Where were you in 1987? I was in Florida, starting a new job in Lee County, and certainly not reading the number of books that I now read each year. Of course, as a librarian, I was aware of Rosamunde Pilcher’s #1 bestseller,The Shell Seekers. But, I was too busy to spend time with a book over 600 pages long. And, I really think I appreciate the book now that I’m in my fifties much more than I would have at thirty. After all that time, The Shell Seekers is out in trade paperback for the first time, with a note from Thomas Dunne, the publisher for Pilcher’s book, and Pilcher’s introduction to the twenty-fifth anniversary edition. Both notes are as warm and welcoming as the book itself.

The Shell Seekers is Penelope Keeling’s story, from the time she was a child, appearing in a picture of that title by her artist father, Lawrence Stern. The picture has been her refuge and comfort throughout her life, but when her adult children discover Lawrence Stern’s paintings have increased in value, they have plans for the money if she’d only sell her paintings. But, except for one major mistake in her life when she was a young woman, Penelope Keeling has always known her own mind. And, she’s not going to allow her children to push her around. Instead, she handles her affairs, and decides to make a long-overdue trip to Cornwall where she grew up and spent the years during World War II.

In the course of the story, we get to know Penelope and all three of her children. In her introduction, Pilcher calls them “The tiresome Nancy, the cool-headed Olivia, the materialistic Noel”. But, it’s Penelope who will claim your heart, and make you cry. She’s strong, independent, and full of love. Her life may not have turned out as she would have liked it, but she enjoyed it, and led a gracious, Bohemian existence as befitted the daughter of an elderly artist and a young French woman. And, it’s that simple joy in life that two of her children couldn’t appreciate.

If you’ve already read The Shell Seekers, do you remember it? Is it one of those books that lingers in your memory? As a reader who loves wonderful characters, I was drawn to Penelope, moved by her courage, her will to live and enjoy life on her terms. The book is the story of one woman’s life, her mistakes, the love of her life, loss, and the strength to go on. It’s a story that has been written before and since 1987. But, Rosamunde Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers is beautiful and moving, a story that’s timeless. Don’t wait twenty-eight years to try it.

*****
Here’s the note the publicist sent, information about The Shell Seekers.

Book Synopsis: An instant bestseller when it was first published in 1987, The Shell Seekers is an enduring classic which has touched the hearts of millions of readers worldwide.  A novel of connection, it is the story of one family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. It is filled with real people–mothers and daughters, husband and lovers–and inspired with real values.  Now for the first time in trade paperback, this magical novel—the kind of reading experience that comes along only once in a long while—is the perfect summer read, whether you are returning to it again, or opening the cover for the first time.

At the end of a long and useful life, Penelope Keeling’s prized possession is The Shell Seekers, painted by her father, and symbolizing her unconventional life, from bohemian childhood to wartime romance. When her grown children learn their grandfather’s work is now worth a fortune, each has an idea as to what Penelope should do. But as she recalls the passions, tragedies, and secrets of her life, she knows there is only one answer…and it lies in her heart.


Author Info: ROSAMUNDE PILCHER has had a long and distinguished career as a novelist and short-story writer, but it was her phenomenally successful novel The Shell Seekers that captured the hearts of all who read it and won her international recognition as one of the most-loved storytellers of our time.  The Shell Seekers was followed by September and then by Coming Home and Winter Solstice, which also became worldwide bestsellers.  She lives in Perthshire, Scotland.

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. St. Martin’s Griffin. 1987. 632p.