Rosamunde Pilcher Books

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Rosamunde Pilcher was a bestselling British author that wrote short stories and romance novels. Born in 1924 in Lelant, Cornwall, her mother was living in England at the time of her birth.

Rosamunde’s father was posted in Burma. A former student at the School of St. Clare (Penzance), Howell’s School Llandaff, and Miss Kerr-Sanders’ Secretarial College, Pilcher was part of the Women’s Royal Naval Service between 1943 and 1946. This followed a stint at the Foreign Office.

She married her husband (Graham Hope Pilcher) in 1946, eventually giving birth to four children (two sons and two daughters). The author was seven when she started writing.

She published her first short story at 15. At 19, a magazine bought her short story for 15 guineas. By that point, her career had gained momentum, and the market was hungry for stories like hers because the television era was still a ways off and the demand for short stories in women’s magazines was strong.

Some Rosamunde Pilcher fans never read her first novel because Mills and Boon released it under the ‘Jane Fraser’ pseudonym.

She reverted to her real name in 1955. Although, she continued to publish stories using the pen name. She used the pseudonym to write ten additional novels before finally abandoning it for good in 1965.

Rosamunde had written 13 novels under her real name when ‘The Shell Seekers’ came along and transformed her career. The book follows Penelope Keeling, an ordinary British woman who reveals the extraordinary events she witnessed through flashbacks.

The book struck a chord because it explored the lives ordinary people lived during World War II. It was a bigger hit than anyone could have expected, selling millions of copies and receiving multiple translations.

Her career continued to climb by leaps and bounds, turning Rosamunde into one of the richest women in the country. Literary professionals in the publishing arena credited the author for introducing family sagas to mainstream audiences.

Critics commended Rosamunde for giving the romance genre the sort of wit and grittiness it rarely displayed.

The author got her ideas from ordinary life. The war was an endless source of stimulation. She was constantly meeting new people and taking inspiration from their experiences. By the time she decided to write fiction for a living, Rosamunde had seen her fair share of blossoming and crashing love affairs.

She had plenty of ideas for stories.

Her books explored family, friendships, love, loss, and the many occurrences that caused unexpected upheavals in people’s lives. She wrote about strong women and cultured men.

While sex featured prominently in her books, it occurred between the lines.

Rosamunde Pilcher Awards

She won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award (Romantic Novelists Association).

Rosamunde Pilcher Books Into Movies

‘The Shell Seekers’ and ‘Coming Home’ received TV adaptations.

Best Rosamunde Pilcher Books

The author died in 2019 after suffering a stroke. Her husband died ten years earlier, in 2009. Rosamunde’s best books include:

The Shell Seekers: Penelope Keeling is a strong woman. She has seen more than most over her long and fruitful life. Penelope can trace her childhood to London and Cornwall.

Like many women, she tolerated an unhappy wartime marriage rather than pursuing a relationship with the one man she loved. Her children had their weaknesses, but she grew to accept them as they were.

Now, her best years are seemingly behind her, but she refuses to fade into obscurity. It looks like her father’s painting is worth a lot of money. The discovery has tipped the scales in her favor.

The decisions she makes will either keep her family together or rip it apart.

Winter Solstice: Several disparate individuals are about to come together in a neglected estate house. Elfrida left London’s stage to start over in a small English village. Even though she appreciates the comfort her new community offers, she feels lonely.

Oscar hated abandoning his music career to marry Gloria. But he thinks the sacrifice was worthwhile because of Francesca, their beautiful daughter.

Meanwhile, Carrie is reeling from the collapse of an affair with a married man. Carrie agrees to look after her aunt’s teenage daughter while her mother pursues a romantic fling abroad.

Sam’s wife left him for someone else. His search for home brings the man to Northern Scotland, where the craggy landscape sweeps him off his feet.

When Does The Next Rosamunde Pilcher book come out?

Rosamunde Pilcher doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is A Place Like Home and was released on July, 27th 2021. It is the newest book in the Rosamunde Pilcher Short Story Collections.

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