Starburst

John Lee leads listeners into the lives of numerous main characters. Initially, as characters are introduced, confusion might reign, but Lee defines every individual's goals, hopes, failures, and successes without a moment of uncertainty for listeners. The scene is Edinburgh's International Festival, where artists of every stripe come together to entertain and compete. Pilcher intertwines the lives of a naïve French violin virtuoso, a former rugby star, a working-class mother-comedian, an aging filmmaker, a young tough, and a host of others who come to the festival seeking their dreams. In Pilcher's heartwarming story, the use of coincidence is heavy-handed, but Lee's expert performance carries the day with its unpretentiousness, subtlety, and humanity. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

May 28, 2007
The bustling Edinburgh International Festival—an actual annual cultural event in Scotland featuring a plethora of the arts—serves as the dynamic backdrop for this nicely handled ensemble novel from Pilcher (A Risk Worth Taking
). The first 100 pages introduce a multitude of lead characters, including renowned violinist Angelique Pascal, smalltown comedienne Rene Brownlow, supposedly reformed criminal Thomas Keene, retired cinematographer Leonard Hartson and others. Each has something another needs — a paying job to offer, a room to let, a shoulder to cry on. As their lives begin to intersect over the course of the three-week festival, betrayal, new love, car chases and attempts at artistic glory ensue. Some of the dialogue can be a challenge (“So ye thocht ye could hide awa’ frae us, did ye?”), but Pilcher keeps the stage full of light and color.