Another View

Another View by Rosamunde Pilcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Gist

Back in the mid-90’s the German public television broadcasting channel ZDF began producing movies based on Pilcher’s stories, novels and short stories. Even before these began to air I was aware of Pilcher’s works, since my mom loved them.

So, in a sense I sort of grew up with Pilcher, yet I never read a book of hers until now. I remember a few years ago I attempted The Shell Seekers, I believe, but I had a lot on my plate back then and the sheer size of the book had me intimidated.

To ease myself into Pilcher’s writing I thought I might start small and maybe try and read something of her earlier publications.

The Details

Another View is shorter and rather descriptive and narrative oriented and does not have a lot of dialogue.

It takes the story quite a bit before it switches from describing the scenery, the characters and the situations before allowing the reader to get closer to the heart of the story, so to speak.

It very carefully kept the reader at arm’s length, yet never strung them along for too long to lose interest in the story.

I think that is part of Pilcher’s charm, plus her ability to describe the beautiful scenery that could make anyone long for a summer holiday in Cornwall.

The Verdict

Overall, I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It had an addictive quality to it that made me want to know what happens even after the last page.

It is too early for me to say, if Another View is a “typical” Pilcher story when it comes to characters and plot. Nonetheless I thought it was a refreshing little story that allowed me to do some armchair travelling.

I would recommend it.