WINTER SOLSTICE

Settle down with a cup of tea (or something stronger) on a snowy winter night to enjoy an endearing and poignant novel about loss and the healing power of love. Elfrida Phipps loves her new life in her pretty Hampshire village in her tiny cottage. She has her faithful dog Horace and the friendship of the neighbouring Blundells, particularly Oscar, to ensure that her days are filled with companionship as well as independence. But an unforeseen tragedy upsets her tranquillity - Oscar's wife and daughter are killed in a terrible car crash, and he finds himself homeless when his stepchildren claim their dead mother's inheritance. Oscar and Elfrida take refuge in a rambling house in Scotland which becomes a magnet for various waifs and strays including an unhappy teenage girl. It could be a recipe for disaster, but somehow the Christmas season weaves its magic, and the winter solstice brings love and solace. The novel shows that log fires and the warmth of friends can thaw the coldest heart, and as the bells peal out for the midnight service, they ring in a very magical Christmas. Charming and utterly convincing this is a beautiful and haunting story by the beloved novelist. Published 2000 and here reissued in paperback with a stunning new jacket. 698pp in chunky paperback.