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Summary
Summary
It seems a long time since life was good for Liz Dewhurst. Her happy marriage to Gregor ended six months ago when she discovered he had been having an affair with another local woman for two years. But if that wasn't enough, Liz and Gregor's family businesses were also intertwined. Growing up on neighboring farms on the East coast of Fife, an area blessed with rich soil and beautiful, unspoiled landscapes, the marriage made it perfect sense to merge. The separation, however, has come at theworse 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 think they have found the ideal site for the best new links course in Britain. Liz is torn: the money is tempting, and she knows that by turning the scheme down she will face the wrath of the local community. On the other hand, the farm has passed through five generations of her family; is she really ready to give up that history, a move that will alsohelp Gregor and his mistress?At the same time Liz's son Alex, a student at nearby St Andrews University, suggests renting a room out to raise some money. And the person he suggests, his German tutor Arthur Kempler, is the man to change everything. Funny, charming, he hits it off immediately with both Liz and Alex's grandfather. 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. Once over there, she meets the last person either expected to see: Arthur's son . . .In Robin Pilcher, readers will discover a fresh new voice in fiction. With a deft touch and an uncanny sense of the human heart, Robin Pilcher, after a promising start with his first novel, is now a proven master of the genre.
Author Notes
Robin Pilcher was born on August 10, 1950 in Dundee, Scotland. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked as a cowboy, an assistant film cameraman, a farmer, a public relations and marketing consultant and a tennis coach. His books include An Ocean Apart (1999), Starting Over (2002), A Risk Worth Taking (2004), and Starburst (2008).
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Pilcher's sophomore and sophomoric effort (after his New York Times bestselling An Ocean Apart) is all about second chances: second chances for romance, of course, but also for loving relationships between fathers and sons. The central soap revolves around Liz Dewhurst, now living on the family farm in the Scottish coastal village of Fife, following the bustup of her 18-year marriage. Potential love interests include an older Canadian professor who becomes her boarder, his estranged son, and Gregor, Liz's adulterous ex, who's always hovering around the sidelines. Meanwhile, the future of the farm is in question, with developers threatening to build a golf course in its place. Clunky storytelling, unlikely dialogue from characters who speechify rather than speak ("You can't change destiny, lass. You can't get your pebble back once you've thrown it") and a lack of tension are prime culprits in leaching the pleasure from a book presented as the novelistic equivalent of easy-listening music. Gregor is the closest thing to a villain here, but even he is a decent sort at heart. Furthermore, American readers may find it hard to credence American characters made to say things like, "I was just being bloody-minded." Although the last line of the book suggests otherwise ("Life does have a funny way of throwing up the least-expected things"), there's nothing unexpected here. (Jan.) Forecast: The same readers who made An Ocean Apart a bestseller (especially fans of Rosamunde Pilcher, the author's mother) may do so again. Judging by the 100,000-copy first printing, national advertising campaign and author tour, St. Martin's expects so. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Silly soap opera from the author of An Ocean Apart (1999). Hunky husband Gregor leaves devoted wife Liz for a "wee blonde-haired bombshell" in a tight pink sweater, and Liz retreats to her father's farm on the island of Fife to think things over. Nathaniel Craig, lonely after his wife's death, welcomes his middle-aged daughter back. The crux of the story: Nathaniel's grandson Alex has plans to convert the family land into a golf course, even though they've farmed it for over a hundred and fifty years. Liz has her doubts, while Nathaniel would just as soon sell, provided he can continue to live in the farmhouse. Then Liz finds herself attracted to a boarder supplied by her matchmaking father and even goes so far as to comb her hair in a more becoming fashion.. Arthur Kempler is a professor of German, and too old to want sex, but he does desire female companionship and invites lovelorn Liz to Seville, where the two take in the local color. Plans for the golf course are taking shape when Nathaniel meets a new woman: 60-ish Roberta (Bobby) Bayliss, Australian daughter of a Scotland-born tycoon. Bobby is a no-nonsense type and one hell of a golfer. After falling in love in a matter-of-fact way with old Nathaniel, she decides to use the vast fortune her father left her to create the best new links in Britain. Liz returns home with a great tan and blond highlights, only to hear that Gregor has been badly burned in a car accident and that he's had enough of his wee bombshell, having caught her flirting with another man in a local pub. Can Liz ever forgive him? Take him back? These and other questions are resolved in a ho-hum denouement that will surprise no one. Stilted style, lots of expository dialogue, and an utterly predictable plot, from the son of Rosamunde. First printing of 100,000; Literary Guild selection; author tour
Booklist Review
Pilcher has definitely inherited his mother's talent (she's best-selling novelist Rosamunde Pilcher), and his second novel should prove that he isn't riding on her coattails. His characters are ordinary people enriched by his quiet rendering of their lives in a tale of few fireworks but lots of emotion. At 38 Liz Dewhurst's life changes dramatically from the placidity of being a farm wife in the small Scottish town of Balmuir. She leaves her husband because he's been cheating on her; her mother dies; and her father's farm is almost bankrupt. The farm would make a wonderful natural golf course, although Liz and her father, a fifth-generation farmer, find it hard to envision the land so used. The other problem is Liz's husband. He wants the course built, but Liz is very reluctant to talk to him and his current amour. Just to complicate matters, Liz takes in a handsome older boarder, her son's professor at Saint Andrew's University. His presence enlivens the household and starts Liz thinking about her future and what she has missed. Pilcher has written one of those smart, charming stories that leaves readers feeling content and very happy that they chose to read it. --Patricia Engelmann
Library Journal Review
The family farm is about to go under, but at least divorcee Liz has an attractive older man as a boarder. With a charming Scottish setting, of course. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.