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Flowers in the Rain and Other Stories
Through thick mist and a cold east wind, Lavinia returns to Scotland. Up at the big house Mrs Farquhar is dying. Seeing Lachlan again,. Lavinia remembers her childhood holidays swimming in the loch, the picnics, bottle-feeding the lambs down at the farm and the evenings when they danced reels. Most of all, she remembers Mrs Farquhar's grandson Rory. In the house, as the old lady lies serene and beautiful in the bed she has slept in since coming home to Lachlan as a bride, Lavinia meets Rory once again. Flowers in the Rain is one of sixteen stories, each giving another magical glimpse into Rosamunde Pilcher's world. The world in which most prefer to live all the time.
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
237 people are currently reading
1543 people want to read
About the author
Rosamunde Pilcher
176 books3,108 followersRosamunde Scott was born on 22 September 1924 in Lelant, Cornwall, England, UK, daughter of Helen and Charles Scott, a British commander. Just before her birth her father was posted in Burma, her mother remained in England. She attended St. Clare's Polwithen and Howell's School Llandaff before going on to Miss Kerr-Sanders' Secretarial College. She began writing when she was seven and published her first short story when she was 18. From 1943 through 1946, Pilcher served with the Women's Naval Service. On 7 December 1946, she married Graham Hope Pilcher, a war hero and jute industry executive who died in March 2009. They moved to Dundee, Scotland, where she remained until her death in 2019. They had two daughters and two sons, and fourteen grandchildren. Her son, Robin Pilcher, is also a novelist.
In 1949, her first book, a romance novel, was published by Mills & Boon, under the pseudonym Jane Fraser. She published a further ten novels under that name. In 1955, she also began writing under her married name Rosamunde Pilcher, by 1965 she her own name to all of her novels. In 1996, her novel Coming Home won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by Romantic Novelists' Association. She retired from writing in 2000 following publication of Winter Solstice. Two years later, she was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
In 1949, her first book, a romance novel, was published by Mills & Boon, under the pseudonym Jane Fraser. She published a further ten novels under that name. In 1955, she also began writing under her married name Rosamunde Pilcher, by 1965 she her own name to all of her novels. In 1996, her novel Coming Home won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by Romantic Novelists' Association. She retired from writing in 2000 following publication of Winter Solstice. Two years later, she was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews
September 29, 2021
A compilation of sweet short stories that all have open endings that speak to possibilities. The reader can write their own ending to each. Something I needed.
September 17, 2024
Updated review: September 17, 2024:
Read this again while on vacation, I honestly have the same thoughts as I did when I first read through this. It was an okay collection, but not the best samples of her works. I thought her other short story collection (which I re-read) was much better.
So I read this one after the other collection of short stories by Pilcher. I wish I had waited. Maybe that is coloring my review. I just thought that the majority of the stories in this one didn't work for me at all. Also, I got really tired of reading stories about broken engagements. They could all be summed up as so and so chose this person as second best. I don't think I would run off with anyone that just broke up with someone, so maybe that's my personal bias working.
"The Doll's House" (3.5 stars)- A young boy missing his dead father, goes through with a promise to make a doll house for his younger sister. While that would be enough, he also has to deal with knowing that a local man is interested in his mother to marry and he hopes that she doesn't. Pilcher leaves us with enough to know how the story is going to end when we get finished with this story.
"Endings and Beginnings" (3 stars)-This one read as the longest story in this collection. A man (Tom) goes home for his Aunt Mabel's 75th birthday. He tries to get his girlfriend to come along and she declines. While home, he makes the acquaintance of his cousin or I don't know cousin once removed Kitty. Kitty's life has been a bit of a mess and now Tom seems intrigued by it and her.
"Flowers in the Rain" (1 star)-I really didn't like this one at all. A woman returns back to a place her family spent holidays at. She's there (supposedly) to say hello to Mrs. Farquhar, but really she wants to know about her grandson, Rory. I think it just bugged me since it read as if the main character had put her life on hold for Rory. And though I was reading him as saying goodbye (he won't see her again) I think she was deluding herself a bit thinking he would come back to Scotland. It just read as depressing.
"Playing A Round With Love" (2 stars)-I see this married couple getting divorced eventually. A man who is married acts surprised that his wife would not want him to take a whole day off to go golfing on the weekends.
"Christabel" (1 star)-Another common theme in Pilcher's short stories seems to be young women/men who realize that they shouldn't marry someone like days before their wedding. I didn't see why Christabel or her grandmother were so impressed/loved the character of Sam. He was not developed enough for a short story for me to care about a tall.
"The Blackberry Day" (2 stars)- A woman (Claudia) travels to her childhood friend's home to get away from the fact that a man she has been in a long term relationship with for years does not seem to be any closer to proposing marriage. I hated how this one ended since it just seemed that Claudia was going to choose whatever as long as she wasn't alone.
"The Red Dress" (1 star)-I was so confused by this story. I don't know if the main character was angling for an affair or what. She seemed way too intense/involved with the gardener who was married with kids.
"A Girl I Used to Know" (3 stars)-An okay story. A woman finds out she can actually do things that she is scared to do. All of this winds up being about her being afraid her boyfriend will dump her if she doesn't ski.
"The Watershed" (4 stars)-I liked this one. A married woman who is about to celebrate her pearl anniversary, is wondering if she and her husband should stay in their big home. She is thinking about downsizing and moving to something small since their children have homes and lives of their own.
"Marigold Garden" (2 stars)-Another broken engagement story.
"Weekend" (3 stars)- A young woman is afraid to get married thinking it could mean the end of her ability to be self-sufficient. Or at least that is what I took from this story.
"A Walk in the Snow" (3 stars)- A young girl realizes that the young boy she's in love with has moved on from her. The story ends in such a way though you realize she's already thinking of someone else.
"Cousin Dorothy" (5 stars)-My favorite in this collection. A widowed woman trying to do her best for her daughter on her wedding day. I would have maybe shaken my daughter since the girl acted like a brat pretty much the entire story. Her husband's cousin rides to the rescue.
"Whistle for the Wind" (2 stars)-Another broken engagement story.
"Last Morning" (4 stars)-A woman prepares for her son's wedding day.
"Skates" (3 stars)- A young girl finally realizes that someone in her family sees her for who she is, not what she can be. It was a pretty weak story (IMHO) to end on in this collection.
Read this again while on vacation, I honestly have the same thoughts as I did when I first read through this. It was an okay collection, but not the best samples of her works. I thought her other short story collection (which I re-read) was much better.
So I read this one after the other collection of short stories by Pilcher. I wish I had waited. Maybe that is coloring my review. I just thought that the majority of the stories in this one didn't work for me at all. Also, I got really tired of reading stories about broken engagements. They could all be summed up as so and so chose this person as second best. I don't think I would run off with anyone that just broke up with someone, so maybe that's my personal bias working.
"The Doll's House" (3.5 stars)- A young boy missing his dead father, goes through with a promise to make a doll house for his younger sister. While that would be enough, he also has to deal with knowing that a local man is interested in his mother to marry and he hopes that she doesn't. Pilcher leaves us with enough to know how the story is going to end when we get finished with this story.
"Endings and Beginnings" (3 stars)-This one read as the longest story in this collection. A man (Tom) goes home for his Aunt Mabel's 75th birthday. He tries to get his girlfriend to come along and she declines. While home, he makes the acquaintance of his cousin or I don't know cousin once removed Kitty. Kitty's life has been a bit of a mess and now Tom seems intrigued by it and her.
"Flowers in the Rain" (1 star)-I really didn't like this one at all. A woman returns back to a place her family spent holidays at. She's there (supposedly) to say hello to Mrs. Farquhar, but really she wants to know about her grandson, Rory. I think it just bugged me since it read as if the main character had put her life on hold for Rory. And though I was reading him as saying goodbye (he won't see her again) I think she was deluding herself a bit thinking he would come back to Scotland. It just read as depressing.
"Playing A Round With Love" (2 stars)-I see this married couple getting divorced eventually. A man who is married acts surprised that his wife would not want him to take a whole day off to go golfing on the weekends.
"Christabel" (1 star)-Another common theme in Pilcher's short stories seems to be young women/men who realize that they shouldn't marry someone like days before their wedding. I didn't see why Christabel or her grandmother were so impressed/loved the character of Sam. He was not developed enough for a short story for me to care about a tall.
"The Blackberry Day" (2 stars)- A woman (Claudia) travels to her childhood friend's home to get away from the fact that a man she has been in a long term relationship with for years does not seem to be any closer to proposing marriage. I hated how this one ended since it just seemed that Claudia was going to choose whatever as long as she wasn't alone.
"The Red Dress" (1 star)-I was so confused by this story. I don't know if the main character was angling for an affair or what. She seemed way too intense/involved with the gardener who was married with kids.
"A Girl I Used to Know" (3 stars)-An okay story. A woman finds out she can actually do things that she is scared to do. All of this winds up being about her being afraid her boyfriend will dump her if she doesn't ski.
"The Watershed" (4 stars)-I liked this one. A married woman who is about to celebrate her pearl anniversary, is wondering if she and her husband should stay in their big home. She is thinking about downsizing and moving to something small since their children have homes and lives of their own.
"Marigold Garden" (2 stars)-Another broken engagement story.
"Weekend" (3 stars)- A young woman is afraid to get married thinking it could mean the end of her ability to be self-sufficient. Or at least that is what I took from this story.
"A Walk in the Snow" (3 stars)- A young girl realizes that the young boy she's in love with has moved on from her. The story ends in such a way though you realize she's already thinking of someone else.
"Cousin Dorothy" (5 stars)-My favorite in this collection. A widowed woman trying to do her best for her daughter on her wedding day. I would have maybe shaken my daughter since the girl acted like a brat pretty much the entire story. Her husband's cousin rides to the rescue.
"Whistle for the Wind" (2 stars)-Another broken engagement story.
"Last Morning" (4 stars)-A woman prepares for her son's wedding day.
"Skates" (3 stars)- A young girl finally realizes that someone in her family sees her for who she is, not what she can be. It was a pretty weak story (IMHO) to end on in this collection.
September 18, 2020
I listened to an audio version of the book narrated by Davina Porter. I thought she was perfect.
I just loved this collection of short stories. I’ll come back to this book from time to time over the years. It was absolutely delightful with the different settings between the Scottish and English countryside. It’s a set of sweet, heart warming little reads. Most are of a romantic nature but there are some other stories as well. It felt like being transported. It was a nice getaway and a good distraction. Just lovely little stories, nice and PG, small village life for the most part. It’s a fairly full collection, but I wish there were more, I wished it wouldn’t end. Now I’m really envious of my GR friends who live over there. 😁😁
I just loved this collection of short stories. I’ll come back to this book from time to time over the years. It was absolutely delightful with the different settings between the Scottish and English countryside. It’s a set of sweet, heart warming little reads. Most are of a romantic nature but there are some other stories as well. It felt like being transported. It was a nice getaway and a good distraction. Just lovely little stories, nice and PG, small village life for the most part. It’s a fairly full collection, but I wish there were more, I wished it wouldn’t end. Now I’m really envious of my GR friends who live over there. 😁😁
October 30, 2017
1992, January 1
oddly, the only story I remember is not listed as being previously published, but I'm almost positive I read it in Good Housekeeping years ago.
2017, August 29
It is cool, and raining, and I really shouldn't start any of my fun monster, murder, or ghost reads for several days yet. So this is about the farthest I can go from my own shelves. That, and I just love reading about people living in big shabby houses and having a lot of dogs.
oddly, the only story I remember is not listed as being previously published, but I'm almost positive I read it in Good Housekeeping years ago.
2017, August 29
It is cool, and raining, and I really shouldn't start any of my fun monster, murder, or ghost reads for several days yet. So this is about the farthest I can go from my own shelves. That, and I just love reading about people living in big shabby houses and having a lot of dogs.
July 24, 2024
I loved these short stories! I think Rosamunde Pilcher really shines in either her epic novels or short stories! I can’t wait to reread this collection. I think the final story will have to be re reread at Christmas - it was so lovely!
April 4, 2024
Coming Home is my favorite Pilcher, but her short stories are a very close second. 5+ ⭐️
February 24, 2019
Μια ακόμα συλλογή διηγημάτων που είχε ένα παράδοξο όταν την ξεκίνησα: ενώ ήθελα να διαβάσω ένα άλλο βιβλίο, κάτι με τράβηξε να πάρω το συγκεκριμένο. Και λίγο αργότερα έμαθα ότι κατά παράξενη σύμπτωση πήρα να διαβάσω το βιβλίο της κ. Πίλτσερ, ακριβώς την ημέρα του θανάτου της. Αν δεν είναι αυτό Ζώνη του Λυκόφωτος, θα ήθελα νά 'ξερα τι είναι.
Πίσω στο βιβλίο τώρα. Μια συμπαθητική συλλογή από ιστορίες, λίγο προβλέψιμες αυτή τη φορά και κάπως πιο μελαγχολικές να πω, με πολλές περιπτώσεις ακύρωσης αρραβώνων κλπ. όπου επίσης το διήγημα που δάνεισε τον τίτλο δεν ήταν και το καλύτερο, αλλά ίσως επιλέχθηκε λόγω καλής συμβολικότητας. Να πω βέβαια και την αμαρτία μου, οποιοδήποτε βιβλίο με τίτλο που ξεκινάει ως Λουλούδια (προσθέστε την επιλογή σας), μου φέρνει πάντα τη νοσηρή σειρά βιβλίων της δεκατετίας του '80 με αιμομικτικό ρομάντσο (!) που είχε ξεκινήσει με το Λουλούδια στη Σοφίτα της V.C. Andrews και στα ελληνικά οι τίτλοι όλων των βιβλίων της σειράς είχαν αποδοθεί με τη λέξη Λουλούδια κλπ, γεγονός που μου χαλάει πάντα την πρώτη εντύπωση.
Παρόλα αυτά, ήταν ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα, ξεχώρισα Τα Πατίνια, όπου λέει για δύο αδερφές που ασχολούνται με το ίδιο χόμπι (πατινάζ) και που το περιβάλλον τους αναγνωρίζει πρώτη φορά ότι το κορίτσι που θεωρούσαν άτσαλο, απλώς έχει ικανότητες σε άλλα πράγματα. Ίσως επειδή έπιασε την ατμόσφαιρα που έχω ζήσει προσωπικά, καθώς κι εγώ με την αδερφή μου διαφέρουμε όσο η μέρα με τη νύχτα. Όπως επίσης και το Τελευταίο Πρωί, όπου ο γιος αποχαιρετά (συμβολικά) τη μητέρα του την ημέρα του γάμου του με τρυφερότητα. Παντού κυριαρχεί επίσης η δροσερή ομορφιά των άγριων τοπίων της Σκοτίας με τις λίμνες, το χιόνι, τη τύρφη και τα μυριάδες αγριολούλουδα.
Καλή αντάμωση, κυρία Πίλτσερ...
Πίσω στο βιβλίο τώρα. Μια συμπαθητική συλλογή από ιστορίες, λίγο προβλέψιμες αυτή τη φορά και κάπως πιο μελαγχολικές να πω, με πολλές περιπτώσεις ακύρωσης αρραβώνων κλπ. όπου επίσης το διήγημα που δάνεισε τον τίτλο δεν ήταν και το καλύτερο, αλλά ίσως επιλέχθηκε λόγω καλής συμβολικότητας. Να πω βέβαια και την αμαρτία μου, οποιοδήποτε βιβλίο με τίτλο που ξεκινάει ως Λουλούδια (προσθέστε την επιλογή σας), μου φέρνει πάντα τη νοσηρή σειρά βιβλίων της δεκατετίας του '80 με αιμομικτικό ρομάντσο (!) που είχε ξεκινήσει με το Λουλούδια στη Σοφίτα της V.C. Andrews και στα ελληνικά οι τίτλοι όλων των βιβλίων της σειράς είχαν αποδοθεί με τη λέξη Λουλούδια κλπ, γεγονός που μου χαλάει πάντα την πρώτη εντύπωση.
Παρόλα αυτά, ήταν ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα, ξεχώρισα Τα Πατίνια, όπου λέει για δύο αδερφές που ασχολούνται με το ίδιο χόμπι (πατινάζ) και που το περιβάλλον τους αναγνωρίζει πρώτη φορά ότι το κορίτσι που θεωρούσαν άτσαλο, απλώς έχει ικανότητες σε άλλα πράγματα. Ίσως επειδή έπιασε την ατμόσφαιρα που έχω ζήσει προσωπικά, καθώς κι εγώ με την αδερφή μου διαφέρουμε όσο η μέρα με τη νύχτα. Όπως επίσης και το Τελευταίο Πρωί, όπου ο γιος αποχαιρετά (συμβολικά) τη μητέρα του την ημέρα του γάμου του με τρυφερότητα. Παντού κυριαρχεί επίσης η δροσερή ομορφιά των άγριων τοπίων της Σκοτίας με τις λίμνες, το χιόνι, τη τύρφη και τα μυριάδες αγριολούλουδα.
Καλή αντάμωση, κυρία Πίλτσερ...
November 5, 2022
A charming collection of lovely short stories. If I hadn't known her novels I would be compelled to try them now.
The stories had much in common, but on the other hand, each one had something unique so I read one after another not feeling that I read the same story over again.
Perfect, if you look for heartwarming stories about love, friendship, reunions. There is no way to read them and not feel hope and faith in humans. Perfect, if you want to feel cozy (no drama, action, alpha-heroes, etc.) reading short love stories (most of them are love stories).
The stories had much in common, but on the other hand, each one had something unique so I read one after another not feeling that I read the same story over again.
Perhaps love is more of a constant emotion than I'd ever realised. It becomes a part of you. A heartbeat; a nerve-end. (...) It's like being with the other half of myself.
Perfect, if you look for heartwarming stories about love, friendship, reunions. There is no way to read them and not feel hope and faith in humans. Perfect, if you want to feel cozy (no drama, action, alpha-heroes, etc.) reading short love stories (most of them are love stories).
November 15, 2021
I'm rating this five stars as a sheer comfort listen. This is a collection of short stories that I listened to and it contains so many gems of hopeful, comforting, sweet stories. I wish each story was a full-length novel!
There is a definitely a theme with some of the love stories: boy and girl grow up together, grow apart, come back together. However, I'm a sucker for this kind of storyline, so I don't mind at all. (I call it the Anne and Gilbert influence!)
There is a definitely a theme with some of the love stories: boy and girl grow up together, grow apart, come back together. However, I'm a sucker for this kind of storyline, so I don't mind at all. (I call it the Anne and Gilbert influence!)
July 18, 2021
I can't believe I DID it, I read this entire 277 page book! It took me six weeks, as I could only stomach it in very small doses, but by golly I finished. And I probably should give it five stars, because it did afford me a lot of entertainment. It certainly wasn't boring... it got a LOT of reactions out of me. What sort of reactions, well, safe to say it was probably not what the author intended but reactions they were! Also, I retold each story to my mother, to see how often I could pause and she could correctly predict what I was going to say next (her score was 100%) Now Rosamund Pilcher has been around for many many years, so many that she is now dead, I believe, and I know several people who just cherish her books, but somehow I have always avoided them. But I had been hearing a lot about them on Booktube lately, and spotted these stories at the library, thought maybe I should get a taste of her writing.** I was immediately reminded of the days when I was a teenager and for some reason my mother subscribed to Good Housekeeping. I enjoyed sneer-reading the short stories in that magazine, how unsurprised I was to discover that some of these stories were originally written for Good Housekeeping! And horrifying they were. Impossible to believe they were written in the 20th century, they are so "old-fashioned" in the most insulting use of that term. Sappy, sexist, cornball, utterly predictable barf. And repetitive, all the girls were 20, and just about to move to London, everyone's father or wife or husband has "just died", any current boyfriend will be a cad and the REAL love of the 20 year old heroine is that old boy from her past with whom she used to climb haystacks and wade through streams blah blah blah. MAN OH MAN did I hate these stories, I kept thinking of Mark Twain saying he would like to dig up Jane Austen and beat her on the skull with her shinbone, I was feeling that way about Rosamund. If I haven't been clear...I really really hated these stories.
** how about "The last time you saw me, I was heavy with child." or the guy who is sort of afraid to take his wife flowers lest she think he was "flirting with the typists".
** how about "The last time you saw me, I was heavy with child." or the guy who is sort of afraid to take his wife flowers lest she think he was "flirting with the typists".
December 22, 2025
I read this off and on over the past year. It was very enjoyable, as is almost everything this author has written.
May 23, 2020
Gosh, I do not know where to begin.
This was the book I judged by the cover and all the positive reviews.
This book just did not sit well with me on so many levels.
I feel like this book is for straight, white, family oriented people who watched too many of the old Disney movies as kids.
Many of the short stories in the book were almost copies of each other so that is just another thing wrong with it.
The writing itself is interesting but I cannot reconcile how one sided the stories are!
There are no LGBT people, which out of 16 stories you would think that not all of them would be so alike!
Also it seems like all the women in the stories were very family oriented and wanted to have children. Really?
I am a woman and I could not identify with this book not one bit. In fact it seemed to just follow all the stereotypes that make me cringe. Such as a man making a woman’s life complete. Really? The knight in shinning armor vibe? That’s just the kind of idea that makes people stay im toxic relationships. Whatever is wrong with someone’s life cannot be made responsibilty of someone else.
I appreciate that some people might really like this book but I did not at the least. This book seems to aim for a heart warming and realistic depiction of life but only of the people that seem to be ‘convenient’ for the author. Way to keep the rest of us non traditional people in the shadows!
This was the book I judged by the cover and all the positive reviews.
This book just did not sit well with me on so many levels.
I feel like this book is for straight, white, family oriented people who watched too many of the old Disney movies as kids.
Many of the short stories in the book were almost copies of each other so that is just another thing wrong with it.
The writing itself is interesting but I cannot reconcile how one sided the stories are!
There are no LGBT people, which out of 16 stories you would think that not all of them would be so alike!
Also it seems like all the women in the stories were very family oriented and wanted to have children. Really?
I am a woman and I could not identify with this book not one bit. In fact it seemed to just follow all the stereotypes that make me cringe. Such as a man making a woman’s life complete. Really? The knight in shinning armor vibe? That’s just the kind of idea that makes people stay im toxic relationships. Whatever is wrong with someone’s life cannot be made responsibilty of someone else.
I appreciate that some people might really like this book but I did not at the least. This book seems to aim for a heart warming and realistic depiction of life but only of the people that seem to be ‘convenient’ for the author. Way to keep the rest of us non traditional people in the shadows!
July 18, 2017
Quite a mixed bag here, or something for everyone. Although I didn't find all the stories interesting, Pilcher's writing is still wonderful, even in short stories, and lets you get right under the skin of some of her protagonists.
September 7, 2010
Love her . I always feel like I have had a cup of tea and heard a good story from an old friend.
June 27, 2018
Una colección de cuentos ambientados en la Gran Bretaña rural. Historias llenas de amor, de delicadeza, de sentimientos, de reencuentros. Todo llevado por una prosa delicada, que envuelve la historia con sutilezas. Unas narraciones que cuando llegas al final de cada una de ellas te quedas mirando el punto y final esperando que por arte de magia continúen.
Para disfrutar leyendo, para leer a ratos, sin prisas.
Es la primera vez que leo algo de Rosamunde Pilcher y ha sido un grato descubrimiento. Gran heredera de la literatura romántica inglesa de todos los tiempos.
Para disfrutar leyendo, para leer a ratos, sin prisas.
Es la primera vez que leo algo de Rosamunde Pilcher y ha sido un grato descubrimiento. Gran heredera de la literatura romántica inglesa de todos los tiempos.
December 7, 2020
If I ever need to wrap my mind and my heart in a warm blanket of comfort, I pick Rosamunde Pilcher's book, where the girl will always end up with the right man, and where all misfortunes swiftly turn into good luck and happiness. Unrealistic, but cosy and comforting. And with good psychological portraits of the characters. These stories are no different, each one of them could've been turned into a full blown novel, they are like little teasers of books that will never be written or that could've been written if Pilcher was still alive... 3.5*
March 18, 2022
A compilation of sweet stories that brimmed with hope and often a little romance. They were all fairly open-ended, which was nice right now. This was a “kind” book.
January 4, 2021
I adore Pilchers writing, however this collection of shorter stories did not hold my interest. I learned I prefer to sink down into her full length novels that take me away.
February 17, 2023
I have no idea how many times I've read this book over the years. Rosamunde Pilcher's short stories are some of my very favorite reading. Now that they are available on Audible, I love reading them with my ears, too.
2/17/23
On this reading, I was struck by how much aging has changed in the years since this collection was published in 1967. I was listening to "The Watershed", and the main character felt so old and listless. She was at most 55. I was horrified, aghast. As I listened, many of the stories talked of 50-something women feeling old, tired, lonely, sad, and longing for something more. I'm 52 and I could not relate at all. I always think I'll feel that way in my 70s, if ever. Maybe it's the changing times or the fact that I never stayed home to raise my child so I never felt that her growing up caused me to lose myself. Anyway. It was interesting. I still love these stories, and I find it very interesting how much a book or story will change as you grow older and gain new perspectives.
2/17/23
On this reading, I was struck by how much aging has changed in the years since this collection was published in 1967. I was listening to "The Watershed", and the main character felt so old and listless. She was at most 55. I was horrified, aghast. As I listened, many of the stories talked of 50-something women feeling old, tired, lonely, sad, and longing for something more. I'm 52 and I could not relate at all. I always think I'll feel that way in my 70s, if ever. Maybe it's the changing times or the fact that I never stayed home to raise my child so I never felt that her growing up caused me to lose myself. Anyway. It was interesting. I still love these stories, and I find it very interesting how much a book or story will change as you grow older and gain new perspectives.
August 28, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. Rosamunde Piltcher has the unique ability to transfer the reader in her lovely world in such a magical way! Even though her stories are no big deal, they are so sweet and well-written featuring sensitive people, descriptions of nature and her basic virtue is the love that is spread throughout her entire work. I simply loved those stories. The descriptions of picturesque sights, of emotions, of everyday people is so vivid like looking at a peaceful painting hanging on the wall of your living room, simply mesmerasing!!!!
January 25, 2013
Rosamunde Pilcher's books just plain make me feel good. Perhaps they're sentimental, even sappy, but I feel like being a better person when I read them.
This collection of short stories may not have been as good as some of her novels, but a number of the stories brought a tear to my eye. Guess I'm just a sentimental fool.
This collection of short stories may not have been as good as some of her novels, but a number of the stories brought a tear to my eye. Guess I'm just a sentimental fool.
January 9, 2016
After rereading this book for the umpteenth time, I realized that if I ever write fiction, I want to write like this.
March 2, 2022
A collection of short stories full of romance, optimism and the wonderful writing of a writer who knows how to fill the reader with beautiful emotions. Of course, there is nothing unusual in anyone that differs from the usual themes of her books, but I do not think that this can upset those who have found a quiet refuge in her work. So in all these stories there is the usual warmth that he knows how to offer us, showing the positive side of people.
Μία συλλογή διηγημάτων γεμάτα από ρομαντισμό, αισιοδοξία και την υπέροχη γραφή μιας συγγραφέως που ξέρει να γεμίζει τον αναγνώστη με όμορφα συναισθήματα. Φυσικά σε κανένα δεν υπάρχει κάτι ασυνήθιστο που να διαφοροποιείται από τα συνηθισμένα θέματα των βιβλίων της αλλά δεν νομίζω ότι αυτό μπορεί να δυσαρεστήσει αυτούς που έχουν βρει ένα ήσυχο καταφύγιο στο έργο της. Έτσι σε όλα αυτά το διηγήματα βρίσκεται η συνηθισμένη ζεστασιά που ξέρει να μας προσφέρει δείχνοντας τη θετική πλευρά των ανθρώπων.
Μία συλλογή διηγημάτων γεμάτα από ρομαντισμό, αισιοδοξία και την υπέροχη γραφή μιας συγγραφέως που ξέρει να γεμίζει τον αναγνώστη με όμορφα συναισθήματα. Φυσικά σε κανένα δεν υπάρχει κάτι ασυνήθιστο που να διαφοροποιείται από τα συνηθισμένα θέματα των βιβλίων της αλλά δεν νομίζω ότι αυτό μπορεί να δυσαρεστήσει αυτούς που έχουν βρει ένα ήσυχο καταφύγιο στο έργο της. Έτσι σε όλα αυτά το διηγήματα βρίσκεται η συνηθισμένη ζεστασιά που ξέρει να μας προσφέρει δείχνοντας τη θετική πλευρά των ανθρώπων.
July 25, 2022
Originally, I had intended to reread The Shell Seekers which I had read many, many years ago. I don’t normally reread books! After enjoying the book so much I continued to read Rosamunde Pilcher’s books one by one savoring every single one! Tonight, I finished the last of her beautifully written stories. Greedily, I wish there were more! Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my very favorite authors and having lived in England as a young teen ager it brought back many memories. If you are looking for a true escape to England or Scotland I recommend reading her books. She easily transports you back in time and provides a sanctuary during this hectic world we now live in. Will I reread any of her books in the future? Most likely, YES!
December 14, 2024
With the exception of a couple of these short stories I truly enjoyed this book. I found the majority of them to be warm hearted and delightful reads.
Short stories are not a genre I typically read, but this has been a year for me reading outside of my normal genre. I wanted to explore Pilcher's writing style, and I am so delighted to have taken the time to read this. I will be reading others.
Short stories are not a genre I typically read, but this has been a year for me reading outside of my normal genre. I wanted to explore Pilcher's writing style, and I am so delighted to have taken the time to read this. I will be reading others.
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October 21, 2020Rosamunde Pilcher was a very prolific romance writer who only died last year. I don't know how I missed not reading any of her books until now, although I am not generally a big fan of romance novels and short stories.
I found this collection of short stories to be delightful. They felt very old fashioned, as if set in the first half of the twentieth century. Full of charm and delicacy the book was a nice change from most books that we come across nowadays.
Light and lovely!
I found this collection of short stories to be delightful. They felt very old fashioned, as if set in the first half of the twentieth century. Full of charm and delicacy the book was a nice change from most books that we come across nowadays.
Light and lovely!
September 24, 2021
An absolute beautiful book, composed of short stories one after the next all equally so full of positive love it was hard to put down.
If you want a book to lift your spirits pick this one.
If you want a book to lift your spirits pick this one.
September 29, 2023
κάποιες φορές αυτό που χρειάζεσαι είναι 16 διηγήματα της πιλτσερ και ένα όνειρο
June 29, 2020
My review of this collection will change as I read more of it.
The Doll's House:
Initially, I thought this story was going to be rather feminist (or feminist-adjacent) because of the title's resemblance to A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. I was wrong. Instead, the tale is more akin to a genteel story about a child secretly building a doll house for his sister. In any case, that is a synopsis. I ultimately don't know how this story is supposed to be read, and, if I'm being honest, I don't care; we as readers do as much of the interpretation as the author, or no criticism could exist at all. That being said, I think my synopsis is rather... lacking. I find the tale to be about the psychological condition of a boy named William who, ten months before, had his father die. Let me explain.
William's father's 'final' wish (rather: the only one we learn of) is to give a doll house to his daughter, Miranda. This links the doll house inextricably to this father figure. The problem of reacting to his father's death - of putting the loose ends back together - is thus the opening action of the work.
But William just cannot do it. He wants to keep it a surprise, but his mother totally knows; however, his 7 year old sister does not - she can't even understand that she won't be getting a doll house because of her father's death. Anyway, William needs some help, but he has nobody to ask. This brings us to our second stage. Instead of just the will of the father we're dealing with, we now miss the father. His "clever fingers" now cannot help his son, and his work shed stands empty. The problem has been fully prepared.
After William grieves over his dead father, he races out of his room, calls his dog Loden, and escapes into his neighbor's yard. A new neighbor, actually, and one which our child doesn't know yet. They meet, their dogs become friendly, and soon the two share lunch. William is given beer, and the man, Mr. Wray, is described as removing the gloom from out the dark house (a house which William has never really noticed before in all it's aged-ness) through his sheer energy. (One point of this is treating William as if he were an adult.) Eventually, Wray learns about the house, he asks if he could help, William agrees, and they both go over to Will's place to put together a doll house. It appears as though this new person helps extricate his father's death - who helps fight the pain of it. Wray, who markedly treats William as an adult (the learning of death is rather adult, isn't it?), and who near the end is hinted at being the next lover of his mother, could be this person.
So, I guess I attempted to analyze the condition of William (a name I have said too much of by now), but one thing that might strike as puzzling is how we never really glimpse at his actual grief. He is preoccupied. "Most of the time William tried not to think too much about his father, but every now and then, memories would come surging back, like pictures, clean-cut, and with very sharp edges." He is at his last vestiges of this grief, and Wray, through helping fulfill the original father's final wishes, ends them. Rather, he makes the family happier again, gives them the warmth of companionship, as these final lines dictate: "He [Wray] pushed the door open with his foot. The room was filled with evening sunlight and there was something in the air, so tangible it almost could be touched. Companionship, maybe. Ease. But excitement, too. All the time in the world." The final words refer back to Wray's statement that he can fix up the old house he is moving into, and he has a long time to do it. One might think that he and his new friends have a long time together as well.
Endings and Beginnings:
This story was more clearly thematic than the previous one. It was also far more romantic, if still genteel, and probably a bit too hung up on the need for a man. One thing that struck me as odd was how much it resembled anime romance. Like, we have two childhood friends (also cousins) who, after a long period of time, meet once more. The woman of the bunch has issues to deal with, and it just so happens that the man interacts in just such a way as to help with them in a dramatic scene, where - of course - the woman cries. He even hugs her, surprising her with his affection . It's all rather strange. There are two major female characters in the work, Mabel and Kitty, who can be compared and contrasted. Mabel is going to be 75, she has already married, and her husband is dead; now, she lives alone, with a number of dogs, in a castle quickly breaking down. It is through her indomitable spirit that she has been able to live within the cold claws of this edifice, but by the end of the story we learn that she's recently chosen to give it up. She doesn't want to be an anxiety upon those she loves when she gets old, and she believes that there are proper times to give things up. Kitty is much younger than Mabel. Unlike Mabel, the house in which she will eventually live will be remodeled by her, instead of previous owners; her marriage ended in divorce. Mabel is majorly accepted by the family in which she lives - her eccentricities causing people to think she will never marry, not disapproval - but Kitty is not; instead, Kitty gains the disapproval of her family, which causes many of her major story beats. Mabel and her are similar in spirit, if not in emotion, or in story-arch. I think that the story fails to convey a final theme. It is probably intentional. At the end, the title is re-stated, making the finale seem important, but how Tom (the protag) conceptualizes it seems strange. He thinks of Mabel leaving the castle for more comfort, and Kitty's son moving into a cottage rather than Kitty herself stubbornly sleeping on the battlements of the castle. This is framed as an ending and a beginning. The question here, to me, is how much agency Kitty has. Is it Kitty losing power over her life, or is she accepting something new and helpful in? I think that she has agency. Her position is that she doesn't want Tom to pity her, thus stay with her out of pity. "I wouldn't want you to feel that I wasn't able to be on my own... be independent." Tom replies that she is floundering, and to her saying he doesn't understand, that he does. To me, he is saying that her excuses aren't good enough now, that his avowal that he could only "admire, or be envious, or even be maddened" disprove them. Is this new beginning, then, the acceptance of companionship under her ordering? I hope it is. In any case, I thought it was interesting, and far better than the first story, at least in theory.
Flowers in the Rain:
For whatever reason, this story is the title one. It is short, and contains an atmosphere I like (dark and wet), which seems to be the intent. Lavinia appears to be a flower in the rain, waiting for "warmth," so I believe I understand the title. Others, too, might be flowers in this context: Rory Farquhar seems most likely. What is the rain, though? On one level, it is probably the dying Mrs. Farquhar. On another, almost certainly higher one, this rain is the separation between the two lovers. Lavinia is hinted throughout the opening paragraphs as going to the Big House for motives different from simply seeing a friend - motives apparently confirmed when she spends nigh on all the time there with Rory (only going to see Mrs. Farquhar after they've completely finished talking for the day). I didn't really like this story. The literary technique (the motif of recognition, sharp attention to setting) are good; it is not poorly written in these aspects. But I think that the continuance of a need for a man, or rather love or companionship, is becoming stale. Remarks such as "masculine" feet somehow denoting a person as a non-nurse are dated or poorly worded, as well. I find the commentary on Mrs. Bellows and her husband under-developed at best and bigoted at worst. Mr. Bellows being mocked for saying "tight lines" is absurd; he is a "manic fisherman," and this personality trait showing itself here is fine. Why do they care? Mrs. Bellows is a tougher subject. We're probably not meant to hate her. When we meet her, she tries to convince Lavinia to visit her instead of Mrs. Farquhar. She might be jealous, or she might actually believe what she says; this is something we don't know - Rory has one opinion, Lavinia another - so that, instead, we are probably meant to see her as annoying. In both cases she values social interaction above mourning (for jealousy: she wants that attention/control; for real concern: she really thinks "its a waste of time [to visit]" but still genuinely cares about Mrs. Farquhar), which is constrasted with Lavinia's position when she gives her statement about simply wanting to say goodbye. It isn't bad writing, but I'd like to know more about Mrs. Bellows. This was the weakest one so far.
Playing a Round With Love:
I think this story is about marriage. Specifically, it is about a monogamous couple, one of which has integrated herself, the other not so much. Amanda does have her own traits, but she has given up her job to become a housewife, and it isn't through a wish to have independence that she balks. She wants to be with him more often, and she lies and evades because she wants to be sure about her pregnancy.The two have fights, and she can act coldly; however, to me, the story frames her as a flawed moral good. Julian, after all, eventually succumbs to her wishes fully. His friend, Tommy, appears to be a snake in the bushes under this framework. He wants Julian to keep to his old ways and put his foot down, as it were; to be independent as well as married. Importantly, in the beginning, Amanda does not care about Julian golfing - it is only after he fails to prioritize their marriage do things fail. I didn't really like this story. I felt some of it was unbelievable. Julian's suspicion of Amanda is hilarious in how sudden it comes about, the humor only dulled by the rage he feels through it, and his wish to own or feel entitled to another set in stone. Homicide might be the end of this marriage, their only hope divorce; however, the story differs from my interpretation in this respect, instead giving us the happier ending, symbolized by him putting away his golf bag (safely, for the story only says the first couple of years of marriage need be so strict). I don't like the strictness of marriage portrayed here, although I'm sure it can happen this way, or that people might wish to totally prioritize it. For me, though, I value independence more than the marriage itself, and would hope my partner thinks the same.
Christabel:
This story is similar to the last one in that it vindicates it. Marriage is to be trapped, and the choice of who to marry is choosing the one you wish to be trapped with; that sounds pretty similar to the strict view on marriage I explained above. Marriage itself is almost assumed a given here, too. Alongside this, the story heavily implies that a wife is similar to a domestic (Mrs. Lowyer says that Sam, in need of domestic help, should hire a housekeeper or marry, for instance). Lowyer's daughter-in-law is also "in her element" in making house and decoration, and in this framework, Christabel saying that she'd make Sam's house comfortable implies it as well. At one point, Lowyer jokes that women should only marry older men, then tells us it's a joke, but it corresponds to many of the pairings within this whole book. Sam is characterized as hard working to the point of bodily deterioration, yet he is still amiable; he also wants the best for Christabel, which I find a welcome change compared to Julian. His fault is not asking or telling, and he could benefit from the proverb: "all anyone can do is say no." I found this story to be particularly conservative in wording. For instance, in describing a disco scene, the dancers are "grotesque in their whirling, flashing lights," differentiated from Christabel and Sam as not being coupled; there is a certain dislike of modernness that appeared in the subtext of a lot of what occurred. I found it better than the last one.
The Blackberry Day:
I was excited for this one. It came out the year of the book's release, and thus would reflect the up-to-date author's opinions (well, at the time of publication, anyway). It didn't disappoint. It does have all the common bits and pieces of the many preceding it. Claudia differentiates herself from others - well, others being men - by being incapable of living without her partner; she wants that type of marriage. Her need of this companionship is emphasized in many choice scenes. When she gets off her train, she feels sad for not having a person to meet her; and when she skips going to Spain, it is because she doesn't feel it work it without her lover Giles. Yet he is a cheater, and he cheats. She feels nothing but relief from this, and defends Giles by noting that someone had to end their relationship; that she only wishes he had enough courage to tell her. And, unlike other stories herein, she is given a kiss by her friend, but it ends rather romantically, without any nods to future events, aside from finishing off the day splendidly. I like that ending; Claudia is free, and she can do what she wants with her freedom. It is the dawn of the rest of her life.
The Doll's House:
Initially, I thought this story was going to be rather feminist (or feminist-adjacent) because of the title's resemblance to A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. I was wrong. Instead, the tale is more akin to a genteel story about a child secretly building a doll house for his sister. In any case, that is a synopsis. I ultimately don't know how this story is supposed to be read, and, if I'm being honest, I don't care; we as readers do as much of the interpretation as the author, or no criticism could exist at all. That being said, I think my synopsis is rather... lacking. I find the tale to be about the psychological condition of a boy named William who, ten months before, had his father die. Let me explain.
William's father's 'final' wish (rather: the only one we learn of) is to give a doll house to his daughter, Miranda. This links the doll house inextricably to this father figure. The problem of reacting to his father's death - of putting the loose ends back together - is thus the opening action of the work.
But William just cannot do it. He wants to keep it a surprise, but his mother totally knows; however, his 7 year old sister does not - she can't even understand that she won't be getting a doll house because of her father's death. Anyway, William needs some help, but he has nobody to ask. This brings us to our second stage. Instead of just the will of the father we're dealing with, we now miss the father. His "clever fingers" now cannot help his son, and his work shed stands empty. The problem has been fully prepared.
After William grieves over his dead father, he races out of his room, calls his dog Loden, and escapes into his neighbor's yard. A new neighbor, actually, and one which our child doesn't know yet. They meet, their dogs become friendly, and soon the two share lunch. William is given beer, and the man, Mr. Wray, is described as removing the gloom from out the dark house (a house which William has never really noticed before in all it's aged-ness) through his sheer energy. (One point of this is treating William as if he were an adult.) Eventually, Wray learns about the house, he asks if he could help, William agrees, and they both go over to Will's place to put together a doll house. It appears as though this new person helps extricate his father's death - who helps fight the pain of it. Wray, who markedly treats William as an adult (the learning of death is rather adult, isn't it?), and who near the end is hinted at being the next lover of his mother, could be this person.
So, I guess I attempted to analyze the condition of William (a name I have said too much of by now), but one thing that might strike as puzzling is how we never really glimpse at his actual grief. He is preoccupied. "Most of the time William tried not to think too much about his father, but every now and then, memories would come surging back, like pictures, clean-cut, and with very sharp edges." He is at his last vestiges of this grief, and Wray, through helping fulfill the original father's final wishes, ends them. Rather, he makes the family happier again, gives them the warmth of companionship, as these final lines dictate: "He [Wray] pushed the door open with his foot. The room was filled with evening sunlight and there was something in the air, so tangible it almost could be touched. Companionship, maybe. Ease. But excitement, too. All the time in the world." The final words refer back to Wray's statement that he can fix up the old house he is moving into, and he has a long time to do it. One might think that he and his new friends have a long time together as well.
Endings and Beginnings:
This story was more clearly thematic than the previous one. It was also far more romantic, if still genteel, and probably a bit too hung up on the need for a man. One thing that struck me as odd was how much it resembled anime romance. Like, we have two childhood friends (also cousins) who, after a long period of time, meet once more. The woman of the bunch has issues to deal with, and it just so happens that the man interacts in just such a way as to help with them in a dramatic scene, where - of course - the woman cries. He even hugs her, surprising her with his affection . It's all rather strange. There are two major female characters in the work, Mabel and Kitty, who can be compared and contrasted. Mabel is going to be 75, she has already married, and her husband is dead; now, she lives alone, with a number of dogs, in a castle quickly breaking down. It is through her indomitable spirit that she has been able to live within the cold claws of this edifice, but by the end of the story we learn that she's recently chosen to give it up. She doesn't want to be an anxiety upon those she loves when she gets old, and she believes that there are proper times to give things up. Kitty is much younger than Mabel. Unlike Mabel, the house in which she will eventually live will be remodeled by her, instead of previous owners; her marriage ended in divorce. Mabel is majorly accepted by the family in which she lives - her eccentricities causing people to think she will never marry, not disapproval - but Kitty is not; instead, Kitty gains the disapproval of her family, which causes many of her major story beats. Mabel and her are similar in spirit, if not in emotion, or in story-arch. I think that the story fails to convey a final theme. It is probably intentional. At the end, the title is re-stated, making the finale seem important, but how Tom (the protag) conceptualizes it seems strange. He thinks of Mabel leaving the castle for more comfort, and Kitty's son moving into a cottage rather than Kitty herself stubbornly sleeping on the battlements of the castle. This is framed as an ending and a beginning. The question here, to me, is how much agency Kitty has. Is it Kitty losing power over her life, or is she accepting something new and helpful in? I think that she has agency. Her position is that she doesn't want Tom to pity her, thus stay with her out of pity. "I wouldn't want you to feel that I wasn't able to be on my own... be independent." Tom replies that she is floundering, and to her saying he doesn't understand, that he does. To me, he is saying that her excuses aren't good enough now, that his avowal that he could only "admire, or be envious, or even be maddened" disprove them. Is this new beginning, then, the acceptance of companionship under her ordering? I hope it is. In any case, I thought it was interesting, and far better than the first story, at least in theory.
Flowers in the Rain:
For whatever reason, this story is the title one. It is short, and contains an atmosphere I like (dark and wet), which seems to be the intent. Lavinia appears to be a flower in the rain, waiting for "warmth," so I believe I understand the title. Others, too, might be flowers in this context: Rory Farquhar seems most likely. What is the rain, though? On one level, it is probably the dying Mrs. Farquhar. On another, almost certainly higher one, this rain is the separation between the two lovers. Lavinia is hinted throughout the opening paragraphs as going to the Big House for motives different from simply seeing a friend - motives apparently confirmed when she spends nigh on all the time there with Rory (only going to see Mrs. Farquhar after they've completely finished talking for the day). I didn't really like this story. The literary technique (the motif of recognition, sharp attention to setting) are good; it is not poorly written in these aspects. But I think that the continuance of a need for a man, or rather love or companionship, is becoming stale. Remarks such as "masculine" feet somehow denoting a person as a non-nurse are dated or poorly worded, as well. I find the commentary on Mrs. Bellows and her husband under-developed at best and bigoted at worst. Mr. Bellows being mocked for saying "tight lines" is absurd; he is a "manic fisherman," and this personality trait showing itself here is fine. Why do they care? Mrs. Bellows is a tougher subject. We're probably not meant to hate her. When we meet her, she tries to convince Lavinia to visit her instead of Mrs. Farquhar. She might be jealous, or she might actually believe what she says; this is something we don't know - Rory has one opinion, Lavinia another - so that, instead, we are probably meant to see her as annoying. In both cases she values social interaction above mourning (for jealousy: she wants that attention/control; for real concern: she really thinks "its a waste of time [to visit]" but still genuinely cares about Mrs. Farquhar), which is constrasted with Lavinia's position when she gives her statement about simply wanting to say goodbye. It isn't bad writing, but I'd like to know more about Mrs. Bellows. This was the weakest one so far.
Playing a Round With Love:
I think this story is about marriage. Specifically, it is about a monogamous couple, one of which has integrated herself, the other not so much. Amanda does have her own traits, but she has given up her job to become a housewife, and it isn't through a wish to have independence that she balks. She wants to be with him more often, and she lies and evades because she wants to be sure about her pregnancy.The two have fights, and she can act coldly; however, to me, the story frames her as a flawed moral good. Julian, after all, eventually succumbs to her wishes fully. His friend, Tommy, appears to be a snake in the bushes under this framework. He wants Julian to keep to his old ways and put his foot down, as it were; to be independent as well as married. Importantly, in the beginning, Amanda does not care about Julian golfing - it is only after he fails to prioritize their marriage do things fail. I didn't really like this story. I felt some of it was unbelievable. Julian's suspicion of Amanda is hilarious in how sudden it comes about, the humor only dulled by the rage he feels through it, and his wish to own or feel entitled to another set in stone. Homicide might be the end of this marriage, their only hope divorce; however, the story differs from my interpretation in this respect, instead giving us the happier ending, symbolized by him putting away his golf bag (safely, for the story only says the first couple of years of marriage need be so strict). I don't like the strictness of marriage portrayed here, although I'm sure it can happen this way, or that people might wish to totally prioritize it. For me, though, I value independence more than the marriage itself, and would hope my partner thinks the same.
Christabel:
This story is similar to the last one in that it vindicates it. Marriage is to be trapped, and the choice of who to marry is choosing the one you wish to be trapped with; that sounds pretty similar to the strict view on marriage I explained above. Marriage itself is almost assumed a given here, too. Alongside this, the story heavily implies that a wife is similar to a domestic (Mrs. Lowyer says that Sam, in need of domestic help, should hire a housekeeper or marry, for instance). Lowyer's daughter-in-law is also "in her element" in making house and decoration, and in this framework, Christabel saying that she'd make Sam's house comfortable implies it as well. At one point, Lowyer jokes that women should only marry older men, then tells us it's a joke, but it corresponds to many of the pairings within this whole book. Sam is characterized as hard working to the point of bodily deterioration, yet he is still amiable; he also wants the best for Christabel, which I find a welcome change compared to Julian. His fault is not asking or telling, and he could benefit from the proverb: "all anyone can do is say no." I found this story to be particularly conservative in wording. For instance, in describing a disco scene, the dancers are "grotesque in their whirling, flashing lights," differentiated from Christabel and Sam as not being coupled; there is a certain dislike of modernness that appeared in the subtext of a lot of what occurred. I found it better than the last one.
The Blackberry Day:
I was excited for this one. It came out the year of the book's release, and thus would reflect the up-to-date author's opinions (well, at the time of publication, anyway). It didn't disappoint. It does have all the common bits and pieces of the many preceding it. Claudia differentiates herself from others - well, others being men - by being incapable of living without her partner; she wants that type of marriage. Her need of this companionship is emphasized in many choice scenes. When she gets off her train, she feels sad for not having a person to meet her; and when she skips going to Spain, it is because she doesn't feel it work it without her lover Giles. Yet he is a cheater, and he cheats. She feels nothing but relief from this, and defends Giles by noting that someone had to end their relationship; that she only wishes he had enough courage to tell her. And, unlike other stories herein, she is given a kiss by her friend, but it ends rather romantically, without any nods to future events, aside from finishing off the day splendidly. I like that ending; Claudia is free, and she can do what she wants with her freedom. It is the dawn of the rest of her life.
May 7, 2024
Perfect bedtime accompaniment, just like a nice cup of camomile tea before turning out the light.
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