I started the year with the book that was runner up in the online book club run by Leslie.
I have read a few of Rosamunde Pilcher's books and knew that I was likely to enjoy this one. I wasn't able to get hold of the book that claimed first position in the book club voting but I was happy to download The Winter Solstice in its place.
Our introduction to the characters in the book start with Elfrida, who has recently moved to a small village in Hampshire following the death of her partner. She soon finds friendship, particularly with the Blundell family where she grows particularly close to Oscar and his daughter. She decides to visit a 'long lost' family member who has moved to the depths of Cornwall, starting his new family far away from his first wife. She spends a wonderful few weeks there, relishing in the comfort of their welcoming family but on her return to home she discovers that there has been a tragic accident and the whole rhythm of her days and social life has been torn apart.
In an effort to comfort and support Oscar in his time of grief, she accompanies him to Scotland, to a house which he had inherited many years before but which had been rented out so Oscar had never actually lived in it.
We then start to be introduced to various other characters and you wonder how on earth these people could possibly be linked. That is the talent of Rosamunde Pilcher; she draws you into people's lives and then suddenly things fall into place and you imagine how it is possibly going to pan out.
This book was perfect for reading over the Christmas/New Year period as that is exactly the time of year that is the setting for the story. I was transported to the wintery wilds of Scotland and could easily imagine myself living in such a lovely place, close to the sea yet within easy walking distance of a quaint village with a real sense of community.
I really enjoyed this book, loved every character (except for Lucy's mother and grandmother!) and was very happy with how things turned out in the end.
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I was able to easily find January's Online Book Club winner this month and I knew that even if it didn't win the vote, it was something I wanted to read anyway!
Every year, on her daughter's birthday, Sally buys a new book to add to a special selection and writes a dedication on the front page. But Ella is unaware of this, having been living in Australia for most of her adult life with little contact with her mum.
One day Ella receives a call from a concerned neighbour in England telling her that her mother has had an serious accident and will be unable to live unaccompanied until her injuries have healed. It is obvious that Ella will have to return home to care for Sally and she begrudgingly packs to return to the home she left on bad terms many years before.
After she collects Sally from hospital she sets about investigating which repairs need to be made to the house after the major flood which caused the accident. The worst affected room is unlike any of the rooms she remembered from her childhood there. It had been beautifully decorated with tasteful furniture and what was once a well stocked book case. But the damage to all these precious books has been awful with all the heartfelt messages written by Sally washed away in the flood.
As the days pass Ella realises that the opinion she had of her mother is not correct, as she left home while still a teenager her opinions are that of a moody, emotional girl and she has to reevaluate her feelings as she learns the truth about what happened before she emigrated to Australia.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
My next book was a Christmas present. I'd seen it reviewed on the tv show Between the Covers where it received good reviews and thought it sounded good.
Edward in a man living between the world he actually lives in and the one in which he would like to inhabit. In an effort to befriend a 'better class' of person he ingratiates his way into their world by doing their more menial tasks. He is in love with Stanza who he feels is well out of his league and is distraught when he discovers that she is in a relationship with another of his 'friends', Robert.
This makes him more determined not to lose the life he dreams of and things take a darker turn when Robert asks him to help him get rid of a problem which could ruin his prosperous life. This book has been likened to Patricia Highsmith's Talented Mr Ripley and it is easy to see why!
There was a point about half way through the book when I was seriously considering not finishing it. In fact I did actually miss a whole chapter when things became very sinister. But as it had received such good reviews I stuck with it and after that the pace picked up and I became involved in the storyline again.
One of my most favourite books and films is The Talented Mr Ripley and although it is easy to see why this book is said to be comparable it does not, in my opinion, match the very high bar set by Patricia Highsmith. Overall I think is this a 3* rating from me and I'm not sure it's a book I would really recommend.
That's it for this month!
