Rating: Summary: Absolutely wonderful~! Review: I loved this book and would like to read everything this author has ever, ever written. This book was very readable, interesting and realistic. I could picture in my mind the characters and felt like I really knew them by the time I had finished the book. This was one of the best books I have read in years.
Rating: Summary: A really good "Aga Saga" Review: It is unfair to compare this author with Rosamunde Pilcher, although she is every bit as good. The main character in this book Maudie is a very likeable one. The plot, and supporting characters are all very well written. I didn't want to wait for the paperback, and I'm really glad that I purchased the hardcover. It was money well spent. The descriptions of Cornwall and the moors were so clear that the reader was transported to those places. I particularly loved Polonius, the dog he was a welcome addition to the book. I would like the opportunity to read more of Marcia Willet. I eagerly await the next book.
Rating: Summary: HEARTWARMING Review: LET US HAVE MORE MARCIA WILLETT NOVELS AVAIABLE FROM AMAZON.COM PLEASE! WAITING FOR [another website] IS SO LONG! I READ ABOUT 99% BRITISH NOVELS SO THE WAITING SOMETIMES IS PAINFULLY SLOW. :))
Rating: Summary: Pilcher Fans, Rejoice! Review: Marcia is not Rosamunde, but close enough to make one sigh with contentment.Long a popular writer in her native UK, Marcia Willett has not been available to us in the United States before this wonderful book. As the Brits would say: Why ever not? This is simply a lovely, wonderful book, the type you pick up and instantly find yourself involved--in this case, by "walking into" an agreeable farmhouse in Cornwall on almost the very first page. But beware: "A Week in Winter" is so perfect for wallowing, that you may find yourself forgetting to get off the commuter train (as I did), or reading right past an important appointment (as I almost did). The plot opens in the kitchen of Maudie Todhunter, a no-nonsense widow who is eating her egg and opening her mail. As we read her mail with her, we are drawn immediately and totally into her world. Her beloved late husband, Hector, had been married once before, to the saintly and perfect Hilda, who died before Hector met Maudie. The children from that marriage, all grown, have largely scattered, leaving one daughter, the embittered and nasty Selena, still in London--and still loathing "mummy's replacement" after all these years. Selena, too, has children, and one of them, Posy, has formed a strong and lifelong attachment to Maudie, whom she calls "Babe" and regards as her grandmother. Posy stops by Maudie's farmhouse to deliver her dog, Polonius, a giant mastiff who is forbidden to enter Selena's perfect house. And no wonder. Polonius has a mind of his own, as Maudie, who has secretly fallen in love with him, soon finds out. (Like so many British writers, Willett treats Polonius as a character in his own right, and we get many insights into his tricky doggy mind!) Of course the intertwining of characters, simply living their outwardly ordinary lives, becomes anything but ordinary. We get to know Posy very quickly, and to love her; we learn about Maudie and her secret heartbreaks, Selena and her impossible demands, Selena's long-suffering husband Patrick and his secrets, and wonderful Rob, the bachelor estate agent for Moorgate, a huge estate right on the edge of the moor that Maudie must now sell. It is around Moorgate that many spells are wound, hearts are broken and mended, and the reader is simply and irrevocably enchanted. What can I say. I adored this book. Anybody who loves Rosamund Pilcher, Maeve Binchy and the like will be sure to enjoy it too. But make no mistake--Marcia Willett is no imitator. She is a strong and wonderful writer and I cannot wait to read the next book, just released in the U.S., "A Summer in the Country." I have a feeling it will get this reader through some cold winter months with complete joy.
Rating: Summary: Cozy English Relationship Drama Satisfying As A Cup of Tea Review: Marcia Willett does indeed, as promised, follow in the wonderful footsteps of Rosamunde Pilcher. The same descriptive writing where atmosphere and details set the mood, the same unforgettable characters, the same heart-wrenching stories, even the sad-eyed dog Polonious is reminiscent of Horace in Pilcher's WINTER SOLSTICE. But Marcia Willett is more than a copy. She is a wonderful new voice now being published for the first time in the USA. A WEEK IN WINTER is truly a book to curl up with in your favorite deeply-cushioned chair while keeping your tea and chocolate close at hand. Maudie Todhunter is the elderly protagonist and her story of life newly-widowed is told while two subplots of young love interweave with her story. The novel focuses on a wonderful English farmhouse called Moorgate which stands at the entrance to the English moors. What transpires in that house during one very special week sends ripples through the lives of a host of richly textured characters. From Maudie's granddaughter Posy, the house renovator Rob Abbott, the desperately ill Melissa and her brother Mike, to the estranged Selina and Patrick, everyone is touched forever by the event that occurs at Moorgate. A long-held secret of deceit and betrayal comes to light in a surprise ending that leaves the reader satisfied yet longing to stay just a bit longer with these wonderful characters and the enchanting Moorgate.
Rating: Summary: Thoroughly Engrossing... Highly Recommended... Review: Marcia Willett is no imitator. Her writing can be compared to Pilcher and Binchy as noted, and what a wonderful compliment...i.e., the descriptive writing and attention to detail so that the characters have the breath of life in them. They wound themselves around the heart of this enchanted reader.
The descriptions of Cornwall were so clear that I was transported.
The intertwining of characters, simply living their (not so) ordinary lives, becomes anything but ordinary. The main character, Maudie Todhunter, is delightful as is her step-granddaughter Posey. Posey's Mother, Selena was impossibly frightful and Ms.Willett weaves a wonderful tale of family strengths, weaknesses, falling in love (with a few mysteries thrown in) through them. I particularly loved Polonius, the dog.
I have her "A Summer In The Country" and eagerly begin another anticipated delight! Thank you Marcia Willett!
Rating: Summary: On a dreary winter's evening..this is a MUST READ Review: Simply a calming, wonderfully vivid story that is as familiar and as comforting as Rosamunde's writings. This was a story that draws you in and gently holds your attention with every word. It was one of those books that was cozy and heartwarming. If you cherish Rosamunde Pilcher, you'll enjoy Marcia Willett.
Rating: Summary: A Week In Winter Review: Slow starting took me 13 chapters to get into the book, but once there I was intrigued and could not wait to read it the next night. Characters have a life and personality that fits into our "normal" everyday lives that you can connect to. Wish there was a sequel book because I would like to know what happens to each character and their futures.
Rating: Summary: The new Rosamunde Pilcher! Review: Thank God for Marcia Willett's wonderful storytelling. It's a breath of fresh air. I have shared this book with so many friends -- we're so grateful you have come into our lives! I can't wait to read the next. Move over Rosamunde.
Rating: Summary: Not "Pilcher" but a close second..... Review: This book reminded me somewhat of Rosamund Pilcher's "Winter Solstice" but not quite as good. Marcia Willett weaves a wonderful tale of family strengths, weaknesses, falling in love with a few mysteries thrown in. The main character, Maudie Todhunter, is delightful. Her husband's name is Hector not Patrick as stated in the Amazon book review. I highly recommend this book, it was well worth the read.
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