The Shell Seekers - by Rosamunde Pilcher (Paperback)

About the Book

A tale of three generations of an English family with roots in London and Cornwall, and a cherished painting that has passed from generation to generation and threatens to tear the family apart.

Book Synopsis

Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers is "a huge warm saga...A deeply satisfying story written with love and confidence" (Maeve Binchy in The New York Times Book Review).

The Shell Seekers was adapted twice to film (1989 and 2006).

An instant bestseller when it was first published, 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--mothers and daughters, husbands and lovers--and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. This magical novel--the kind of reading experience that comes along only once in a long while--is the perfect 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.

Review Quotes

"A huge warm saga . . . A deeply satisfying story written with love and confidence." --Maeve Binchy in The New York Times Book Review

"Beautifully done... A book about families... When the reader closes this book, it is with a sense of 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

"Immensely real and immediately recognizable." --Philadelphia Inquirer

"Richly complex... A family saga as delicate and evocative as the painting that serves 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

"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

About the Author

Rosamunde Pilcher (1924- 2019) wrote such worldwide bestselling novels as The Shell Seekers, September, Coming Home, Winter Solstice, and Voices in Summer. Her breakthrough novel, The Shell Seekers, written in her early sixties, sold more than 10 million copies. Pilcher also authored the photographic autobiography, The World of Rosamunde Pilcher. She was an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and lived in Dundee, Scotland.