Hodder and Stoughton $34.95
Review: Zena Charlton*
Fans will happily greet the latest work by this popular author, who does not disappoint with her usual predictable yet engrossing plot, set mainly in London and Scotland.
Five people escaping from a variety of personal disasters are brought together by some rather contrived events to
resolve matters.
The climax comes at winter solstice - when the sun appears to pause - and the tale tells of a pause in the lives of the characters before they set off in new directions.
Pilcher has the gift of evoking, through the artful use of domestic detail, the culture of middle-class Britain that is both contemporary and a period piece.
Her word-pictures of Britain's winter countryside compensate for the rather ordinary plot, and in general the book evokes a charm and warmth which is what older New Zealanders used to think of when they spoke of Britain as "Home."
The lack of careful editing is sometimes irritating but while the book is not as well-woven as September or The Shell Seekers, it is a good read for a winter's evening.
* Zena Charlton is a Whangarei artist and writer.
