Customer Reviews
Not the WINTER SOLSTICE I read! - By: Paula V. Rdslob, 09 Jun 2008 
I agree wholeheartedly with the review by Leonie Ganivet that this story was extremely disappointing & only very remotely agreed with Rosamunde Pilcher's beautiful book. The others previously adapted - SHELL SEEKERS (excellent & true to the book): SEPTEMBER (also excellent): COMING HOME (slightly alteredin two places but otherwise true) were really excellent, but the Winter Solstice story was altered too much with too many ommissions & the characters changed (Lucy was a brat at times & Oscar didn't like her! - Sam had nothing to do with reopening a mill) that it could hardly be recognized from the book, & even the ending was upin the air & not resolved as it wasin the book.
However, for me, it was worth purchasing because of the beautiful scenery on locationin Scotland where it was filmed. Much of it wasin Dornoch where Rosamunde Pilcher still has a house opposite the huge church which was obviously the setting for her book, & when I was there I was told by the locals that she still visited & lived at the "Bank House". In her book, THE WORLD OF ROSAMUNDE PILCHER, you will read the story of how she found this little town (which resembles Cornwall) & how she loves it with the beautiful beach & the golf links on top of the dunes, & from the picturesin the book you will see that it is authentically filmed on location. I also know this to be true because I have actually been there & driven from Inverness over the Black Isle to Dornoch. I have all of Rosamunde's books which I read & re-read every so often, & now these beautiful DVD's which, with the exception of Winter Solstice, are pretty true to her books. Like Leonie Ganivet, I cannot understand why Rosamunde allows her stories to be alteredin any way at all - but I suppose that comes with giving filming rights & maybe she doesn't have much say about it.
Winter Solstice - Rosamund Pilcher - By: Leonie Ganivet, 23 Jan 2008 This DVD was the third rendition of one of Rosamind Pilcher's books that I have eagerly purchased, longing to see the book come to life on screen, only to be bitterly disappointed once again. Winter Solstice was a TERRIFIC book, but the movie did not do it justicein so many ways. The casting was very poor - the characters' appearances did not even remotely resemble those as describedin the book, & one tends to build up a definite image of the protagonists from the books, so it was very hard to relate to these 'strangers'. I tried - without success. Not even their hair colours & looks were similar, much less their personalities. I expected a MUCH different type of person as Elfrida Phipps, & Oscar Blundell, & all the others, except maybe Sam. The story was very altered, so much so, that it became something else - not the Winter Solstice I know. The locations were not as described, the little picture of Elfrida's, so importantin the book, was mentioned once only, & onlyin passing. Everything one lovedin the book was missingin the film. I don't know WHY Rosamund Pilcher allows these people to ruin her wonderful workin this way! It's beyond me! VERY disappointing.
