Title: Winter Solstice
Author: Rosamunde Pilcher
Publisher: Dutton
Publication date: 2000
Length: 520 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

What a perfect book to start off a new year! I suppose it would have been even better to read Winter Solstice in the weeks leading up to Christmas and the solstice… but now I know in case I ever want to re-read it.

Winter Solstice is a big, heartwarming book, originally published in 2000, but with such a lovely, unhurried air that it feels like a throwback to an earlier era. In Winter Solstice, the author introduces us to a large cast of characters and then takes her time to let us get to know them before weaving all their stories together.

First and foremost is Elfrida Phipps, a former actress in her early 60s, who’ll be the first to inform you that her acting career was nothing splashy. After losing the man she loves after a long illness, Elfrida is ready to move into her retirement years. She leaves London and buys herself a cozy cottage in the village of Dibton, where she settles into small-town life and becomes part of the community.

In Dibton, she’s welcomed by Oscar and Gloria Blundell, who lives in a gorgeous home with their young daughter Francesca. Elfrida especially enjoys her conversations with Oscar, the church organist and a lifelong music lover and teacher, as well as her newfound friendship with Francesca.

Meanwhile, Elfrida’s cousin Carrie is heartbroken after the end of her long-term relationship with a married man. She returns home to London to find her mother and sister endlessly squabbling, leaving her 14-year-old niece Lucy stuck in the middle and yet sadly ignored.

Rounding out the cast of main characters, we also meet Sam, a businessman who’s returning home from New York to the UK to take up a prestigious new position with a wool-manufacturing conglomerate, at loose ends and unsure of anything but his work life.

The characters’ paths come together in the small Scottish town of Creagan where, for various reasons, they end up spending the weeks leading up to Christmas. As they settle in, they find shelter, friendship, and new possibilities. I really don’t want to say much more about the plot. This is a rather gentle story, so there aren’t any cliffhangers or mysteries — and yet, discovering how all the characters’ lives intersect and move forward is one of the joys of reading this lovely book.

There’s something beautiful and timeless about the writing in Winter Solstice. Nothing is rushed; the story moves forward through small steps, as we see moments in people’s lives, reflections on what’s come before, and an understanding of each person’s dreams, frustrations, and needs.

The descriptions of the land, the sea, and the general surroundings are simple and lovely:

And over the shallow hills of the distant headland inched the first sliver of an orange sun. The curved rim of dazzling light touched the shifting sea, smudged shadows on the undulations of the sand, and drained darkness from the sky, so that gradually it was no longer sapphire-blue, but faded to aquamarine.

The characters spend time together, but also alone. There’s a deep sense of appreciation as they find themselves in a moment of peace, away from the hustle of day to day life, able to live in the moment and simply let themselves experience the people and places around them.

This is a long novel, and I was afraid at first that it would be slow or even (gasp!) boring. No need to worry! The plot does take a leisurely approach, but I was never uninterested or wishing for the pace to pick up. The writing style gives us time to really get to know the characters, and it’s this approach that enables us to truly appreciate how they later connect and form new, meaningful relationships.

Prior to the this, the only book by Rosamunde Pilcher that I’d read was The Shell Seekers — so long ago that I couldn’t tell you a thing about the plot at this point. I doubt I ever would have come across Winter Solstice if not for a recommendation by an author who chatted with my book group last year. I’m so grateful that she recommended it!

Winter Solstice represents comfort, friendship, community, and goodness, without ever verging into saccharine-sweetness. The characters are lovely but imperfect, and there’s plenty of sadness mixed in with the joy. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and recommend it highly.

Question: Have you read Rosamunde Pilcher’s novels? Do you have a favorite to recommend?

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