September

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.

At first I loved the book, the tone of it and the descriptions. It was a book that unfolded rather than rushed ahead and I liked that. Actually I liked that part all the way through to the end.

What kind of spoiled the book for me was the story line involving Virginia and Edmund. It seemed so unrealistic that Virginia would just all of a sudden stop being mad at Edmund about sending their young son to boarding school. They in no way resolved it, she just stopped being mad and he essentially patted her on the head and gave her jewelry as a reward. Then when he's not able to take Henry to the first day of boarding school she is furious again, has sex with another man, and decides to leave Edmund. THEN show more Henry runs back home and so Virginia decides not to abandon her marriage and everything is totally fine between her and her husband. I mean, what?! What kind of a relationship is this?

Also, I hated the old fashioned gender roles. Super lame. show less

First book this year to make me ugly cry...and I loved it. Pilcher knows how to write about complicated and flawed characters that you love so much. She's even better at complicated family dynamics. This book was lovely.

I don't know what to say about this. This was a very well done book. It was recommended to me by several people and I finally read it this past weekend. I have no critiques. I loved the characters, writing, setting, and the ending. The only thing I wish is that we had a chance to follow up with all of these characters in a later book. I wonder what happened to Henry, Alexa, Vi, all of the people we got to meet in this one.

"September" is all about the preparations that are leading to a dance, celebrating the 21st birthday of a young woman named Katy Steynton. Though it's been some time since the village has done a huge dance, all of the inhabitants are happy to do so. Though we hear about Katy and her parents, they are not the focus of show more this book. Instead we follow Edmund and Virginia Aird and their family (their son Henry and his daughter, Alexa, along with his mother Vi). We also follow Archie Balmorino, his wife, his daughter and estranged sister Pandora.

The characters are so very well done. We follow some other characters who will impact the characters above, one named Noel who appears to have a loose connection to the Aird family. Also a long-time servant/nanny whose creepy cousin seems hell-bent on destroying the Aird family.

The writing is so lyrical. Pilcher made me remember being a kid again and the summers of my friends and I playing games, going wading in the nearby creeks, catching fireflies, playing tag, staring at the clouds and telling each other the shapes, eating on a run so that we could be outside with our friends again. I could actually picture Scotland while reading this book. It made me long for a place that I have never been before. The loch, the trout, the smells, the heather, the people, friends, and food. She does such a great job that you may want to run out and book a trip to Scotland right away.

The ending was messy, but it worked. Not all things are neatly tied up, but tied up enough that you realize that the families will continue on., That people will pass away, but the bones of the families will still remain for years. show less

I love Rosamunde Pilcher's writing. Sigh. I had no idea that a character in this book also appeared in her later book, "The Shell Seekers." That character is Noel Keeling, son of Penelope Keeling.

I tend to stay away from sad books, and this book ended up dealing with a long-term illness and suicide. However, Rosamunde's writing style is such that if I had known, I would still have read this book. Life comes with all kinds of unexpected disappointments and even tragedies. She manages to write books that deal with those topics but make you glad that you read what she wrote, and glad to be alive. I am a big fan of her work.

I don't know what to say about this. This was a very well done book. It was recommended to me by several people and I finally read it this past weekend. I have no critiques. I loved the characters, writing, setting, and the ending. The only thing I wish is that we had a chance to follow up with all of these characters in a later book. I wonder what happened to Henry, Alexa, Vi, all of the people we got to meet in this one.

"September" is all about the preparations that are leading to a dance, celebrating the 21st birthday of a young woman named Katy Steynton. Though it's been some time since the village has done a huge dance, all of the inhabitants are happy to do so. Though we hear about Katy and her parents, they are not the focus of show more this book. Instead we follow Edmund and Virginia Aird and their family (their son Henry and his daughter, Alexa, along with his mother Vi). We also follow Archie Balmorino, his wife, his daughter and estranged sister Pandora.

The characters are so very well done. We follow some other characters who will impact the characters above, one named Noel who appears to have a loose connection to the Aird family. Also a long-time servant/nanny whose creepy cousin seems hell-bent on destroying the Aird family.

The writing is so lyrical. Pilcher made me remember being a kid again and the summers of my friends and I playing games, going wading in the nearby creeks, catching fireflies, playing tag, staring at the clouds and telling each other the shapes, eating on a run so that we could be outside with our friends again. I could actually picture Scotland while reading this book. It made me long for a place that I have never been before. The loch, the trout, the smells, the heather, the people, friends, and food. She does such a great job that you may want to run out and book a trip to Scotland right away.

The ending was messy, but it worked. Not all things are neatly tied up, but tied up enough that you realize that the families will continue on., That people will pass away, but the bones of the families will still remain for years. show less

This is one you don't want to end. Jilly Bond does a wonderful job reading it. So relaxing and yet quite the page turner. Couldn't wait to hear what would happen next. I wanted it to go on and on and on. Lovely characters, beautiful sense of place. And everything works out in the end. Cozy and delicious!

Oh, what a wonderful book this is! It opens in May with Verena organising a ball for her daughter Katie's 21st birthday in September. The novel revolves around her friends who are invited, over the four months until the ball happens. As ever with this author, much of the delight is in the characterisation: Vi, the wise (but worried) grandmother; Henry, a small and lovable child; Virginia, Henry's mother; Alexa falling in love in London.. and many more. They all seem such real people, although I don't mix in the kind of society Rosamunde Pilcher seems to know well.

The book is also very moving in places. There was a little suspense the first time I read it, but with subsequent readings I remembered the outcome of that part, and was able show more to enjoy it more. The ending is bittersweet, yet encouraging. All in all, highly recommended. show less