Customer Reviews

The End of Summer (Abridged)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you long for the warmth of an aga, dream of afternoon tea with freshly baked scones dripping with hot butter and Devonshire cream, and imagine gathering the dogs for an afternoon run through fields of heather, then Rosamunde Pilcher will surely delight you.

This is one of her earlier works, written years before she became an international best- seller, yet no less enjoyable in its own way. This is the story of young Jane Marsh who loses her mother and travels the US with her vagabond father for seven years. When the story picks up, Jane is twenty-one and called home to Elvie, her grandmother's lush estate in her native Scotland.

Jane is reunited not only with her beloved maternal grandmother, but also with Sinclair, the dashingly handsome cousin she has loved for a long as she can remember. His proposal of marriage is offset by revelations Jane uncovers about his character. A late-night phone call, a missing book, and the problem of an aging caretaker help Jane see Sinclair in a different light.

Meanwhile, there is David Stewart, the dependable family solicitor who is always there with his competence, his dependability, and his growing infatuation with Jane.

Illusions are shattered and new alliances formed as the reader enjoys a cozy romance as only Rosamunde Pilcher can deliver.

If you have never read Rosamunde Pilcher, start with Coming Home or The Shell Seekers or even the recent Winter Solstice. All are great representives of Pilcher's unique character-driven novels. This one, though fine, is too short in length as well as in character detail. It is a fine little "Pilcher fix", if you are a fan.

"The End of Summer" was true to the Rosemunde Pilcher formula: conflicted heroine torn between two men. It was easy reading, predictable, but lacked the depth and character development of "Coming Home" and "The Shell Seekers." If you're looking for summer vacation or airport reading and you like Ms. Pilcher's work, this would fill the bill.

THE END OF SUMMER is the story of Jane Marsh, a young woman of Scottish heritage who has been brought up in California. Jane lost her mother when she was very young and her father, a writer, relocated to the United States. One night, David Stewart, an attorney, arrives from Scotland and Jane learns that her grandmother wants her to come back for a visit. The loving memories of Elvie, her grandmother's home resurface and Jane finds it a perfect time to go since her father seems to have finally found a woman to love.

Jane feels that returning to Scotland is just what she needed. David Stewart turns out to be a great guy and becomes a trusted companion. She and her grandmother are delighted to be reunited and being back at Elvie is wonderful. The only problem is her cousin Sinclair. He was the companion of her youth, he's handsome and dynamic and she's always loved him.

This is not Pilcher's best book, but still worth reading.

Rosamund Pilcher has written some fantastic books that captivate you from the very first page. This is not one of them. It's more in the mold of an old-school romance (it was written in 1971). The story opens in surfin' California with a girl making eyes at a cute surfer dude. The girl, Jane Marsh, is isolated and a virtual servant to her erratic and unappreciative father. Through various plot developments, Jane is able to return to her grandmother's remote and beautiful Scottish estate. As Rosamund Pilcher readers will expect, the story comes to life in Scotland. Jane's grandmother is a spirited old lady who is holding onto her estate despite intergenerational conflict. Jane has had a crush on her cousin Sinclair since forever, and now this has a chance to play out.

No spoilers, but if this book was written today, it would be weird that Mr. Right is 17 years older than our virginal heroine. It was OK in the day of Jane Austen, but it causes me to raise an eyebrow, especially if the woman is flying into the man's arms straight from servitude to Dear Old Dad.

Pilcher fans will want to read this book because no new ones are forthcoming, but don't expect too much. It's short, more like a novella, and not in the class of works like Coming Home and Winter Solstice.

The reason this feels less in-depth than Pilcher's major novels is that this is actually an early novel that was re-released after she became a bestseller. Not to worry -- she is currently working on a new one, due out by Fall 2004. Meanwhile, try Winter Solstice and September, both of which I liked even better than The Shell Seekers......

The characters are dull and the main character is passive to an unbelievable degree. Her main attribute is an ability to fall asleep when left alone with the man she will marry. The plot is weak even for a romance. When the author found herself in a hole, she killed a couple of characters off, and it conveniently allowed her to end the book in a cliched way.

I love all books by Pilcher. She has a way of creating such memorable characters that you actually feel as though you personally know. She has fantastic books about seemingly ordinary things that somehow manage to totally consume the reader. This book was good, but not great. If you are new to Pilcher's work, I would not recommend this as your first read. I would try September, The Shell Seekers, or Winter Solstice first to truly experience the genius and magical writing that is Rosamunde Pilcher.

For some reason, many of the books that you list as "large print" do not have large print, and it is impossible for my mother to read them. Please double check to see if what's advertised is really the case.
Thank you.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is a smooth-flowing book with a good plot, and the characters are very believable. Good Pilcher stuff!!!!!