Product Description

Elfrida Phipps loves her new life in the pretty Hampshire village. She has a tiny cottage, her faithful dog Horace and the friendship of the neighbouring Blundells - particularly Oscar - to ensure that her days include companionship as well as independence. But an unforeseen tragedy upsets Elfrida's tranquillity: Oscar's wife and daughter are killed in a terrible car crash and he finds himself homeless when his stepchildren claim their dead mother's inheritance. Oscar and Elfrida take refuge in a rambling house in Scotland which becomes a magnet for various waifs and strays who converge upon it, including an unhappy teenage girl. It could be a recipe for disaster. But somehow the Christmas season weaves its magical spell and for Elfrida and Oscar, in the evening of their lives, the winter solstice brings love and solace. (20010901)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33668 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 704 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
One time actress Elfrida Phipps retires to a country cottage but is almost immediately reactivated through the personal tragedy of a comparatively new friend, Oscar Blundell, with whom she moves to an imposing old house, his shared inheritance, in Scotland. As Christmas approaches they are joined by a lovelorn cousin, Carrie, and her 14-year-old niece, Lucy, who is currently bothersome to the progress of her mother's new found love, and to her grandmother's hedonistic lifestyle. Sam Howard, troubleshooter in the textile industry, recently separated from his wife, arrives on the doorstep and finds himself unwittingly part of the soon-to-be snowbound family over Christmas. "Are you still snowed in with us, Sam? I hope so," says Edwina. "It would be such fun for all of us to be together." And so they all live happily ever after.

Lynn Redgrave, a good reader, voices the characters well but there's a recurrent smugness of expression that neutralises feelings of sympathy for this assortment who are destined by too many coincidences. A story without tension, the burdens of bereavement and finance and pleasures of romance and companionship are determined by unlikely turns of fate and the benefit of acquaintances who facilely solve the problems. --Running time 6 hours

Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A gentle tale of everyday happenings to a set of well-drawn and believable characters'

Review
'As always, Pilcher is a sensible fairy godmother, bestowing happy endings upon the worthy and heartsick. . . [she has a] . . . remarkably evocative sense of place and watercolorist's eye for muted detail.' (Kirkus Review 20010901)

'enchanting . . . bound to delight her many thousands of fans.' (Daily Express 20010901)

'Pilcher's strength is knowing what she can do well and writing about what she knows. She has a way of tapping into the emotional life of her readers and making them care about characters not unlike themselves.' (Daily Telegraph 20010901)

'An entrancing tale of middle-aged love, broken hearts and teenage angst' (Daily Express 20010901)

'Rosamunde Pilcher's warm spell is charming and utterly convincing' (Daily Mail )

'Unashamed hymns to the virtues of domesticity, continuity and human warmth. And (they are) thundering good reads' (Lady )

'Another dose of the kind of heartwarming, gentle fiction for which she is known and loved . . . like a big mug of cocoa in front of a blazing fire on a winter night' ( Press & Journal, Aberdeen )

'A gentle tale of everyday happenings to a set of well-drawn and believable characters' (Peterborough Evening Telegraph )

'A beautiful, haunting story. . . that will tug at your heartstrings' (Prima )

'Whether she is being poignant, wry or perceptive, Rosamunde Pilcher is always gentle' (Woman's Realm )

Customer Reviews

Winter Soltice by Rosamund Pilcher
I was in the UK the day that this book was first offered for sale in August 2000. I sent copies home to friends and to myself. It is a favorite book since the hero and heroine are not in their 30's. I am now re-reading it since it is that time of the year again and I always enjoy it. It is a wonderful story of friendship, new-found "family", love and the kindness of others. Since I have a Scottish lineage, the location is particularly enticing. The descriptions of people and places allows the reader to be part of the story, if only in wishful thinking. The reader is there. What a great way to spend time reading. Rosamund Pilcher is one of my favorite authors that I can read over again. Wonderful story!

Worth re-reading
Not being a genre that I normally read, I was pleasantly surprised. Pilcher was able to paint a picture of the lives of a handful of people without any wasted words or descriptions. She made you a deal that you were there. Two worlds that is just as real as the one that you wake up to. Yet even though the people are familiar the environment is unique. It is what you that he'll as you read this book that makes it worth of re-reading. My only wish is that there would be a sequel.
I'm now reading the book after first listening to the tape-recording, Read by Lynn Redgrave. Lynn has a pleasant reading voice and can distinguish between the characters well enough that you don't have to guess who is talking. The abridged version allows you to follow the story without taking too many sidetracks. Rosamunde Pilcher, Is one of the few writers that can make the sidetrack is interesting is the main story. She has made the reconsider this genre
I would describe the story itself, but it is better to have it unfold before your eyes. You will not be disappointed.

Winter Solstice
Rosamunde Pilcher has a warm, compassionate and inspired triumph in Winter Solstice! From the first page, you are transported from everyday life to the small village where Elfrida and Oscar meet...to Gloria's exhuberant dinner parties...to the tranquil lifestyle at Jeffrey's and Serena's cliffside cottage on the blustery coast....and ultimately to the wonderful old estate house at Creagan. Winding your way through this tragic, yet heartwarming story of faith and courage, of loneliness-and-sorrow-turned-to-love, you will meet and become enchanted with the perfectly chosen settings and with the characters and the direction their individual and collective lives are taking. The readers who found this book "predictable" or "dull" leave me puzzled. There is sufficient flash, dash and excitement in the world today to render a book like Winter Solstice a breath of fresh air...and an excellent read...by the fire, by the beach, or on a mountaintop. This will be a personal favorite for a long time to come. Just one question...on my paperback copy, there is a beautiful picture of three delicate pink crocuses freshly sprung from the snow...it fits the story so well that I'm wondering why the cover on the newer edition was changed. No matter, what awaits the reader inside is a literary delight for the gentlehearted, and perhaps a much-needed change of pace for those who are not.