Summer reads are always top on my list for vacation plans.
Sure, it is great to visit the heritage sites, travel to the shores of lake and ocean; but, there is something special about settling down in a comfortable spot with a cool drink and an interesting book.
Fiction writers have a knack for taking us to haunting locations, introducing us to memorable characters facing conflicts in the now and then. Authors, Susanna Kearsley and Rosamunde Pilcher have a particular talent for this.
Kearsley, takes the route of historical romance in The Winter Sea and The Rose Garden. From page one in her books, she invites the reader to journey with present-day characters who somehow have a connection to the past. No spoilers here but, if you like stories that have a time element to them, you will not be disappointed. You will, also, grasp the historical settings in myriad details included by Kearsley who was nominated for the 2009 RITA awards plus a more recent win of the 2010 Readers' Choice Historical Fiction Award.
Both Kearsley books take the reader to British settings in the present and past. The Winter Sea delves into Scottish history in the Eighteenth Century with its political turmoil connecting to the present in Kearsley's romantic fiction. In The Rose Garden, the American main character Eva is drawn to Cornwall for reasons explained in the story. The magic of Cornwall comes through in this novel, definitely a great respite on a rainy day!
My third recommendation is a novel from the 80s, award winning Rosamunde Pilcher's book The Shell Seekers. This best-selling novel is, also, a captivating read from start to finish as it traces the story of Penelope Keeling and her family through 20th century decades of troubled war-time years, summer days at the beach, a Greek island, Scotland's Edinburgh and Penelope's own country cottage in a small British village.
Pilcher's portrayal of Penelope's youth, as an only child growing up with a talented artist father and loving beautiful mother are intertwined with segments of Penelope's own marriage and lives of her grown up children. This novel has been translated into a movie version,starring Angela Lansbury; however, if you want to savour the whole story, read this book.
By the way, upon rereading The Shell Seekers, it has stood the test of time! You may even want to check out Rosamunde Pilcher's other novels and short stories.
These works of fiction by Susanna Kearsley and Rosamunde Pilcher are definitely the type of books you want to add to your vacation supplies. They will provide a great get-a-way to be sure!
Patricia Anne McGoldrick is a poet, writer, and freelance reviewer.
Author website: http://www.patricia-anne-mcgoldrick.com/
Blog: http://pmpoetwriter.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment