Reminded me alot of the books by Alexandra Raife, in both the descriptive setting each author uses as well as the relationship struggles between the characters.

Where Willet didn't fully satisfy me was in writing too much "filler". It prevented the story from being as tight as I would have preferred. Cutting out an unnecessary storyline  Phillip's and Selina's marital troubles  and taking out 50-75 pages would have, IMO, allowed the central story to sing.

I did enjoy the slight supernatural element, and of course Moorgate (the lonely house on the edge of the Devon/Cornwall border) was a place I could totally picture myself living in.

Being a nut for old houses, I couldn't resist this book, set partly in an old farmhouse called Moorgate at the edge of the Cornish moors. The house, and the descriptions of nature, were the highlights of this novel. Otherwise it was a little bland -- other reviewers have compared Marcia Willett to Rosamund Pilcher but I liked Pilcher's books far better. And although I always enjoy a good, long read, this book just seemed way too wordy. The big bonus was a happy ending.

Got this book totally by accident. I went to the library website to reserve the new Maeve Binchy (same title)and obviously didn't read what I clicked on too well. It turned out to be a nice accident. I enjoyed this cozy book and would have given it 4 stars if the characters had more than one dimension and the word "whilst" wasn't used on every page.

The blurb says it is a book for a cozy long weekend in front of a warm fire, or something like that. That it is.

Somewhere in England, nestled in the Cornwall area, an enchanting old farmhouse, called, Moorgate, stood dilapidated in disgraceful despair. Abandoned and sad, it was just a matter of time before the gracious old house gave up pretense and succumb to her destiny.

The Todhunters were the owners and for many years Moorgate was a place where the family spend happy summer holidays together. But then things suddenly changed and Moorgate was forgotten. Behind her walls a few secrets remained hidden.

The widow Maudie Todhunter, second wife of the deceased Hector Todhunter, ended up inheriting the old place, and that's where everything turned way south in the blended as well as extended family. Maudie needed money; Hunter's investment portfolio had vanished into thin air where nobody could find it; and everything else he ever owned went to his first wife and three children. So Maudie decided to sell Moorgate.

Apart from Hunter's three children from his first marriage, a plethora of buyers arrived on the scene. The contractor doing the restorations fell in love with the old grand dame himself as well.

It did not take long before old secrets, new bitterness and hidden revulsions spilled from the woodwork. It nearly destroyed the family. Anger and heartbreak had so many different faces.

The old Esse wood-burning stove was lit to prevent further damp and destruction; the orphaned dog, Polonius, had his side of the story to add, while keeping family relations moving forward.

At last Moorgate could lift up her head and welcome a brand new family. However, the last morsels of deceit, betrayal and truth had to be shaken out in the open, before the new beginnings could be painted onto the walls of Moorgate.

Maeve Binchy not only had a similar titled book, but also wrote in the same style as this author. Rosamund Pilcher captured the same kind of family sagas with a touch of mystery and wonder. A Week In Winter is indeed a cozy, heartwarming experience.

Without dodging the modern challenges surrounding blended families, the issues are handled with compassion and empathy. Sometimes we need to get back to this wholesome take on life.

I loved the experience.

This book was longer than it needed to be, and the story was contrived. But I didn’t dislike reading it, and especially enjoyed Polonius the dog, as well as the hints at the supernatural in the old farmhouse

A very finely woven story that was full of surprises. I'm not sure how this book came onto my radar as I'd never heard of this author before, but I'm so glad it did. Well-formed characters and vivid geographical details are the backbone of this story about love, family and all the "messy human bits" of both.

Now that I have given my first five-star read for the summer, I can't stop. A five-star book sometimes is one that just hits me right. Not necessarily because it is an amazing book, but because it was an amazing book at that moment for me. This book had an old country house on the edge of the moors in Cornwall, interesting characters, and England. All things that hit me just right.

A totally enjoyable slice-of-life story. The book centers around a house in Cornwall that the main character, Maude, decides to sell because she can use the money. Family relationships in present and past are woven around the story of the history of ownership of the farmhouse, Moorgate.

Always enjoy Marcia Willett. Interesting characters, cozy settings...

cute

Amor a primera vista+enfermedad mortal= si me lo dices antes claramente, ese tiempo que me hubiera ahorrado.
Dejando a un lado que no son lo mío las novelas románticas per se, y que ésta promete intimismo pero da más tono rosa que otra cosa, lo cierto es que para mi gusto esta novela exagera con los flechazos y el drama.
Menos mal que se deja leer y la cosa pasa pronto, porque al dos llega justita.

2.5 rounded up. I can’t say I hate it, but I didn’t really enjoy it either. It was far too contrived and I really didn’t care for for some of the aspects of the plot