I really enjoyed this charming book!! This author is new to me, but I will definitely be reading more from her. I really loved many of the characters in this story, although I could have very much done without Selina. It was nice to see her make a slight bit of improvement by the end. I loved the intertwining of the characters, especially Posy and Melissa.

very much a comfort read. like curling up in a knitted blanket with hot chocolate.
fairly predictable (though there are a couple twists I didn't anticipate).

Well-written but not very weighty.

It wasn't a bad story, but I believe the book was way longer than it needed to be. The author dragged out the story so long that I was beginning to wonder why she titled the book as she did. It was a nice story though.

Maudie Todhunter, Hector’s second wife, is recently widowed and has decided to sell Moorgate, the family’s holiday home, for much-needed funds. Her step daughter, Selina, has always hated Maudie through jealousy and her need to always come first. She has never forgiven Maudie for ‘taking her mother’s place’ and is obsessed with the need to possess, whether it’s people or things. Her continued hostility and bitterness eventually takes its toll on her long-suffering family. Selina’s daughter, Posy, and Maudie have formed a strong bond and are very close, adding to Selina’s bitterness and dissatisfaction with what she sees as a personal slight.

Maudie is straightforward and down to earth but has struggled with a festering resentment of everyone telling how perfect Hector’s first wife, Hilda, had been. The perfect mother, wife, cook, friend, so much so she had done her best to make herself the total opposite of Hilda. Hilda’s erstwhile best friend, Daphne, proved to be Maudie’s salvation and their liking for each other grew into a very close, lifelong bond.

Rob Abbot, after giving up his engineering job in London and moving to Cornwall, is renovating Moorgate and has fallen in love with the house but when Melissa Clayton comes to stay in the area, for a week during the winter, to view the property Rob finds his priorities changing, along with both their lives. Things will never be the same again for Rob. Neither Rob nor Melissa could have foreseen the effect Moorgate, or each other, would have.

The author has an unpretentious writing style and the book is peopled with mostly likeable and realistic characters, the narrative is from various perspectives which works well within the framework of the story. The descriptions of Cornwall’s beautiful scenery, Bodmin Moor and the farmhouse are enchanting and give a real sense of place. I was hooked into the story again quite quickly.

A tangle of human emotions runs throughout – love, guilt, loss and forgiveness, all the stuff of extended family dynamics, with a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Past secrets to be uncovered and a hint of the supernatural.

Now and again an author will move me to tears and, ok maybe it’s a little indulgent, but occasionally a sentimental book, or movie, a glass of wine and a tissue or two is called for.

This was a charming book, and an excellent way to start off a new reading year. This family drama moved along at just the right pace for me during these quiet days leading into the new year. The characters were beautifully developed over the course of the story. By the end, I felt as if I'd made new friends. Well, except for Selina, though even she grew on me over time. If the book were an old-fashioned melodrama, the scenes with Selina would have garnered hisses and boos from the audience. In fairness, she wasn't a bad person, just a troubled one, but her cutting remarks were so well-written, I almost looked forward to them.

Five stars for this delightful novel.

Reading

Really enjoyed this book, cheered me up, will recommend it to friends. Did’nt want it to end. Must look for a similar one.

Coroczny festiwal grudniowych zimowo-romantyczno-świątecznych historii otwiera w tej edycji "Tydzień w zimie", który specjalnie zimowo-świąteczny nie jest, za to cukierkowo-romantyczny a i owszem. Zapewne jest w moim ocenianiu niekonsekwencja, ale jak nienawidzę wciskania do takich opowieści dramatycznych i nieszczęśliwych wypadków, tak nie lubię również przesadnych, momentami aż nierealnych szczęśliwych zakończeń. Na tę straszliwą przypadłość cierpi również ta książka i to podwójnie, bo znajdziemy tu, niestety, obydwa elementy. Pierwsza połowa była w porządku, takie tam rodzinne sprawy. Normalni ludzie i ich problemy, w to jestem w stanie wierzyć bez specjalnych dyskusji. Wtem na scenę wkroczy Melissa, a autorka odpłynie w rejony fantazji dla mnie niedostępne. Dlaczego ta historia nie mogła być po prostu zwykłą opowieścią z piękną, położoną w ustronnym miejscu posiadłością. Nie, trzeba udziwnić na siłę. Nie kupuję tego, to nie ten typ emocji, którego oczekuję od takich historii.

Na koniec dodam - nie sugerujcie się do końca moją opinią, ja mam konkretne oczekiwania względem książek świąteczno-zimowych, których akurat "Tydzień w zimie" nie spełnił. Za mało świąt, za mało zimy, a w ten konkretny happy end nie jestem w stanie uwierzyć. Za to Maudie, główna bohaterka, dała się polubić. dlatego ostatecznie wystawiam 6/10.

Είδα Πίλτσερ στο οπισθόφυλλο και χάρηκα, ήθελα να διαβάσω κάτι τέτοιο "ηρεμιστικό" και η αλήθεια είναι ότι στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος του βιβλίου όντως είναι σε αυτό το στυλ. Ήρεμη πλοκή δηλαδή, χωρίς μεγάλες εντάσεις, περιγράφει μια οικογενειακή ιστορία. Ωραίες περιγραφές τοπίων και χώρων αν και θα μπορούσαν να είναι περισσότερες.
Βρήκα όμως αρκετά βαρετούς τους ήρωες- όλους τους. Επίσης, η ιστορία με την Μελίσσα δεν μου άρεσε, θα ήθελα οπωσδήποτε να μου περιγράψει πιο πολύ τα συναισθήματά της, "πέρασε και δεν ακούμπησε" με τον τρόπο που είναι γραμμένη η ιστορία της.
Τέλος πάντων, δεν πειράζει.

https://kiallovivlio.blogspot.com/

https://thematofylakes.gr

This was my “blind date” from the library. I wasn’t so sure I was going to like it. I am so glad I decided to read this book. I loved it start to finish!

I know, I know the cover makes you want to puke. But it was an unexpectedly good read. Cozy is the right word. As the name hints, it's the perfect book to read deep in winter wrapped in a warm quilt against the fireplace as snow falls outside. The characters are not lacking, the scenery lovely and Maudie is the comforting soul you can talk to languidly in these moments. And she wears tartan skirts. What more could one want?

I've come back to this book quite a few times.

And I've just realised Maudie reminds me of du Maurier's Rebecca. Except not at all: I mean, she could have been Rebecca if Rebecca was not so awful. But then it's hard to deny Rebecca's attraction. So well, that's there in Maudie. But she is not childish the way Rebecca is. She is wise, Maudie is. What do you expect, she is seventy after all!

All that said, there's a lot more to the book than Maudie: Maudie is only one thread among the many tangled threads of stories which runs through this book- it's blithely rich in detail- but Maudie stands out. I liked her.

I've certainly read better