FICTION

FLOWERS IN THE RAIN by Rosamunde Pilcher (St. Martin’s Press: $20; 288 pp.). Each of these short stories is a little work of art, and each one is entertaining and wise in its own way. In “The Doll’s House,” a boy grieving for his father finds a way to cope with his loss. In “Endings and Beginnings,” a man discovers that his true love is a girl who’s been his friend for years. In a lean but lovely style, Pilcher makes her characters likable and describes their surroundings with loving attention to detail, whether they’re in a friendly Scottish village or a cold stone castle. The characters are full of heart and good intentions, even those who are outrageously nosy or presumptuous, like old Mrs. Lowyer who wants her granddaughter Christabel to marry someone other than her fiance. Pilcher likes happy endings. So do her loyal readers.