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sandiet's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published in 2000, audiobook released in 2018.
This was a perfect book to finish off 2021. Jilly Bond is a marvelous narrator and I'll be seeking out more books that she's narrated. Set mostly in Scotland, this weaves a story of many different characters thrown together by circumstance as Christmas approaches. While there are many characters, I didn't find it difficult to keep track and every person was important to the story.
Recommended reading/listening if you're looking for something somewhat light and relaxing.
This was a perfect book to finish off 2021. Jilly Bond is a marvelous narrator and I'll be seeking out more books that she's narrated. Set mostly in Scotland, this weaves a story of many different characters thrown together by circumstance as Christmas approaches. While there are many characters, I didn't find it difficult to keep track and every person was important to the story.
Recommended reading/listening if you're looking for something somewhat light and relaxing.
peaknit's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. The characters were people you pray you meet, but they are also normal and relatable. So good. It is a book to savor a bit and I think it will be one I return to in winter, when I need a jolly good bunch to shine some light on the dark months. There was sadness and tragedy but it was met with kindness and understanding, quiet consolation. I found myself imaging living in a stone cottage in Creagan, it made me curious for Scotland and more of this authors work to transport me there.
erindoublee's review against another edition
5.0
This one may go down as one of my favorite books of all time. This is my first Pilcher book to read. The slowness of the book, the descriptions of the most mundane tasks were exquisite. I never wanted the book to end and the story to continue even in a 600 page book. Can we all just move to Scotland and have Christmas in a village cottage and enjoy the slowness of the season rather than the frantic mess of Christmas we have now??
eileen91's review against another edition
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a very cozy book set in winter Scotland. Its not really my type of book so I have trouble rating it but if you enjoy cozy stories you may like this.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Digital audiobook narrated by Carole Shelley
Five very different people, ranging in age from teen-aged to mid-sixties, converge on a Scottish cottage just before Christmas. Each is facing some difficult changes in his or her life, and together they find a way to navigate the turbulence in their lives.
What a charmingly told story. I grew to love these characters. Elfrida is practical, giving, generous and compassionate. Oscar is reeling from loss, struggling to come to grips with his guilt and grief, and hesitant to take a chance. Sam is trying to find a new path in life and return to his home from years spent abroad. Carrie is stubbornly independent, afraid to open herself to love after having been badly burned, and yet willing to sacrifice to help her young niece. Lucy is feeling lost and abandoned, unsure what she wants but knowing that it is NOT to be a third wheel in her mother’s new romance.
The novel changes perspective with each chapter so the reader gets to know the characters slowly, learning what is important to each as they go about their lives. There are a few coincidences that are just too good to be true, but they add to the joy and the promise of a happy ending.
I’d never read anything by this author previously, and her work reminds me of Maeve Binchy’s. I look forward to reading more of her books.
Carole Shelley does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She has a wide range of voices to handle in this cast of characters and she has to skill to do it well.
Five very different people, ranging in age from teen-aged to mid-sixties, converge on a Scottish cottage just before Christmas. Each is facing some difficult changes in his or her life, and together they find a way to navigate the turbulence in their lives.
What a charmingly told story. I grew to love these characters. Elfrida is practical, giving, generous and compassionate. Oscar is reeling from loss, struggling to come to grips with his guilt and grief, and hesitant to take a chance. Sam is trying to find a new path in life and return to his home from years spent abroad. Carrie is stubbornly independent, afraid to open herself to love after having been badly burned, and yet willing to sacrifice to help her young niece. Lucy is feeling lost and abandoned, unsure what she wants but knowing that it is NOT to be a third wheel in her mother’s new romance.
The novel changes perspective with each chapter so the reader gets to know the characters slowly, learning what is important to each as they go about their lives. There are a few coincidences that are just too good to be true, but they add to the joy and the promise of a happy ending.
I’d never read anything by this author previously, and her work reminds me of Maeve Binchy’s. I look forward to reading more of her books.
Carole Shelley does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She has a wide range of voices to handle in this cast of characters and she has to skill to do it well.
cat_book_lady's review against another edition
3.0
(Audiobook) - This will by no means go down as a classic, but this was a wholly sentimental Hallmark-movie-in-a-book with all the warm fuzzy feels, the cozy cottage in a small town, fun-loving characters, all set in the Scotland backdrop during the Winter Solstice (because Christmas was apparently too cliche). But why did I enjoy this book? Well, there is a part in each one of us where life has gotten hard, and we just want to escape to a faraway place that is comfortable, lovely, and new friends are made without the horrible weight of past trouble and tragedy. That cathartic escapism makes this novel so magical, but it was also just clean with no bad language - ok, the word "bugger" was thrown in a couple of times - no graphic scenes of sex or violence, and people are sugary sweet with manners, respect, and generosity towards everyone. The town itself is a healing balm due to the warmth of its idyllic townspeople and breathtaking scenery. It was thoroughly predictable which adds to the ambiance of the relaxing, hopeful mood, and (nearly) everyone lives happily ever after. Sometimes you just need a book like this, so let yourself indulge in this quiet, restorative salve for your soul.
spikeabell's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I enjoyed it for what it was. I was feeling tired, hot and a bit unwell. A story with lots of interrelationship drama set in UK winter with plenty of cozy elements suited me just fine.
shareen17's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this at first because I didn't find a lot of the characters very likable. However the characters grew on me and I couldn't resist the charm of a group of people gathering in an old stone house in a village in Scotland at Christmas.