The Long Way Home by Robin Pilcher

Okay, so my most recent read is The Long Way Home by Robin Pilcher (son of Rosamunde Pilcher).  He writes very much like his mother and is reminiscent of Maeve Binchy as well.  This novel revolves around Claire Barclay and goes back and forth between her growing up years and present day.  When Claire was young (around 9), her widowed mother married Leo Harrison and she and Clarie moved to his estate in Alloa, Scotland.  Claire becomes best friends with Jonas who lives on the neighboring farm.  The pair are inseparable until one night, when Claire is 18 and ready to declare her love to Jonas, he shocks her by telling her he wants nothing to do with her.  Claire has no clue where this has come from but in her devastation she leaves Scotland to travel and recover and ends up in New York City where she meets and marries Art Barrington.  Years later, after her mother dies she gets a call that her beloved step-father has had an accident and she must return to Scotland to help in his recovery.  Circumstances arise and she is forced to deal with the issues surrounding Jonas that she never understood. 

This was an incredibly fast read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Every now and then, after reading a really heavy book, you need a novel where the "good guys" win and the "bad guys" get theirs...this was a perfect fit.  I've liked all of Robin Pilcher's books and this one is no exception.  Read it  - you will like!

Starting Over by Robin Pilcher

I went to the bookstore, again, yesterday. See, last week when I went to Half Price Books, I went to the one that is newer and it just doesn't have the selection that the one in Kenwood has. Since I was in Kenwood yesterday, I decided to check and see if any of the books on my list were there. Well, I got lucky and found two and I got a couple more that weren't on my list. Yippee.

So, I am now reading Starting Over, another Robin Pilcher book. I think after I finish this one, I'll have read all of his books. Anyway, this one is about a 37-year old Scottish woman, forced to start her life over (thus the title) after her jackass husband leaves her for another woman. At the same time, she has just lost her mother and the farm where she grew up and has been in her family for 5 generations is on the brink of financial ruin. She heads off to Spain and comes back a new woman, forced to make several difficult decisions. I'm only on page 38 but as always with this author, I'm hooked. I'm sure it will be another page turner.

Update:  So I finished Starting Over by Robin Pilcher. It was good but not as good as his other books. This one just had too much description that I could have done without.

A Risk Worth Taking by Robin Pilcher

A Risk Worth Taking by Robin Pilcher. I needed something somewhat light after the Steinbeck tome. This is about Dan, an Englishman recently unemployed after the dot.com bubble burst. He is in a 20 year marriage with three kids, trying to find a new direction for his collapsed life while everyone around him waits for him to fail again and again. Finally an opportunity arises for him in Scotland - an opportunity to do something worthy while simultaneously rediscovering his life. He takes his university-drop-out son with him and the two finally find purpose and direction.
I've only read chapter 1 but I always enjoy his novels. I'm sure it won't disappoint.
 
Update:  So I've finished A Risk Worth Taking by Robin Pilcher. Seems I had read this book before. While I was reading the first few chapters, I kept getting little snippets that seemed familiar. Either that or I'm slightly psychic. Anyway, I must have read it several years ago because I didn't remember the major parts of the book and I don't have it in my vast collection so who knows. Regardless, it was a great book (must have been considering I read it in less than two days) - highly recommended for those who need a quick, easy feel-good read.

Starburst by Robin Pilcher

Starburst by Robin Pilcher - son of Rosamunde Pilcher. I love him (though this is only the 2nd book of his that I've read) because he writes much like his mother. They both write books that include characters who seem - throughout reading - to have no real connection to each other except for maybe living in the same town. Upon finishing, however, they all converge together. In this particular novel, the characters are all gathering in Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh International Festival, a 3-week gathering of music, dance, art, theatre and even comedy. I'm already totally engrossed in the characters lives which range from young (a new graduate from universty about to start a career in journalism; a young, 21-year old world renowned violinist being controlled by her "manager") to the old (a stroke victim; a hilarious, struggling housewife forced to take a job as a barkeep and at the same time finding her own funny bone that the rest of her town appreciates and so sponsors her at the festival). I'll let you know how it turns out but I already recommend.

Update: Well, I finished Robin Pilcher's Starburst - awesome! Highly recommended! It's a feel-good book that won't disappointed.

K - must go finish getting dinner ready (Shepherd's Pie, limas and bread)...later.