Blue Bedroom and Other Stories (31 page)

—
Savannah News Press

“Her characters are as real as you and I and the joy of living.”

—
Columbia—The Midwest Review of Books

Voices in Summer

“I don't know where Rosamunde Pilcher has been all my life—but now that I've found her, I'm not going to let her go.”

—
The New York Times

“Intriguing characters … lovely settings … romantic fiction with substance … PILCHER DISPLAYS A PERFECT TOUCH!”

—
Booklist

“Pilcher evokes the sense of contentment that flows from affection.”

—
Publishers Weekly

The Shell Seekers

“A HUGE, WARM SAGA … A deeply satisfying story written with love.”

—
The New York Times Book Review

“BEAUTIFULLY DONE … A book about families … When the reader closes the book, it is with a sense of regret—regret that there is no more.”

—
Boston Herald

“A LOVELY STORY, the best, really absorbing book I've read in a long time, the kind you hate to put down and especially hate to finish.”

—
Atlanta Journal & Constitution

“A novel that exudes warmth [and] joy … peopled with men and women we will long remember.”

—
The West Coast Review of Books

“Immensely real and immediately recognizable.”

—
Philadelphia Inquirer

“RICHLY COMPLEX … A family saga as delicate and evocative as the painting that serves as the title.”

—
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Warm and emotional … Readers everywhere will recognize parts of their own lives and identify with Pilcher's skillfully drawn characters.”

—
Fort Worth Evening Star-Telegram

“This warm, wise, and moving novel … took me into the minds and hearts of some truly unforgettable people, so real I almost forgot they were fictional characters.”

—
Eugenia Price, author of
To See Your Face Again
and
Savannah

“An absorbing saga … Pilcher's characters are well-drawn, real, and engrossing people. A THOROUGHLY CHARMING BOOK!”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Through the eyes and heart of this very special woman we have an opportunity to experience art and music and the joys of culinary preparations and repasts … through her we become even more sensitive to the air around us …
Rosamunde Pilcher has given us a gift in THE SHELL SEEKERS, one which we cherish.”

—
The West Coast Review of Books

“FASCINATING …
The Shell Seekers
made me smile, made me weep and made me believe in Penelope and her family.”

—
Hilary Norman, author of
In Love and Friendship

“EXTRAORDINARY … She weaves a story that holds the reader's attention to the book's last paragraph.… ENGROSSING!”

—
Pittsburgh Press

“
The Shell Seekers
is wise in human relationships, tender with love, and so understanding of the cycles of life.… Ms. Pilcher knows all aspects of the human spirit, how it behaves in sorrow and joy.”

—
Marilyn Harris, author of
American Eden

“ENTRANCING … Every time I went back to it anticipating pleasure to come, [I] was not disappointed.”

—
Bestselling author Victoria Holt

“A story about all the steps of love …
The Shell Seekers
is about ordinary people doing ordinary things, and Pilcher has made that seem every bit as important as it really is.”

—
Washington Post Book World

“Hooks the reader on page one and never loses you … a book anyone and everyone will enjoy. Rosamunde Pilcher's style is delightful, and her novel is moving and impressive.”

—
Janelle Taylor, author of
Wild Is My Love

The Carousel

“DELIGHTFUL … It exudes comfort as it entertains.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“ENORMOUS CHARM AND WARMTH!”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“A romantic tale imbued with several comforting lessons on loving, friendship, and family ties.”

—
Booklist

“Enjoyable and satisfying.”

—
Chattanooga News-Free Press

“A romance with some mystery and considerable depth to commend it.”

—
Tulsa World

“[An] agreeable compound of beautiful scenery and warm and loving relationships.”

—
Library Journal

“A tender story of age, and youth, friendship and love.… LOVELY!”

—
Romantic Times

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

These stories originally appeared in
Good Housekeeping,
a publication of the Hearst Corporation: “Toby,” as “Bright Promise,” June 1983; “Home for the Day,” as “Louisa,” February 1979; “Miss Camerson at Christmas,” as “This Magic Season,” December 1983; “The Blue Bedroom,” as “Wait for the Rainbow,” January 1983; “Gilbert,” as “Man of the House,” March 1984; “The Before-Christmas Present,” as “Change of Heart, June 1984.

THE BLUE BEDROOM AND OTHER STORIES

Copyright © 1985 by Rosamunde Pilcher.

Revised Preface copyright © 1990 by Lee Quarfoot.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 85-1755

ISBN: 0-312-92628-6

EAN: 9780312-92628-1

St. Martin's Press hardcover edition published 1985

St. Martin's Paperbacks edition / June 1990

St. Martin's Paperbacks are published by St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

eISBN 9781250032201

First eBook edition: February 2013