A beautiful novel by the much-loved Rosamunde Pilcher.
Elfrida Phipps loves her new life in her pretty Hampshire village. She has a tiny cottage, her faithful dog Horace and the friendship of the neighbouring Blundells - particularly Oscar - to ensure that her days include companionship as well as independence. But an unforeseen tragedy upsets Elfrida's tranquillity: Oscar's wife and daughter are killed in a terrible car crash and he finds himself homeless when his stepchildren claim their dead mother's inheritance.
Oscar and Elfrida take refuge in a rambling house in Scotland which becomes a magnet for various waifs and strays who converge upon it, including an unhappy teenage girl. It could be a recipe for disaster. But somehow the Christmas season weaves its magical spell and for Elfrida and Oscar, in the evening of their lives, the winter solstice brings love and solace.
Read MoreEnchanting . . . bound to delight her many thousands of fans. - Daily ExpressPilcher's strength is knowing what she can do well and writing about what she knows. She has a way of tapping into the emotional life of her readers and making them care about characters not unlike themselves. - Daily TelegraphAn entrancing tale of middle-aged love, broken hearts and teenage angst - Daily ExpressRosamunde Pilcher's warm spell is charming and utterly convincing - Daily MailAs always, Pilcher is a sensible fairy godmother, bestowing happy endings upon the worthy and heartsick . . . [she has a] . . . remarkably evocative sense of place and watercolorist's eye for muted detail. - Kirkus ReviewUnashamed hymns to the virtues of domesticity, continuity and human warmth. And (they are) thundering good reads - LadyAnother dose of the kind of heartwarming, gentle fiction for which she is known and loved . . . like a big mug of cocoa in front of a blazing fire on a winter night - Press & Journal, AberdeenA gentle tale of everyday happenings to a set of well-drawn and believable characters - Peterborough Evening Telegraph