Winter Solstice

Rating:
Summary: A great book for a sequil.....
Review: I have just finished reading "Winter Solstice" and I did not want the book to end. Rosemunde Pilcher's ability to write intriguing, people-based novels, just seems to get better with each volume that she completes. I have been a Pilcher fan for many years, and have read every book that is available in the U.S. by this author. This is one of my favorites! I am serious when I say that this would be a great book for a sequil...or two. The special relationships that are developed throughout this book could easily translate into a follow-up novel of their lives. The aspect that I found most attractive was that Ms. Pilcher involved characters of all age groups in this novel. A most delightful and colorful reading experience. As always, I can't wait for the next book to come into print by this master writer. Do yourself a great favor and READ THIS BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: Warm, loving, and so comfortable
Review: This story MUST continue, like Jan Karon's Mitford series. I could not put this book down, my everyday chores were put off until I finished. I didn't want the book to end. Please tell me there will be a sequel or two. This book was as warm and snuggly as the quilts I make, we must be privy to the continuing lives of Elfrida, Oscar, Lucy, Carrie and Sam, little furball Horace and all the wonderful characters. I want to be there when Elfrida and Oscar break the news of their engagement, see the house renovated and see their wonderful bit of Scotland in the summertime. Hollywood, are you reading this, make it into a wonderful movie, you have all the ingredients for another "Mrs. Miniver", we need more wholesome stories like this. Thank you Rosamunde Pilcher!

Rating:
Summary: Best read in a long time
Review: It has been quite a while since I've read a book so absorbing as this one. I was hooked on the first page and hated when I had to put the book down, always eager to get back. This story held me under the same spell as Jan Karon's Mitford series. One can only hope that Ms. Pilcher is going to continue on and keep these people with us for at least three more seasons.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for a Long, Snowy Winter's Day
Review: Winter Solstice is a perfect excuse to stay indoors when the weather's less than perfect. The soft, flowing narrative will remind you of Maeve Binchy and Belva Plain favorites. In Winter Solstice, an aging yet perky former actress, Elfrida and recent widower, Oscar, find love and become hosts to a whole new set of strangers-become friends. Of course, Elfrida and Oscar fall in love, and the love they share with their guests, Carrie, Lucy and Sam, allows Sam and Carrie to also fall in love. And Lucy, Carrie's fourteen year old niece, finds herself being treated as an adult rather than the childish treatment given her by her mother and grandmother. As you read the novel, you will believe that you know the characters as your own friends and neighbors. Each page was a delight!

Rating:
Summary: UNBELIEVABLE
Review: I loved this book, I just couldn't put it down. 1 chapter in and I was already telling people about it. This is the best book I have read in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but TOO long.
Review: Before I finished this book I expected to give it 1 star. The last 150-200 pages however, made me change my mind. This is the story of 5 strangers coming together out of different cicumstances and change each others life for the better. About 250 pages of this book could have been eliminated and it would have still told the same story. Ms. Pilcher is way too descriptive of everything. This does give you a very good idea of how it would be to visit with english or scottish friends. I've been there 3 times and it brought back warm fuzzy memories. This book is not bad, its just too long and drawn out and not all the story lines are brought to a conclusion, I guess we're left to draw our own conclusions. Be prepared to skim the text a little if you want to get to the end!

Rating:
Summary: I never drank so much tea!
Review: From the moment I started this novel, along with every cup of tea that was served, I felt like I was headed home. Pilcher has an innate ability to put you into the world she has created; in this case the Scottish countryside, with the sheer power of her words. It is a pleasure to step away and fully engulf myself in the smooth cadence of her characters and their lives.

The five main characters are all at a crossroads in their lives, and it is at an Estate House in Northern Scotland that the world meets them all head on. Elfrida, a retired actress who is full of life, with a heart as big as the United Kingdom, and Oscar her companion, set out for the house after an unexpected tragedy that leaves Oscar in the doldrums of life.

Carrie and her young niece Lucy set out to spend Christmas at the Estate House after Lucy's mother and grandmother make it clear that she is nothing but a nuisance impinging on their time and lifestyle. Then there is Sam, an unforeseen surprise who shows up during a snowstorm with a key and a story that will change the world for each of them in one way or another.

Winter Solstice is intricate and lasting. I didn't know that a book could leave you feeling this good. I especially enjoyed her portrayal of older characters. I found it refreshing to read how young at heart a person can be no matter what their age might be. I've read and enjoyed most of Pilcher's books and I must say that Winter Solstice is the diamond in her crown.

Rating:
Summary: The Wizard of Scotland is Rosamunde Pilcher
Review: First time reader and first time believer. There's no place like home, there's no place like home. Kansas has nothing on Scotland. If I had a pair red ruby slippers I'd click my heels and be in Scotland before ya. I don't know any greater compliment than she moved me. I will read all of her books and hope she continues to transport me to another world.

Rating:
Summary: Winter Solstice
Review: I just finished Winter Solstice by Rosemund Pilcher. I have read all of her books and reading this one was like sitting down with an old friend.

My only criticism is the lack of closure at the end. We did not get to enjoy Christmas with the characters or read about the construction in the new house or find out if Carrie and Sam actually end up together.

I do hope there is a sequel out there.

Rating:
Summary: Winter Solstice
Review: I have read almost everything by this author and she never fails to entertain. Luckily, we had a giant snowstorm in Prescott, Az and unable to get around. What luck to have this book to indulge in. My favorite book was The Shell Seekers but this one kept you just as enthralled. All the characters came alive and you hated for the book to end. I read somewhere that Ms. Pilcher was going to retire from writing and hope this is not true. If so, Ms. Pilcher, thank you for all your books as I enjoyed them all. Coletta Considine, email: [e-mail]