Welcome!!

Here we are in our beautiful new site! We are so happy you are here, and hope you will give us your input on what books you like, don't like and especially those you would like to discuss with us.

We have our first discussion starting February 1st, and would like you to join us. You are welcome to jump in whenever you wish.

Again, Welcome, and I hope you enjoy our new home.

Carole

What a beautiful site! I like the definition - Webster - I suspect all book lovers could come under that definition. Looking forward to reading and discussing 'Surrender.' I will check back in February.

What a lovely new discussion!!!

Roses are my most very favourite of flowers. Thanks Carole!!

Pat

Joyce:

Welcome, I am so glad you found us. I am looking forward to our discussion also. Florence will be joining us also, and hopefully a few more will drop in.

I am so excited by this beautiful site. A very special thank you to Larry Hanna for these beautiful roses. I feel like a Queen!!!

I am full of ideas of books to read and discuss. I hope you will let us know your favorite authors and books also, so we can add them to the list.

Be sure and invite all your friends to come and see us. In the meantime, get ready for our discussion of Surrender.

See you soon,

Carole

I am new on seniornet,love to read romance books.I am going to look for "Surrender" at the library,look forward to the discussion.

WELCOME RAE AND LILA!!!

I am so very glad to see you all. I think we are almost ready for our new discussion. We are pioneers in this Book Club, so I hope you will all help to set the tone of this discussion. I have been reading this book, and I am really enthralled. I will have to sneak out and get the book that preceded this one, as I really am liking the characters and historical information.

This is really a good book, and I am looking forward to your comments as we go along.

See you tomorrow!!

Carole

Here we are, our first day of discussion. How is everyone doing on the book?

I really like the beginning of this book when the boat is docking in Florida and the suspense that is building up as they try to land. Not having a clue what is happening, I found myself getting all tense and scared. I could almost feel the boat rocking, smell the water, and sense the darkness and the fear when they hear the dreaded Rebels all around them. This grabbed my interest,and I was even further caught up by the mistaken identity crisis. I sure did not expect that!

The captive situation on the ship could have been very trite, but Ms. Graham again surprised me by making that believable also. This is one of the few times that I have read a Romance book where I can actually picture the "hero" and relate to his point of view!!!

What did you all think? I'll be away for a couple of days, but please hop in here and give us your opinions. Just be sure that if you are going to give away something, that you write:

SPOILER ALERT so we can skip over it if we haven't read that far yet! (grin)

See you later,

Carole

I have just discovered your book club. I, too, am a Rosamund Pilcher fan. I've read everything she's written that's been published here. I also have enjoyed Kay Hooper's hard back books that have come out the past few years, "Amanda", "After Caroline", and "Finding Laura". Has anyone else read these and if so, what do you think? I liked "After Caroline" best but they were all good.

WELCOME MARY!!!

I hope you will decide to join us. We are discussing a fabulous book this month by Heather Graham. I have never read her, but she was suggested and I am really enjoying her.

I am thinking of nominating Rosamund Pilcher's Coming Home for next month. Does anyone have any other nominations? The Kay Hooper books sound interesting also. I am not familiar with her, but love to meeet new authors.Please be thinking also of the April book, so we can vote on it and get it up on the schedule.

Again, I am glad to meet you Mary. I hope all our new "clubbers" will jump in soon and tell what they think of Surrender.

See you soon,

Carole

I am about half through Ms. Graham's book "Surrender". And Heather Graham has not disappointed in this book either.

I had forgotten that our heroine Risa Magee was once in love with our hero's (Jerome's) cousin Ian. But of course that makes for a very romantic novel.

I like the way Risa Magee is described. Very beautiful, eyes that are a beautiful glittering blue and feverish, can ride a horse very well, a great swimmer, a nurse to the war wounded, very passionate (altho she would like for our hero (Jerome) to believe otherwise) and I guess I like her too because she loves her father so much (Angus Magee).

Jerome McKenzie is quite a hunk, tall dark and handsome, a build like no other. All the women fall for him. Risa is no exception. I can just see them together forever.

These are my thoughts right now,

Florence

Carole,

I forgot to mention that I think this new page is beautiful! Thanks for putting it together -

I am also very glad that all the others have joined us in reading "Surrender" - Florence of near Columbus, Ohio.

I am having a hard time getting into this book. The author does excellent description, however. I,too, could picture the Biscayne Bay scene although I can't picture where she was - in open water on the Bay another boat would have been obvious. Also, jumping into the water there was so stupid. If she was in the Bay there was water as far as she could see - so where was she going to swim to? And wearing a corset on such a junket - now really. Maybe she was using analogy of rippling muscles and rippling water - but I found these descriptions tiresome. The boat imprisonment was good but jumping into the water docked at was I assume was Nassau - this woman must have a death wish. I find myself thinking - hey, just jump in the sack, get it over with and let's get on with the story. It is beginning to get a little more realistic. Also, the house she described to be in the Everglades at that time is doubtful. A chickee would have been more like it.

I am in agreement somewhat with what Joyce is saying. I think at the beginning of the story she got too carried away with being independent and aggressive. It was obvious that she was intelligent, well-bred and independent, so why did the author have her going through all those silly escape routines?

As the story progresses though, it ties together, in that she thought she was still in love with the cousin, and couldn't accept her attraction to Jerome. The fact that they were on opposite sides of a horrible War also played a part in her desire to escape. Personally, I was extremely attracted to Jerome, and I usually find the Romance heroes somewhat of a parody of the dream man. Ms. Graham does a good job of making a masculine hero someone who is really heroic.

I really enjoyed the setting and the time period. I haven't read much about the Civil War, and especially the Florida part of it. She also brings in the native Indians without sentiment, and I really liked that.

It was odd how all the McKenzies seemed to be battle surgeons and nurses. That really brought home the horror of war. Did you feel that the author tried to stress how the War was actually between families and that there was still a nation under all the shouting?

I am almost finished, and I am really liking it now. I don't want it to end.

Carole

I have read quite a bit about the Civil War and I do like Ms. Graham's research on that part. But most of her books borders on the impossible which I like - it makes me use my imagination somewhat to the extreme though. If you have read any of her previous books on the McKenzie saga, I believe you would understand this one a little better. But I still like Angus Magee (the father) who very much loves his daughter in that he wants to even protect Jerome by keeping him imprisoned. I can't help but think he even liked Jerome in spite of trying not to. I agree, Jerome is a very likeable character. It is so like the author to find something to create dissention between Jerome and Risa. But I'm not quite finished with the book yet, but I know that in the end Jerome and Risa will be inseparable.

Re: Florida and the Civil War; if I remember my Florida history correctly, there was only one 'real' battle in Florida. That was the Battle of Olustee Creek - there is a monument - the only Civil War monuent in Florida. My mother lived on Olustee Creek as a child. This is in North Central Florida. Florida had not been a member of the Union but a short time. My mother's grandfather was in the Battle of Olustee and (this is family lore) "chased them damn Yankees half way through Georgia." My great-grandfather did not return from the War and record of his death or burial place was never found. As for extreme south Florida - where our story begins - was populated with Indians that had escaped - poor Oseola didn't because he was too trusting - and Union and Confederate deserters (also folklore). However, I don't think many people lived there. In 1937 missionaries found Trail Indians that had never seen a white person and most Indians did not speak English, Spanish, French i.e.any of the languages of the people who first settled Florida. You all have wheted my appetite so I shall read on with the idea that the setting is fiction. Maybe, I have been reading too much non-fiction!

Wow, Joyce!! You have made my enjoyment of this book even more intense. I can read it and say, I know someone who was acutally connected to this. You family history was completely fascinating! I know what you mean about reading too much non-fiction, but I think some of things Ms. Graham is about writing are true! I am thinking especially about the medical facilities and the state of medicine at that time, the naval situation, the way this war split the families and the nation,etc.

Please do read on,Joyce, as this really is supposed to be for fun, and this book is a lot of fun.

I agree with you, too, Florence. I want Romance novels to be a wild ride for my imagination- and I thoroughly enjoy them as an escape valve. I still want some historical facts, though, whether it is the dress, the customs, the battles, or whatever the scene. I found this extra interesting becuase I was new to this time frame. Thanks to Ms. Graham and to Joyce, I find I am really interested in this book and the period it is set in, and I want to read more on Florida and its history.

What did you think of Jerome's family? I understand that Angus and Teela are from a previous book, but do you think they were fully portrayed without reading Captive? I found them to be very warm towards all their children. I thought Jerome was off by himself simply because of his own choices, i.e. shipbuilding, etc. Somehow, I have a feeling that we will be seeing more McKenzies.

Oh, by the way. Did any of you catch last Sunday's Hallmark Hall of Fame? It was a wonderful story called The Love Letters and it was a time travel back to the Civil War. We sure are timely!!!!

Carole

I have finished reading "Surrender". I really didn't really want it to end either.

No, I didn't think James and Teela were portrayed fully in this book either. The first book on the McKenzie's were about them and their lives. The second book I believe was about Ian and Alaina. I too, think that this is not the end of the McKenzie's. There's Jerome's sisters, brother Dr. Brent, and now his baby sister Mary. This could go on for a long time, agreed?

I was fascinated with Ms.Graham's account with the medical account and how it tied in with the war. Jerome's life was fascinating too, as with other H. Graham's books, the hero is very athetlic, handsome and a real he-man. While Jerome's main interest was in ship building, I thought he spent a lot of time swimming. What about the time he litally forced Risa to the alter. Now, that was something!

I was elated too to hear Joyce's account and history of Florida. Good for her!

No, I did not see the TV show you mentioned Carole but wish I had.

Florence

Are there any LaVyrle Spencer fans in this group? Her latest book 'Small Town Girl' in now out in paperback. I picked one up at Sam's Club today. If you are not familiar with Ms. Spencer's books and like easy-read romances I recommend her 'Bittersweet' and 'Camden Summer'.

Aunt Addie

Aunt Addie! Welcome, welcome, and I know Carole will just be delighted you've joined this really nice group!! But listen, I just have to say I had an Aunt Addie, and seeing your name brought back so many wonderful memories!

Ginny

Hello, Aunt Addie, and welcome. I am sure glad you dropped by. No, I have not personally read any of LaVyrle Spencer's books, but I have heard that they are great!

I hope you will join us in our discussion of Heather Graham's Surrender and let us know what you think. Speaking of this book, I am in total agreement with Florence, there is a lot of room for more books about this family. It would be interesting to jump to the next generation again, and follow the history of this region as it enters the 20th century.

Also, everyone, we need to get our nominations for the March book going so that we can vote by next week. So far, I have heard good reviews of Kay Hooper, Rosamunde Pilcher, LaVyrle Spencer and Teresa Medeiros. So, lets chose a book so that we can order it from the library!!! My personal nomination will be Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. Any seconds??? But then, I have just finished a Teresa Medeiros book and LOVED it! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Carole

In the book "Surrender", was anyone surprised who the villian was? (Finn McCullough). I had my suspicions but was still surprised.

About the authors you mentioned Carole, I have read books by each one you mentioned. So it does not matter to me what is decided upon for March. Although I'm reading a good Historical now by Kat Martin.

But whatever - I just love to read, Florence

I finished. What a good story teller - the battles were so real almost like watching an enactment! I was a little surprised that Finn was the traitor but I kept wondering why she spent so much time developing his character not to have him return somewhere. What is the selection for March?

I too have finished the book and I enjoyed it very much. I was very surprised that Finn was the "bad guy".

I've just started reading "It Had To Be You" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Anyone read it?

I, too, was surprised that it was Finn. I really did not expect it, and thought it was a great twist. I agree with Joyce, the battles seemed so real, and the horror of them came through the book to me. I knew that the formula for Romances would get Risa and Jerome together, but this time I could see a good reason for her change of mind. I will say again that I am half in love with him myself. Ms. Graham really outdid any writer I know in her characterization of this hero. He was truly real, faults and all. I found Risa a bit too unbelievable at the start of the book, but she also grew into a very human character. I will definitely read more by Heather Graham. Thanks for suggesting her.

Ok, folks. Here are my two selections for March. Please give me your preference. If I don't hear from you all, I will just vote alone!!!

1) Dark Paradise, Tami Hoag 2) Coming Home, Rosamunde Pilcher.

These are both contemporary novels. #1 takes place in Montana and has a bit of suspense and mystery. #2 takes place in England during and after World War II and is a lovely story of love.

I'll let you know on Tuesday how the vote comes out.

Carole

P.S. Is anyone into magic? Teresa Medeiros has two adorable books that are loosely based on the Bewitched series that are absolutely too much fun!

I vote for Tami Hoag, Dark Paradise. Has it been published recently? I will have to locate it, maybe at the library or book store.

I have read some of Susan Elizabeth Phillips books, not the one you mentioned. But I did like her other novels though.

The book I just finished was very good, "Dangerous Passions" by Kat Martin, if anyone wants to read it.

OK folks, we are reading DARK PARADISE by Tami Hoag. This is a great book!!!! We'll start on March 1, so tell all your friends.

I have heard that Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a really good writer. We will have to get Rae to nominate one of her books for a future read.

I have really enjoyed our first month of reading together. Looks like we have a great thing going. Thanks to all of you who have taken time to participate and help get this discussion going. We should have some really good discussions next month!!!!!

Gotta run- see you later!!!!!

Carole

Ok, its time to start on this exciting book! This is a true thriller, with lots of discussion ideas.

I'll start off with the first one, so that those who haven't gotten the book yet will not have things spoiled for them.

Do you think Marilee was right to throw everying away and travel up to Montana expecting her friend to help her set her life straight? Was she, perhaps, asking for trouble? Did you suspect that things were not going to be as expected?

What is your impression of Eden? Do you think this might be a strange town? Do you think the title will be an appropriate name for this place?

How about J.D. Rafferty? Is he frightening or what? He would have made me turn around and go straight back to California.

Hope you all have this book now, and will be popping in with your ideas soon.

See you,

Well, how is the reading going? Has everyone gotten the book yet? I really enjoyed following Marilee up to Montana in search of the stereotyped peaceful small town escape from civilization, only to find that Hollywood had preceded her. What a shock. Nothing compared to the shock that awaits her in the cabin, though!!!!!

I also felt that J.D. Rafferty was going to be a formidable foe! He is very well described, though. He practically jumped off the page. Not your Marlboro Man, but definitely a mountain man.

Hope you are all deep into the book now, and will be telling us what your impressions are.

Carole

I finally got through to Amazon and ordered Dark Paradise. Some of the reviews are less than good. One was the question of whether this was a romance or mystery. It seems this is one of her older books written under the mystery genre if I read the review right. Other reviewers thought the romance-mystery mix was interesting. I shall see. I thought when I read our discussion leader's introduction that it sounded like an interesting mix and since I don't usually read mysteries either - not since Nancy Drew! - I will be pleasantly intertained just as I was with "Surrender."

This is indeed a mix of Romance and Mystery, but being a hard core mytery reader, I would rate this book a romance. There is a bit of skullduggery in it, and a whodunit ending, but the overlying theme is romance.

Carole

We are interrupting this discussion for a brief message:

KATHARINE GRAHAM'S FASCINATING BOOK "PERSONAL HISTORY" will be discussed starting April 20th. Get your book soon, reserve it at Library, or buy it. Best Buy has the paperback discounted at 35%. IT'S THE BEST BOOK YOU WILL EVER READ ON WATERGATE AND ONE WOMAN'S PLACE IN HISTORY!!

We will now resume our regularly scheduled program. Thank you.

One more "commercial", please....


MARCH MADNESS Comes to Books & Lit!


NCAA FINAL FOUR

Feeling Lucky? You might just win the May book selection,
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Deadline for all guesses is MIDNIGHT, March 27!


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Thanks!

Where is everybody! I am about half way through and nothing has happened yet. After the fast and dramatic beginning the author is busy developing characters - too many at one time for me - and writing description of the environment. However, I can't seem to get a picture - maybe I haven't seen that part of Montana, sounds like Rocky Mts and California to me. I find myself skipping description and rushing on to dialogue hoping something will happen. The murderer(?) seems to be lurking but that's all!

I have checked in now and then but stopped reading the book by Tami Hoag after the first 3 chapters. Too raunchy for me. And I have read a lot of historical romances that have some bad words in them but this takes the prize of all times. I will try to read the book recommended for April. Sorry,

No problem, Florence. We all have our own personal borders of what is acceptable. I think you will find the April very different, and enjoyable.

Joyce, I skipped some of the descriptions also, as I am not much of a description reader. You will find the action heating up as you go. I found the routine of the small town a bit lulling, and then everything started to happen at once.

I also found that I was drawn into the controversy of the environmentalists vs the Hollywood crowd. It began to appear to me that everyone had their own personal agenda, and that most of the "causes" were generated more by what that individual was seeking, rather than what was good for all. I also felt that this romance was different in that the whole story was more important than the romance. To me, the real thrust of the book was the impact we humans have on the people and the world around us - from Rafferty's poor Uncle and his history to the sycophants and worshippers in the movie crowd. Each character seemed to have someone that impacted him or her, with a neverending ripple effect.

Hang in there, it really gets moving toward the end!!!

I am hoping for some more ideas - I really can't pick all the books!!!

BFN, Carole

Hi Carole. Yes, it did get started up and then it was like wild horses - maybe intended by the author ? - Yes the story is more important than the romance. In fact, both of the love stories were quite predictible. The theme - outsider invasion plus tourists - reminded me of my teen years when a large army training base was built 6 miles from my house bringing 10,000 soldiers in every six weeks for basic training. We north Floridians usually experienced tourists in those days as just "passing through" on their way to Miami but these didn't pass through they stayed! While the hugh camp was being built, Camp Blanding, the tent city came of people looking for jobs - this was 1939-40 and the U.S. was still in the great depression. My mother told me these people were gypsies and would kidnap me and sell me into slavery. She told me later - I was 9 years old in 1939 - that she did this to keep me from letting them in if they came up to our house or going with them if they suggested that. Several hours after school I was at home after school with my younger sister and brothers in my care. In later years, I heard "old timers" say that the newcomers were like a swarm of locust to our community! Anyway, I really identified with harm to the environment and way of live of the books "natives." I didn't find anything really rauchey in the book language but then I have a tendency to skim these scenes too. I find most of the bodice ripping, kinkey sex follows the same formula anyway. As for the Rafferty uncle, really the solution for real help for him should have been done years before. In fact, his experience sounds more like Veterans Hospitals after WWI rather than Viet Nam. Many VA Hospitals were - still are - desperate for patients to keep them open and they would have had him doing the "Thorazine shuffle." I got into the action and sat up until 2 AM to finish. Was a little surprised at who turned out to be the murderer. I don't usually get the clues until someone points them out to me. I do think it would have been better written as a short story. Maybe it was when it began in the author's mind.

You have hit the nail on the head. I was really fascinated about your being an raised in an army town. That is exactly how the original settlers in the Montana town in this story must have felt. Glad to get the money and jobs, but resenting the newcomers. Actually, that is the story of all human migrations, large and small.

The uncle was a bit overdone in my opinion. I got the feeling that the author was trying to blame our entire nation for his "alienation", as if he was the metaphor for everything that was not home grown was contaminated.

I really did like the plot, though. I was totally absorbed, and didn't know where it was leading.

Well, we are now finished with this exciting book, and are on to a much kinder and gentler one, Rosehaven. I hope everyone likes this one, and has some interesting comments to make.

Carole

I read Rosehaven about a month ago, I am not an old prude it was an aful lot of bedroom scenes, I think I was almost blushing more than once, It was definately a love story but to much into the lovemaking bit. Possibly I am getting to old for that kinda stuff, Rosehaven when she finally got to it, played such a little part, Idid like her mother however, working in the garden with all those roses I think she got a raw deal for her one mistake.

Hi Marilyn!

I think that the "love scenes" are the price we have to pay for a good story. I just jump over those pages and get on with the story.

I agree with you about her mother. I don't want to give the story away for anyone, though. I, too, thought that Rosehaven did not play a big enough role in the story.

I thought that Hastings was one of the better heroines, as she wasn't a poor little shrinking violet, but she also wasn't your typical spoiled, headstrong fool. She did what she had to do, and made the best of it. Of course, I would have too with that husband (I think).

Did you find the time period interesting? I felt that Catherine Coulter did a great job in making it real to me.

How is everyone else doing? I miss you all!!!!

Carole

I am just getting started. I like this heroine. The period is interesting too. I am in the beginning - I like the fact that she is a healer. With that husband I will assume she will have to resist the temptation of poisoning him. Sounds like she needs to concoct a "love portion" for him. I love the martin and I assume there will be more about her horse. This man can't be all bad with such a pet, now can he?

Hi Carole! Please pardon this brief interruption...


It's time to start thinking of the next Great Book Selection! You are welcome (and encouraged) to register your preferences! Lots of ways to get into the discussion. For starters, just click this nifty graphic the banner-makers have created...

Joyce- I am glad to hear from you. I, too, thought that this hero must have been a softie underneath because of the way he takes care of that little martin.

This is pure Coulter - she leaves you stuck right in the middle. Most romances portray the poor little girl who is taken against her will by a powerful man and learns to love him. This is different, because you get to know the man, and find that he is really a "good" guy, with some really lovable characteristics. I guess that is why I liked this one so much.

I will be interested to see what you think of the situation at Rosehaven. Let me know when you get there.

See ya!!!!

Carole

Carole, I just got through reading "Rosehaven" for the second time. I read it previously over a year ago and I enjoyed it as much this time as I did the first. C.C. is another of my favorite authors, she keeps me spellbound each time. This book kept me smiling a lot because of the humor. Trist, the marten and the "healers" cat especially. I was surprised that the "healer" transformed herself into something of a beauty and found someone to love and to love her. Didn't you? Of course, I liked the heroine and hero, the hero did have some gentleness under all that brashness. C.C. has a new novel coming out soon maybe we can read it, I believe the title is "Target" I'm not sure. Enjoyed "Rosehaven" very much, Florence

I was disappointed when they got to Rose Haven - really, I expected at least a "Bluebeard closet!" I did get the feel for how dangerous it was to travel during the middle ages. It seemed a little unrealistic that the lord & lady would have a "private bath" with hot water, no less. And felacio during this time period - please! Hey, this is still considered an unnatural act and is against the law in many states in the U.S. and we are supposed to be the most sexually liberated people around except the Swedes. I am near the end but it could have ended sooner, I think.

Hi, Florence! I mised you. Glad you liked this book also, as I am a devoted fan of C.C. - even her modern ones. I truly loved this book as I felt that this wass Coulter at her best. Historical, beautiful, suspenseful and excellent characters. Yes, I also think we should read her again. Joyce, I beg to differwith your remark about Americans being sexually liberated. Because of our Puritan heritage, I personally think we are one of the most sexually repressed of the European-based societies. I have lived among the English expatriots through out the world, and they are known for their sexual liberation, from nudity to what we would judge promiscuity. The French, Italians, and all others don't even worry about sexuality or obsess over it as we do.I do agree though, that most males and females in that century were not into love and marriage, much less mutually enjoyable sex. I guess there must have been a few exceptions, though.

I, too, expected Rosehaven to be a den of horror, and was a little bit let down by the tranquillity of it all. I still have a problem with the fact that the father banished her for one little transgression. After all, he was total lord of his little kingdom, and no one could have said anything.

This was really an enjoyable book, with losts of humor, caring characters and accurate historical facts. I loved it!!!

Ok troops, get ready for Rosamund Pilcher. She is probably the most relaxing author I have ever read. I am a mystery fan, and Pilcher's books are a bit hard for me, because I keep waiting for the action or for "the other shoe to drop". I hope everyone likes this next selection, as it is really a beautiful book.

Carole

Carole,

I am going to try to join you on this one. I read it right after it came out. I love Rosamund Pilcher. I loved this book.

Joan

Hi Joan- Welcome!! I hope you will enjoy sharing your feelings about this story!!!

I have never read any of Rosamunde Pilcher's books, and I normally do not care for this type of book. Boy, was I surprised! I am totally absorbed by this story, and I find that I really care for the characters. I, too, had parents all over the world, and I, too, was sent to boarding school. I can totally relate to Judith and her feelings. The feeling of being all alone, combined with the need for deep and caring friendships that are formed in a boarding school are unique, and Ms. Pilcher details them so perfectly that it almost hurts to read them. England in the time before the War was in transition, and this book also brings that out very well.

What do you all feel about Judith and her parents. Did you find her mother very sympathetic? Was the decision to leave Judith behind a good and necessary decision? Did you find the father to be very cold and distant?

I feel that I have only scratched the surface of these characters, and I am interested to know how you related to them.

Carole

GLAD TO KNOW MORE PEOPLE ARE DISCOVERING ROSAMUNDE PILCHER'S WONDERFUL WRITINGS. I BOUGHT MY FIRST BOOK SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND THEN AS THEY CAME OUT I PURCHASED MORE.

I AM NOT ONE TO WRITE FAN LETTERS BUT I DID WRITE TO MS. PILCHER AFTER SEEING HER HOME IN VICTORIAN MAGAZINE A COUPLE YEARS AGO. A FEW MONTHS LATER, MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, I RECEIVED A MOST GRACIOUS LETTER FROM A VERY NICE LADY. I NOT ONLY LOVE HER GIFT OF WRITING, WAS SURPRISED HOW MUCH OUR TASTE IS ALIKE IN HOME DECOR.

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL OF HER BOOKS, I URGE YOU TO DO SO.

MARY

My son had read Rosamunde Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers when it came out, when he was in the Navy on board ship. He really liked it. I hope he was suitably impressed to find that his erudite mom had also read it! Pilcher has such a way as an author: you get to know the locality, what grows there, the individual people, the little villages, the weather, the smells of perfume & vases of flowers & all in the house, food, modes of transportation, and much more.

Judith’s situation was probably not unusual for pre-WW II England, with her father off to service, and her going to boarding school. I wondered at her mother Molly, being so indecisive and unsure and having anything new upsetting her, but this author does not draw perfect people, but very human ones. Loveday’s mother Diana in Molly’s situation would probably have been very different than what she is, and Molly in Diana’s situation (husband at home, capable servants, large house, more than enough money) might not even ever have had her weaker qualities exposed. Both mothers were good at expressing themselves, in relating to others.

Mary, Welcome - I hope you will join us for this discussion. I am impressed to know that she actually writes to her fans. What type of house does she have? I imagine it to be very gentile, with soft furnishings and filled with antiques. She is such a gentle writer, I would think that this is the way she really is in her real life.

Loma, I agree with you. In fact, I also came from a family that was posted overseas, but being American, I was dragged along. I did end up in boarding school also, but nothome in the US, but in Lebanon. I think you have nailed down what bothered me the most, and that is the fact that her mother was so helpless. I don't think Loveday's mother would have been helpless even without the trappings of wealth. One thing that Molly did do for her daughter, though, was leave her with good, caring relatives, and teach her strength ( out of necessity).

I found it interesting that Ms. Pilcher could evoke the loss and lonliness of wartime England without going into graphic details and dwelling on the horror of it all. To me, it was even more poignant to feel like I was experiencing it for myself. Judith helped out the war effort in all the ways that she could, and she lost much that was dear to her, but this was not presented in a tearjerker format, which made it all the more real to me. Her search for her family and the time she spent overseas were heartbreaking, but you felt that she was keeping strong by contributing all that she could to help others.

Iagree with you, Loma, when you say that this author can bring you the smells, textures, feelings, personalities and atmosphere better than most I have read. I am definitely going to have to read The Shell Seekers now. It was a bestseller, but I did not think I would like the author. How wrong I was!

What did you think of the romance that was ended by the war, and the love she eventually found? I was very devastated by the loss of her family, and was glad she had at least her sister to love. It didn't matter that she hadn't spent much time in the bosom of her family, but there were constant letters and gifts back and forth, and a lot of love for each other. To lose them was probablly very realistic, but I found it to be the most crushing of all her losses.

Do you think the ending was too unrealistic, or do you think this was something that was bound to happen?

Carole

Judith felt the absence of her own parents, but she was certainly fortunate to have the respect and friendship of three men important to her: her uncle Bob Sommerville, Biddy's husband; Colonel Carey-Lewis, Loveday's father; and Mr. Baines, trustee of her Aunt Louise's estate for Judith. Also of Miss Catto, headmistress of St. Ursula’s. While Judith was good looking, and had enough money, she seemed to have formed most of her close associations long before she was 20. Even Hugo Halley, the officer who she dated in Ceylon, seemed to sense this.

At the beginning of the book, Judith had asked for a cedarwood box with the Chinese lock from her father in Ceylon as a Christmas present. It was a beautiful box. Much was made of it, and it meant a lot to her. I see it as an indication of the connection between her and her absent father -- his finding an exceptional box for her, and it a physical reminder of the early years of her life in Ceylon. Yet, as the book progresses, unlike her early friendships, you do not hear of it.

I’ve read the whole book, but am not ready for the ending yet.

Hi Carole and Loma,

I wish that I had just read this book so that I could really join in the discussion but it has been so long since I read it that I anm just sitting here recalling it as you discuss it.

Loma your statment that that this author can bring you the smells, textures, feelings, personalities and atmosphere better than most ... is such a good description of Pilcher's writing.

Carole, You must read Shell Seekers. It is a wonderful book. I think that Coming Home is a wonderful book also. I also think that reason I like it so much is the fact that Pilcher,as you said, does let you experience wartime England yourself. She brings you right into the life of the main character and you experience it all.

I am enjoying this, as it is almost lie reading the book again.

Joan

We get a picture of the war somewhat different than what we experienced in the U.S. (those of us who remember it); it started so much earlier for England (September 1939), after so many disturbing events, and they were so much nearer to the problem. Two lines in the book seem very striking:

In May 1940, "The Germans had reached the Belgian coast, the English Channel was threatened, and so was the British Expeditionary Force somewhere in France; old men and boys were volunteering for local defence, and it seemed that the invasion could take place at any time." At that time Judith was buying the Dower House which would become her beloved home, and considering repairs and improvements. "It felt like being caught between two worlds, a secure yesterday and a potentially terrifying tomorrow, and for a moment she found herself in a state of confusion, uncertain which was the most real."

So many lives lost, sorely missed, Edward and Biddy & Bob's only son and Judith's father among them. How hard it was for England (and other countries) to recover after the war was over. Even rationing of clothing, gas, etc., continued for some time. It just seems like we were there along with Judith.

I am most definitely going to read The Shell Seekers!!! This wonderful book that we are reading has so many facets and textures, that even after reading it, this discussion brings up so many things that I sped right past. Joan, this book is one of the few that I can even contemplate reading again - and I HATE to reread books! I hope you have it available so that you can read along with us.

Loma, you bring so much to this discussion! You have zeroed in on parts that I did not consider important, yet they are really the very heart of the story. I did not pick up on the fact that everything in Judith's life that mattered to her happened before the age of 20. I actually find that rather sad. I have had so many enriching experiences since that time, and met so many fascinating people, I am rather thankful that I am not Judith. I cannot help but wonder why she did not continue to grow emotionally. She lost most of those near and dear to her in the war, but this should have opened her up to emotional growth. Do you think that this loss was why she was unable to reach out and beyond her childhood and teen years - when everything was still safe and predictible?

I found that reading this book was unbelievably restful. I was actually with Judith in her home, her school, at Nancherrow, but I did not get this feeling during her stay in Ceylon. I felt that the ending was a little too pat, but then, this is a romance!!!

I am rereading pages as we discuss this, and am finding so much joy and warmth in this book. I have almost forgotten that there are authors able to inspire these feelings.

Carole

Carole, you are right in thinking that Coming Home would be a good book to read again. On the whole it seems so natural, yet is complex.

Do you think one reason most of the people in her life she knew before she was 20 was her rather circumscribed location?

People who worked for them were individuals in their own right, and an important part of their lives and feeling of stability. For instance Phyllis at Molly's Riverview House, Lavinia's Isobel at the Dower House, Mr. and Mrs. Nettlebed and Mary Millway at Nancherrow.

And their houses! Some were so naturally cold! Yet one (was it the Dower House? I can't find the text again) had drafty windows - why hadn't they fixed that? And even when cold, wasn't it mentioned once that she had slept with the windows open? (One marvels that some fine pieces of furniture, china, oil paintings, etc, were kept for decades or centuries in houses that were at times cold or a little damp, yet when these same pieces go to a museum they must be kept in rigidly controlled temperature, humidity, and lighting.)

The Dower House "like all self-respecting gentlemen's residences built in the nineteenth century" had several outbuildings in back. A coach-house, now used as a garage. A tool-shed. A potting-shed. A store for coal and wood. An outside lavatory. A wash-house, part of which was used to store apples, potatoes and "buckets of preserved eggs", and handier sinks and a wringer between having been installed. Past the orchard, a Hut or playhouse. The washing was hung outside on clotheslines set in a patch of grass called the washing green. If the weather was bad, there was a rigging to hang the washing up near the ceiling of the kitchen. Quite a little estate, a part of their life.

Another thing noted was that the view from the house and/or yard was so important to them. Maybe all this creates a little mystique to us; may be one reason we enjoy English novels, because they create such a sense of place.

CAROLE...I have read, and own, all of Rosamunde Pilcher's books, and "The Shell Seekers" is my favorite, too. After you've read the book get the video of the movie, starring Angela Lansbury. It's very good! I also liked "September" very much. It has some of the same characters as Shell Seekers, and was also made into a movie, starring Jacqueline Bisset.

My son gave me a coffeetable-type book called "Rosamunde Pilcher's World", which has many beautiful pictures of...her world! Her garden, her home, etc. Lovely!

JOAN...like you, it's been a while since I read "Coming Home", so I think I'll take it off the shelf and do some rereading.

Katie, Carole and Loma,

I would really like to reread Coming Home too. I just haven't had the time. Sometimes when I want to re read a book I will get it translated into French and read it that way. I am going to look for Shell Seekers and Coming Home when I go to France next month.

I would love to have that coffee table book that you have, Katie. I am going to look for it.

Joan

Loma:

You bring up a good point about life before World War II. The final dissolution of the "servant class" and the loss of the Empire caused a catastrophic upheaval in English life. You mention the size of the homes, even the little dower house, and the many buildings. This was so understandable when you supported 5 to 10 servants. The furniture and furnishings could withstand the damp and cold, because they were so well taken care of by the servants. If we scrubbed and waxed everything every day, it would last forever also. Rosamund Pilcher lived through this disruption and brings this into her novel also.

I guess I am the only one who found the ending anticlimatic! I think it was all wrapped up in a Happy ending, with everyone finding their one true love, and thought this was not quite believable. What did you all think?

OK you guys! You have convinced me. How about we schedule Rosamund again for August? We can do the Shell Seekers or perhaps it would be more appropriate to do September in September. Give me some feedback on this. I am more than ready to read more of this excellent author, and to get the marvelous feedback from you all. This would give you a chance to pick up these books in France, Joan. When and where are you going? Do you go often? I have been in Paris only, and would love to see more of the countryside. Please tell us all about it when you get back.

This is our last week with this book, and I hope everyone has enjoyed the book and the discussion as much as I have. Thanks, all, for making this come alive!!

Carole

Everyone wound up with their true love, maybe due to some quality in Nancherrow and its owners. No one seemed to look farther.

But: (1) Loveday meets Gus THE VERY DAY it was finis with Walter. (2) Diana's explanation of the Loveday-Walter marriage did not hold water, to me. Diana had married a committed man, there was plenty of money, a large house, and servants. Loveday's marriage did not have these. (3) Jess wanting to go in to Saint Ursula's alone 'like Judith before her'. But her situation was not like Judith's. At first I thought Judith had told her mother not to come in with her to sort of hurt her, though it was not Molly's fault, for the coming separation. Judith said she wanted to keep her two lives separate, and that probably was it; her way of being able to cope, to turn from the family hearth and toward school. But Jess's situation was different. While she was capably adjusting, wouldn't you think she might like the few extra minutes of transition.

When Molly had left to rejoin Judith's father in Ceylon, Jess was 4. Judith looked on her as a baby and a nuisance, and she was not always patient with her. But on their actual leaving, Jess did not know what was going on and put up a fuss. Judith picked her up and comforted her with Jess's arms around her neck and her cheek pressed against hers. It seems at this point that Judith began to see Jess as an individual person in her own right.

Incidentally, regarding servants and work, didn't it say when the Nancherrow silver was put away for the war, that not having to polish it gave one servant many more hours in his day? Wow!

You have pointed out something very basic that I missed. England was and is very provincial, and people living in small towns often never leave them. It was always accepted to have all your social relations, including husbands, in your local area or your "set". That is why no one ever emotionally left, I guess. I still have a problem with the ending of this book. It was TOO pat.

Jess was a shadowy character and I am not sure why she was brought back into the book. How totally unbelievable that she survived the war, and that she had no major emotional problems from it. Is this the "stiff upper lip" syndrome, or just lack of interest in the character?

It was rather symbolic that Judith starts out her story meeting her husband to be and ends it with him. Almost like closing the circle.

I have really had fun discussing this book with you all. I hope you will get into the next one with us - it is totally different!

Carole

JOAN!! Welcome, welcome, what a delight to see you posting here, Carole will be thrilled! You have come to the right place, this club has wonderful discussions, and I see you are quite a reader, what a combination!!

Now, do plan to stay a while and post everywhere!!

Welcome,

Ginny

Joan, Welcome to all of the Books and Literature discussions. I will be looking forward to seeing your postings. Feel free to join in any and all discussions as we welcome all comments and participation.

To find out about recent books by any author, if you will click on the "Click To Buy The Book" above (you won't be buying the book by clicking on it, just getting to the Barnes and Noble site) and then click on the Search tab at the top if that site, then you can use the author's name and see current books in print including any new books. It is a handy way to keep up with it. Also, SeniorNet has recently entered into an arrangement where Barnes and Noble gives SeniorNet 7% of any sales that generate from people accessing their site from the SeniorNet site.

Larry

Hi again Joan. I see you made it to the site, as well as e-mail. As I said, I would like to schedule a Maeve Binchly book soon - do you have any suggestions?

We are not getting too much discussion on Kiss an Angel. Perhaps everyone is out on vacation, or just want to skip this book. We will be discussing Barbara Michael's book pretty soon, and maybe we can do Maeve in August.

Carole

We will start on Vanish with the Rose next Wednesday. I hope you enjoy Barbara Michael's unique blend of romance and suspense with a small dash of supernatural. This is an exciting and funny book, and we should have an exciting discussion.

Meanwhile, I gather from the lack of enthusiasm that this month's selection was not a rousing success!

Oh well, can't win them all!

See you soon,

Carole

This discussion is now closed and is a "read only" discussion. Thanks to everyone who participated. This discussion includes all of the books read in the Romance Book Club up to July 1, 1998.

Larry