Rating: 
Summary: For those who love the English country life...
Review: ...but don't care about a good plotline, I should say. The book's only attraction is its description of farming and beaches and Cornwall's country life, but if you are looking for a good storyline, this is not it. This is the first book I read by this author because I saw the movie based on another of her novels, "September" (which was charming). However, if you would like to start to know Rosamunde Pilcher's gifted pen do not start with this book because you will definitely think she's not good enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Cliffs of Cornwall and Wilds of Scotland
Review: An anachronism in the form of a delightfully romantic fairy tale. From the cliffs of Cornwall to a near castle in Scotland, our not-so-modern-day fairy princess finds herself (at age 27) the widow of Prince Not So Charming. Despite the fact the deceased Prince was unfaithful and domineering and only married the young girl to achieve his inheritance, it is still a little tough feeling sorry for the Poor Little Rich Girl, who has never worked a day in her life (nor will she ever have to). Finally, she is free to be herself and she ships her young children off with Nanny to her mother-in-law in London. She then returns to the Cornwall coast and the memory of a few chance encounters of her 17-year-old self with a local farmer. Rejecting the comfort and pampering of friends, she leases a modest home near Porthkerris, fires the Nanny and reclaims her children. But can she do it? And can the combine man of the cozy hearth really win the heart of the Pampered Princess? This is an early Pilcher, with very idealistic (and out of touch) plotting but the heavenly glimpses of home and heart and her beloved countryside quite save the book.
Rating:
Summary: Cliffs of Cornwall and Wilds of Scotland
Review: An anachronism in the form of a delightfully romantic fairy tale. From the cliffs of Cornwall to a near castle in Scotland, our not-so-modern-day fairy princess finds herself (at age 27) the widow of Prince Not So Charming. Despite the fact the deceased Prince was unfaithful and domineering and only married the young girl to achieve his inheritance, it is still a little tough feeling sorry for the Poor Little Rich Girl, who has never worked a day in her life (nor will she ever have to). Finally, she is free to be herself and she ships her young children off with Nanny to her mother-in-law in London. She then returns to the Cornwall coast and the memory of a few chance encounters of her 17-year-old self with a local farmer. Rejecting the comfort and pampering of friends, she leases a modest home near Porthkerris, fires the Nanny and reclaims her children. But can she do it? And can the combine man of the cozy hearth really win the heart of the Pampered Princess? This is an early Pilcher, with very idealistic (and out of touch) plotting but the heavenly glimpses of home and heart and her beloved countryside quite save the book.
Rating: 
Summary: A lovely read!
Review: For those who love Rosamunde Pilcher's sweet writing. It is not mushy and it is not vulgar. It is life at it's most wonderful; joy after sorrow.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Pilcher Novella
Review: I am in the process of reading all of Rosamunde Pilcher's books. This is the fifth of her "novellas" - short novels - that I have read. It is my favorite Pilcher book so far. It was an 'easy read' filled with cozy descriptions of English country life. I loved the plotline - a woman whose husband has died, and who has had a domineering mother and mother-in-law, has to find the courage to start life all over again, on her own. But, we know a romantic figure will enter and help her out once she gets this courage. This was the first Picher novella that I read that specifically dealt with English country farming life. It was charming and I hated it when I had to put the book down to do something else. A must-read for Pilcher fans!
Rating: 
Summary: pilcher's worst.
Review: i consider myself a great pilcher fan. if i HAVE to read a romance, it will be one of hers. (i LOATHE harlequinns.) I think that she is a marvelous writer, but i guess that every writer has one bad book in them, & this is hers.(i only gave it one star because you can't give negative stars.) it's not that badly written, but, i am one of those readers who has to care about the main charectors, or i just can't finish the book. by the time i forced, (& i mean FORCED), myself to finish this one, i kept wanting to grab virginia, (our herorine), shake her, & scream at her to grow a bloody spine. she seems to be one of those uber-passive-agressive people who are content to let others dictate her life, & this really infiriates me. near the end of this tome, she asks her old boyfriend why she was such a ninny, & the horrible thing is, that, while i'm past caring, i'm inclined to agree with her whole-heartedly! she came across to me as a whiny, annoying, self-centered brat. if she hated her life & marriage so much she could have left. this isn't the 19th century, where women where forced against their will to marry, & wern't given a choice, instead, she played the martyr, & wallowed in misery. i actually felt sorry for her husband being married to her, & i kept hoping he would run off with liz & be put out of his (& our) misery!
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant, but...
Review: I enjoyed this book (as I enjoy all Pilcher's novels) but there was one thing that struck me resoundingly after I finished. Spoiler ahead!
First - the plot. Virginia loses her Cornish first love through her mother's meddling, marries on the rebound and, widowed, returns to Cornwall with her young children. Here she meets Eustace again and they heal their rift and decide to become a couple. Charming... but can you believe this decision is made after 4 - yes, *4* meetings? The young (18 y-o) Virginia meets Eustace at a barbecue. Then she meets him again in town. He promises to call her, but never does. Her mother whisks her away. Um - 4 hours together, tops? Years later she meets him again in the pub. And then she, he and the children spend an afternoon and evening together. He leaves in a huff. And the next day they resolve their differences. I couldn't believe it, so I reread the book and counted the meetings. Yes - 4. And 2 were very brief and in company with several other people. I'd have swallowed it - maybe - if the author had mentioned that it was unusual! Hmm.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, but...it's a Pilcher!
Review: In general, I agree with all of the reviews written here. BUT...I'm simply a huge fan of Rosamunde Pilcher. She writes wonderful, rich, escape-ism novels! They're great for relaxing, taking with you to the tub (w/ candles, bubble bath & a nice glass of something!), and so on. When I pick up a Pilcher (or a Maeve Binchy) I'm not looking for War & Peace! I'm looking for interesting characters, some of them will be shown in a less-than-flattering light (at least sometimes), which I think is pretty realistic (since we all have our less-than-flattering sides/times!). However, realism isn't the key here. Descriptions of the places, the people, and the events are (I believe) Pilcher's strong suit. True, this isn't her best work. But, please don't discard her as an author based upon this book! Give her others a chance, and give this one a chance as well. Just lighten up, and enjoy it! Don't dissect it. Allow yourself to escape into it's depths, and don't worry about how many times Virginia has met the love of her life, etc.! Pilcher's books are so much better than romance novels, you don't need to feel the related guilt and embarrassment when reading them! How refreshing...
Rating:
Summary: Yes, but...it's a Pilcher!
Review: In general, I agree with all of the reviews written here. BUT...I'm simply a huge fan of Rosamunde Pilcher. She writes wonderful, rich, escape-ism novels! They're great for relaxing, taking with you to the tub (w/ candles, bubble bath & a nice glass of something!), and so on. When I pick up a Pilcher (or a Maeve Binchy) I'm not looking for War & Peace! I'm looking for interesting characters, some of them will be shown in a less-than-flattering light (at least sometimes), which I think is pretty realistic (since we all have our less-than-flattering sides/times!). However, realism isn't the key here. Descriptions of the places, the people, and the events are (I believe) Pilcher's strong suit. True, this isn't her best work. But, please don't discard her as an author based upon this book! Give her others a chance, and give this one a chance as well. Just lighten up, and enjoy it! Don't dissect it. Allow yourself to escape into it's depths, and don't worry about how many times Virginia has met the love of her life, etc.! Pilcher's books are so much better than romance novels, you don't need to feel the related guilt and embarrassment when reading them! How refreshing...
Rating:
Summary: One of the best romances I've ever read!!!
Review: This was a quick read for me, and the second book I've read by
Rosamunde Pilcher,the other being Shell Seekers. I love her
writing style. She's included the perfect things for me to truly
enjoy a book: kids and animals. It all starts when Virginia takes a trip with her mother. She meets a man and falls in love. Before anything can become of this, her mother drags her away. She eventually marries and has two children: Cara and Nicholas.
When her husband dies, she returns to Porthkerris where she'd
met her first love. The rest is just too delicious, and in my opinion,
Rosamunde Pilcher is one of the best writers, and we're lucky to
have her:)
|
