September

Rating:
Summary: "September" Tops My List of Favorite Family Sagas
Review: I'm an avid reader and this is, without a doubt, my favorite book of all time by my favorite author of all time.

At the heart of "September" is Noel Keeling, a man sorely self-absorbed and with a life in disarray after a bitter fight with his mother and her subsequent death in "The Shell Seekers." Noel is drawn into the life of London caterer Alexa Aird, whose family and their good friends, the Balmerinos, are the pivotal families in this rich tale of love, betrayal, loss, despair, and redemption on the moors of Scotland.

You will meet Violet Aird, the aging matriarch rich in compassion yet fretful as she watches her son Edmund and his second wife Virginia grow apart over a disagreement concerning their son. When a former lover reenters Virginia's life, their son Henry disappears from boarding school, and a pathetic madwoman begins to dredge up the past, there is plenty to worry about. Add to the mix their good friends Archie and Isobel Balmerino, the lord and lady rich in titles but so short on cash they must open their family home to visiting American tourists. Their daughter Lucilla, a free-spirit who has been traveling through Europe with her Austrailian boyfriend, returns home with a most surprising guest in tow---Archie's sister Pandora who left twenty years ago over whispered-about circumstances and whose return changes lives forever.

This is another trip into the world of Rosamunde Pilcher, one rich in family ties, unsurpassed local color of her beloved Scotland, and characters that will long be in your memory. If you're looking for an engrossing book to curl up with, one you will be hard-put to set aside, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, engaging and deeply moving. . .
Review: Pilcher does a masterful job at extending several key characters from "The Shell Seekers" into this lovely book. While each story can stand alone, start with "The Shell Seekers" and move onto this. The character of Noel is one I find so interesting and believeable- rather callous and self-absorbed in "The Shell Seekers" and then growing and learning to understand and appreciate the world his mother created for him in "September". Noel has a love interest in this book that starts in a most unlikely manner, but is richly satisfying as the book goes on. I won't give away the story, but even though the book is richly populated with Pilcher's usual lovable if eccentric folk, the emotional journey of Noel Keeling is at the heart of "September".An unlikely hero, the changes we see in Noel gives us hope for ourselves and those we care about deeply.

Rating:
Summary: Great Story!
Review: September is the first book I have read by Rosamunde Pilcher, but I have to say, it will not be last! The families in this book are so mysterious and with such rich histories. Reading this book almost reminded me of watching an episode of Dynasty! I was not aware that "The Shell Seekers" was a prequel to this novel, and I have no problem following the story line.

Pilcher'd descriptions of Scotland were breathtaking. You feel as if you are there with the characters, in the Highlands. She is fantastic author and I can't wait to get a hold of her other novels!

Rating:
Summary: You Won't Want This Book To End!
Review: September, by the beloved author of The Shell Seekers Rosamunde Pilcher, is another book in a long line by this author which most readers will enjoy thoroughly. Set in Scotland, this book focuses on several people gathering together to celebrate the 21st birthday of a local girl. While firmly set in the present through the use of flashbacks, we come to know these people and the events which bring them to this point in time.

Among the various people gathering members and friends of two well known families of the village. Archie Balmerino is a major landowner of the area who is a Lord rather down on his income. During a military exercise he suffered a tragedy which has altered his chance for a livelihood once he left the military as well as leaving him emotionally fragile. Isobel his loving wife hosts tourist families during the season at their stately home while their daughter travels the continent trying to find a place for herself. And then there is Pandora, Archie's sister who left the family home at 18, and is only now returning after 20 years to be with family and friends before it is too late.

The Aird family includes Violet, the 78 year old matriarch of the family and a woman reminiscent of Penelope Keeling from The Shell Seekers. Her prosperous son Edmund is married to his second wife Virginia although he has a secret he never shared with her which is now threatening to undo them. Alexa is Edmund's daughter from his first marriage who now finds happiness with an older man and Henry the progeny of the Airds second marriage is about to leave for boarding school at the tender age of 8 which upsets Virginia greatly. And seeing over this family is Edie who as Mrs. Aird's housekeeper cares for all of them as if they were her own. Added to this cast of characters are several others including Noel Keeling who readers of The Shell Seekers, will remember as Penelope Keeling's son.

While preparations are made for the party during the summer months and then during the party in September, we learn about these people as if they were our friends and are also treated to vivid descriptions of the wonderful countryside of Scotland, the homes these people occupy and their lifestyles both past and present. What awaits readers is seeing how these characters sort out their lives as the book ends with a startling and unanticipated conclusion.

September is the 13th book I've read by Rosamunde Pilcher and I am still as excited and enthusiastic about her books as when I read her first book in 1988. As this author has idonea in the opts, she envelops her readers in her world of people and places through wonderful characterizations and a love for the area where her book take place. While The Shell Seekers remains my all time favorite book by Ms. Pilcher and also one of my top ten all time reads, September takes it's rightful place along with The Shell Seekers as one of Ms. Pilcher's best books in my opinion.

I do hope you will enjoy this author as much as I have in the past. With only two novels left to read by her, Coming Home and Winter Solstice, I do hope she will write another book which will keep me up nights reading till the very end.

Rating:
Summary: Good Sequel
Review: This is a good sequel to The Shell Seekers, however... while it is better than R Pilcher's other novels, it still does not hold a candle to The Shell Seekers. It is nice to see what happens to at least one of The Shell Seeks characters afterwards, and Pandora and her family are very compelling.