September

September, by the beloved author of The Shell Seekers Rosamunde Pilcher, is another book in a long line by this author which most readers will enjoy thoroughly. Set in Scotland, this book focuses on several people gathering together to celebrate the 21st birthday of a local girl. While firmly set in the present through the use of flashbacks, we come to know these people and the events which bring them to this point in time. Among the various people gathering members and friends of two well known families of the village. Archie Balmerino is a major landowner of the area who is a Lord rather down on his income. During a military exercise he suffered a tragedy which has altered his chance for a livelihood once he left the military as well as leaving him emotionally fragile. Isobel his loving wife hosts tourist families during the season at their stately home while their daughter travels the continent trying to find a place for herself. And then there is Pandora, Archie's sister who left the family home at 18, and is only now returning after 20 years to be with family and friends before it is too late.The Aird family includes Violet, the 78 year old matriarch of the family and a woman reminiscent of Penelope Keeling from The Shell Seekers. Her prosperous son Edmund is married to his second wife Virginia although he has a secret he never shared with her which is now threatening to undo them. Alexa is Edmund's daughter from his first marriage who now finds happiness with an older man and Henry the progeny of the Airds second marriage is about to leave for boarding school at the tender age of 8 which upsets Virginia greatly. And seeing over this family is Edie who as Mrs. Aird's housekeeper cares for all of them as if they were her own. Added to this cast of characters are several others including Noel Keeling who readers of The Shell Seekers, will remember as Penelope Keeling's son.While preparations are made for the party during the summer months and then during the party in September, we learn about these people as if they were our friends and are also treated to vivid descriptions of the wonderful countryside of Scotland, the homes these people occupy and their lifestyles both past and present. What awaits readers is seeing how these characters sort out their lives as the book ends with a startling and unanticipated conclusion.September is the 13th book I've read by Rosamunde Pilcher and I am still as excited and enthusiastic about her books as when I read her first book in 1988. As this author has idonea in the opts, she envelops her readers in her world of people and places through wonderful characterizations and a love for the area where her book take place. While The Shell Seekers remains my all time favorite book by Ms. Pilcher and also one of my top ten all time reads, September takes it's rightful place along with The Shell Seekers as one of Ms. Pilcher's best books in my opinion.I do hope you will enjoy this author as much as I

September is the first book I have read by Rosamunde Pilcher, but I have to say, it will not be last! The families in this book are so mysterious and with such rich histories. Reading this book almost reminded me of watching an episode of Dynasty! I was not aware that "The Shell Seekers" was a prequel to this novel, and I have no problem following the story line. Pilcher'd descriptions of Scotland were breathtaking. You feel as if you are there with the characters, in the Highlands. She is fantastic author and I can't wait to get a hold of her other novels!

Like so many other readers, after the events of 9/11, I had a hard time latching on to a book that would hold my interest. At first I thought something in the mystery/thriller genre would do the trick although I made sure I stayed clear of anything spy or terrorist related. Finding no solace in that genre, I turned to an author who has never disappointed me and picked up Pilcher's book September, which had been sitting on my shelves for quite some time. This book called to me as the title was apropos for the month in which I chose to read it.The setting is vintage Pilcher in a small town in Scotland called Strathcroy and right away I'm feeling pleasantly calm. All the residents are gearing up for the 21st birthday "dance" for Katy Steynton and I'm wishing my own invitation would arrive in the mail. The idea for the dance is hatched in May and the book will follow the next three months that will eventually lead up to September and the gala event. As with most Pilcher books, there is the presiding matriarch of the family and, in this case, it's Violet Aird. Everything about her is reminding me of my own grandmother so I'm in heaven at this point.Every character in a Pilcher book is colorful and familiar - either like people you know or people you want to know. This book is no exception as it is filled with housekeepers and grandchildren and estate lords and extended family members and, of course, one resident troublemaker who will keep everyone on guard. This author is known for happy endings and, while some are heartrending, the feeling of hope and goodness is present on each page. By the time everyone arrives at the dance on that September eve, you feel as if you've played a big part in planning the festivities. Naturally the book follows the course of more than just planning for the party and it is chock full of twists and turns and the usual surprises as only this delightful author can write them. As in all Pilcher books, the potential for disaster always exists as she gathers all the players together in what can either result in devastating emotional turmoil or incomparable happiness. You'll have to go to the dance to find out what happens!So as the events of the real life September came to a close, my spirits were raised and my hopes for humanity broadened all because I went to "Dr. Pilcher." Give her a try whether you're down and out or on top of the world - she serves it up right no matter what the ailment. As the famous song goes, "It's a long, long time, From May to December, But the days grow short, When you reach September." We'll never forget September of the year 2001 and I'll never forget this book for helping me through that fateful month.

I'm an avid reader and this is, without a doubt, my favorite book of all time by my favorite author of all time. At the heart of "September" is Noel Keeling, a man sorely self-absorbed and with a life in disarray after a bitter fight with his mother and her subsequent death in "The Shell Seekers." Noel is drawn into the life of London caterer Alexa Aird, whose family and their good friends, the Balmerinos, are the pivotal families in this rich tale of love, betrayal, loss, despair, and redemption on the moors of Scotland. You will meet Violet Aird, the aging matriarch rich in compassion yet fretful as she watches her son Edmund and his second wife Virginia grow apart over a disagreement concerning their son. When a former lover reenters Virginia's life, their son Henry disappears from boarding school, and a pathetic madwoman begins to dredge up the past, there is plenty to worry about. Add to the mix their good friends Archie and Isobel Balmerino, the lord and lady rich in titles but so short on cash they must open their family home to visiting American tourists. Their daughter Lucilla, a free-spirit who has been traveling through Europe with her Austrailian boyfriend, returns home with a most surprising guest in tow---Archie's sister Pandora who left twenty years ago over whispered-about circumstances and whose return changes lives forever.This is another trip into the world of Rosamunde Pilcher, one rich in family ties, unsurpassed local color of her beloved Scotland, and characters that will long be in your memory. If you're looking for an engrossing book to curl up with, one you will be hard-put to set aside, this is the book for you.

Pilcher does a masterful job at extending several key characters from "The Shell Seekers" into this lovely book. While each story can stand alone, start with "The Shell Seekers" and move onto this. The character of Noel is one I find so interesting and believeable- rather callous and self-absorbed in "The Shell Seekers" and then growing and learning to understand and appreciate the world his mother created for him in "September". Noel has a love interest in this book that starts in a most unlikely manner, but is richly satisfying as the book goes on. I won't give away the story, but even though the book is richly populated with Pilcher's usual lovable if eccentric folk, the emotional journey of Noel Keeling is at the heart of "September".An unlikely hero, the changes we see in Noel gives us hope for ourselves and those we care about deeply.