Het verlaten huis / De stormdag

by Rosamunde Pilcher, Anda Witsenburg (translator), Harmien Robrochs (translator)

Het verlaten huis
Virginia brengt de zomer door in Cornwall met haar kinderen.
Haar door haar moeder gearrangeerde, ongelukkige huwelijk is voorbij, en nu is ze teruggekeerd naar de plaats waar ze voor het laatst gelukkig en verliefd was. Dan hoort ze dat haar jeugdliefde nog steeds in de buurt woont....

De stormdag
Rebecca verneemt aan het sterfbed van haar moeder dat ze familie heeft die ze nooit heeft ontmoet, omdat haar moeder na een ruzie alle contacten had verbroken. Maar nu gaat Rebecca op zoek naar haar grootvader. Ze vindt hem en raakt verstrikt in familiegeheimen, waardoor haar leven een andere wending krijgt.

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2002

About the author

Rosamunde 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).

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains two stories. The Empty House was a five-star read for me. The Day of the Storm was a three star read, so here is the average!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my favorite authors and never disappoints. I do think I love her long novels best of all but I still enjoyed these shorter books (almost novellas) by her.

The Empty House was the best of the two in this collection thought I liked The Day of the Storm as well. If you are looking for something shorter by Pilcher, you can’t go wrong with either of these for a quick, immersive read.

[Sue C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two short novels by the author of _The Shell Seekers_.
I almost kept reading as though they were a single story. Very similar. We have our charming heroine, poignantly single and fairly uncomplicated. We have our men, the to-be hero is somewhat off-beat. There's some kids and a romantic setting. And they all end up happy ever after in a nice, old fashioned way. This wasn't a sophisticated read, but I loved it. Very cozy.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read by Rosamunde Pilcher, & each book is wonderful. They are literature's version of putting on comfy flannel pajamas, sitting by a fire, with a cup of hot tea, on a rainy day. It is coziness for your mind, & you can get lost in her stories.

The first book I've read, by Ms. Pilcher, is "Coming Home," which has 977 pages, quite a large book, which I love. The 2nd book I read is "September," & at 613 pages, is a nice size, too. This book, "A Time to Remember," at just 336 pages, is actually 2 novels, "The Empty House" & "The Day of the Storm, & neither of these is even 200 pages long. When I bought this book, I wondered if I was going to enjoy such short novels. (Each one is sold by itself, too, as novels, not novellas.) It turns out that I did, indeed, love both of them. Rosamunde Pilcher is one of those authors who can bring the reader instantly into the heart of the story.

Each of these stories is about a young woman's experiences, coming to know herself & what direction she wants to go, in life. It's about family & personal growth & love. They are very real & I can relate to them quite well, even though their lives are vastly different from mine.

Ms. Pilcher's writing is pure art. With her writing, she paints images for you to easily see, the landscape, the people, etc. I feel as if I am right there.

Now that I've finished this book, I've already purchased another book by Ms. Pilcher, "Winter Solstice."

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A split decision! The Empty House was pure Pilcher so highly enjoyable. The Day of the Storm was very complex and had a confusing plot and cast of characters. The first like a warm bath, the second like a cold shower!

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t my cup of tea story dragged and finished abruptly

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good ol' easy read romances. The Day of the Storm is the better of the two.