My first five star read of the year

An oldie but goodie.

The Shell Seekers

by Rosamund Pilcher
Read it if you’re interested in: Family sagas, London during the Blitz, Herman Wouk’s War and Remembrance, British literature

I have not met a heroine I loved so dearly as the one in this book for some time, if ever.

The Shell Seekers, written in 1987, has long been on my radar. I’ve seen it on lists of the best family sagas and generational epics for ages but have only just gotten around to reading it. My expectations were high, if tempered by my repeatedly being burned by popular reviews, but every aspect of this book blew me away.

At the heart of this story is the Keeling family—matriarch Penelope in particular. The timelines straddle London during the Blitz and the English countryside in the 1970s, with a byway through Ibiza (pre-social scene). Penelope is in possession of a painting by her late artist father called the Shell Seekers, which takes pride of place in her home and around which all the family’s affairs coalesce.

To call this novel magical would be selling it short. It is, however, certainly enchanting. From her deeply felt characters to its achingly realistic scenes, Pilcher has a knack for choosing just the right word at exactly the right time so as to make you feel as though you’re transported into the room with this beloved cast.

The Shell Seekers is what books aspire to be, what they should be. It changes hearts and minds and entertains in the process.