Starting over

Author: Robin Pilcher
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0312269951
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (January, 2002)
Sales Rank: 145,515
Average Customer Rating: 3.38 out of 5

Customer Reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5
SURPRISES SPICED WITH ROMANCE
Aptly titled, the story is all about beginning again. Now living on her family's farm in a small Scottish town, 38-year-old Liz Dewhurst is reeling from the disintegration of her marriage. But not to worry, a broken heart may be mended when Liz takes in a boarder - a handsome older man, Arthur Kempler, a professor at her son's school.

True to the Pilcher program (which the author's mother novelist Rosamunde Pilcher mines so successfully) complications develop. The farm is on the verge of bankruptcy; developers want to turn it into a posh golf course. This is a fate that Liz's father, a fifth generation farmer, cannot countenance. The betraying Gregor, Liz's ex husband, with his filly of the moment in tow shows up to lobby for the golf course as he owns adjoining property.

What conundrums - if Liz turns down the tempting financial offer town folk will be unhappy as they perceive the golf course to be an asset. However, if she accepts it, she will be helping Gregor and his new lady friend.

When Arthur invites Liz to join him on holiday in Spain, she accepts. There is much more than the Prado in Spain as the pair soon discover when they meet someone that neither of them expected to see.

Surprises spiced with romance make "Starting Over" entertaining listening.


Rating: 4 out of 5
Second chances
Liz Dewhurst feels as if her world is falling apart. Her husband has left her for another woman, her mother has died, and the farm which has been in her family for 150 years is being threatened with foreclosure. Her son Alex is estranged from his father and feels a keen responsibility for his mother and widowed grandfather. A developer appears and proposes to create a golf course on the property belonging to Liz and her ex-husband. Liz is opposed to this, but financially it seems to be the only solution to her problems. Alex tries to help by bringing his German teacher, Arthur, home as a boarder. Although Liz and her father are not too pleased by this arrangement at first, they soon grow fond of their new boarder.
Arthur is estranged from his son due to past indiscretions
and needs a travel companion to replace the son who refuses to go with his wayward father. Liz is persuaded to go, and she embarks on a voyage of self-discovery as well as investigating a new culture. Pilcher makes some statements about love and loyalty which are important although some may disagree with him. This is a pleasant read with a gentle message.


Rating: 3 out of 5
It Could Have Been Better-Too Many Holes and Bad End!
This book was just okay. It could have been better and more well developed in some areas.

Liz Dewhurst's happy marriage ended when she dicovered her husband Gregor having an affair with another local woman for two years. To add more problems, Liz and Gregor's family businesses were intertwined. Growing up on neighboring farms on the east coast of Fife, an area blessed with rich soil, and beautiful unspoiled landscapes, they decided to merge the farms upon their marriage. The separation however, came at a really bad time, when these farms were struggling to survive.

Then when an opportunity arises to sell the land, and make it into a golf course, Liz is torn. The money is tempting, and she knows that by turning the scheme down she will face the wrath of the local community. On the other hand, the farm has passed through five generations of her family.

At the same time, Liz's son, Alex, a student at nearby St. Andrews University, suggests renting a room out to raise some money. And the person he suggests, is his German tutor, Arthur Kempler. Arthur turns out to be the man to change everything.



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