I found these suggested discussion questions. For when everyone has finished the book.
Obviously feel free to answer all or as many as you like, or none at all, just tell us what you felt about the book!
1. Elfrida made many friends in the small village of Dibton, but the Blundells became her favorites. Discuss what attracted Elfrida to each one in turn: Oscar, Gloria, Francesca.
2. Both Oscar and Elfrida have spent much of their professional lives in London, yet find Dibton a comfortable place to live. What makes Elfrida comfortable? Oscar? How did the tragic auto accident affect their comfort level?
3. Sam retains fond memories of Radley Hall, his boyhood home, and Oscar remembers Corrydale, his grandmother’s estate. What memories do you carry with you of your childhood home or hometown? Good or bad?
4. Taking into account Elfrida’s admission that, “She liked Oscar immensely; perhaps too much,” how would you characterize her relationship with Oscar before and after the tragic accident?
5. Elfrida declared that she had to set limitations and reservations so she would not be absorbed by or be beholden to the Blundells. Discuss the above reference and explain what she is so afraid of.
6. Compare and contrast the two young girls (Lucy & Francesca) especially in their reaction to the merging of the pagan festival surrounding Winter Solstice with the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth.
7. Why do you think Pilcher chose Winter Solstice as her book title?
8. How accurate is the author’s portrayal of the grief process? Some reviewers found it unrealistic that Oscar asked Elfrida to marry him just two months after the death of his wife and daughter. Do you agree?
9. What part does fate play in Winter Solstice? Did you find the plot believable? Did Pilcher’s use of fate lend to or detract from the novel’s believability?
10. Discuss Pilcher’s use of setting to propel the action of the novel. One reviewer felt that the setting assumed the position of an additional character in the book. Agree/Disagree?
Obviously feel free to answer all or as many as you like, or none at all, just tell us what you felt about the book!
1. Elfrida made many friends in the small village of Dibton, but the Blundells became her favorites. Discuss what attracted Elfrida to each one in turn: Oscar, Gloria, Francesca.
2. Both Oscar and Elfrida have spent much of their professional lives in London, yet find Dibton a comfortable place to live. What makes Elfrida comfortable? Oscar? How did the tragic auto accident affect their comfort level?
3. Sam retains fond memories of Radley Hall, his boyhood home, and Oscar remembers Corrydale, his grandmother’s estate. What memories do you carry with you of your childhood home or hometown? Good or bad?
4. Taking into account Elfrida’s admission that, “She liked Oscar immensely; perhaps too much,” how would you characterize her relationship with Oscar before and after the tragic accident?
5. Elfrida declared that she had to set limitations and reservations so she would not be absorbed by or be beholden to the Blundells. Discuss the above reference and explain what she is so afraid of.
6. Compare and contrast the two young girls (Lucy & Francesca) especially in their reaction to the merging of the pagan festival surrounding Winter Solstice with the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth.
7. Why do you think Pilcher chose Winter Solstice as her book title?
8. How accurate is the author’s portrayal of the grief process? Some reviewers found it unrealistic that Oscar asked Elfrida to marry him just two months after the death of his wife and daughter. Do you agree?
9. What part does fate play in Winter Solstice? Did you find the plot believable? Did Pilcher’s use of fate lend to or detract from the novel’s believability?
10. Discuss Pilcher’s use of setting to propel the action of the novel. One reviewer felt that the setting assumed the position of an additional character in the book. Agree/Disagree?
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