Under Gemini

When I'm looking for a book that is comforting and cozy, I can always turn to Rosamunde Pilcher. Her stories are perfect for returning readers to a simpler time when family was all that mattered and desires of the heart were satisfied in due course. UNDER GEMINI, one of my favorites of her earlier and shorter novels, is based on a spur-of-the-moment deception in which one twin steps into a situation pretending to be the other twin. An aging matriarch, a sprawling Scottish mansion, and the extended household who welcome the impostor add both complication and charm to this enjoyable tale. Flora Waring never knew she had a twin until a chance meeting in a London restaurant reveals betrayal and family secrets. When twin Rose Schuster wants to dump her fiancé and head off to Greece with a new paramour, it is Flora who pretends to be Rose and plays the part of the happy fiancé. Doing the wrong thing for the right reason backfires on Flora and she finds herself trapped in a web of lies in the midst of a family she has come to love. Among the enchanting characters are: Tuppy, the bed-ridden matriarch; Isobel, the spinster daughter; Antony, the charming grandson; Anna, the betrayed wife; Brian, the philandering husband; and Dr. Hugh Kyle, the often morose widower who confuses and bemuses Flora's life. The truth simplifies everything and we can close the book reassured that happiness is attainable and a cup of tea is always in order.

I don't think that Rosamunde Pilcher could write a bad book, but this, one of her earliest, is one of her best. It has all the wonderful Pilcher elements: the stately old home gone slightly shabby; the wonderfully individual characters (in this case, in Scotland rather than Pilcher's often-used Cornwall venue); the stalwart hero/heroines bearing secret grief in silence.Our heroine, Flora, suddenly finds at age 22 that she has an identical twin from whom she was separated at birth. That twin, Rose, is everything that Flora is not--and does not wish to be. But before Flora can find this out, she is drawn into a ridiculous and dangerous scheme. She will impersonate Rose, who has jilted her perfectly nice fiance Antony, in front of Antony's dying grandmother, Tuppy.Thus begins a fraught journey to the aforementioned crumbling estate in Scotland, a love-at-first-sight meeting with the grandmother, and a week-long charade that brings Flora close to permanent disaster, and changes everyone around her. Of course the reader prays for a happy ending and a nice, bracing cup of hot tea.Simply a gem. If this is a Pilcher you have missed, give yourself a treat and curl up with it at the first opportunity.

Every family hides something, but Flora Waring discovered deception in hers. At 22 she learned she had an identical twin sister, Rose, who lived with the mother Flora didn't remember at all. And when Flora ended up impersonating the high-spirited, spoiled Rose, she would have to face how cruel lies can be. When she agreed to accompany Rose's fiance to meet his grandmother in a picturesque town on the Scottish coast, she would quickly fall in love with the lush green countryside, the Armstrong family, and a rare, wonderful man. But she would also confront Rose's shocking secrets and a betrayal that would break her heart.This was a great read as all of Pilcher's books are! I became very engrossed in this story.

Covers a week in the life of Flora, one of twins, each raised by one parent when they separated. Flora is 22 and returning to London from Cornwell where she has spent the last year with her Dad and his new wife. She accidently runs into her sister, rose and they discover their story. Their Mom is married to a rich man and rose takes Flora to the luxury apt. they have in London. Emter Anthony Armstrong who was engaged to Rose. His granny is dying and wants to see Anthony and Rose. He talks Flora into posing as Rose and go with him to his home in Scotland for the weekend. Rose and her Mom vacationed there when she was 17 and she had an affair who now wants to renew the relationship. Flora falls for someone else. This is an early Pilcher novel and not as wonderful as her later ones.

Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my favorite authors, along with Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee. Pilcher's world is that of the Scottish coast, with its slightly shabby and beloved stone homesteads, its unique and genuine characters, its Aga stoves, leashes hanging in the mud room, tennis racquets in the hall, and corner grocery stores whose owners keep track of the inhabitants of the village. And of course, sheep, grouse and liberal amounts of Scotch or restoring cups of tea. I would live in this world of Pilcher's if I could. She writes in visual pictures that help you place yourself there. Her plots are well-constructed and thought-out. In this novel, a twin stands in for her recently met twin sister who she finds out is a not very nice "gel" as they say. The characters of the bed-ridden grandmother matriarch, Tuppy, the lost, out-of-her-element Flora and the lonely, handsome Dr. Hugh Kyle are people you will want to spend time with. They are supported by a cast of characters, each total human beings with hopes, wishes and hang-ups. Just a lovely book. Thanks, Rosamunde for sharing your world with me through books! Your books always make me feel that there would be a room waiting for me were I to visit that world.