The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher review

Rosamunde Pilcher first started out writing with a false name, and she had written ten romantic novels for women before she started sign her work with her own name. For her, writing was a refuge and helped her deal with personal problems, but her stories became to mean something also for others. Her real breakthrough came 1987 when she wrote this book - The Shell Seekers.

The Shell Seekers is a name of a painting, that hangs on the wall in the little house where the woman Penelope Keeling lives. Penelope has reached her 60s, and her three children, especially the oldest daughter and the youngest son, are having strong opinions on how she should live her life. Instead of listening to them, Penelope starts looking back through her many memories and experiences. She has made both good and bad decisions in her life, but she has always been a strong personality and hasn't let anyone decide for her what she should do.

It was Penelope's father who painted the Shell Seekers. It turns out that his works have been considered very valuable and Penelope's children desire the money that they can get for it. Her middle child, Olivia, is the only one who respects her to make her own choices. Penelope dreams about how it would be to go back to that coastline where she once grew up, where the painting that means so much for her was made.

I don't usually read romantic novels like this one. I was interested in reading it only because I heard a lot about it when I was in school as a teenager. When beginning to read it now, I was first very disappointed and thought it was just very boring. But I kept on reading, and suprisingly enough I found myself becoming more and more interested in this woman's lifestory. The writer has described the characters in a realistic way and their relations to each other are thought through and gave me some things to think about. Therefore I give this book such a high rate as three elves, even if it's pretty predictable and probably won't stay in my memory for very long. After all, it was a good read and I don't regret giving time for it.
/ [Easterling]

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