Winter Solstice

Rating:
Summary: Don't hurry...this story should be savored!
Review:

I don't understand the criticism of this book. No, it's not quickie fiction. Pilcher takes her own sweet time to develop all the story lines and characters but, for me, the wait is worth it.

By the time the book was over, I felt as if I knew the soul of each holiday visitor at Estate House.

Pilcher's true gift is in the details and in her ability to draw readers into each story and to make us comfortable enough to linger.

I'll be reading WINTER SOLSTICE again...and again....and again...

What about a sequel? Oscar and Elfrida as they re-do their cottage....Lucy and Rory as they explore young love...Carrie and Sam as they build a life together??? Endless possibilities.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: DEEPER MESSAGES WITHIN ITS PAGES...
Review: Every so often a book evelopes me with warmth, understanding, and a focus that I didn't have the day before. Pilcher did that in Winter Solstice. PLEASE forgive the Frechtman review above where she finds it her right to share a bit too much of the story line, as well as skewing it in a negative light that is vastly opposing the deeper messages the book holds within its pages. The lead characters, Elfrida and Oscar, show us a climate of life that is "adaptable" to circumstances thrust upon them, HOWEVER difficult, yet finding simple and abundant joys in the wonderful things that flood their (and ALL of our) lives -- EVEN in what are seemingly our darkest and longest nights. Hence, the dreary winter solstice season, which all of us are on the heels of facing. What perfect timing to read this. It also sets the stage for the spirit of Christmas, family, giving, sharing...hope. The delectable British dialogue is certainly part of the charm of this novel, so find your coziest blanket, put on a kettle, and take your time with this, beautiful, inspriring, "happy-ending" story. Just when we think something might be too outrageous to believe, as Frechtman shared with you in her review, remember that we all come from different places in life. Conversely, Oscar shows us the dignity and hope of not mulling in grief for years and years as so many people do. There is still life on THIS side of death -- but that is really just a crumb of all that await you. Their compassions flying in every direction for others are well rewarded, and hopefully will give you much to think about for your own life. Have a kleenex ready for the ending, and prepare to miss these people.

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: Fantastic Read - glad I gave Pilcher another chance!
Review: I discovered Rosamunde Pilcher reading "Shell Seekers" and it impressed me so much I sought out a couple of other Pilcher novels. I was so disappointed when most of them turned out to be romances (not my favorite genre at all), so I moved on to other authors.

I picked up "Winter Solstice" in the grocery store on a whim and I am *so happy* that I gave the book a chance. The story focuses on five unlikely characters who come together under unusual circumstances during a cold, snowy Christmas in a small Scottish village. All five of the characters have experienced some amount of heartbreak, and each are seeking to rebuild their lives. During the two weeks they spend together, each finds comfort and hope in their surroundings and the people around them.

I love the fact that this book took place over 14 days, as opposed to spanning years. It allowed more time for details and conversations. My only wish is that I knew what happened to the characters after the New Year.

I read very fast, so I am constantly searching for books that take me more than a few hours to complete. I was able to escape into Pilcher's story for several days, and enjoyed my stay within the pages thoroughly. I often found myself waking up in the middle of the night because I wanted to read more. That rarely happens!

I hesitate to compare it some of Maeve Binchy's best books, but I couldn't help but notice the similarities as I read- the small, old-fashioned town, the interesting characters on the periphery. This book was really nicely written. I wish there were more like it.

Rating:
Summary: A reading gem to thaw any heart.
Review: This is the first novel that I have ever read by this author and I loved it grandly. It has been a very long tome sine I have so thoroughly enjoyed a novel. Ms. Pilcher brings five different people together from different worlds....different ages, social classes, etc. They are all experiencing various types of losses and heartaches, and yet, brought together in a snow storm in a grand old house in a tiny village in Northern Scotland, they all somehow evolve into a single unit, and grow from the experience. At a time of the year, Christmas, which can be very difficult for many people, these five people discover joy and happiness, and none of their lives will ever be the same again. The plotting is very predictable, but that makes the story all the more comfortable...you want everything to work out well for these five people, who all need to heal, and who all deserve the happiness which comes to them, one and all. I heartily would recommend this book to anyone who wants an old-fashioned good read, a novel which will make you smile, even as it will make you weep.

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.