Pilcher's novels are sometimes categorized as romance, but if you're not a fan of the genre, don't let that scare you off. This family saga tells the story of three generations of a modern British family, brought together again during a time of crisis, all of whom have been burned by love and must figure out how to move forward. Full of interesting, well-developed, flawed-but-likable characters. This is a great beach/travel read, but it's LONG, making it perfect for your ereader library. It's one of the top 100 novels in the BBC's Big Read.

In this quiet novel (sometimes categorized as a romance, but don't let that scare you off), 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.

I was pleased to find this large Pilcher novel, the one published immediately after The Shell Seekers, in the hotel library when I was traveling last month—and even happier to discover that its minor character Noel Keeting play a major role here. The novel opens in May and, in rotating points of view, Pilcher examines the life and love troubles of several characters who we know will all find themselves at the old family home in the Scottish Highlands come September, because they've been summoned to attend a celebration for the daughter of one of the small town's leading families.

From the publisher: "As in her worldwide bestseller The Shell Seekers, it is the richness of emotional seasons that has made Rosamunde Pilcher's novels beloved the world over. Now she invites you into long summer days on the coast of Cornwall-and into the stormy heart of newlywed Laura Haverstock. Shy, recovering from illness, and away from her husband, Laura's is a fearful heart on the verge of intimate discoveries...about herself, her family, and the source of true love within her. Voices in Summer speaks gently to the heart, in a voice that is Rosamunde Pilcher at her storytelling best."

From the publisher: "Against the backdrop of an elegant Cornwall mansion before World War II and a vast continent-spanning canvas during the turbulent war years, this involving story tells of an extraordinary young woman's coming of age, coming to grips with love and sadness, and in every sense of the term, coming home... In 1935, Judith Dunbar is left behind at a British boarding school when her mother and baby sister go off to join her father in Singapore. At Saint Ursula's, her friendship with Loveday Carey-Lewis sweeps her into the privileged, madcap world of the British aristocracy, teaching her about values, friendship, and wealth. But it will be the drama of war, as it wrenches Judith from those she cares about most, that will teach her about courage...and about love."