Winter Solstice Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 2001

Winter Solstice is the fourth Pitcher novel for me. I' d say they are all equally good. The greatest strength of Pitcher's writing is the description of natural beauty. The second greatest strength is the conversational exchanges, filled with so much depth . Everyone has a great gift of expression, scintillating and concise , to deepen the relationships . Even the children are serious and profound. To a fault. The typical fluff of human dialogue is relegated to a few unlikable minor characters. Fluffy and therefore minor. But then that's why the writing is so great.

What a fabulous read."Winter Solstice" is a quiet novel about how we make our own families, finding them in the most unexpected ways and places. In this novel, five very-different people make their way to a manor house in the north of Scotland, where they become snowed in for the winter holidays, which none of them were expecting to celebrate, all for their own reasons.Most of the story centers around Elfrida, a former actress of a certain age who moves to a small town in Hampshire to start anew after a severe loss. There, she meets Oscar - a church organist and teacher - and his family. When Oscar experiences his own tragedy, he is forced to move, and chooses to move to Scotland, where he is half-owner of a house which he hasn't visited in years. In friendship, Elfrida offers to drive to Scotland w/ him. Elfrida's "niece," Carrie, has moved home to London from several years working in Austria, b/c of her own hearbreak. There, Carrie catches up w/ HER niece, 14-year-old Lucy, whom Carrie's sister nor mother want to care for over the Christmas holiday. As Carrie feels badly for Lucy, she offers to take her to visit Elfrida for the holiday. Mother and grandmother gladly accept. Except...where is Elfrida? She isn't in Hampshire! Apparently, she has decamped for the Scottish Highlands! Then, a complete stranger stops at the door where Carrie greets him, only to find out that he is actually there to buy half the house from Oscar's cousin! Sam is the new manager of a defunct woolen mill whose company wants to resurrect it, and needs a place to live, as he has recently returned from working in New York for years, leaving behind his own grief. This sets up some tension between the adults, as Oscar really has no where else to live, and cannot afford to buy out his cousin, or Sam, if he buys the half of a house.The reader can see how all this is going to end, but it's the getting to the end that is so lovely, and so hard to put down. The resolutions to each individual's problems are unique, unforeseen, and really satisfying. As well, the descriptions of the Highlands in the deep snow are really breathtaking, and just add to my bucket-list resolve to visit soon. A solid 5 stars and a deeply-satisfying third book in my trilogy of Christmas-themed reads to end 2023.

I read this for my book club, suggested by one of the members who had already read it. I thought the book had a slow beginning and I didn’t know when I was going to be able to “get into it”. It was about 1/4 the way through when I found that I couldn’t put the book down. I loved the story and loved the characters - everyone of them. The descriptions of each character, what they look like, the homes in which they were living, and the clothes they wore were so precise that I felt as though I was right there (in the book) with them. The ending, however, was very predictable - and this was my only negative. I would definitely recommend this for book clubs as we had a very lively discussion at our meeting.

Beautiful and heart-warming story. Ms. Pilcher is an artist who created stories that make the reader want to be a better person. Her stories are timeless.

I read ‘Winter Solstice’ when I was younger and enjoyed it tremendously. But reading it again in my 60s, it’s even more wonderful since I can relate to one of the main characters losing someone close to him.Well-developed characters, never boring, great read.Just wish it keep on going and going without end …

This story is such a delightful, cozy and a heart-warming story. I loved it! The characters are lovely. Loved the setting in Scotland and could picture the houses, land, snow, Christmas scenes perfectly!I have to admit it started a little slow for me but so glad I kept reading. Well worth it!

A bit saccharine but lovely nevertheless. I fell in love with all of the characters and the descriptions of the places. This book was just what I needed after a very stressful move, etc. if you are looking for a lovely story without high drama to keep you on the edge of your seat, this might be for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ends on cheerful, if predictable, note which is just what I needed on this season. I love her descriptions of landscapes and homes.

I think I have just found a new-to-me author, whom I will put in my favourites list. I love stories about really nice, down to earth people, with good values. This book abounded with them. There was just enough tension to keep me wanting to not put it down. There was kindness & love & compassion. A very peaceful book. I will be reading more of Pilcher, soon.

As with her other books, this was a great story with lots of really believable characters. I couldn’t quite work out when it was supposed to be set in terms of time. The characters talk about mobile phones but also about television sets. The kids have computers but don’t spend hours on them! It’s almost as though the author is trying to move with the times but hasn’t quite made it! That in itself makes the book charming.

Wonderful author; top quality book that arrived in perfect condition

Used copy in excellent condition. Great cozy Christmas read.

A totally boring and banal read which I couldn't be bothered to finish as none of the characters or the story interested me enough