
The Shell Seekers
A Full-Cast BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation
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About this listen
Rosamunde Pilcher's beloved saga of one family's passions and heartbreaks – plus an interview with the author
‘A deeply satisfying story written with love and confidence’ Maeve Binchy
Recovering from a heart attack, Penelope Keeling discharges herself from hospital and returns to her cosy Cotswolds cottage. Fiercely self-sufficient, she values her independence above everything – but fears that others wish to take it from her…
Penelope has one treasured possession – ‘The Shell Seekers’, painted by her artist father Lawrence Stern. A comforting reminder of a precious bygone time, it sparks memories of her bohemian Cornish childhood and her wartime romance with the love of her life. But when her self-centred adult children, Noel and Nancy, find out that Stern’s work is now worth a fortune, they urge Penelope to sell up and give the money to them. Only her daughter Olivia – who has also known love and loss – respects her mother’s freedom to make her own decisions. As Penelope searches her heart, and recalls the passions, tragedies and secrets of her past, she knows what she must do… but will it rip her family apart?
One of the best-selling and most famous sagas of the last four decades, The Shell Seekers is an enduring classic which has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Set in Gloucestershire, London, Cornwall and Ibiza, and shifting between 1939 and 1985, this poignant drama explores themes of memory, fate, trauma and connection.
Also featured is a fascinating episode of Bookshelf, in which Nigel Forde talks to Rosamunde Pilcher about her life and novels.
Production credits
Written by Rosamunde Pilcher
Dramatised by Lin Coghlan
Directed by Tracey Neale
Cast
The Narrator, Rosamunde Pilcher – Jessica Turner
Penelope – Emma Fielding
Olivia – Emily Berrington
Nancy – Jasmine Hyde
Young Penelope – Kitty O'Sullivan
Richard – Carl Prekopp
Noel/Ambrose – Will Kirk
Cosmo/Mr Brookner/Soldier – John Lightbody
Antonia – Imogen Front
Danus – Ian Dunnett Jnr
Lawrence – Michael Bertenshaw
Doris – Debra Baker
Miss Pawson – Anna Spearpoint
Mrs Enderby – Juliana Lisk
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14-21 April 2024
The Shell Seekers copyright © 1987 Rosamunde Pilcher
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At the end of a long and useful life, Penelope Keeling's prized possession is The Shell Seekers, painted by her father, and symbolizing her unconventional life, from bohemian childhood to wartime romance. When her grown children learn their grandfather's work is now worth a fortune, each has an idea as to what Penelope should do. But as she recalls the passions, tragedies, and secrets of her life, she knows there is only one answer...and it lies in her heart.
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- By Jeanette Finan on 12-31-17
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The Shell Seekers
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Hayley Atwell
- Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of a long and useful life, Penelope Keeling's prized possession is The Shell Seekers, painted by her father, and symbolizing her unconventional life, from bohemian childhood to wartime romance. When her grown children learn their grandfather's work is now worth a fortune, each has an idea as to what Penelope should do. But as she recalls the passions, tragedies, and secrets of her life, she knows there is only one answer...and it lies in her heart.
-
-
Narrator Speed
- By TB on 01-18-18
-
The End of Summer
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Jilly Bond
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years in the United States, Jane returns to the tranquil Scottish estate Elvie, where she spent a magical childhood. Memories of Elvie had always summoned the image of Sinclair, the rakish man Jane had once dreamed of marrying, but now that she is home, she finds Sinclair a different man. His charm has a purpose, and Jane can no longer trust him...or herself, in The End of Summer.
-
-
The sweetest of stories!
- By Jane on 02-13-20
-
Coming Home
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Helen Johns
- Length: 40 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set against the backdrop of an elegant Cornwall mansion before World War II and a vast continent-spanning canvas during the turbulent war years, this captivating 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.
-
-
Marvelous story line, Excellent narration
- By Amazon Customer on 03-17-18
-
The Day of the Storm
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Helen Johns
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the last day of her mother’s life, Rebecca learns she has a family in Cornwall and sets out to find the grandfather and cousin she has never known. But only the enigmatic Joss Gardner, the outsider who seems to be the apple of her grandfather’s eye, can help her understand the dark currents that lie behind her family’s loving reception.
-
-
Pilcher Calms
- By Minneapolis listener on 04-08-20
-
Sleeping Tiger
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whenever Selina asked about her late father, the grandmother who raised her changed the subject. The chance discovery of a photograph gave Selina hope that he was still alive and sent her searching for him on a small Spanish island. In this lush paradise, Selina found George Dyer, a writer who would help her solve the mystery of her past...and might hold the key to her future.
-
-
One of the best of her shorter books
- By Annie on 01-27-20
-
September
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Jilly Bond
- Length: 20 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A place you will never forget. Rosamunde Pilcher's Scotland...where the fields flourish with greenery, the bills bloom with purple, and the lochs glitter with the bright blue of the sky. A time you will never forget. September...when the heather is in full flower, the first chill of autumn cools the air, and the countryside stirs with the hunt, balls, dinner parties, and dance. Rosamunde Pilcher's September...a story of homecomings and heartbreaks, friendships, betrayals, forgiveness, and love.
-
-
An old and much loved favorite
- By Jeanette Finan on 12-31-17
What listeners say about The Shell Seekers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Sharon
- 02-09-25
A Must Listen for Fans of the Book
The performance was fabulous! I’d highly recommend accompanying this with the original audio book. And truly, it doesn’t matter what you do first, because both the audiobook and this performance are excellent!!
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