A Risk Worth Taking

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.

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.

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.

I read the book, but was disappointed. The characters were not well developed and the movement was choppy. It would probably make a great TV movie, though. So far none of Robins books I have read are as good as his mothers. But Ill keep on reading and hoping.

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.

I didnt think that I would enjoy this book when I picked it up. And while reading it, I was amazed at how much I was getting into the story. I say this because it really lacks a driving plot. Maybe because I have read way to many mysteries and thrillers where its almost impossible to break the mold of tradition where you start in point x and end in point y that it was very enjoyable to be swept up in a story where you truly do not know what was going to happen next. The author, Pilcher also does a great job of second hand story telling. By this I mean he will have a character sit down say in a pub and tell an engrossing tale to another character which allows for the reader to be swept off on a tangent. I found that Pilcher really knows what he is doing when it comes to moving a story along and it was hard to put down this title because of that. Lastly, the only fault that I found here was that besides the main character Dan the Man, the supporting cast was not fleshed out very well. I liked Dan and found him to be very human as he was undergoing a life transforming change. But the others in the book (his children, mother, wife, and acquaintances) were not pushed as far as they could have been. They change, but the change is too simple. I would highly recommend this book.

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 liked this book very much. I have read a few of his books and liked them. I still like his mothers books a lot. Thank you.