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Winter solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
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Winter solstice (original 2000; edition 2000)

by Rosamunde Pilcher

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2,249666,974 (3.96)160
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher, Winter Solstice (the basis for the TV movie) is the story of five unforgettable characters, lonely and haunted strangers who find love and loyalty as a reborn family of friends during the Christmas holidays.
Elfrida Phipps, once of London's stage, moved to the English village of Dibton in hopes of making a new life for herself. Gradually she settled into the comfortable familiarity of village lifeâ??shopkeepers knowing her tastes, neighbors calling her by nameâ??still she finds herself lonely.
Oscar Blundell gave up his life as a musician in order to marry Gloria. They have a beautiful daughter, Francesca, and it is only because of their little girl that Oscar views his sacrificed career as worthwhile.
Carrie returns from Austria at the end of an ill-fated affair with a married man to find her mother and sister sharing a home and squabbling endlessly. With Christmas approaching, Carrie agrees to look after her sister's awkward and quiet teenage daughter, Lucy, so that her mother might enjoy a romantic fling in America.
Sam Howard is trying to pull his life back together after his wife has left him for another. He is without home and without roots, all he has is his job. Business takes him to northern Scotland, where he falls in love with the lush, craggy landscape and set his sights on a house.
It is the strange rippling effects of a tragedy that will bring these five characters together in a large, neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan
… (more)

Member:morieel
Title:Winter solstice
Authors:Rosamunde Pilcher
Info:New York : St. Martin's Press, 2000.
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher (2000)

  1. 00
    Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (SylviaC)
    SylviaC: Miss Pettigrew and Elfrida have similar live-for-the-moment attitudes.
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» See also 160 mentions

English (63)  Spanish (1)  German (1)  All languages (65)
Showing 1-5 of 63 (next | show all)
Excellent author Goodreads ReviewHer captivating bestseller of loss and the healing power of love now re-issued with a stunning new jacket look. 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. (less)
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
I was a little impatient with this slow-moving story at first, but in the end was glad that I stayed with it. It’s a warm, comfortable story of people who adrift at the end of a relationship, who find one another and begin anew. It’s not a Romance, but it is a story of love in its many forms. It was a little like a book form of those sweet, staid BBC and PBS shows that seem to mostly feature nice people sitting and talking, or walking and talking, with just enough offscreen drama to keep it interesting. I can see why so many people enjoy this story as an annual holiday comfort read.

Audiobook, via Audible. Lynn Redgrave provides an okay performance – it’s possible that this book needed someone a little more lively to spark it up.

I read this for The 16 Tasks of the Festive Season, and I will be using it as the Book Joker for Square 9 December 21st: Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, also known as Yaldā Night in Iran. The same day is the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere, giving them the longest day of the year. This book takes place during the weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday, but the key turning point takes place on the evening of the winter solstice.
( )
  Doodlebug34 | Jan 1, 2024 |
I found myself comparing this one to Maeve Binchy's A Week in Winter, but I didn't feel like this one held up as well. So much could have been edited out for a stronger story. We limp along with these wounded creatures and I had a hard time caring what happened next. I absolutely loved Coming Home and The Shell Seekers, so maybe my expectations were too high. I wasn't a fan.

“You never really got to know people properly until you had seen them within the ambience of their own home. Seen their furniture and their books, and their manner of their lifestyle.” ( )
  bookworm12 | Nov 22, 2023 |
4.5 * a really enjoyable re-read ( first read in 2000), an excellent book for this time of year. 2020 listened to the audiobook this time. ( )
  LisaBergin | Apr 12, 2023 |
I did not like how Elfrida spoke about Oscar's wife at the beginning of the story. I found it disgusting that the author killed off his wife and kid as a means to allow these two characters to become lovers. The writing is repetitive and talks down to the reader. ( )
  kaylacurrently | Mar 5, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 63 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Rosamunde Pilcherprimary authorall editionscalculated
Redgrave, LynnNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Before Elfrida Phipps left London for good and moved to the country, she made a trip to the Battersea Dog's Home, and returned with a canine companion.
Quotations
“Oh Oscar, for goodness sake, of course I’m going to sell it!  Don’t you see?  With that money we can really transform Billycliffe Villa into the most desirable of residences.  Build a conservatory, fling out a ballroom wing… and buy a microwave!”
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Fiction. Literature. HTML:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher, Winter Solstice (the basis for the TV movie) is the story of five unforgettable characters, lonely and haunted strangers who find love and loyalty as a reborn family of friends during the Christmas holidays.
Elfrida Phipps, once of London's stage, moved to the English village of Dibton in hopes of making a new life for herself. Gradually she settled into the comfortable familiarity of village lifeâ??shopkeepers knowing her tastes, neighbors calling her by nameâ??still she finds herself lonely.
Oscar Blundell gave up his life as a musician in order to marry Gloria. They have a beautiful daughter, Francesca, and it is only because of their little girl that Oscar views his sacrificed career as worthwhile.
Carrie returns from Austria at the end of an ill-fated affair with a married man to find her mother and sister sharing a home and squabbling endlessly. With Christmas approaching, Carrie agrees to look after her sister's awkward and quiet teenage daughter, Lucy, so that her mother might enjoy a romantic fling in America.
Sam Howard is trying to pull his life back together after his wife has left him for another. He is without home and without roots, all he has is his job. Business takes him to northern Scotland, where he falls in love with the lush, craggy landscape and set his sights on a house.
It is the strange rippling effects of a tragedy that will bring these five characters together in a large, neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan

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Haiku summary
As good friends gather
Elfrida embraces life
With a free spirit.
(SylviaC)

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