An Ocean Apart: A Novel

I enjoyed the book. I finished "An Ocean Apart" in 48 hours. It was a different twist in a romance novel for a man to be a victim of lifes foibles. I liked David being a hero -- superman. Why not read a book where the main character is there to save the day, especially after personal tragedy followed by self doubts and insecurities. I read to escape and relax so thanks Robin Pilcher for a fresh and interesting "read".

This book was read on the strength of how much I enjoyed the stories of Rosamunde Pilcher; however, I found it contained a well-worn, rather boring plot, with a predictable ending. Suffice it to say, the kindest words I can think of would be to strongly suggest that Robin direct his energies elsewhere and leave writing to his mother.

I was personally reluctant to purchase this book, because I felt as though Mr. Pilcher might be capitalizing on his mother's very good name. However, a friend and fellow Rosamund Pilcher fan insisted that I give it a try. I was delighted to find that Robin has talent in his own right. It was in fact difficult at times to differentiate his writing with his mother's but, the gift obviously runs in the family. The book was a comforting read, with pleasant characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am looking forward to Robin's next book. Mr. Pilcher, well done.

This is the third review I've written for this book. Although I have carefully followed all the rules, neither of my reviews have been printed. I suspect you only print favorable reviews because your job is to sell books, not serve the public. How disappointing. I will never read or write a review of a book again. My time is too valuable, and I have lost my respect for your review process.

I haven't read anything by his mother, so you won't find any unfair comparisons here. All I know is that it had been awhile since I had a good fictional read, and this one was extremely satisfying. It was refreshing to be introduced to a young man who was so deeply in love with his life partner. I wondered what it was going to take to snap him out of his self-absorbtion. So what if it was a needy young boy, emotionally abandoned by his 2-career parents? Did this bother some of our guilt-ridden readers? So what if several coincidences were somewhat contrived? I enjoyed every page, and was sorry to reach the last one. I love happy endings!

I have never read a book by the author's mother so this is a stand alone opinion based on the story itself. The premise of this novel is based on a man's wife dieing and him not being able to cope with this and withdrawing from his family and life. Luckily his family is rich enough that he does not need to go to work and can instead garden all day. I found this very insulting and demeaning to all the people who's spouse die and have to continue on after maybe a week of bereavement time from their jobs. My father passed away while my brother and I were in high school and my mother had no choice but to carry on. Does this mean her devastation was any less then the main characters? No. It is just that in real life people have to be stronger then the weak selfish main character presented here. If you can make it past this maybe you will find the novel entertaining.

I have enjoyed Rosamunde Pilcher for a long, long time and recently finished

Winter Solstice which is now in my "Keeper Library" and "An Ocean Apart" will also be there as I intend to read it again........slowly the next time. Read this one fast as I was so anxious to find out what would happen next. Truly a good story and one of the few that is not filled with sex and violence. Makes one feel

good to know there are still writers out there who do not need to use profanity for every other word and to realize there are still good people around us. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, ROBIN.

This was a very heartwarming story told mostly from the man's point of view. The characters were real and the story drew me in and made me not want to put the book down. A great summer read.

This novel reminded me somewhat of an Archer epic saga. Now, I only say somewhat because it lacked a lot of the great things that Archer's novels have - one of which was length. Archer's novels can be heavy tomes and this one rang in at only 500 pages. It also lacked the love able characters and cliffhanging chapter endings.

However, An Ocean Apart was an okay novel. It had conspiracy, love affairs and tragicness (yes, I just made up that word). I can't compare Robin Pilcher to his mother's novels because I've never read any of them. But I see other reviews do just that. If there is a direct comparison between them, then I'm not sure I want to read hers either. It's funny, because I can't quite put my finger on why I thought this was just ho-hum. Maybe it was the predictable ending. Maybe I found the whole novel fairly predictable. The element of surprise was definitely missing, which was a shame. And maybe I wanted a surprise ending. Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a semi-sweet romantic type of novel. Either way, I might try one more of his novels if one ever lands in my lap.

I first found Pilcher when I picked up 'A Risk Worth Taking.' This book was enchanting in the way it built up characters and hurried the reader effortlessly along without the crutch of an overall plot for the first half of the book. Which is quite an achievement if you think about it. And because I enjoyed 'Risk' so much I decided to read the rest of Pilcher's work as well.

As I read 'An Ocean Apart' I found myself comparing it to 'A Risk Worth Taking' quite often. Five or six years of time lay between the two and the growth of Pilcher's ability as an author during this time is apparent. First of all 'Risk' is overflowing with sentimentality and syrup. At times the lives portrayed were so idyllic and content (even though they were undergoing conflict) that it was difficult to take. 'Risk' on the other hand has dampened this exuberance if just a bit and by doing so allowed for the penultimate moments to become ever more vivid. Also the plot of 'Ocean' is quite predictable even if Pilcher adds in several curves that muddy expectations over the details. 'Ocean' follows a very traditional linear plot line that you will have encountered countless times be it in another book or the TV movie of the week. 'Risk' however is very unusual and I would recommend that title as a starting point to any who are looking for something new and enticing plot wise.

Pilcher writes about the upper class. And it is evident that he harbors deep feelings even if subconscious on his part over class structure and its place in the world, which is fascinating unto itself, watching these aspects pop out in unexpected places. I am envious of the world Robin Pilcher must live in. He has such a positive view on life. When you read one of his books you will find yourself saying again and again, 'Ahhh, this is the way the world should be.' I look forwards to many more books by Pilcher in the future. I hope that he continues to grow as an author and continues the trend away from the traditional plot line that is so engrossing in 'Risk.' I think that he could end up as a shining light in literature if he does so. And 'Ocean' is not only an enjoyable read put forwards by an author just finding his own legs, but a beacon showing a precursor of promise that I hope is realized in the years to come.