Winter Solstice

July 31, 2000
The author of The Shell Seekers has penned another romance sure to give fans the warm fuzzies, even though it's set in the north of Scotland in winter. Colorful Elfrida Phipps, 60-ish and single, has retired from a lifetime on the stage to a country retreat in Hampshire, England. There, she is befriended by Oscar and Gloria Blundell and their 12-year-old daughter, Francesca. Oscar, an organist, is somewhat older than his wife and the Blundells live in Gloria's family house. When Gloria and Francesca die in an automobile accident, Gloria's sons from a previous marriage inform Oscar that they are selling the property and he must leave. Elfrida persuades the grief-stricken, penniless Oscar to return to his childhood haunt, Corrydale, in Creagan, Scotland. His grandmother's grand estate is now a hotel, but the former estate manager's house is vacant and still belongs to the family. With few ties herself, Elfrida moves with Oscar to Creagan, where he plans to escape the upcoming Christmas festivities and the sad memories they will arouse. A distant relative of Elfrida's is also looking for a quiet place to spend the holidays. Beautiful, stylish 30-year-old Carrie Sutton is escaping a painful love affair. She has rescued her 14-year-old niece, Lucy, from Lucy's neglectful mother and grandmother, and the two seek asylum with Elfrida and Oscar. When handsome, successful, separated Sam Howard knocks on their homey door in a snowstorm, there is nothing to be done but invite him to stay, and the five souls from three generations find Christmas isn't so sad, after all. As her devoted readers have learned to expect, Pilcher's fond descriptions of domestic detail and her atmospheric evocation of the Scottish landscape add substance to a predictable but heartwarming plot. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selection; BOMC alternate; Reader's Digest Select Edition; audio rights to Random House.

August 9, 2000
In her new novel, Pilcher (The Shell Seekers) takes us to northern Scotland, where five vaguely connected people find themselves together at Christmas in a large Victorian house. They plan to "go pagan and celebrate the Winter Solstice with a lamb chop" but instead create a proper Christmas and soon come as close to one another as they are to the families from which they have been disenfranchised by death and cruel abandonment. Elfrida, a lonely retired actress, befriends Oscar, who is barely surviving the grief of the deaths of his wife and daughter in a car crash. Carrie, bereft after an aborted love affair, takes over the holiday care of her 14-year-old niece, Lucy, who is unwanted by her mother, grandmother, and indifferent father. Sam, in town to take charge of the old woolen mill, is reeling because his wife left him for another man. What lifts this saga above melodrama is the author's skill at creating believable, multifaceted characters with rich inner lives who sustain one another with good sense and gentle humor. Highly recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/00; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections.]--Molly Gorman, San Marino, CA

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2000
In this much anticipated new novel by Pilcher, a master at depicting English life, the characters range from those in the twilight of their days to those just starting out. Sixty-year-old Elfrida Phipps has just lost the love of her life and wants to live simply in the country. By chance, her friend, Oscar Blundell, is also in retreat. After his younger wife and child died, his wife's sons sold his home, so he moves to the Estate House, which he co-owns with his cousin, in Creagan, Scotland. Meanwhile, Carrie, a 30-year-old cousin of Elfrida's, has been dumped by her married lover. And then there's Lucy, Carrie's 14-year-old niece, who is an inconvenience to her divorced mother and a burden to the grandmother they live with. Oscar asks Elfrida, a friend to both himself and his late wife, to come join him at the Estate House. A free spirit, she looks forward to this adventure, packs up her house in Hampshire, and goes with Oscar to sort out his new life. They develop a close relationship and only start exploring their new surroundings after a phone call from Carrie, who needs a place to take Lucy for Christmas. Elfrida welcomes them with open arms, and they prove to be just what Oscar needs to help him re-enter society. Pilcher has crafted a charming and thoughtful book rich in engaging characters that makes the ordinary seem extraordinary and warms the heart like a good cup of tea. ((Reviewed June 1 & 15, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)