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Winter Solstice
In Winter Solstice Rosamunde Pilcher brings her readers into the lives of five very different people....
Elfrida Phipps, once of London's stage, moved to the English village of Dibton in hopes of making a new life for herself. Gradually she settled into the comfortable familiarity of village life -- shopkeepers knowing her tastes, neighbors calling her by name -- still she finds herself lonely.
Oscar Blundell gave up his life as a musician in order to marry Gloria. They have a beautiful daughter, Francesca, and it is only because of their little girl that Oscar views his sacrificed career as worthwhile.
Carrie returns from Australia at the end of an ill-fated affair with a married man to find her mother and aunt sharing a home and squabbling endlessly. With Christmas approaching, Carrie agrees to look after her aunt's awkward and quiet teenage daughter, Lucy, so that her mother might enjoy a romantic fling in America.
Sam Howard is trying to pull his life back together after his wife has left him for another. He is without home and without roots, all he has is his job. Business takes him to northern Scotland, where he falls in love with the lush, craggy landscape and set his sights on a house.
It is the strange rippling effects of a tragedy that will bring these five characters together in a large, neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan.
It is in this house, on the shortest day of the year, that the lives of five people will come together and be forever changed. Rosamunde Pilcher's long-awaited return to the page will warm the hearts of readers both old and new. Winter Solstice is a novel of love, loyalty and rebirth.
Elfrida Phipps, once of London's stage, moved to the English village of Dibton in hopes of making a new life for herself. Gradually she settled into the comfortable familiarity of village life -- shopkeepers knowing her tastes, neighbors calling her by name -- still she finds herself lonely.
Oscar Blundell gave up his life as a musician in order to marry Gloria. They have a beautiful daughter, Francesca, and it is only because of their little girl that Oscar views his sacrificed career as worthwhile.
Carrie returns from Australia at the end of an ill-fated affair with a married man to find her mother and aunt sharing a home and squabbling endlessly. With Christmas approaching, Carrie agrees to look after her aunt's awkward and quiet teenage daughter, Lucy, so that her mother might enjoy a romantic fling in America.
Sam Howard is trying to pull his life back together after his wife has left him for another. He is without home and without roots, all he has is his job. Business takes him to northern Scotland, where he falls in love with the lush, craggy landscape and set his sights on a house.
It is the strange rippling effects of a tragedy that will bring these five characters together in a large, neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan.
It is in this house, on the shortest day of the year, that the lives of five people will come together and be forever changed. Rosamunde Pilcher's long-awaited return to the page will warm the hearts of readers both old and new. Winter Solstice is a novel of love, loyalty and rebirth.
704 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
4335 people are currently reading
34259 people want to read
About the author
Rosamunde Pilcher
176 books3,167 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 4,402 reviews
May 25, 2008
This is one of my favourite books of all time. The writing is fantastic, the characters so well penned that I came to care about them, and when I put the book down, I wanted to continue to know these people, which to me is a good indication that the book is top notch. Scotland came to life for me here, and I really wanted to go there at christmas time and experience Scotland at that period. I have read it several times and will continue to pick it up on occasions.
January 12, 2009
This fluctuates between heartwarming and trashy. A group of loosely connected people wind up together at an estate house in some small Highland town, where they make friends and heal their wounded souls, all in time for Christmas. Parts of it are very sweet, and I’m yearning now to spend a Christmas in the snowy north of Scotland, but the author’s lack of moral clarity was so off-putting that it spoiled the book. It’s as though she couldn’t possibly be so judgmental as to condemn the stupid choices (like adultery and drunk driving) that cause much of the misery in the book. One of the characters is suffering a broken heart because her married lover wouldn’t abandon his wife and children to be with her, so obviously what she needs is to find a handsome man who’s heartbroken because his wife was unfaithful . . . right? They’d make a perfect pair! After all, she’s beautiful, he’s rich, and they’re both sad. The solutions to everyone else’s problems are almost as pat (though not so ridiculous), and the prose occasionally reads like a bad script for a “WE” television drama. “He ran after her, caught her by the shoulders, and turned her around to face him. He tilted her chin up and removed her sunglasses to reveal eyes sparkling with tears” or some such drivel. I mean, really — have you ever had someone turn you around by the shoulders? How would that even work with normal length arms?? Not all of it is that bad, but it’s still a waste of a great setting and some really charming characters, a few of whom I’d come to care about in spite of the mediocre writing.
November 22, 2019
In this quiet novel, five individuals, each dealing with their own painful personal tragedy, are unexpectedly brought together during the Christmas season in the Scottish countryside—though they've decided not to celebrate the holiday; it's too painful this year. But redemption is found in surprising places, and in the midst of so much loss, love and redemption emerge. This book was a delightful surprise; I enjoyed it so much.
December 18, 2024
Найкраща і найатмосферніша зимова історія. Після неї дуже приємне відчуття задоволення. Дарма я відтягувала знайомство з Пілчер.
December 7, 2025
This is as schmaltzy as I think I can get, as a reader. I had a moment, in fact, while I was reading this novel in a waiting room this week, when I thought to myself: is this the more modern equivalent of reading one of those bloated Jackie Collins romance novels from the 1980s? I wondered if I should be hiding the cover.
WINTER SOLSTICE, which was published in the year 2000 (and I believe was Rosamunde Pilcher’s last novel), offers a predictable plot, non-stop convenient contrivances, and weird male characters who are made out to be heroes by their leading ladies but who are really nothing more than oddballs and duds.
And I could not get enough of it!
Even as I was wondering if I should hide the cover, I was thinking: Rosamunde Pilcher was a freaking genius. I mean, did she just sit out on a crag in the Scottish Highlands, Arctic winds blasting her face, and think of every possible scenario that would entice a reader to keep on turning the pages?
The basic idea: take 2 women, 1 teenager, and 2 men, all down on their luck, and place them, by rather random circumstances, in a large house in Scotland, two streets over from the beach, a week before Christmas, and make it seem like happenstance that every good thing in the world then happens to them.
He was a helpless pawn in fate's game.
I found myself feeling JEALOUS of these damned fictional characters. I’ve been down on my luck, too, Ms. Pilcher, and ain’t none of these things happening to me.
I think I even came to envy the dog, Horace. Daily walks on that gorgeous beach?! Sign me up.
And, oh, have I mentioned that the 62-year-old woman and the 67-year-old man in this story have inspired my new shelf: Getting jiggy after 50?
That’s right. After recently reading Hilma Wolitzer’s THE DOCTOR’S DAUGHTER and publicly lamenting the worldwide dearth of romantic entanglements among the 50+ crowd, I wondered if I’d ever be able to come up with enough entries to sustain a new shelf.
Well, this couple were having such a rip roaring time up there in the Scottish Highlands, doing it without central heat in the house, no less, they motivated me to debut my new shelf.
(Suggestions for my new shelf are welcome, but keep in mind that at least one member of the fictional couple must be over 50. That’s my personal requirement. Extra points earned for every recommendation that involves a fictional character over 60!).
The Solstice here, to me, represents the low point of each one of these characters' lives, but the beauty of the story is that each one of them is getting ready to experience a high point again.
This is a relatively unrealistic and incredibly uplifting story of GOOD THINGS happening to sad people. What a fantastic antidote to life, circa 2025.
May this Winter Solstice bring us all a little unexpected magic this year.
WINTER SOLSTICE, which was published in the year 2000 (and I believe was Rosamunde Pilcher’s last novel), offers a predictable plot, non-stop convenient contrivances, and weird male characters who are made out to be heroes by their leading ladies but who are really nothing more than oddballs and duds.
And I could not get enough of it!
Even as I was wondering if I should hide the cover, I was thinking: Rosamunde Pilcher was a freaking genius. I mean, did she just sit out on a crag in the Scottish Highlands, Arctic winds blasting her face, and think of every possible scenario that would entice a reader to keep on turning the pages?
The basic idea: take 2 women, 1 teenager, and 2 men, all down on their luck, and place them, by rather random circumstances, in a large house in Scotland, two streets over from the beach, a week before Christmas, and make it seem like happenstance that every good thing in the world then happens to them.
He was a helpless pawn in fate's game.
I found myself feeling JEALOUS of these damned fictional characters. I’ve been down on my luck, too, Ms. Pilcher, and ain’t none of these things happening to me.
I think I even came to envy the dog, Horace. Daily walks on that gorgeous beach?! Sign me up.
And, oh, have I mentioned that the 62-year-old woman and the 67-year-old man in this story have inspired my new shelf: Getting jiggy after 50?
That’s right. After recently reading Hilma Wolitzer’s THE DOCTOR’S DAUGHTER and publicly lamenting the worldwide dearth of romantic entanglements among the 50+ crowd, I wondered if I’d ever be able to come up with enough entries to sustain a new shelf.
Well, this couple were having such a rip roaring time up there in the Scottish Highlands, doing it without central heat in the house, no less, they motivated me to debut my new shelf.
(Suggestions for my new shelf are welcome, but keep in mind that at least one member of the fictional couple must be over 50. That’s my personal requirement. Extra points earned for every recommendation that involves a fictional character over 60!).
The Solstice here, to me, represents the low point of each one of these characters' lives, but the beauty of the story is that each one of them is getting ready to experience a high point again.
This is a relatively unrealistic and incredibly uplifting story of GOOD THINGS happening to sad people. What a fantastic antidote to life, circa 2025.
May this Winter Solstice bring us all a little unexpected magic this year.
January 27, 2024
This book is like my favorite blanket: Cozy but not very interesting.
How can a book be cozy?, you may ask. Great question! You always did have the most inquisitive mind.
Let me explain. If there was such a thing as cozy porn, this book would be it.
There's an endless stream of hot tea, chimney fires, long walks in the snow, napping dogs, soft cashmere sweaters.
Problems are far and few between and get resolved quickly, in hindsight turning out to be blessings in disguise.
Almost everyone is disgustingly kind and helpful.
There's one scene where a character tries to buy a toaster but doesn't have enough money on her, so the retailer is like: I gotchu fam, just take the toaster and bring the money whenevs.
Or the time someone wants to sell a house and the buyer is like: you only want x moneys? Hell no, this house is worth at least y moneys! Let me give you all the moneys.
Or the times (plural!) someone doesn't have an ideal place to live and virtual strangers are like: Duh, silly, why don't you just move in with us??!
So pretty realistic I'd say.
Was I invested in the characters? No. Was I excited to learn what would happen next? Also no.
But would I vote for Mrs. Pilcher in the election for our next omnipotent being in the sky? Hell. Yes!
How can a book be cozy?, you may ask. Great question! You always did have the most inquisitive mind.
Let me explain. If there was such a thing as cozy porn, this book would be it.
There's an endless stream of hot tea, chimney fires, long walks in the snow, napping dogs, soft cashmere sweaters.
Problems are far and few between and get resolved quickly, in hindsight turning out to be blessings in disguise.
Almost everyone is disgustingly kind and helpful.
There's one scene where a character tries to buy a toaster but doesn't have enough money on her, so the retailer is like: I gotchu fam, just take the toaster and bring the money whenevs.
Or the time someone wants to sell a house and the buyer is like: you only want x moneys? Hell no, this house is worth at least y moneys! Let me give you all the moneys.
Or the times (plural!) someone doesn't have an ideal place to live and virtual strangers are like: Duh, silly, why don't you just move in with us??!
So pretty realistic I'd say.
Was I invested in the characters? No. Was I excited to learn what would happen next? Also no.
But would I vote for Mrs. Pilcher in the election for our next omnipotent being in the sky? Hell. Yes!
December 22, 2022
I did a buddy-read of this novel with Karina who bless-her-heart had read it before, but it's well worth a reread. Having recently loved The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, I was looking forward to this. I was not disappointed, Winter Solstice, is a sweet love story in a gorgeous and evocative winter setting. I loved it even more than The Shell Seekers.
People in times of trouble, dealing with grief and miserable lives are freed by taking a chance and letting themselves be open to love the second time around. I loved that the two main lovers are in their sixties, long past the time for rebirth, or what the conventional wisdom would say. It's never too late. I can understand why Negin, another Goodreads friend rereads this every winter.
People in times of trouble, dealing with grief and miserable lives are freed by taking a chance and letting themselves be open to love the second time around. I loved that the two main lovers are in their sixties, long past the time for rebirth, or what the conventional wisdom would say. It's never too late. I can understand why Negin, another Goodreads friend rereads this every winter.
January 7, 2024
хороша така різдвяна книга з теплим новорічним настроєм 💞 Дарує лише позитивні емоції і віру в чудо, адже нічого не стається випадково, особливо перед Різдвом. Рекомендую до прочитання перед святами - вона наповнить вас світлом 😊
January 30, 2026
This is the third Pilcher book I have read. I very begrudgingly read the first one (Coming Home) at recommendation of a good friend. All the covers of Pilcher's books are so hokey and romance novel looking - I was definitely (negatively) judging a book by it's cover and was rather appalled that my friend had thought I would like a book apparently written for my grandmother.But I read it & greatly enjoyed it. Now whenever I need a break from non-fiction or bloody murder mysteries or arty intellectual novels I turn to Pilcher.
She has perfected the art of the cozy book. I adore her descriptions of places and people. Others might think it too much, but I ascribe more to the Proust style of writing than to the Hemingway style and so find her detailed descriptions of rooms and meals and gardens quite nice. I can't bear cold weather and yet after I read of one her books I find myself wishing to spend time in a snowy Scottish village. I also find myself getting hungry after her description of a meal or a shopping expedition.
As for the characters, I think she has a true knack for creating upper middle class and wealthy English characters. Pilcher is not the author you want to read if you want to read about serial killers or rock stars or tortured artists or evil businessmen. All her characters, even the mean ones, aren't too bad. She writes from the perspective of several characters so by the end of the book you feel you know all of them.
One of the nicest things about her books is the way she neatly wraps up the story to make a happy ending for everyone. I get enough unhappy endings when I read current events. Sometimes I just want the happy ending. Her books remind me of Hollywood movies from the 30s-50s; one is pretty much guaranteed a neat resolution to the story. Now I don't want every single book I read to end so tidily, but sometimes it is just what the doctor ordered. At the end of this book (& the other two I have read), I was left with a feeling of satisfaction and yes, I admit it, a bit of weepy joy at the way the story ends. Pilcher's books are not for the cynical - if I was in the mood I could easily pick apart her book and make fun of it. But I don't want to. I enjoy the occasional dose of sentimental, old fashioned stories.
She has perfected the art of the cozy book. I adore her descriptions of places and people. Others might think it too much, but I ascribe more to the Proust style of writing than to the Hemingway style and so find her detailed descriptions of rooms and meals and gardens quite nice. I can't bear cold weather and yet after I read of one her books I find myself wishing to spend time in a snowy Scottish village. I also find myself getting hungry after her description of a meal or a shopping expedition.
As for the characters, I think she has a true knack for creating upper middle class and wealthy English characters. Pilcher is not the author you want to read if you want to read about serial killers or rock stars or tortured artists or evil businessmen. All her characters, even the mean ones, aren't too bad. She writes from the perspective of several characters so by the end of the book you feel you know all of them.
One of the nicest things about her books is the way she neatly wraps up the story to make a happy ending for everyone. I get enough unhappy endings when I read current events. Sometimes I just want the happy ending. Her books remind me of Hollywood movies from the 30s-50s; one is pretty much guaranteed a neat resolution to the story. Now I don't want every single book I read to end so tidily, but sometimes it is just what the doctor ordered. At the end of this book (& the other two I have read), I was left with a feeling of satisfaction and yes, I admit it, a bit of weepy joy at the way the story ends. Pilcher's books are not for the cynical - if I was in the mood I could easily pick apart her book and make fun of it. But I don't want to. I enjoy the occasional dose of sentimental, old fashioned stories.
December 25, 2025
Five people come together and their lives are forever changed.
A novel of love, loyalty and rebirth.
I want to meet the characters again... that is how much I loved this novel....
My absolute new favorite book.
Be cozy with this book in front of a fire this winter.
A novel of love, loyalty and rebirth.
I want to meet the characters again... that is how much I loved this novel....
My absolute new favorite book.
Be cozy with this book in front of a fire this winter.
March 13, 2016
I just finished listening to this book again. I have it on my iPod. I bet I listen to it at least once a year. Probably more than that. I adore Rosamunde Pilcher's world, and I think this is her very best book. I could go on and on about Pilcher. I have read everything she's written. At least, that I know about. I mourned when I found out that she doesn't intend to write another book. This is my favorite author. She is full of warmth. She writes of the comforts of home. A warm fire, comfy chairs, tea and a friend to share it with. She writes of people with understanding and acceptance. Her world is one I'd visit gladly. Without a doubt, Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my favorite authors. Except for Winter Solstice, my favorite of her books are the short story collections and tiny novels. The other novels are worth reading, but not my favorite. If you haven't read her, give yourself a treat. Run. Go buy her stuff and read a cold winter day away.
Read again - November 2009
12/5/13 - I finished this again. Loved it just as much this time.
12/12/14 - Listened again. Still love it.
Read again - November 2009
12/5/13 - I finished this again. Loved it just as much this time.
12/12/14 - Listened again. Still love it.
June 7, 2021
I had an aunt Birdie, who imagined herself more beautiful than Liz Taylor, particularly when she imitated everything about the famous actress, including the blue eye shadow that would even be securely painted on her eyelids with her passing. She just couldn't be seen without it.
The passing happened about thirty years after she encountered uncle Atticus at the breakfast table one Christmas morning. She was dressed to kill. Literary and as usual. In her case it meant that the strings of her corset might pop and leave an unsuspecting victim unconscious from the blow of her substantial physique escaping the ordeal. Yes, a dangerous possibility. And as usual her entrance was dramatic. She simply could not be anything else but the center of attention.
Uncle Atticus looked at her and asked if she slept well. She replied "Yes, thank you." Everyone else sat in astonished silence. Aunt Birdie's eyes was roundabout blue that morning. On the eyelids as well as beneath.
"Are you sure, Birdie?", he asked.
"Of course I'm sure, Atticus, what's up with you this morning?" she asked, annoyance was creeping into her chirpy voice.
"Well, Birdie," he said, "last night when you arrived I thought you looked very tired. You had these blue rings around your eyes. I was actully concerned for you. But this morning, you still have those rings around your eyes, and they're now even bigger!"
"Oh Atticus!" she cried out, "don't be so daft! It's eye shadow!"
"Eye shadow?! Oh dear Lord, Birdie, that looks like a serious illness to me, girl!" Of course aunt Birdie refused to eat breakfast that morning. It was uncle Atticus’s first encounter with eye shadow and it clearly left him with severe PTSD.
Aunt Birdie came to mind when I started reading this book. Elfrida Phipps, a retired actress, who equally and enthusiastically applied blue eye shadow each morning, moved to Dibton, a village in Hampshire, England with her dog Horace. She befriended the Blundell family but soon encountered a situation when Oscar Blindell's wife and child died in a serious car accident and Oscar asked Edith to move to Scotland with him as a supporting friend.
With Oscar in mourning, Edith had to steer the boat and stay levelheaded for both of them. As fate would have it, her nephew's daughter, Carrie, pitched up with his 14-year-old granddaughter, and then the stranger, Sam Howard, appeared out of the icy snow storm one night. They were suddenly surrounded by people who all needed a new perspective and directions in their lives, including herself and Oscar.
What was planned as a simple, quiet Christmas, with enough stillness and privacy to find their feet, turned out to be a busy affair, with hardly enough time to come up for air. Enough family drama ensured that this winter was everything but simple or quiet for the people residing in the Estate House.
Oscar finally played Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on the church organ in the snowy white world of Christmas Eve. Edith, with her blue eye shadow and her firm grip on the corset strings of everyone's lives, waited at the church door for everyone to walk through. Smiling. And yes, she was the center of everyone's attention, but not like Aunt Birdie at all. Tall, slender and beautiful, Edith was the wise, loving, devoted queen-pin who cared more about others than herself. She just loved blue eye shadow.
It will forever be a winter to remember.
This is a gentle, heartwarming family drama. A chicken-soup-for-the-soul-read.
The passing happened about thirty years after she encountered uncle Atticus at the breakfast table one Christmas morning. She was dressed to kill. Literary and as usual. In her case it meant that the strings of her corset might pop and leave an unsuspecting victim unconscious from the blow of her substantial physique escaping the ordeal. Yes, a dangerous possibility. And as usual her entrance was dramatic. She simply could not be anything else but the center of attention.
Uncle Atticus looked at her and asked if she slept well. She replied "Yes, thank you." Everyone else sat in astonished silence. Aunt Birdie's eyes was roundabout blue that morning. On the eyelids as well as beneath.
"Are you sure, Birdie?", he asked.
"Of course I'm sure, Atticus, what's up with you this morning?" she asked, annoyance was creeping into her chirpy voice.
"Well, Birdie," he said, "last night when you arrived I thought you looked very tired. You had these blue rings around your eyes. I was actully concerned for you. But this morning, you still have those rings around your eyes, and they're now even bigger!"
"Oh Atticus!" she cried out, "don't be so daft! It's eye shadow!"
"Eye shadow?! Oh dear Lord, Birdie, that looks like a serious illness to me, girl!" Of course aunt Birdie refused to eat breakfast that morning. It was uncle Atticus’s first encounter with eye shadow and it clearly left him with severe PTSD.
Aunt Birdie came to mind when I started reading this book. Elfrida Phipps, a retired actress, who equally and enthusiastically applied blue eye shadow each morning, moved to Dibton, a village in Hampshire, England with her dog Horace. She befriended the Blundell family but soon encountered a situation when Oscar Blindell's wife and child died in a serious car accident and Oscar asked Edith to move to Scotland with him as a supporting friend.
With Oscar in mourning, Edith had to steer the boat and stay levelheaded for both of them. As fate would have it, her nephew's daughter, Carrie, pitched up with his 14-year-old granddaughter, and then the stranger, Sam Howard, appeared out of the icy snow storm one night. They were suddenly surrounded by people who all needed a new perspective and directions in their lives, including herself and Oscar.
What was planned as a simple, quiet Christmas, with enough stillness and privacy to find their feet, turned out to be a busy affair, with hardly enough time to come up for air. Enough family drama ensured that this winter was everything but simple or quiet for the people residing in the Estate House.
Oscar finally played Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on the church organ in the snowy white world of Christmas Eve. Edith, with her blue eye shadow and her firm grip on the corset strings of everyone's lives, waited at the church door for everyone to walk through. Smiling. And yes, she was the center of everyone's attention, but not like Aunt Birdie at all. Tall, slender and beautiful, Edith was the wise, loving, devoted queen-pin who cared more about others than herself. She just loved blue eye shadow.
It will forever be a winter to remember.
This is a gentle, heartwarming family drama. A chicken-soup-for-the-soul-read.
December 13, 2025
5 lovely, cosy stars on my Grinch-O-Meter!
For me this book is the literary equivalent of a warm, soft blanket, a log fire and a cup of strong, sweet tea combined on a snowy winter (Christmas) night. With the Scotland setting it is utterly irresistible.
It is long at almost 700 pages, but I was so absorbed that I wished the story to go on for even longer.
Great narration by Jilly Bond.
For me this book is the literary equivalent of a warm, soft blanket, a log fire and a cup of strong, sweet tea combined on a snowy winter (Christmas) night. With the Scotland setting it is utterly irresistible.
It is long at almost 700 pages, but I was so absorbed that I wished the story to go on for even longer.
Great narration by Jilly Bond.
January 14, 2026
This was a beautiful story that I wish I had read Christmas week, like Diane.
It would have been extra special!
Five main characters.. loved them all., especially the older couple Elfrieda and Oscar.
These five come together just before Christmas to an estate house in Scotland.. amid a heavy snowstorm. These five somewhat damaged souls bring comfort and hope to each other as they plan and celebrate Christmas …and their lives are forever changed.
Just wonderful!
I shall miss them.
Well, thank you Julie for setting off a bit of a viral reading of this book! :)
It would have been extra special!
Five main characters.. loved them all., especially the older couple Elfrieda and Oscar.
These five come together just before Christmas to an estate house in Scotland.. amid a heavy snowstorm. These five somewhat damaged souls bring comfort and hope to each other as they plan and celebrate Christmas …and their lives are forever changed.
Just wonderful!
I shall miss them.
Well, thank you Julie for setting off a bit of a viral reading of this book! :)
November 6, 2023
I love Rosamunde Pilcher. I love everything she's written. Most people rave about The Shell Seekers, and while I love that book as well, it's not my most favorite.
Winter Solstice is delightful and thought-provoking. Pilcher's narratives are pure prose. You find yourself immersed in the world of Scottish tweeds and cottages and hospitality. She captures the intense feelings of grief, and the hope that comes when you learn to love again.
Winter Solstice is delightful and thought-provoking. Pilcher's narratives are pure prose. You find yourself immersed in the world of Scottish tweeds and cottages and hospitality. She captures the intense feelings of grief, and the hope that comes when you learn to love again.
December 8, 2025
I first fell in love with 𝗪𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄 in December 2019. Upon a re-read 2 yrs later I'm still very much in love. Once again it was the right book at the right time. It made my heart happy and was a soothing balm to my soul. I think I could read this every year and never tire of it.
I am a Pilcher fan. I love her books because her writing is heartfelt and comforting. It's quiet but never boring. I love her books because her stories feel familiar. I love her books because the characters jump off the page and straight into my heart. I love her books because she creates such a vivid sense of place that I can close my eyes and see it. When I read her books I feel a comfort akin to how I feel with my favorite blanket & perfect cup of coffee.
The audio was impeccable. Supremely British, cozy and captivating. If you were within ear shot you would have heard my repeated sighs of contentment.
It doesn’t have to be read at Christmastime/winter, but for me, reading it in December made it all the more special.
I am a Pilcher fan. I love her books because her writing is heartfelt and comforting. It's quiet but never boring. I love her books because her stories feel familiar. I love her books because the characters jump off the page and straight into my heart. I love her books because she creates such a vivid sense of place that I can close my eyes and see it. When I read her books I feel a comfort akin to how I feel with my favorite blanket & perfect cup of coffee.
The audio was impeccable. Supremely British, cozy and captivating. If you were within ear shot you would have heard my repeated sighs of contentment.
It doesn’t have to be read at Christmastime/winter, but for me, reading it in December made it all the more special.
December 22, 2013
The kind of book we expect from Rosamunde Pilcher. Not a lot really happens and there is no doubt that everyone will end up exactly where they want to be however unlikely that is. I did enjoy this book but it was far far too wordy. There were large sections which were really not needed and in the end I found myself skimming paragraphs in order to get back to the actual story line. It is a "safe" book. One where you know that all will be well with the world in the end. And I did feel a little tear well up in the last few pages.
January 16, 2024
Хороша і добра, аж занадто)) знаєте, така казочка для дорослих - без магії, але всі події стаються так, що в житті ну ніколи не буде стільки щасливих збігів 😂 і вже під кінець мені було приторно від цієї солодкості, тому 4, а не 5.
Але справді дуже сподобалось, як гарно пише Пілчер, а Елфріда просто прекрасна, така крута героїня ❤️🔥 цікаво було читати про старших людей (62 роки їй, 67 йому - вони лише познайомились), сильно сподобався цей вайб маленького містечка, де всі знають всіх і звісно, люди добрі й підтримують одне одного))
Але справді дуже сподобалось, як гарно пише Пілчер, а Елфріда просто прекрасна, така крута героїня ❤️🔥 цікаво було читати про старших людей (62 роки їй, 67 йому - вони лише познайомились), сильно сподобався цей вайб маленького містечка, де всі знають всіх і звісно, люди добрі й підтримують одне одного))
December 31, 2025
5.0 ⭐️ Book 100 - some things are meant to be.
This was pure bliss and probably one of the best Christmas season books that I have ever read.
Think of Scotland, snow, Christmas and Maeve Binchy’s writing. This is the book in a nutshell. I adored the characters who felt like home and people you would want to have a cuppa tea with - add in a buttered scone.
I had a couple of moments this year where I felt like there were moments of serendipity and being placed at the right place at the perfect time. Things that happened that I couldn’t explain. This book spoke to this in spades. Although predictable, it speaks to being put in a place where you belong. A homecoming of sorts.
The perfect book to end a fab year of reading. Happy New Years my GR friends.
Long may your lum reek. 🏴
This was pure bliss and probably one of the best Christmas season books that I have ever read.
Think of Scotland, snow, Christmas and Maeve Binchy’s writing. This is the book in a nutshell. I adored the characters who felt like home and people you would want to have a cuppa tea with - add in a buttered scone.
I had a couple of moments this year where I felt like there were moments of serendipity and being placed at the right place at the perfect time. Things that happened that I couldn’t explain. This book spoke to this in spades. Although predictable, it speaks to being put in a place where you belong. A homecoming of sorts.
The perfect book to end a fab year of reading. Happy New Years my GR friends.
Long may your lum reek. 🏴
December 26, 2025
Thanks to Julie for gushing over this book in her review. Not for making me a fan of Pilcher, I was already that, but for making me realize what a perfect time to read this book. Enter Kindle, who put it on sale for $1.99, and I was lured to a small village in Scotland, the Estate House, bitterly cold weather, a blizzard, and the lives of 5 characters who were more than real to me by the end.
This book is about found family, people coming together in friendship at times of crisis, the friendliness and tolerance of so many peripheral villagers, and a house that was not just the locus of the plot, but a character in its own right. Add in Horace the dog, who acts like a real dog, a couple or three of selfish, self-centered people who kept the plot moving, and you have yourself several situations that need resolving.
They do get resolved at the end of 500 pages, but I would happily have read another couple of hundred just to stay in their lives. I finished this book on Christmas night; again, perfect timing. It turns out that Rosamunde Pilcher is a perfect author to turn to for a "book vacation", because you are totally in her world in the middle of a great story.
You don't have to wait til December to enjoy this novel, but for me it came at the right time to add a level of joy to the season.
This book is about found family, people coming together in friendship at times of crisis, the friendliness and tolerance of so many peripheral villagers, and a house that was not just the locus of the plot, but a character in its own right. Add in Horace the dog, who acts like a real dog, a couple or three of selfish, self-centered people who kept the plot moving, and you have yourself several situations that need resolving.
They do get resolved at the end of 500 pages, but I would happily have read another couple of hundred just to stay in their lives. I finished this book on Christmas night; again, perfect timing. It turns out that Rosamunde Pilcher is a perfect author to turn to for a "book vacation", because you are totally in her world in the middle of a great story.
You don't have to wait til December to enjoy this novel, but for me it came at the right time to add a level of joy to the season.
August 12, 2013
This is probably my all time favorite Pilcher book. I love her writing and regularly return to reread old favorites, but Winter Solstice had become a yearly ritual for me. Like most of Pilcher's other novels, this is not an action packed book, but instead is a sweetly told story of people who come together to form an unlikely family.
July 28, 2025
Me decidí a leer este libro para estas fechas gracias al club de lectura que tiene Miranda Mills con su madre y creo que, precisamente este año, no podía haber elegido un libro mejor.
Es la primera vez que leo algo de Rosamunde Pilcher y me ha encantado. Esta es una novela reconfortante, agradable y amable, narrada de forma elegante y acogedora.
No es la historia más original del mundo, pero me han encantado los personajes y está narrada de tal manera y con una ambientación tan lograda que ha sido delicioso sumergirme en sus páginas. Ha sido como un refugio de chimenea, mantita y té con miel.
No sé cómo serán el resto de libros de Rosamunde Pilcher, pero estoy convencida de que recurriré a ellos en más ocasiones.
Es la primera vez que leo algo de Rosamunde Pilcher y me ha encantado. Esta es una novela reconfortante, agradable y amable, narrada de forma elegante y acogedora.
No es la historia más original del mundo, pero me han encantado los personajes y está narrada de tal manera y con una ambientación tan lograda que ha sido delicioso sumergirme en sus páginas. Ha sido como un refugio de chimenea, mantita y té con miel.
No sé cómo serán el resto de libros de Rosamunde Pilcher, pero estoy convencida de que recurriré a ellos en más ocasiones.
January 5, 2026
Одразу важливо сказати, що книга мені сподобалась, чудова казка для читання у грудні, коли шукаєте тепла. Але мені в серденько не втрапила. Я ймовірно чекала більш глибшої історії!
February 17, 2022
Here is a lifetime favorite without any questions.
This book is a found family book written before the trope even existed.
Even though it’s a favorite I don’t have one quote to record. It wasn’t that kind of read. Instead it was a spiritual reading experience in which each of the characters is sad or grieving or in a life altering struggle. It provides room for the reader to identify and examine their own life and sadness and grief.
This book took me a full 10 days to read. The darn thing defies a fast reading. I had completely forgotten the rhythm of slow reading but I swear the whole time the book was whispering to me to be still.
This stillness produced a lot of time to multi-think while I read and I finally let go of my need to hit a number this year with my reading. No one cares how many books I read. I also devised a plan for buying books so as to not create this heaping over pile of TBR while I was reading this book. No one cares if I read all new releases or backlist. It’s okay to just read for me.
I wonder if the way I read this book is the way I used to read pre-internet as there was a calmness in knowing that the experience was just between me and the book.
None of this needs to make sense to anyone. I just know this story reminded me of another time and another me and I missed that me I think.
So if for no other reason, this is lifetime favorite for its ability to provide a before and after in myself and my reading life.
This book is a found family book written before the trope even existed.
Even though it’s a favorite I don’t have one quote to record. It wasn’t that kind of read. Instead it was a spiritual reading experience in which each of the characters is sad or grieving or in a life altering struggle. It provides room for the reader to identify and examine their own life and sadness and grief.
This book took me a full 10 days to read. The darn thing defies a fast reading. I had completely forgotten the rhythm of slow reading but I swear the whole time the book was whispering to me to be still.
This stillness produced a lot of time to multi-think while I read and I finally let go of my need to hit a number this year with my reading. No one cares how many books I read. I also devised a plan for buying books so as to not create this heaping over pile of TBR while I was reading this book. No one cares if I read all new releases or backlist. It’s okay to just read for me.
I wonder if the way I read this book is the way I used to read pre-internet as there was a calmness in knowing that the experience was just between me and the book.
None of this needs to make sense to anyone. I just know this story reminded me of another time and another me and I missed that me I think.
So if for no other reason, this is lifetime favorite for its ability to provide a before and after in myself and my reading life.
December 25, 2023
I just jumped into a reread (actually relisten) of this without saying anything. Still a holiday favorite, tho this time I really noticed how often the two 62-year-old main characters were called elderly! As someone much older, I object!
4 1/2 stars
This was the perfect read for the holidays and winter solstice! Four adults who have recently experienced tragedy and loss (along with the teenage niece of one of them) find themselves stranded in an estate house in northern Scotland over the Christmas holiday/winter solstice. It didn't bother me that I could (mostly) see where this was going. I couldn't put it down and as my IRL friend who recommended this said "I didn't want it to end.". I wanted to stay in the coziness of the village setting with all the wonderful people I just got to know.
I am fairly certain I would not have enjoyed this as much if I had read in print, hovering around 500pp. Jilly Bond was the perfect narrator, bringing realism to the flawed humans at the center of the novel and wonderful energy to their relationships and experiences.
Why I'm reading this: Part of my holiday 2020 reading. Not sure I would have considered a Rosamunde Pilcher before, but a friend just finished this and loved it. The winter solstice is in just a few days and I'm hoping for a light-filled read.
4 1/2 stars
This was the perfect read for the holidays and winter solstice! Four adults who have recently experienced tragedy and loss (along with the teenage niece of one of them) find themselves stranded in an estate house in northern Scotland over the Christmas holiday/winter solstice. It didn't bother me that I could (mostly) see where this was going. I couldn't put it down and as my IRL friend who recommended this said "I didn't want it to end.". I wanted to stay in the coziness of the village setting with all the wonderful people I just got to know.
I am fairly certain I would not have enjoyed this as much if I had read in print, hovering around 500pp. Jilly Bond was the perfect narrator, bringing realism to the flawed humans at the center of the novel and wonderful energy to their relationships and experiences.
Why I'm reading this: Part of my holiday 2020 reading. Not sure I would have considered a Rosamunde Pilcher before, but a friend just finished this and loved it. The winter solstice is in just a few days and I'm hoping for a light-filled read.
January 6, 2019
It’s been almost thirty years since I read anything by Rosamunde Pilcher. I remember reading most of her books during my early twenties and liking them at the time, most especially “The Shell Seekers”. I’d like to read them all again eventually, since I don’t remember them at all.
This book was perfect for me and beautifully written. Yes, it was a bit predictable at times, but it was all part of the charm – a cozy Christmas read. The Scottish setting made me want to be there.
Although Rosamunde Pilcher has now retired, I almost wish that there was a sequel or an epilogue. I loved the characters that much. They seemed so real and ending the book felt like leaving old friends behind.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“And the wicked thing is, that when we're really upset, we always take it out on the people who are closest and whom we love the most.”
“Life is so extraordinary. Wonderful surprises are just around the most unexpected corners.”
“The only way to make disasters bearable is to laugh about them.”
“Was she good at the piano?”
“Not very.”
“Was she good at lessons?”
“Not very.”
“What was she really good at?”
“Living. That’s important, isn’t it?”
This book was perfect for me and beautifully written. Yes, it was a bit predictable at times, but it was all part of the charm – a cozy Christmas read. The Scottish setting made me want to be there.
Although Rosamunde Pilcher has now retired, I almost wish that there was a sequel or an epilogue. I loved the characters that much. They seemed so real and ending the book felt like leaving old friends behind.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“And the wicked thing is, that when we're really upset, we always take it out on the people who are closest and whom we love the most.”
“Life is so extraordinary. Wonderful surprises are just around the most unexpected corners.”
“The only way to make disasters bearable is to laugh about them.”
“Was she good at the piano?”
“Not very.”
“Was she good at lessons?”
“Not very.”
“What was she really good at?”
“Living. That’s important, isn’t it?”
April 14, 2017
This book was so predictable, so tiresome, so repetitive (same event described ad nauseam from different characters' points of view - it made me bonkers!). The characters felt one dimensional and the dialogue sounded like they were all the same person, with the exception of the housekeeper whose personality had some flair. There were so many convenient coincidences. I almost made it to the end, but quit with 50 pages left to go because I stopped caring.
July 3, 2019
Rosamunde Pilcher has quickly become a source of guaranteed comfort reads for me. Sometimes I wonder why I never read her years ago, but I doubt my younger self would have appreciated the quality of her work as much as my 60 year-old self does.
Usually nothing overly unbelievable happens: the characters are fairly close to normal everyday people, and their stories are told in a straightforward but vibrant way that makes me feel very much a part of their world.
This book was the same. With a wonderful group of people coming together for various quite likely reasons, each of them at some sort of turning point in their lives, this book was moving and interesting. I could hardly put it down; I just had to know how their lives would turn out. I did correctly predict quite a few events, but in this case that was part of the charm and not at all a disappointment. Even so, the ending took me by surprise and brought tears; it was just so darned perfect.
Elfrida, Oscar, Carrie, Sam, Lucy, and all the incidental people around them come to life and thanks to Pilcher's talent, lived long after the book was closed. And so did smiley dog Horace, who was as much a part of the story as everyone else!
I have only one un-read Pilcher left in my bookcase. Maybe it is time to go shopping again?!
Usually nothing overly unbelievable happens: the characters are fairly close to normal everyday people, and their stories are told in a straightforward but vibrant way that makes me feel very much a part of their world.
This book was the same. With a wonderful group of people coming together for various quite likely reasons, each of them at some sort of turning point in their lives, this book was moving and interesting. I could hardly put it down; I just had to know how their lives would turn out. I did correctly predict quite a few events, but in this case that was part of the charm and not at all a disappointment. Even so, the ending took me by surprise and brought tears; it was just so darned perfect.
Elfrida, Oscar, Carrie, Sam, Lucy, and all the incidental people around them come to life and thanks to Pilcher's talent, lived long after the book was closed. And so did smiley dog Horace, who was as much a part of the story as everyone else!
I have only one un-read Pilcher left in my bookcase. Maybe it is time to go shopping again?!
December 18, 2024
Хм, прекрасно в цій історії все. Окрім думки, що як це так, що я не устаткую маєток на Різдво у Корнволі...🌝
January 20, 2024
4.5⭐
Справді дуже хороша меланхолійна історія.
Не приторно-солодка. З нотками суму. Ідеальна для затишного читання зимовими вечорами.
Перша половина книга мені сподобалась трошки більше, здається, там було більше динаміки 🤔 Й багато чого відгукнулось мені особисто.
Просто треба спіймати відповідний настрій - і впевнена, книга вам сподобається
Справді дуже хороша меланхолійна історія.
Не приторно-солодка. З нотками суму. Ідеальна для затишного читання зимовими вечорами.
Перша половина книга мені сподобалась трошки більше, здається, там було більше динаміки 🤔 Й багато чого відгукнулось мені особисто.
Просто треба спіймати відповідний настрій - і впевнена, книга вам сподобається
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