A Risk Worth Taking

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.

Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my favorite authors. Sadly, her son, Robin Pilcher, cannot pull off a writing coup such as his mothers immortal Shell Seekers or Winter Soltice, books guaranteed to give you a long, cozy read, full of well-crafted characters, meticulous descriptions and highly enjoyable narrative. Robin Pilchers work provides nothing but doom and gloom, with stiffly written characters, forced plot lines, inconclusive and feeble endings, and a boring storyline. I read this entire book because I kept hoping it would get better, but unfortunately it did not improve. I find Pilchers writing stilted and his characters shallow. His plot is obvious, the conclusion even more so. For more enjoyable reading, check out the wonderful writings of Rosamunde Pilcher, acclaimed British novelist.

Dan Porter believes his life is near perfect as he has a wonderful job with a dot com firm, married to a loving wife for twenty years, and three precocious children. However, when his company hits bad times, the policy of last in first out leaves Dan unemployed. Meanwhile his wife Jackie is managing director of Rebecca Talworth Design Limited, but makes little money as profits are returned to the company. Dan fails to get a new job, which leads to a tear in his relationship with Jackie because she feels he has become complacent while their lifestyle slips. When he reads an article in Womens Weekly about a small Scottish firm Vagabonds needing help to expand, he races north while Jackie is on the continent on business. Though the makers of the popular Vaggas is not what Dan expected, he finds his life changes perhaps even more than when he lost his dot com job, but Jackies resentment grows. This is an engaging character study of a person who once was riding the crest, but since has lost his self esteem. He begins to regain his confidence with his trip to Scotland, but the cost may prove too high. The cast is a delightful ensemble, especially Dan, his family, and the Turnbows (owners of Vagabonds). Robin Pilcher provides a deep look at what really counts as Dan reassess his values and how he has lived. Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed this book, as I do all of Robin Pilchers books. However, the ending was not a surprise. I knew what was coming, even before I read it.

Like many of Robin Pilchers readers, I tried a second book by him (the first was Starting Over) in a vain attempt to find something similar to the books written by the authors far more talented mother, Rosamunde Pilcher, who, sadly, has stopped writing. Again -- a complete disappointment. Robin Pilcher has learned some of his mothers narrative skills but has never managed to make any of his characters into someone most of us actually want to read about: Dan Porter is another obtuse, unlikeable man, whose wife I wholeheartedly symphathize with -- Id leave him too. Pilchers characters are shallow and uninteresting, with ridiculous motivations (for example, why would Dan Porter decide to stay home for his family, turning down all job offers and knowingly causing chaos in the process; but neglect to tell his family about his reasons for doing so?). I have trudged through two Robin Pilcher novels and I wont try another one. For those who think they might like to read this book, I strongly urge them to start with the Rosamunde Pilcher novels instead.

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 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.

This is a delightfully, well written story. The characters feel like friends and caring about their lives is easy and thought provoking. Thanks for a great book. Didnt want it to end.

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.

Once again, I enjoyed this novel by Robin Pilcher. I no longer attempt to compare his writings with his mothers. He stands alone and hes doing a splendid job. I have been a fan of Rosamunde Pilcher for quite a while now having read every one of her novels and enjoying them thoroughly.