A Matter of Trust (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m so glad I decided to re-read my books by Robin Pilcher. His late mother Rosamunde Pilcher was one of my favourite authors; he has has written some excellent novels, if a tad more up-to-date and hard-hitting. I’ve just finished his fifth novel, ‘The Long Way Home’, which was also published (confusingly) under the title ‘A Matter of Trust’.  I read it in 2011, not long after it was published, so it was more than time for a re-read. 

Claire is the main protagonist of this book, which mostly takes place in 2006. However there are some chapters set in the past - organised a little confusingly from a chronological perspective, but extremely well from the point of view of telling the story. The novel opens in 1988 when Claire, who has just finished school and must be 18, goes to see her best friend Jonas. She has been in love with him for years, and is pretty sure he feels the same way. Tonight, she is sure, is the time is right for a declaration. 

But she’s in for a painful shock. Jonas doesn’t greet her with his usual welcome, or ask for her help on the car he’s repairing. He won’t look her in the eye, and tells her they can’t be friends any longer. There are no explanations, and Claire is broken hearted. 

We then whizz forward to 2005. Claire is happily married to Art, and they run a very successful restaurant together in New York. She takes a few minutes to chat on the phone to her stepfather Leo, in Scotland; she’s clearly very fond of him, and chats to him regularly. The action then moves back to 1980; Clare is nine, and lives with her widowed mother, when Leo comes into their lives… 

Leo has two children himself, Marcus and Charity, who have no wish for a stepmother or step-sister, and take an unaccountable dislike to both. We see incidents over the years when they - particularly the ironically named Charity - behave very nastily to Claire. They're both immature and selfish; it's hard to see how such a kind, gentle person as Leo could have produced such nasty offspring. But Claire has her close friendship with Jonas, and goes to a local school, so mostly their paths don’t cross.

The story really gets going when Claire has a phone call letting her know that Leo has had a bad fall, and has been in hospital. Worse, she learns that he’s showing early signs of dementia.  And apparently Jonas is spending a lot of time with him, including dealing with all his paperwork. Claire flies back to spend some time with him and is sad that her step-siblings seem to have no interest in spending time with their father.

It’s quite a complex set of storylines, but Robin Pilcher has such a gift of characterisation (like his late mother did) that I had no trouble remembering who was whom, and how they related to each other. I found the book compulsive reading - I was drawn into the family, particularly fond of Claire and Art, who is clearly a thoughtful and generous man. 

In the twelve years since I first read this book I had entirely forgotten the plot: I had no idea why Jonas threw Claire out of his life so suddenly and brutally, and was shocked when the truth was finally revealed. I assumed they would become friends again, but hoped they weren’t going to rekindle their teenage romance since both Art and Jonas’s wife Liv are likeable, kind people and I didn’t want to see them hurt. I also hoped that Leo wasn’t going to die suddenly…

One of the subplots - which becomes quite major - involves different characters making plans for the large home (and land) where Leo lives. As it becomes clear that he can’t live there alone much longer, Art comes up with the idea of building a conference centre there. But Marcus and Charity have other plans, and Jonas appears to too, although he’s clearly uncovered something dodgy in Leo’s financial papers.

I read the book in just a couple of days, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it highly to anyone who likes women’s fiction or who is a fan of the author’s mother’s work. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

Starburst (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

In re-reading my novels by Robin Pilcher, I reached ‘Starburst’. I last read it in 2008 and, as generally happens if I don’t read a book for a decade or more, I had forgotten both the people and the story. 

There are a lot of different people in this book. For the first few chapters I found myself feeling rather confused New characters are introduced with each new chapter, unrelated other than some connection with the upcoming Edinburgh Festival.

So we meet, for instance: a comedienne from Hartlepool whose friends have clubbed together to get her a slot in the Edinburgh Fringe; an elderly man persuaded to direct the filming of a Japanese dance troupe due to be at the Festival; the man in charge of the firework display; a young, brilliant violinist from France, who is going to perform at several events. 

We also meet some of the organisers of the festival, and learn one or two secrets that they want to keep. My general feeling was of wondering when the story was going to start, and how all these people would work into a coherent story, along with others who are mentioned. Each of the people has a bit of back-story, and, in some cases, spouses or children. And they’re all converging on Edinburgh…

Perhaps the confusion was intentional, giving a flavour of what it must be like for the organisers each year, trying to coordinate acts, venues, accommodation, sponsorship and so much more. I’ve never been to the Edinburgh Festival - or Fringe - myself, but I know some who have been there, and have found it busy, hectic, and generally very enjoyable - if exhausting. 

Gradually the story becomes more focussed; Rene, the comedienne, is worried that her venue is not a great one, and her audience small. The violinist, Angelique, is becoming stressed with the pressure from her mentor, who is quite controlling. Leonard, the elderly man, has to make a lot of changes to his expected crew, and is introduced to a young man, previously a car thief, who isn’t very bright but has an eye for photography. 

And, one way or another, the people introduced in the early chapters come together - in meetings, in accommodation, at events. The writing is excellent, so that I was hardly aware of viewpoint switches - and there are a lot of them. Robin Pilcher has a similar gift of characterisation to his late mother, and all the people in this book felt both distinct and realistic. I don’t remember physical descriptions and often find it hard to imagine people in books, but despite the large number, I found I had a feel for most of the significant ones by the time I was about half way through.

In a sense there’s not a whole lot of plot; the book is made up of subplots, the main action over just a few weeks. There’s tension, there’s poignancy, there’s a budding romance, and there’s a sad (but foreshadowed) event that makes a huge difference to another character. And there’s a feeling of buzz - of excitement, as the festival progresses, with crowds of people, reviews in the newspapers, lots going on behind the scenes. 

So overall I did enjoy this book. Perhaps not quite as much as the others I recently re-read by this author, but enough that I’ll probably read it again in another decade or so. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

A Risk Worth Taking (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m glad I decided to re-read my books by Robin Pilcher; I recalled that he wrote slightly harder-hitting novels than his late mother, but that he shared her gift for characterisation, creating three-dimensional, sympathetic people. I’ve just finished ‘A Risk Worth Taking’, which I last read in 2005; it was the Robin Pilcher’s third published novel.

The book is primarily about a man called Dan Porter, and we meet him struggling to wake up after throwing his alarm clock on the floor. It’s a good image, one which I expect most readers can identify with. Before he can get to his clock, it’s picked up by his elegant, rather frosty wife Jackie who is about to head off to work.

It’s clear that the couple are going through a difficult patch. Dan is currently unemployed despite having previously had a high-powered London job. So Jackie, who manages a clothing company, is the only earner in the family. She’s rather lost sympathy for her husband who seems unwilling to look too hard for another job, hoping something might turn up.

Dan and Jackie have three teenagers: Josh, who dropped out of university and is in a low-paying local job, is the oldest. Jackie rather despises his lack of ambition. Millie and Nina are Josh’s sisters, and I had a hard time telling them apart; they squabble somewhat, but are quite close too. Since Dan lost his job they’ve moved from a private school to a state one, and are not having a great time there; relationships through the whole family are rather strained.

It’s clear from the start that the family is drifting apart, and sure enough Jackie is enjoying the attentions of a younger man at her office, who works hard, pays her compliments, and is clearly rather attracted to her. She’s lost respect for Dan, and Jackie’s the kind of person who needs to respect the man she loves.

I didn’t much like Jackie; perhaps I wasn’t supposed to. However Dan is a likeable person, if a bit self-absorbed, but during the course of the book - much of which takes place in Scotland - he learns a lot about himself, and starts to develop more of a sense of responsibility. Josh matures a lot too, as he finds work that suits him, and a girl who rather appreciates him…

There’s another couple who play a significant part in the story: Katie, who runs another clothing company, in Scotland, and her husband Patrick who owns a company importing and selling prawns. Patrick has multiple sclerosis, and while he’s still very involved in his company, his mobility is limited and he’s becoming increasingly frustrated with his gradual deterioration.

As with the other books by this author, I found some of the business discussion a bit long-winded and skimmed most of that; I didn’t have the slightest interest in the workings of a prawn factory. But there’s still plenty of human interaction, with a pompous, insecure politician playing the role of ‘bad guy’ in a couple of places, trying to damage Patrick and his company after a previous disagreement.

I found it very readable; after nearly two decades I had entirely forgotten the storyline, and was shocked when Katie - whom I had liked very much - suddenly behaved completely out of character (in my understanding) and persuaded Dan to do something he knew was wrong. And that was where the book started to go a bit awry… I felt the ending was abrupt, as if the author got bored of it and tried to tie up too many ends in one go. We don’t learn what the future is going to hold; perhaps that was deliberate, but I’d have liked some kind of epilogue.

Overall I did enjoy the book, and would recommend it, so long as you don't mind an open, inconclusive and somewhat unsatisfactory ending.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

Starting Over (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I had almost forgotten how much I like Robin Pilcher’s novels, so am very glad I decided to re-read them. I’ve just finished his second novel, ‘Starting Over’. Apparently I re-read it last in 2017 but I had entirely forgotten the story. It’s character-based - like his better-known late mother, the author has a tremendous gift for creating three-dimensional, sympathetic and entirely believable people.

Liz is one of the first people we meet. She’s around forty, the mother of 19-year-old Alex, and recently separated from her husband Gregor who had an affair. So now she lives in her childhood home with Alex and her recently widowed father. They’re struggling to make ends meet - and a proposal has been made by an American consortium to turn her farm, and Gregor’s neighbouring one - into a golf course. Liz hates the idea, but the bills keep coming in.

Alex is a student at St Andrews university in Scotland, which is about half an hour’s drive from his home. So when Liz and her father agree that perhaps they should take in a lodger, Alex suggests his German tutor, Arthur Kempler. It’s a bit awkward at first, but Arthur quickly finds a kindred spirit in Alex’s grandfather, and it seems to be working.

And then there’s Roberta Bayliss, an older middle-aged woman, the youngest of her siblings, who is passionate about golf. She’s always been single and has an excellent relationship with her father. But it’s clear that her father is very frail, and when he dies he makes rather an unusual request of his youngest daughter…

Much of the novel involves these people, and others, getting to know each other, exploring different locations, making hard decisions, and taking some risks. Liz in particular is challenged to put aside her anger with Gregor and her depression about the farm, and try something entirely different. Roberta, who’s quite miserable, finds a new and special friend. Arthur manages to heal the relationship with his estranged son, after a serious injury.

It took me a little while to get into the book, and it was a busy period so I only read a chapter or two each day for much of the past two weeks. The chapters are short, but whereas, with some books, I forget who the characters are if I don’t read in big chunks, I had no difficulty with ‘Starting Over’. I felt as if I knew everyone, and was catching up, a little more, on their lives as I dipped into the book.

The author was clearly very familiar with the locations he writes about - in particular St Andrews, but his descriptions of other places are realistic and colourful. I’m not a fan of descriptive passages, and skimmed several of them, but the bits I did read seemed entirely authentic.

Although a male author, the book is classic ‘women’s fiction’, and likely to appeal to anyone who enjoys that genre. It’s a tad more gritty than Rosamunde Pilcher’s novels, with quite a dramatic climax to the book where the outcome is uncertain for some chapters. And the outcome of the story is not as predictable as many women’s fiction novels; right until the end I wasn’t sure where the relationships were going, and what the future would hold.

There’s a bit of ‘strong’ language, but not used inappropriately; there’s nothing remotely explicit, and the violence of one incident is so well-written that there is tension and immediacy, but no horror.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews

An Ocean Apart (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I discovered Robin Pilcher over twenty years ago; his mother was the better-known late Rosamunde Pilcher, so I was intrigued - and absolutely loved his first novel ‘An Ocean Apart’. I re-read it in 2017, and have just finished reading it for the third time. Happily I had forgotten most of the storyline (other than the bare bones of the plot) and quickly found myself engrossed once more.

It’s quite a long novel, and it features a man called David who must be around forty. He is quite depressed at the start of the novel, having recently lost his wife of 18 years. He is staying with his parents - who are Scottish - and his three children are at boarding school: their choice, not his. He’s been off work since he nursed his wife through her final illness, and has been doing some gardening.

Then a crisis happens at the office and David is told he’s the only person available to visit the United States for an important meeting. His parents think it might be good for him to get away for a few days, but jet-lag and too much drinking get the better of him, and the meeting is a disaster. David falls into an even deeper depression, not helped by having caught the flu…

But he’s a strong character. I liked David very much indeed; Robin Pilcher has a gift of characterisation resembling that of his mother, and all the people in the book seem three-dimensional. David stays longer in the United States than he was planning to, and makes friends there; as an unknown person, doing some gardening as a temporary job, he feels safer than he was back in Scotland where everyone kept expressing sympathy and asking how he was doing.

As well as the story of David’s gradual healing from the worst of his depression, there’s a business thread involving some shady dealings at his father’s company. Some of this went a bit over my head, but it didn’t much matter; it runs alongside the main plot, and provides another dramatic incentive for David to finally pack up and return home.

There’s a low-key romantic thread which doesn’t get resolved until the last few pages; there are some lovely friendships made, there’s a terrific housekeeper character called Jasmine, and some very poignant scenes. The writing is excellent, the plot well-crafted (even if there’s just a tad of coincidence in the final couple of chapters - again a little reminiscent of Rosamunde Pilcher), and the people so well-drawn that I found myself wondering how they were all doing a couple of hours after I finished the book.

Very highly recommended; it’s in the genre of women’s fiction but I don’t see why men wouldn’t like it too, if they want some light character-based reading with nothing too stressful. It would make ideal holiday reading.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews

Starting Over (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

In my ongoing re-reading of books by favourite authors, I came to this one by Robin Pilcher. Son of the women’s novelist Rosamunde Pilcher, he has clearly inherited some of her gift for characterisation. I was delighted to discover his first novel, written around the time his mother retired from writing, and collected his subsequent books avidly. He only wrote five in all, but I enjoyed them all.

It’s fifteen years since I first read ‘Starting Over’, a title which has been used by other authors: I have at least two other different books by this title. It’s a useful generic title for stories about ends and beginnings, and that’s what this novel is focussed on.

It’s a bit confusing at first, with rather a large cast of characters. We first meet Liz, who has worked on a farm all her life. We quickly learn that her husband left her six months before the story starts, and that she and her student son Alex are now living with Liz’s father. It’s a bit awkward, because her husband lives on the neighbouring farm, and the two have been combined since their marriage. Worse than that, both farms are struggling to make ends meet. An offer has been made to purchase most of the land to turn it into a prestigious golf course, but Liz really doesn’t want any more change in her life…

The first few chapters introduce us to Liz, Alex, and some of their local community, then there’s a slight jar as we switch focus to one of Alex’s university lecturers, who is living with a very pernickety landlady and keeps breaking her rules. Then suddenly we leap across the world to Australia, where we meet Roberta, a single woman in her late fifties who has been living with her elderly parents. The only, rather tentative connection is that she and her father love to play golf… although her father, at ninety, is becoming increasingly frail.

Inevitably the different storylines are woven together, and the story features several different subplots: primarily the fate of the farms, and the various relationships that develop. The writing is good, and the conversations believable. However, there are rather too many detailed descriptions of places for my tastes. I didn’t need to know the names of streets, and what exactly a character could see as they looked from a hotel window. I mostly skimmed these parts, but felt a little irritated at what felt like an attempt either to educate the reader, or to demonstrate the author’s research skills.

It’s not Rosamunde Pilcher, and I was aware several times of the author being male. The women in the book are very well-drawn; the author clearly likes women. Liz is strong, intelligent and knowledgeable about both farming and machinery. She’s a great role model. But at times she seems to respond to other people in what felt like a rather masculine way. There’s a tad more bad language than I’m comfortable with, although I was pleased that intimate scenes are non-existent, relying on hints and memories rather than any detail.

All in all, I liked this book very much, particularly the ending. After fifteen years I had entirely forgotten the plot - it’s not particularly memorable, as there are so many different storylines - and I look forward to reading it again in another ten or more years.

No longer in print in paperback, but available in Kindle form. Sometimes found second-hand, either on its own or in an omnibus edition with one of the author's other novels.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's Book Reviews

An Ocean Apart (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

About sixteen years ago, I discovered that while my favourite modern novelist Rosamunde Pilcher had just about retired from writing, her son Robin Pilcher had started writing novels. Intrigued, I bought this book (second-hand, although it was only a couple of years old) which was his debut novel. I didn’t know what to expect, as I tend to prefer family saga/romantic fiction when it’s written by women. But once I’d started I could hardly put it down.

So it was more than time for a re-read, and I picked up ‘An Ocean Apart’ just four days ago. I was slightly daunted by the length - well over 500 pages - and thought it would last me a couple of weeks as bedtime reading.

The story is primarily about a thirty-something Scot called David, who lives with his parents in their manor house. He has been working in his father’s business, a large whisky manufacturer, but as we quickly learn he suffered a tragedy shortly before the book options, and is seriously depressed as well as deeply grieving.

I was delighted to learn that the author has evidently inherited (or absorbed) some of his mother’s immense skill in characterisation. I would not expect to have anything in common with a wealthy upper-class depressed businessman, but David quickly got under my skin. His parents were rather more ephemeral, but I very much liked their housekeeper Effie, and also what I saw in the early chapters of David’s children, Sophie, Charlie and Harriet.

I had almost entirely forgotten the story, but vaguely recalled that David gets called back to work because he’s the only person who is available to fly to the US for some important business meetings; by the time I reached that stage in the story I was hooked. One chapter was nowhere near enough for me to read at bedtime, and I often found myself reading far later than I had intended. I then read a lot at the weekend, and finished it in just four days.

While some of the subplots relating to the business went a little over my head, it didn’t matter; I got the general gist, and what mattered to me most were the relationship aspects. David, who is an extremely likeable person, discovers that he can make a difference in the lives of some lonely people. The bulk of the story takes place over about a month, and the pace works well.

The writing is excellent, with the right amount of description, believable dialogue and some strong emotion. There was one particularly moving scene, towards the end, where I found myself in tears. The romance, inevitable from fairly early on, is very low-key, only coming to resolution towards the end.

Perhaps the final scenes are somewhat abrupt and a tad contrived; I’d have liked a little more, rather than just a hint of what the future might hold. But it’s better to stop a novel leaving the reader wanting more rather than trying to tie up every loose end. I shall think about Robin Pilcher's characters for days to come.

Very highly recommended. Several editions were printed, but sadly it's currently out of print. Fairly easy to find second-hand, however.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's Book Reviews

A Matter of Trust (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I've very much enjoyed the novels by Robin Pilcher, son of Rosamunde Pilcher who has sadly stopped writing now. He shares his mother's amazing gift of characterisation, while writing rather more gritty novels.

So I was delighted when I learned that his latest, 'A Matter of Trust' (confusingly called 'The Long Way Home' in the USA) was available in paperback. I put it on my wishlist, and received a copy recently.

The story is about Claire, a young woman who has an unhappy - and entirely mystifying - end to a teenage crush on Jonas, the boy next door, as the story opens. We then flash back to her childhood, when her widowed mother first meets her stepfather Leo.

The structure is slightly confusing - each chapter has a heading giving the month and year, which vary from 1980 - when Claire is ten - to 2006 when she's a young wife, helping her American husband run a restaurant. This didn't always flow as well as I would have liked, although the flashbacks helped to fill in the story in a way that gradually gave a good picture of Claire's life.

Leo is a delightful character, and I very much enjoyed his friendship with Claire and her mother. However he has two children, a little older than Claire, who are most unpleasant types; I found them rather too nasty, not just as jealous, selfish children (not wishing their father to re-marry at all) but as grasping, bitter adults. It was hard to believe that anyone could be quite so vicious.

The writing is very good, with most of the people well-rounded and interesting, and the plot quite exciting. I was eagerly awaiting the resolution of the mystery posed in the first chapter, and pleased with a satisfying conclusion. All in all, a good book, although I had no problem putting it down after a chapter or two each night, and didn't have any real desire to keep reading in the daytime.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 22nd May 2011

Starburst (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

Although Rosamunde Pilcher, one of my favourite modern authors, has stopped writing, I was delighted to discover that her son Robin Pilcher also writes excellent novels. While they are not as gentle as those of his mother, he has clearly inherited her gift for characterisation, and I hope he will continue writing for many years.

'Starburst' is the fourth of his novels, one I have been eagerly awaiting. It has been on my wishlist for some time, and I was delighted to receive it for a recent birthday.

I have to say, it's a bit hard going at the beginning, as a large number of characters are introduced, and I had no way of knowing which ones were going to be significant. There was Tess, an organiser in the Edinburgh Fringe, who is newly married and very happy... until an old lover comes into her life and threatens to reveal their past to her boss unless she will meet him for dinner. Then there some men involved in designing the fireworks for the end of Edinburgh festival, planning a programme that will be bigger and better than any they have done before.

Next we meet Rene, a comedienne from Yorkshire, whose buddies are determined to give her a surprise... and raise money to send her to the Edinburgh Fringe. Unfortunately her husband Gary, currently unemployed, is not impressed. And Rene herself is terrified. Then straight after meeting Rene, we move to Paris, where Angelique, a gifted young French violinist, is beginning to become disillusioned with her rather controlling trainer and manager, Andre Dessuin.

So it continues for a few chapters more, giving a snapshot in the lives of various people, from several walks of society - even including a young down-and-out whose main skill is breaking into cars - with their only connection being either a home in Edinburgh, or the intention of going there to take part in one of the festivals.

Each one was well-written and engaging, but I don't do well with a large cast of characters, and found myself forgetting, from day to day, who I had encountered.. and wondering when the real story would begin.

I should not have worried. Robin Pilcher weaves all his strands together brilliantly, as these characters meet or interact in some way. They were memorable enough that, now I've finally finished the book, I remember their stories pretty well. They all seem to be fairly three-dimensional, and by the time I was about half-way through the book it was very difficult to put down. There's excitement, danger, suspense, and romance... all low-key, without anything graphic, but all the more readable as a result.

Much of the ending was predictable, and some of it was very moving, bringing a tear or two to my eyes as I read. This is certainly a book I shall be re-reading in a few years, and I hope it won't be long before Robin Pilcher brings out another! Highly recommended.

Review copyright suesbookreviews.blogspot.com, 10th May 2008 

A Risk Worth Taking (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

'A Risk Worth Taking' is Robin Pilcher's third novel. I thoroughly enjoyed his first two. He is the son of my favourite author Rosamunde Pilcher's. While his writing is sometimes cruder than hers, and the endings tend to be left rather open, I still find the style eminently readable and his characters believable and likeable.

This book is about Dan Porter, who at the start of the book is unemployed. He looks after the house and cooks for the family, but his wife Jackie has lost respect for him since he stopped working in London. They have three children: a drop-out son called Josh, and two daughters who seem to live for the television, mobile phones and fast food.

Out of the blue, Dan reads an article about a clothes company in Scotland which is for sale, and decides to follow this up.

I suppose it's a fairly typical story of a marriage with problems that aren't likely to be resolved. Jackie is portrayed right from the start as rather harsh and uncaring, so I wasn't really rooting for her to be reconciled to Dan. The second character I felt was developed well was Josh, who turns out to be very likeable under the messy, procrastinating exterior. But perhaps it's typical of a male author that the men seem real and the women rather caricatured.

I didn't like it as much as the author's other books, to start with. This is partly because there are no female characters I could empathise with and partly because there seemed to be a lot of digs (at the church, for instance) and assumptions (eg that private schools are much better than state ones) which weren't explored at all. There was also a fair amount of business talk in the middle of the book, which I skimmed.

But still, I got drawn into Dan's life and those of people he met in the second half of the book. By the last few chapters, I could hardly put it down.

Definitely recommended.

Starting Over (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I was delighted to discover that Robin Pilcher (son of Rosamunde Pilcher) is a talented writer; perhaps a little more hard-hitting than his mother, but with the same excellent knack of making characters come alive and feel like friends.

'Starting Over' is about Liz, a recently separated farmer, who lives with her father and student son Alex, near St Andrews in Scotland.

An American firm want to build a new golf course on her land, and that of her deserting husband. But Liz adamantly doesn't want them to do so.

Meanwhile, Alex's German tutor comes to lodge with them, and brings a bit of relief to their rather depressed lives.

This is a wonderful book of endings and beginnings, with lovely characters whom I found very believable. The ending was somewhat unexpected, but positive and hopeful.

Definitely recommended.

An Ocean Apart (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

Robin Pilcher is Rosamunde Pilcher's son. It took me a while to find his books, but when I did I was hooked.

'An Ocean Apart' is his first novel, and I thought it a wonderful debut. David, who has been seriously depressed after his wife died, has been sheltered by his parents; he has recently started rebuilding their garden. A crisis in his father's business forces him to try and return to work, flying to America with little preparation.

Here, David has a complete breakdown, complicated by a bad dose of 'flu, before he picks himself up and decides to do something constructive. He meets people who can help him, and gradually regains his lost confidence and joy of life.

There is some clever plotting in this novel, as the business thread alternates with David's personal subplot. I was relieved to find that there's a happy ending, even if it feels slightly contrived. The characters are believable and sympathetic - the author must have inherited something from his mother! - even if David does emerge as a little too good to be true at times.

Very moving in places - all in all, I thought this an extremely enjoyable novel.