to curl up with. I yearn to get back to the book on my bus commute home, and to again curl up with the book as the wind howls outside in the hours before sleep. It's THAT kind of book, no more, no less. A world where everyone eventually finds love, finds meaning, finds comfort in life, and even sometimes finds a fortune to live out the last season of ones life comfortably, by the fire, with a crystal glass of sherry or scotch, perhaps wrapped in the warmth of an old house, curled up with a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Wanted to Like it.....
Review: This is my first Pilcher book and I admit I was disappointed. From the description, I imagined a sleepy romance set in a rural country cottage in Scotland, complete with local color. Instead, I get a dreary depressing story of five dysfunctional people, their selfish relatives, and their respective lives (or lack thereof). First, there is a pseudo romance between Elfrieda and Oscar, a recent widower. (I hesitate to call it a romance, because it was slightly precipitous), and also because there was absolutely no 'courtship involved.' Oscar's wife is barely cold in the grave before these two characters hit the sack together. Yuck. Other minor characters include an admitted adulteress, a neglected child, and a recently divorced businessman. These characters were all interchangeable, possessing bland personalities, bland dialog, and nothing much of interest to differentiate one from another. For instance: I never felt the child Lucy was much of a child. She was written practically the same as Elfrieda. The second thing I disliked about this series was the 'multiple perspective' storytelling. For instance, they would describe what Elfrieda did one day, and then we'd get the 'instant replay' in Lucy's diary, with almost NO difference. This was a real drag. Overall, I'm apathetic about Winter Solstice. Although in reality, the characters and story did produce an emotion: disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: My first Rosamunde Pilcher
Review: I was at loose ends for something to read, and I saw this book. It seemed interesting, so I bought it and took it home. As a writer myself, I tend to be very picky about plot lines and characterization, but I must say that this book validated all that I had heard of Rosamunde Pilcher - and it was not even considered her best. It was wonderful, full of understanding of people's trials and foibles, with an underlying hope and strength. The ending was just magnificent! I went from this to read two more of her novels, and plan to continue reading Pilcher. You'll love this book!
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