Winter SolsticeWinter Solstice
Score Modern
What it's about
Elfrida, a retired actress, has moved to a small English village. Her friend Oscar loses his wife and daughter in an accident, and together they flee to a house in the north of Scotland for the winter. There they are joined by Elfrida's cousin's daughter, unhappy after a love affair, her teenage niece, sent away while her parents fight, and a young man with nowhere else to go, and over Christmas they become a kind of family.
Why it's worth reading
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. It's a gentle, comforting book about healing and found family that many readers return to every winter.
You'll love it if you liked
Little Women
A Man Called Peter
Gift From the SeaGood to know
It's slow and cozy, with little drama. The story opens with grief.
By the numbers
- Readers86 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller44 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #52 of the 233 romances we rank
- #381 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #753 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Uplifting
More by Rosamunde Pilcher
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Quick answers
Is Winter Solstice worth reading?
Yes. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. It ranks #753 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Winter Solstice about?
Elfrida, a retired actress, has moved to a small English village. Her friend Oscar loses his wife and daughter in an accident, and together they flee to a house in the north of Scotland for the winter. There they are joined by Elfrida's cousin's daughter, unhappy after a love affair, her teenage niece, sent away while her parents fight, and a young man with nowhere else to go, and over Christmas they become a kind of family.
How long does it take to read Winter Solstice?
About 12 hours (464 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Winter Solstice?
If you liked it, try Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshall or Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.