Winter Solstice, by Rosamunde Pilcher

Cover ImageFinished 8-23-10, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2000

Elfrida is a sixty-something retired actress who moves from London with her new dog Horace to a village in northern England.  She can afford a small cottage and has enough money to get by, but not much more.  She quickly makes friends with Oscar and Gloria who make her feel comfortable at their luxurious home.  When tragedy strikes Elfrida is thrown into an unlikely role, that of caretaker.

Elfrida is one of five people thrown together in a Scottish home over the Christmas holiday.  There is also a teenage girl, her aunt, an older man who has lost his faith, and a businessman moving there for work.  Elfrida has spunk, warmth, opinions, and I felt as taken in by her as the others in the house.  These people are all forced to live together because of events out of their control and manage to make Christmas work for them.

This was a very satisfying read.  I enjoyed Elfrida immensely and the house felt so alive and warm with the stories of the characters.  Some of the happenings seemed more than a little improbable but I closed the book having spent time with people I liked.

This is from my personal library and was chosen by Linda, Margot, FleurFisher, and Sandy.  Here’s what they had to say…

“Set in my part of the world.”  FleurFisher

“I love her books and wish there were more of them.”  Linda

11 thoughts on “Winter Solstice, by Rosamunde Pilcher”

  1. Beth Hoffman says:
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    Beth Hoffman's avatar

    I’ve wondered if I should add this book to my list, and after reading your thoughts, I think I will. Thanks, Stacy!

    • jennygirl says:
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      jennygirl's avatar

      I just saw on Goodreads that it was originally published in 1957. Amazing that a book form that long ago is still good today. I think it speaks to her story telling ability.

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