A Week in Winter

April 29, 2002
When a publisher declares that it is attempting to replicate the success of Rosamunde Pilcher, it becomes fair game, requiring readers to assess the accuracy of such a claim. The Shell Seekers
was Pilcher's blockbuster American debut, following the mild success of a string of slight, light romances in her native England. Similar backstory and hopes follow Willett, whose saga revolves around a matriarch and a house. Now in her 70s and widowed, Maudie Todhunter decides to sell Moorgate, the family farmhouse in Cornwall. Opposing her is stepdaughter Selina, who has never forgiven Maudie for marrying her father after the death of her beloved mother 30 years earlier. Two romantic subplots and a few family secrets waiting to come out can't save this thin, treacly fare, in which even the lone antagonist eventually develops a heart. Though Maudie herself is appealing, she simply isn't an intriguing enough heroine to center a novel on, since most of her time is spent obsessing about the past and talking to her dog. Willett is no Pilcher and her American debut is no Shell Seekers, but if the publisher is correct in assuming that "in these troubled times" readers are in the mood to curl up with the literary equivalent of a hot-water bottle, this title should satisfy its target market. Major ad/promo.

When Maudie married a widower, she attempted to be a good wife and mother, but it wasn't easy. Now that she's a widow, money has become an issue, and she finds she has to forfeit the family's summer home, Moorgate, in Cornwall, to the dismay of her grown stepchildren. Josephine Bailey provides dimension as she breathes life into these characters, revealing their jealousies, frustrations, and complicated interpersonal relationships. With Moorgate on the market, the potential buyers prove to be complicated and fascinating as the reasons for their interest in the old place emerge. Bailey's ability to present believable personality nuances with perfect accents enhances a wonderful story. B.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine