Retired actress Elfrida Phipps leaves the hurly-burly of London to enjoy a peaceful life in a small Hampshire village. She settles in well, and becomes good friends with a local couple, Oscar and Gloria Blundell, and their late-in-life young daughter, Francesca.Elfrida looks forward to a happy, tranquil life, content to live out her remaining years in this safe, secure place.

And then tragedy befalls Oscar, when his wife and child are killed in a terrible car crash. Griefstricken, and about to be evicted from his home by his stepsons to whom the house was willed by their mother, Oscar decides to flee to Sutherland, where he has part-ownership of a house. Half expecting a refusal, Oscar asks Elfrida to go with him, as a companion. She agrees, out of friendship and pity. They both feel they want to lock themselves away from the world, and settle into the Scottish village of Creagan.Christmas is approaching, but Oscar and Elfrida have decided that this year Christmas is cancelled.


Except it doesn’t quite work out that way. A young relative of Elfrida’s with nowhere to spend Christmas arrives, with her young niece in tow, and as Christmas gets nearer, the huge house fills with people. Despite themselves, Oscar and Elfrida find themselves slowly drawn into the festivities. A sense of Christmas spirit descends upon the house, and Oscar begins to come to terms with his grief. The friendship and trust he has with Elfrida, the comfort he derives from her presence, begins to turn into something deeper. But does Elfrida feel the same?


This is a warm, feel-good novel, which evokes memories of how Christmas used to be. The characters are hugely sympathetic, and by the end of the novel, you feel that they are friends of yours. Given the storyline - late blossoming love borne out of tragedy - "Winter Solstice" could have been mawkish and over-sentimental. It is actually neither of these. The characters are drawn so skilfu
lly and are shown with all their humanity and failings, that the book never descends into sickly sweetness. Yes, it is a romantic novel, but it is not a soppy one. I am a fan of Rosamunde Pilcher and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed “Winter Solstice.” If you are looking for a book to curl up with in front of the fire this winter, this is it.