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Starting
Over
Since the split of
her 18-year marriage, Liz Dewhurst has lived with her son, Alex,
and her father on their family farm on the east coast of Fife. The
farm is now burdened with debt - Liz wants to keep the farm but
her father feels it sensible to sell to a company who wants to make
the land into a golf course.
It seems a long time
since life was good for Liz Dewhurst. Her marriage to Gregor ended
six months earlier when she discovered he was having an affair. But
Liz and Gregor's family businesses were also intertwined. Growing
up on neighbouring farms on the east coast of Fife, it made perfect
sense to merge. The separation, however, has come at the worst possible
time. With business bad, the two farms are barely struggling to survive
on their own.
Then an extraordinary opportunity
arises. An American-financed consortium is looking to build a golf course,
and with Liz's and Gregor's land thinks it has found the ideal site.
Liz is torn: the money is tempting, but the farm has passed through
five generations of her family; is she really ready to give up that
history, and also help Gregor and his mistress?At
the same time, Liz's student son Alex suggests renting out a room to
raise some money. And the person she suggests, his German tutor Arthur
Kempler, is the man to change everything. Funny, charming, he hits it
off immediately with everyone. Indeed, if he were twenty-five years
younger, Liz would find him extremely attractive. Then Arthur goes on
holiday to Spain, and asks Liz to join him. And while over there, she
meets the last person either expected to see: Arthur's son . . .
UPFRONT - 'Pilcher has written one of those smart, charming stories that
leaves readers feeling content and very happy that they chose to
read it.'
Ireland on Sunday -
`Compulsive, sensitive and at times quite funny, one wonders why Pilcher didn't take up writing years ago'
"Well worth waiting
for. Another page-turner." Sissel M. Østdahl
I've just
finished reading Oceans Apart and Starting Over, one right
after the other. A Risk Worth Taking is definitely next, but the
risk I take in doing so is losing more sleep (due to reading
in bed) and not getting anything else done except read!!
I'd love to see
Oceans Apart as a full-length movie here in the States, and not
kept entirely in Europe! That's not fair.... My dream is to
someday visit Ireland and Scotland, the lands of some fairly
distant ancestors.
I'll look
forward to the release of your next book in 2007.
25
July 2006,
Joyce
Schwarzrock, Minnesota USA
I have just recently
discovered your books and it's the first time in a LONG time that I
haven't been able to put a book down. I only wish I had more than
four of your books to read. Thank you for those.
10 July 2007, Sheila
Anderson
Retired Lord Incheillich,
75-year-old patriarch of Glendurnich Distilleries, holds the family
company together as his son, David, mourns his wife's death. Sent
to the USA, David falls apart and takes a job as a handyman/gardener.
He meets a single mother and her son who help put him back together
David Corstorphine
is a man in despair. His young wife has died tragically from cancer
and he is devastated. Searching for relief from his memories, he
gives up working in the family business and takes it upon himself
to restore the rose garden of his ancestral home. His children and
his parents can only stand back and let him come to terms with the
loss, which they too share. By using the driving physical toil of
gardening he is able to lose himself.The
family-owned whisky distillery becomes the catalyst that moves him
from his secure routine back into the real world, and a business
meeting in the USA shocks him into making some decisions about the
rest of his life.His
rehabilitation begins when he gets a job as a handyman/gardener
to a single mother, Jennifer. He develops a rewarding relationship
with her and her son, Benji, which restores his faith in human nature.
Strengthened, he returns to Scotland and saves the family business
from the villains who were trying to take it over...
THE TIMES - 'Perfectly
constructed fairytale of loss and recovery...interesting family
romance'
MAIL ON SUNDAY - 'A
sensitive and compulsive novel...His mother should be proud'
WOMAN'S JOURNAL -
'Son of Rosamunde proves he, too, can spin a captivating yarn. This
is a total tearjerker'
WOMAN & HOME -
'An ideal read for a lazy winter weekend'
An excellent read,
I couldn't put it down!
22 May, 2000 (A reader from York, UK)
A brilliant story
particularly as it's his first! It's a book full of love,
sorrow, despair and happiness that leaves you wanting more. I didn't
want it to end and it felt like I'd lost old friends when it did.
I hope there's a sequel but if not I hope Robin publishes another
one soon.
I've just
finished reading Oceans Apart and Starting Over, one right
after the other. A Risk Worth Taking is definitely next, but the
risk I take in doing so is losing more sleep (due to reading
in bed) and not getting anything else done except read!!
I'd love to see
Oceans Apart as a full-length movie here in the States, and not
kept entirely in Europe! That's not fair.... My dream is to
someday visit Ireland and Scotland, the lands of some fairly
distant ancestors.
I'll look
forward to the release of your next book in 2007.
25
July 2006,
Joyce
Schwarzrock, Minnesota USA
I have just recently
discovered your books and it's the first time in a LONG time that I
haven't been able to put a book down. I only wish I had more than
four of your books to read. Thank you for those.
10 July 2007, Sheila
Anderson
Dan Porter thought he had his life
sorted: a high-flying job in the City, a beautiful wife and three
wonderful children. But when his struggling new firm makes him
redundant, Dan's life and his marriage begins to fall apart. But
then he sees as article in a magazine about Vagabonds, a small
company up for sale in Scotland with massive potential for
expansion. With his wife away on yet another business trip, Dan
casts fate to the wind and heads north. What he discovers isn't at
all what he expects, but it's certainly about to change his life ...
Dan Porter was a successful London
investment banker until the dot-com bubble burst. Now his portfolio's
crashed, he's lost his job, and his beautiful wife, Jackie, the
managing director of a design firm, is giving him the cold shoulder.
His son, Josh, has dropped out of college, and his daughters Millie
and Nina are miserable in the public school that dwindling assets
force them to attend. A fortuitous inquiry into the sale of a trendy
trousers factory in bleak Fort Williams, Scotland (sparked by an
article about owner Katie Trenchard, which Dan reads in Woman's
Weekly), leads to interim employment at Seascape, the prosperous prawn
sales business belonging to Katie's disabled husband, Patrick. As
Dan's getting drenched in Scotland, Jackie starts spending more time
with Stephen, the design firm's young financial director.
Scottish Daily
Record - `A beautiful and heart warming tale . . . written with
both style and sensitivity'
Woman's Day - An absorbing story'
I have just recently
discovered your books and it's the first time in a LONG time that I
haven't been able to put a book down. I only wish I had more than
four of your books to read. Thank you for those.
10 July 2007, Sheila
Anderson
Nice job!, June
14, 2006
By Rosalie Ciardullo (PHOENIX, AZ.)
"Once again, I enjoyed this novel by Robin Pilcher. I no longer
attempt to compare his writings with his mother's. He stands alone
and he's doing a splendid job. I have been a fan of Rosamunde
Pilcher for quite a while now having read every one of her novels
and enjoying them thoroughly."
Fantastic, 12
Sep 2005
Reviewer: A reader
"Yet another fabulous book by a fabulous author. Funny, interesting
and sometimes poignant this book is definitely worth taking a risk
on. Well done Mr P!"
Defintely risk
reading this one!, 9 Mar 2004
Reviewer: A reader
"A risk worth taking by Robin Pilcher is written so that the reader
will be hooked ~ reading it from the beginning to end, with the only
stops being for making another cup of something and a pee!
An interesting plot line using factual information but with the
usual feel-good factor as is common in Robin's other novels.
The writing makes it very easy to visualise the scenary and the
scenarios, with the characters becoming friends very quickly.
As a fan of Rosamund Pilcher, initially I was wary of Robin's
writing. Now I think that although you can see the family
similarity, he has moved her style of writing on a pace and added
his own identity and personality. His introduction of his
character's business dilemmas just adds to the interest and plot
lines.
If you like Rosamund Pilcher, Marcia Willets, Maeve Binchy and the
like - then you will love this!"
It's Edinburgh in
August. A group of people, drawn to the city for the forthcoming
Festival, meet for the first time, little knowing that the events of
this long hot summer , and the arrival of Angelique Pascal, a
talented and beautiful violinist, will throw their lives into
turmoil. Angelique Pascal is in Edinburgh to headline at the
Festival's finale and her fiery spirit is already making waves.
Tired of being controlled by her overbearing tutor, Albert,
Angelique finds herself yearning for a moment's respite from both
the constant touring and the restrictions of her celebrity status.
But when events take a sinister turn and Angelique must flee in
terror from all that she has known, she finds safety in the most
unexpected place. Starburst is the enthralling new novel from the
bestselling author of An Ocean Apart. Combining intrigue, passion
and suspense, this is storytelling of the highest quality.
The bustling
Edinburgh International Festival—an actual annual cultural event in
Scotland featuring a plethora of the arts—serves as the dynamic
backdrop for this nicely handled ensemble novel from Pilcher (A Risk
Worth Taking). The first 100 pages introduce a multitude of lead
characters, including renowned violinist Angelique Pascal, smalltown
comedienne Rene Brownlow, supposedly reformed criminal Thomas Keene,
retired cinematographer Leonard Hartson and others. Each has
something another needs — a paying job to offer, a room to let, a
shoulder to cry on. As their lives begin to intersect over the
course of the three-week festival, betrayal, new love, car chases
and attempts at artistic glory ensue.
Booklist
- Pilcher has created an ambitious cast of characters of different
ages and from all walks of life, and as their lives intersect and
mesh, he tells a beautiful and cohesive story about the human spirit
and our capacity for adaptation and growth. Patty Engelmann
Publishers Weekly
- Pilcher keeps the stage full of light and colour
A Gem of a Book!!!,
10 Sep 2007
| By |
Sissel M. Østdahl "smaureen"
(Norway) |
What a gem of a book! And how sad
that it's probably two years until next time!
Everybody who have seen Robin Pilcher as having not only inherited
his mother's (Rosamunde Pilcher) talent but also her writing
style, are in for a BIG surprise with this book.
"Starburst" is quite different from the author's other three
novels, and positively so. This book is a genuine Robin Pilcher
novel, written in a unique style of his own. The only thing
remaining from his mother being the name.
"Starburst" takes place in Edinburgh during the annual
international festival. We are following some very different
people/destinies during those three weeks in August, first
separately and then when they accidentally intertwine.
Robin Pilcher's knowledge of the various aspects of the festival
and the professional secrets behind the many kinds of art being
performed, as well as his insight into the human mind, whether
it's world famous violinist Angélique, retired cameraman Leonard,
comedienne cum housewife Rene or young car thief T.K. struggling
to go straight, is impressive. These people are made so alive they
literally walk out of the book.
I've got to especially mention "the two roses", Rene from "'hartlepool",
Yorkshire and Matti from Lancashire. I'm convinced their show at
the "Underbelly" is real, and would somebody please get me a
ticket for next year?
"Starburst" is warm, funny and beautifully written. Often I just
stopped and repeated sentences, enjoying the masterful use of the
English language. Rene's hilarious remarks in cockney, Angélique's
stilted English with charming bits of French thrown in, Leonard's
polite gentleman English and T.K.s badly twisting of his mother
tongue.
The description of the city of Edinburgh during the festival, from
classical concerts in famous concert halls to simple street
performances, is vivid. I have never been to Edinburgh - until
now!
The book is not without drama. It's not only a colourful tale of
partakers and events. Destinies are determined, lives changed
forever.
With "Starburst" Robin Pilcher has taken a huge step
forward in his authorship. A professional reviewer has written
"Why has this guy not started to write earlier?" Agreed. But how
glad I am that he finally did!
A book to read and read again!, 30 Aug 2007
| By |
Ronelle E. Nicholson
(CA) |
"After waiting for what seemed
like years, I devoured this latest book in one day. I tried to
make it last longer, but the characters and the setting called to
me like home baked chocolate chip cookies. Mr. Pilcher has
improved on perfection and I will find it hard to wait for his
next book-but I shall! Ronelle Nicholson"
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© 2007
Robin Pilcher, all rights reserved
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