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"Well-written English extended family drama"

Widow Maudie Todhunter sadly realizes she can not longer manage the two homes Hector left to her so she plans to sell her country estate Moorgate. She had hoped to give the estate, which is the entrance to the Scottish Moors, to her cherished stepgranddaughter Posey, but knows that is now impossible.

Several people show an interest in Moorgate. Her resentful stepdaughter Selina who never accepted Maudie as her father's second wife reminds her that the family has had many joyful memories especially with Hector's first perfect wife. Ironically Selina may detest Maudie, but her own daughter loves her stepgrandmother and wants Maudie to do whatever is best for her. Building restorer Rob Abbot loves the place after spending joyful hours working there. Melissa Clayton finds peace and love on the estate while battling deadly cancer. Others too express an interest. Maudie accompanied by Polonius her giant English mastiff begins to learn ugly secrets that destroys all of her dreams of the past and present.

Though a well-written English extended family drama, this relationship tale feels as if Cecil B. DeMille cast the characters. The audience feels some of the tension they cause to the star, but they move in and out and back in before the reader has a chance to truly meet any of them. Though this leads to feeling a bit of tea and sympathy towards Maudie for coping with the mob. Marcia Willet is clearly a talented author, but only the diehard English relationship fan will want to spend a soapy WEEK IN WINTER trying to keep tabs on this crowd.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted April 18, 2002

Every once in a while a very special story comes along that deserves an enormous cozy chair with a view of rolling hills, a fire snapping quietly in the hearth, a cup of real cocoa in a favorite mug, and a plate of homemade cookies. A Week in Winter is such a tale.

Moorgate is an enchanting old country house that belongs to Maudie Todhunter, a spirited widow who has been holding on to the place for the sake of her beloved granddaughter. But Maudie can no longer afford a second home, so she reluctantly puts it up for sale.

Moorgate immediately attracts more buyers than Maudie knows what to do with. The first is Selina, her stepdaughter, who has never seen eye-to-eye with Maudie on anything. The second potential buyer is Rob Abbot, a contractor who has lovingly restored every nook and cranny and who is embarrassed by his own passionate devotion to the house. The third is Melissa Clayton, a young woman with a sad, sad secret who discovers at Moorgate all she's ever wanted.

As the story weaves between the past and present, Maudie is startled to uncover patterns of deceit and betrayal that contradict all her most cherished beliefs. At times it seems that her most trustworthy companion is her granddaughter's giant English mastiff Polonius, who is boarding with Maudie after having been banished from his own home by an irate Selina.

As the final revelations stun both Maudie and the reader, A Week in Winter achieves a combined richness of character and circumstance that raises it above most modern contemporary fiction. Marcia Willett is a writer to discover and to celebrate.