Product Description

Artist's daughter Penelope Keeling can look back on a full and varied life: a Bohemian childhood in London and Cornwall, an unhappy wartime marriage, and the one man she truly loved. She has brought up three children - and learned to accept them as they are.



Yet she is far too energetic and independent to settle sweetly into pensioned-off old-age. And when she discovers that her most treasured possession, her father's painting, The Shell Seekers, is now worth a small fortune, it is Penelope who must make the decisions that will determine whether her family can continue to survive as a family, or be split apart.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15300 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 672 pages

Review
'Her genius is to create characters you really care for' (Daily Express )

'The novel beguiles because of Pilcher's warmth, sincerity and easy, undemanding prose' (The Sunday Times )

'Pilcher's storytelling skills are serene and beguiling' (The Times )

'A wonderful, not-to-be-missed novel that is destined to provide many hours of pleasurable reading' (Woman and Home )

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

'It is never too soon to discover Rosamunde Pilcher' (Good Housekeeping )

''This is storytelling at its best . . . A long satisfying read which would enhance any holiday (Today )

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

'A huge, warm, saga . . . A deeply satisfying story written with love and confidence' (Maeve Binchy in The New York Times Book Review )

About the Author
Rosamunde Pilcher has had a long and distinguished career as a novelist and a short story writer, but it was her phenomenally successful novel, THE SHELL SEEKERS, that captured the hearts of all who read it and won her international recognition as one of the best-loved storytellers of our time. Her bestselling novel, COMING HOME, was made into a television film. Her most recent bestseller was WINTER SOLSTICE, also adapted for television drama. She was awarded an O.B.E for services to literature in 2002.

Customer Reviews

A never forgotten read!
Read this when it was first published in 1987. Read it on holiday. It left a huge impression on me and I am now buying it again for my 18 year old daughter to read. I will read it again when she's read it. I know she'll love it, it's one of those books that lives with you. I can still recall the happiness I got from reading it - we all love Cornwall and go there on holiday - my daughter feels an empathy with the place - must be in her genes!! This is a 'must read' for all young (or old) girls.

Good
I read this book because it was in the Big Read top 100, I wasn't really expecting to like it to be honest. But I did. It tells the story of Penelope Keeling, her children and also contains flashbacks to the past, where we learn of her lost love. This book managed to stir up different emotions in me, switching between liking and hating particular characters. At the beginning I really liked Olivia, but towards the end she began to annoy me, and as greedy as Nancy and Noel were, I found myself almost on their side.
I'd recommend this to anyone, I found myself wanting to know what happened and got through it in only a few days.

Beautifully written and not too dated
This is a really lovely book about human relationships and how they can change over the course of a lifetime, and how they can be affected by major historical events. Through flashbacks and through her 3 adult children, you learn about Penelope Keeling from when she was a teenager to a 64 year old woman, and ultimately you become emotionally attached to her. The characters are fantastically strong and are either likeable or disagreeable depending on the person and their situation. Places are described beautifully and you can picture Penelope's garden so clearly in your mind. Although this book was written in the 80s, it doesn't feel too dated, other than some odd references to clothes and the language some of the younger characters use (not many teenagers today would call their boyfriends 'Darling'), so I am convinced that readers today who are new to Rosamunde Pilcher would find it very easy to lose themselves in this book.