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Flowers in the Rain & Other Stories

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An emotive and timeless collection of short stories by the much-loved Rosamunde Pilcher.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 would prefer to live all the time.

Audible Audio

First published September 1, 1991

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About the author

Rosamunde Pilcher

178 books3,348 followers
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).

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5 stars
1,205 (30%)
4 stars
1,443 (36%)
3 stars
1,098 (27%)
2 stars
166 (4%)
1 star
56 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
Profile Image for Chris.
913 reviews202 followers
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.
Profile Image for Obsidian.
3,333 reviews1,171 followers
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.
Profile Image for Brenda.
142 reviews18 followers
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. 😁😁
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,203 reviews539 followers
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!
Profile Image for Kaethe.
6,585 reviews538 followers
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.
Profile Image for Lisa.
291 reviews20 followers
April 4, 2024
Coming Home is my favorite Pilcher, but her short stories are a very close second. 5+ ⭐️
Profile Image for Marina Maidou.
515 reviews27 followers
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...
Profile Image for Mela.
2,144 reviews279 followers
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.

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).
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
1,731 reviews207 followers
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!)
Profile Image for Susan Liston.
1,592 reviews52 followers
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".
Profile Image for Anna.
228 reviews3 followers
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!
Profile Image for Relyn.
4,222 reviews74 followers
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.
Profile Image for Sarah.
929 reviews
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.
9 reviews
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.
Profile Image for Cristina Marcos.
207 reviews6 followers
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.
216 reviews38 followers
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*
Profile Image for Nikki.
234 reviews
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.
Profile Image for Linda Palazzolo.
374 reviews18 followers
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.
Profile Image for ♥️Annete♥️loves❤️books♥️.
690 reviews219 followers
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!!!!
Profile Image for Franziska Self Fisken .
712 reviews47 followers
January 7, 2026
September 2021
These are short and sweet stories about people at snapshot moments of their lives often rendering the ordinary meaningful or romantic. Some of the protagonists are children, and R Pilcher is very understanding of children and their concerns and how a moment of understanding, or support can transform lives.
January 2026
Charming and delightful. Hot water bottle reading.
The story "Flowers in the Rain" describes rainy Scottish weather brilliantly and she is pleasantly philosophical about getting old and about dying.
Profile Image for Janis.
443 reviews
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.
Profile Image for Annie Kate.
366 reviews19 followers
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.
Profile Image for Danniiee.
173 reviews
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.
Profile Image for Sotiris Karaiskos.
1,223 reviews131 followers
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.
32 reviews
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!
355 reviews13 followers
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.
Profile Image for Laura Lonbong.
138 reviews6 followers
August 10, 2026
Me gustó más Alcoba azul, sus relatos me parecieron más reflexivos y los chanchullitos familiares muy enganchones. Este, sin embargo, tiene alguno que es un pelín romántico de más para mi gusto. No obstante, Rosamund está siendo mi cozy place este verano y sus relatos me hacen irme a dormir muy a gustito, así que no puedo darle menos de las 5 ⭐
Profile Image for Heidi Burkhart.
2,837 reviews64 followers
Read
October 21, 2020
Rosamunde 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!
Profile Image for ada.
59 reviews1 follower
September 29, 2023
κάποιες φορές αυτό που χρειάζεσαι είναι 16 διηγήματα της πιλτσερ και ένα όνειρο
Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews