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Starburst - Robin Pilcher - 14/02/08
It's August in Edinburgh and the stage is set for some some strange goings-on at the famous Fringe Festival...
Robin Pilcher's Starburst is one of those rare hybrids - it's warm, it's funny, it's moving ... but it's also got a human and gritty edge that lifts it far above the more predictable heartwarming novels that now crowd our bookshop shelves.
Pilcher began his writing career in the shadow of his famous mother Rosamunde Pilcher who took the women's fiction market by storm with books like The Shell Seekers and Coming Home.
Pilcher writes in the same elegant prose as his mother and, in fact, his first books had distinct echoes of both her style and content but Starburst, one feels, is his first - and very successful attempt - to fly solo.
Set in Edinburgh during the famous Fringe festival, Scottish-born Pilcher takes to his subject with real gusto and panache. This is a man who knows and loves the annual eclectic arts extravaganza and his novel provides a revealing behind-the-scenes glimpse.
A group of people are drawn to the city for the forthcoming festival and meet for the first time, little knowing that the events of the long hot summer and the arrival of Anegelique Pascal, a talented and beautiful violinist, will throw their lives into turmoil.
Angelique is in Edinburgh to star in the festival's finale and her fiery spirit is already making waves.
Tired of being controlled by her overbearing tutor, she finds herself yearning for a moment's respite from both the constant touring and the restrictions of her celebrity status.
But Angelique is not the only person having a stormy week in Scotland. There's also retired cameraman Leonard who gets a second chance to shine, Yorkshire comedienne Rene Brownlow who accidentally stumbles upon a winning double act idea with her War of the Roses rival Matti from Lancashire and a young car thief called T.K. who is struggling to keep on the straight and narrow.
Played out against a backdrop of concerts, comedy acts and street performances, these characters' lives start to intertwine in unexpected and sometimes startling ways.
And when events take a sinister turn and Anqelique must flee in terror from all that she has known, she finds safety in the most unlikely places...
Pilcher handles his cross-section of regional and foreign accents with skilful artistry while finely tuning his characters and balancing an entertaining storyline which combines intrigue, passion, suspense and humour.
This is ultimately a story of the indomitable nature of the human spirit and its capacity to deal with all that life throws at us. It's an ambitious and compelling novel.
(Sphere, paperback, 7.99)
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Sunny spells
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