A Risk Worth Taking

This is my first Robin Pilcher book and I am not disappointed. I am a huge fan of his mother Rosamunde Pilcher so I decided to try one of his books. Very enjoyable. I was taken in by the characters immediately. Will get more of his books.

I have never read a dreadful Pilcher book by either mother or son but some are better than others. Robin does not write as well as his mother but his books stand on their own. This is a nice read I would recommend to others. It is not the best of the bunch but I am glad I bought and read it.

I took a risk on reading a new book by a new Author I have not had the pleasure of reading and let me say; it was a risk worth taking. I will be purshasing more Robin Pilcher books. It doesnt hurt that his Mum is one of my favorites.

Many changes in life take time, they are slow and the person involved usually does not realize what is happening until it has been going on for a while. This book faces changes in a few lives, including Dans, at a slow real time pace. This novel does not have a quick, to- the-point plot, but instead it is a story of daily normal domestic (some very humorous) situations lived by interesting characters going through changes in their lives and lifestyles and how these changes are molded by the decisions made in the course of the story. I did like this book a lot, I believe all of the characters are interesting and all of the secondary characters could have been a tad more enticing if their personalities had been developed a touch more. Nevertheless, what I loved the most is that while reading this book, I was permanently reminded of Fort William and I was amazed of how well the author has caught the daily rhythm of life of a Scottish highlands town. For me, it was like being there.

Like others, I have read many Rosamunde Pilcher books and that certainly brought me to Robin Pilcher. But, no need to compare ... This is my second after An Ocean Apart and I loved both. I love the characters and the dogs!! The characters all have their stories as do we all and I enjoy that there is some background on all that comes through the telling of the main story. The thing that I think IS in common with both Pilchers writing is that even the characters that are bad have some likeable qualities and we are given enough info to have some understanding of their flaws. This book - like Oceans Apart - I was not ready for it to end. Oh, I also love the Scotland setting. And I guess the other commonality is that I will re-read these as I re-read Rosamundes books.

NOT very believable. The problems Dan and family faced do not fix themselves just by wishful thinking as Pilcher would have us believe. A lay-about Dad goes to remote Scotland and finds himself within days; his lay-about son follows Dad and finds himself within days; two spoiled-brat teenage daughters go to visit Dad and brother and find themselves within HOURS. Poor wifie-Jackie--stays home and loses herself. Only a total misogynist could create a woman as shallow and unredeeming as that. The best and only redeeming feature of the book was listening to the audio-CD versions wonderful Scottish accent of the narrator.

I enjoyed the audio book [full-text]. The writing was clear and interesting, and most of the characters likable and their motives believable. The outcome was satisfying, with a hint of something even better. Did Dan take the risk referred to or did Patrick? My answer may not be yours.

I really enjoyed this book of second chances. First the father got reinvigorated by a change of scene, then the son and finally the daughters got to see that things other than material things mattered. And maybe Im mistaken, but I seem to recall reading the story of the young couple who bought the clothing business. Id appreciate any help locating it.

This book was awful. First of all, it took just about half the book to get to the real plot. (It followed a couple other potential plot threads first before the author settled on one.) Once the plot was settled on, the ending was easy to determine. No need to read the rest of the book. I wont be reading another one by this author.

Well, I struggled through this one, putting it down several times for a week or more at a time. The biggest problem with this book? The characters engage in pages-long soliloquies in order to fill in the story. I know it worked for Shakespeare, but it just isnt working here. If I ever engaged in a conversation where the other person was giving me five-minute speeches like this I would go to sleep, or go hang myself. The next biggest problem? Very sterotypical & flat characters. The wife is your stereotypical angry witch-wife. The protagonist is your stereotypical good-guy-trying-to-deal-with-angry-witch-wife. No story or relationship is that simple. It would have been much more interesting to read if these main characters had been realistic, or had realistic interactions. Neither one of the main characters inspires your pity or your interest. What is interesting about reading about a dysfunctional family & crumbling marriage -- all of which is failing because of two completely selfish & self-serving people? They cant even be bothered to take proper care of their children. This sort of family tragedy is all too common & isnt appealing when it is glorified as just a life choice & portrayed so unrealistically in its affects on the people involved. I was also appalled that the character was so moved by the events of 9/11 that he felt inspired to abandon his marriage & family, and that this is portrayed as perfectly reasonable & good behavior--all while remaining extremely critical of his wife for doing the same thing. This book was hard to read because of its long, unrealistic character speeches, its unrealistic characters acting like stereotypes. And the ending is just disappointing & makes me feel a bit pessimistic about the whole human condition.