From Publishers Weekly
On the heels of a hasty wartime marriage, Penelope Keeling is left to repent at leisure in the English seaside town of Porthkerris, where her artist father and her French mother are spending the duration of World War II. Safe in the embracing arms of that warm household, Penelope forgets her sour husband and takes a lover, and in that relationship, too, she weathers the war's privations and its hardest blows. In a beautifully detailed family saga that shifts effortlessly back and forth in time, Pilcher (Under Gemini) recounts Penelope's story and that of her three children. When their grandfather's work suddenly comes into vogue, Nancy, obsessed over status, and sleek Noel, adept at getting the most and giving the least, join in urging their mother to sell The Shell Seekers, a painting that gives her great joy. Only Olivia, a cool and collected magazine editor, refuses to be party to their barely concealed avarice. Pilcher's 13th book is a satisfying and savory family novel, in which rich layers of description and engagingly flawed characters more than make up for the occasional cliche. 100,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; Troll Book Club main selection. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
As this absorbing saga of a modern English family opens, 64-year-old Penelope Keeling is returning to her country house following a heart attack, and her three adult children have varying reactions to the news. The narrative is actually a series of deftly interwoven vignettes that shift back and forth in time; each chapter centers on one of the principal players in the family's history. The unifying thread is an oil painting entitled "The Shell Seekers," done by Penelope's father. Pilcher's characters are well-drawn, real, and engrossing people. A thoroughly charming book for most fiction collections. Troll Book Club main selection.Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., KalamazooCopyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"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



Book Description
#1 New York Times Bestseller
"The Shell Seekers is a deeply satisfying story, written with love and confidence."
—Maeve Binchy, The New York Times Book Review
The Shell Seekers, the classic novel by acclaimed writer Rosamunde Pilcher, is now available in hardcover once more. This epic romance has sold over 3.5 million copies to date; her other bestsellers include Winter Solstice, Wild Mountain Thyme, and Coming Home.
Set in London and Cornwall from World War II to present, The Shell Seekers tells the story of the Keeling family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The family centers around Penelope, and it is her love, courage, and sense of values that determine the course of all their lives, Deftly shifting back and forth in time, each chapter centers on one of the principal players in the family's history. the unifying thread is an oil painting entitled "The Shell Seekers," done by Penelope's father. It is this painting that symbolizes to Penelope the ties between the generations. But it is the fate of this painting that just may tear the family apart.


From the Publisher
"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.

The Shell Seekers is a novel of connection: of one family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The Shell Seekers is filled with real people-mothers and daughters, husband and lovers-inspired with real values. The Shell Seekers centers on Penelope Keeling-a woman you'll always remember in world you'll never forget. The Shell Seekers is a magical novel, the kind of reading experience that comes along only one in a long while.

"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." -- The Atlanta Journal & Constitution.

"A novel that excludes warmth, joy and familial interaction, peopled with men and women we will long remeber." -- The West Coast Review Of Books.


From the Inside Flap
#1 New York Times Bestseller
"The Shell Seekers is a deeply satisfying story, written with love and confidence."
—Maeve Binchy, The New York Times Book Review
The Shell Seekers, the classic novel by acclaimed writer Rosamunde Pilcher, is now available in hardcover once more. This epic romance has sold over 3.5 million copies to date; her other bestsellers include Winter Solstice, Wild Mountain Thyme, and Coming Home.
Set in London and Cornwall from World War II to present, The Shell Seekers tells the story of the Keeling family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The family centers around Penelope, and it is her love, courage, and sense of values that determine the course of all their lives, Deftly shifting back and forth in time, each chapter centers on one of the principal players in the family's history. the unifying thread is an oil painting entitled "The Shell Seekers," done by Penelope's father. It is this painting that symbolizes to Penelope the ties between the generations. But it is the fate of this painting that just may tear the family apart.

ANNOTATION

Set in London and Cornwall between World War II and the present, this is the story of the Keeling family, and of the passions and heart-break that have held them together for three generations--a story of life, hope, children and death.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It has been ten years since the publication of Rosamunde's Pilcher's great family novel, The Shell Seekers. In honor of this beloved novel's tenth anniversary, Rosamunde Pilcher has written a new introduction in which she recounts the tale of how The Shell Seekers came to be. Set in London and Cornwall from World War II to the present, Rosamunde Pilcher tells the story of the Keeling family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The family centers around Penelope, and it is her love, courage, and sense of values that determine the course of all their lives. One of Penelope's most treasured possessions is The Shell Seekers, which her father painted and left her as a remembrance and a legacy. It is this painting that symbolizes to Penelope the ties between the generations. It is the link between the past, the present, and the future. But it is the fate of this painting that just may tear the family apart. ...

FROM THE CRITICS

Gale Research