Coming Home

Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

Fiction

2017 Thomas Dunne Books (first published in 1995)

Finished on January 15, 2023

Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding!)

Publisher's Blurb:

Against the backdrop of an elegant Cornwall mansion before World War II and a vast continent-spanning canvas during the turbulent war years, this involving story tells of an extraordinary young woman's coming of age, coming to grips with love and sadness, and in every sense of the term, coming home...

In 1935, Judith Dunbar is left behind at a British boarding school when her mother and baby sister go off to join her father in Singapore. At Saint Ursula's, her friendship with Loveday Carey-Lewis sweeps her into the privileged, madcap world of the British aristocracy, teaching her about values, friendship, and wealth. But it will be the drama of war, as it wrenches Judith from those she cares about most, that will teach her about courage...and about love.

Teeming with marvelous, memorable characters in a novel that is a true masterpiece, Rosamunde Pilcher's Coming Home is a book to be savored, reread, and cherished forever.

Since the late 1980s, I've read and reread most of Rosamunde Pilcher's novels, and several of her novellas. Coming Home has been on my shelves for many years, and I have started it on more than one occasion, but never got very far. The small print in the mass market made it difficult for me to read at night, so I eventually bought the trade paperback and vowed to try again. I began reading the book in December and it took me a little over three weeks to complete. I am now mourning the end of this great reading experience.

As always, I went into the book completely cold, with no knowledge of its timeline, which spans a full decade (1935-1945), taking place in the years prior to, during, and shortly after World War II. This is one of my favorite time periods for historical fiction, and Pilcher's attention to detail suggests well-researched knowledge and care for the accuracy of the war efforts. In addition to the usual historical points (the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain, air raids & blackout curtains, the evacuation of Dunkirk, etc.), we learn about the role of the WRNS, the POW camp in Changi (Singapore), and the construction of the Bangkok-Burma Railway (also known as the Death Railway), to name just a few.

In addition to this particular period, I am a big fan of epistolary works, and while this book isn't specifically an epistolary novel, it's filled with letters from Judith to her parents, assorted relatives, and close friends, giving the reader a more intimate view of Judith's thoughts and feelings toward those she loves. In addition to Judith's point-of-view, Pilcher shifts voice to other characters, allowing the reader further access to the relationships between friends and lovers. We watch Judith grow from a young girl of fourteen into a self-assured and independent young adult of twenty-four. (An aside: I always laugh when I read a Pilcher novel and an adult of fifty is considered, if not elderly, at least old. Ha!) 

Pilcher's characterizations and settings are so well done and descriptive that I felt like I not only knew her characters, caring deeply about their situations, but would also recognize the villages and various locations in which they reside. 

While some might consider Pilcher's novel a romance (and, at one time, she did write romance novels under the name Jane Fraser), I would argue that life is full of love and loss, and while Coming Home includes romantic themes, it also touches on more serious topics, such as sexual assault, PTSD, and the casualties and destruction of war. 

Published in 1995, politically incorrect labeling of an Asian's face coloring, and an off-hand comment about a summer tan, ("It will feel funny having yellow Chinese faces around you, instead of black Tamil faces" and "go home black as a little Indian," respectively) was jarring to read. Reflective of the times during the 1930s, perhaps Pilcher was attempting to portray society's attitudes to the world at large, but I found that it didn't enhance the narrative, and was unnecessary.

That solitary quibble aside, I loved this book. There were moments in which I had to will myself to not skip ahead and sneak a peek to see what was about to happen; the suspense was building, and I wanted to make sure all was alright with the involved characters. There were also moments in which I was certain of the outcome, only to be taken by surprise (and on an occasion, filled with relief). 

I first came across The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher's beloved book (which is also set in Cornwall), in the late 1980s. This evocative novel became one of my all-time favorite reads. I reread it last year and it lived up to my original reaction. Having now read Coming Home, I must say that I loved it even more than The Shell Seekers. While not necessarily lyrical, the lush detail of domestic life, and the countryside setting of Cornwall, makes for one of those delightful stories that will stay with me for years to come. If you are put off by the size of this book, don't be. If it weren't for the busy holiday season, I could have read it much more quickly. My only regret is that it wasn't any longer; I would have been happy to read another thousand pages! 

Highly recommend.