A stuffy big-city doctor. Three rural folk healers. An unexpected partnership could put lives on the line… stalking the area, he’s running out of time to convince the citizens of the error of their ways.
Confronting the trio of spell-peddling sisters, he’s stunned to find their herbal remedies may contain the missing ingredient he needs for a cure. But with the local pastor hellbent on driving them out and the youngest sister unwilling to share her mysterious abilities, he worries he could lose the sick to madness and death.
Can Dr. Waycross discover the right combination of science and sorcery to save the townspeople?
The Winter Sisters is a spellbinding frontier-America historical fantasy. If you like unique twists on history, complex characters, and a touch of enchantment, then you’ll love Tim Westover’s richly woven tale.
US Selfies Winner (Publishers Weekly and Booklife)
Foreword Reviews INDIES 2019 Gold Winner for Fantasy
2019 Authors Circle Fiction Book of the Year Award
IPPY’s Bronze Medal for Best Southeast Regional Fiction
“A mesmerizing gem of a novel. The author’s talent for conveying beauty is striking, [and] his talent for conveying tension, conflict, and fear is equally impressive and used with great skill. This is a fine example of Southern literature at its most moving and vivid and beautiful.”-Southern Literary Review, November 2019 Read of the Month
“Historical fiction fans will be riveted by this immersive portrait of medicine and superstition in 19th-century rural Georgia. Great for fans of Adriana Trigiani, Jennifer Chiaverini.”-The BookLife Review, Editor’s Choice
“Solid writing and strong characters buoy this examination of a captivating moment in American history when old beliefs encountered the new. An enthralling, cozy tale set in an era when folklore reigned over science.” –Kirkus Reviews
“The Winter Sisters is a spellbinding frontier-America historical fantasy that showcases author Tim Westover’s genuine flair for originality and a distinctively engaging narrative storytelling style. With its unique twists on history and deftly crafted characters, The Winter Sisters will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections” –Midwest Book Review
“A well-plotted, perfectly paced novel whose chapters paint a colorful portrait of the frontier town of Lawrenceville, Georgia and its residents. What begins as a story of the clash between so-called scientific and folk medicine in the second decade of the nineteenth century turns, by the end, into a much more profound reflection on the role that personal belief plays in how people of any time or place conduct their lives.” -The BookLife Prize, 9.75 / 10
“Amid Lawrenceville’s shenanigans and swirling fears, a witty, tender story arises and unexpected partnerships form…. The Winter Sisters is an entertaining historical fantasy in which lives change and minds open.” –Foreword Clarion Reviews, 5 stars
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So slooooow. Curious about the sisters but could not plod through
Set in 1822, Dr. Aubrey Waycross has finally found a position as a town doctor in Lawrenceville, GA. The problem is that the townspeople are superstitious, and they believe in the travelling shysters that sell miracle elixirs. Additionally, The Winter Sisters are claiming to heal these people as well. Waycross knows their type, old witches with bottles of potions and such lining the walls of their decrepit cottage. But there might be more to these sisters than he’s seeing, and it might behoove him to meet them, even if he doesn’t have plans to stay in a town where no one wants him to treat them.
This one was interesting because I didn’t like Waycross at first. It might be the benefit of modern medical advances, but I saw his treatments as equally foolish as the travelling salesman, Salmon Thumb’s, miracle elixirs. And I rolled my eyes at his superiority over others with these treatments. But then I put the eye rolling aside because I knew there had to be more in store for this good doctor, and there certainly was.
I loved the characters in this one. From each of the sisters, to the doubting townspeople, they all provided a humorous backdrop to this historical fantasy. I found Aubrey’s use of Ether equally amusing, and it was reminiscent of Wilbur Larch in John Irving’s The Cider House Rules. Effie was my favorite of the sisters, and I enjoyed that Westover allowed us to draw our own conclusions as to what was going on with her frailty, though it was mildly spelled out if you were willing to put it together. I found the end of the book didn’t do her the justice I would have liked to see. But the story along the way was addicting, and it made the book hard to put down. Nicely done.
I found this book to be a tiresome read and had to push myself to finish it. I didn’t like the mixing of early medicine and herbology, which has some basis in science, with the paranormal or occult. At first I thought the author was attempting to debunk the theory of magical powers resulting in miraculous cures, but then he introduces a character without any explanation that does just that. It was as if the author was trying to tell two stories and couldn’t decide what direction to take. This story was slow-moving and seemed to meander without a plot. The writing and scene changes were choppy making it difficult for the reader to determine the narrative perspective, location and timing of some scenes. I didn’t have much sympathy for the main character. He was arrogant and dismissive at the beginning, then later he was an indecisive love interest and an ether addict. He just wasn’t very likable. There wasn’t much background given on the three sisters to really become engaged with their characters either. The story itself is about a physician armed with his newly achieved medical credential. He travels to a small rural Georgia town in the early 19th century to open a medical practice and to study an exaggerated report of a rabies outbreak. His skills are limited to the rudimentary medical practices of the times and he soon finds it difficult to attract patients or effect cures in many of his cases. He forms a bond with three sisters skilled in the healing arts and knowledgeable in their use of herbs in their treatments. The sisters are revered by some for their healing skills, but feared by others as rumored practitioners of witchcraft. The physician and the sisters join forces to overcome their limitations in practicing the healing arts. Difficulties arise that divide the healers and some supernatural things happen. It all works out in the end. There just wasn’t enough historical detail, depth of characters, or story to hold my interest.
The Winter Sisters by Tim Westover is magical and mesmerizing. It’s historical fiction with a bit of fantasy thrown in.
When Dr. Aubrey Waycross arrives in Lawrenceville, Georgia, he expects to have lots of patients since the town has no doctor. He agreed to take this remote assignment because he’s been told a rabid panther is roaming the woods, and his sister died from rabies when he was a boy.
Dr. Waycross thinks his science will lure people away from their superstitions. He’s heard about the Winter sisters, and their “healing” powers. Of course, he scoffs at this because science trumps everything else in his mind. When he heads off to meet these Winter sisters, he expects to find three old healer women in the woods. And here, our story begins….okay, it started at the beginning, but you get the point. I just don’t want to spoil anything for you!
I absolutely love the characters in The Winter Sisters. They’re well-developed and unique. The author’s descriptive language brings them as well as the setting to life. The pacing is just right and will keep you engaged throughout. I don’t think there was any point in the book where I was bored or thought the author was adding unnecessary scenes to the book just for filler.
This is definitely a book I will always recommend to historical fiction/fantasy lovers. It’s exceptional and fun, and I think you’ll love it as much as I did.
Thanks to Smith Publicity for providing me with a free review copy. This did not influence my review in any way. I wasn’t required to give a review; I chose to leave one because I enjoyed the story. All opinions are mine and may differ from yours.
First off, I need to say, I have mad cover love for this book. It’s simple, yet it speaks volumes to me. I love a witch-y feel to a good book, and that’s what Westover’s book had with the cover alone. But, once I sat down and opened the book? That was another wild ride! This historical fiction will have you falling in love with the characters instantly!
Westover has wonderful talent for creating captivating characters. I instantly fell in love with The Winter Sisters. They are healers and absolutely vividly portrayed. The time period that they are in is one of my favorites, and as I turned each page, following more of Effie, Sarah and Rebecca’s story, I fell further and further in love. When tragedy strikes and they are blamed for it, being called witches, it really gave me all the Salem Witch Trial vibes, only Georgia style!
If you love a beautifully written, detailed read, then this is one you don’t want to miss. If you love historical, page turning, soul capturing reads, then grab this one up. The Winter Sisters will captivate you, heart and soul, and keep you hooked until the last page is reached. Well done, Westover. Well done!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.* Tim Westover
While The Winter Sisters isn’t the type of book I read often, I’m glad I decided to step outside my comfort zone with this unique mix of historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism. The story of Dr. Waycross and The Winter Sisters and the medicine being practiced in the Georgian mountains in 1822 is filled with imagination and humor.
Westover’s writing is creative and intriguing. His characters are quirky and entertaining. I loved getting to know the townspeople and was fascinated by their beliefs and practices. This book definitely latched onto the idea that “magic’s just science that we don’t understand yet”.
I enjoyed this quick, fascinating book and would recommend it if you’re looking to read something a little different.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
I never knew I would enjoy a Historical Fiction read with fantasy and magical realism as much! Westover is such a creative writer that was able to transport the reader into this world – the lush Georgia landscape with its intricate and vivid details of the southern frontier and fantastical world of magic and spells.
The year is 1822 and Dr Aubrey Waycross and the Winter Sisters of Hope Hollow are pit against each other as modern medicine and local herbal remedies were tested against each other.
Westover’s characters were a joy to read about. His brilliant writing and creativity in writing this haunting tale, kept my interest and had me turning those pages into the wee hours of the night. What a fantastic story!
I highly recommend this engrossing and engaging read!
Tim Westover, author of “The Winter Sisters” has written an intriguing, captivating, bewitching and entertaining novel. The Genres for this novel are Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, and Fiction. The story takes place In the Georgia Mountains, around 1822. The author describes the dramatic and colorful characters as complex and complicated.
Dr. Aubrey Waycross is a physician who believes in only the scientific methods of the time. He is invited to a small rural town in Georgia where they need a doctor. His first introduction to this town is when he sees a salesman playing the banjo, singing and selling a tonic that can cure all ills. The small town is very wary of the doctor. Up in the mountains are “The Winter Sisters” who have the reputation of healing and saving people. A few people consider them witches.
The three sisters, Sarah, Rebecca, and Effie seem to have some secrets up their sleeves. The town is terrified of a Panther that has rabies. There really is no cure for treating someone with rabies. Sarah and Rebecca are used to the plants and herbs. Aubrey becomes fascinated by them and ultimately invites the sisters to join him in treating patients.
The question that most interests Aubrey, who believes in a scientific approach, how can anything with magic heal people? I found this story to be intriguing and would recommend this to readers who appreciate Historical Fantasy and Magical Realism.
Book Review: The Winter Sisters by Tim Westover
With some delightful turns of phrase, Tim Westover endeavors to transport readers to the little frontier town of Lawrenceville, Georgia in 1822. His “Winter Sisters,” Rebecca, Sarah, and Effie, know mountain magic- or is it intuition and herb lore? They’re at turns revered by the townsfolk for their remedies, and, when instigated by the local clergyman, reviled as witches.
Lured by a rumor of a rabies outbreak, cock-sure Dr. Aubrey Waycross arrives to introduce science and modern medicine (such as it was in 1822, with its “bleeding” and “blistering” and amputating) to the superstitious citizens hoping to earn the “county seat.” He confronts what he suspects are “Grannies,” but discovers instead three young, wise, potentially magical women. Their treatments are gentler and often more effective than anything Dr. Waycross has learned.
“If only people could control themselves, half of the world’s curing wouldn’t be needed, nor half the world’s guns.” The story sets up an antagonism between the Winter Sisters and the pastor. When asked why she wouldn’t leave, Rebecca Winter explained, “…in another place, I would not be the same person. I am my roots.”
Told alternately by Dr. Waycross in the first person and (usually) in the third from the perspective of the Winters, the story includes a bit of romance. “She could talk about manure or the moon, so long as we were talking.” Atmospheric touches, some seriously high-falooting language (I had to consult my dictionary twice!) and research abound. “Every person cast ten foot shadows, so the earth writhed and wriggled with a thousand specters.” However, the story jumps around quite a bit, and some of the story lines “resolve” without a clear picture of what happened. Otherwise, The Winter Sisters provides an atmospheric peek into Georgia’s past.
“Curiosity was a pernicious disease. It possessed me, turning me into a thrall to its own satisfaction.”
Dr. Aubry Waycross, recently licensed doctor comes to Lawrenceville Georgia in the early 1800s from Savannah. He comes at the behest of the Mayor with prompting from someone who knew of him. Question is whether he should stay. Lawrenceville had it’s share of healers, but not all of them are trustworthy. Which camp will Aubry be placed in?
The Winter sisters are the folk healers. Driven out of town by a shameful incident, they settled in Hope Hollow. And even with that…folks kept coming. However they manifested it, the girls were healers. They could cure the hopeless and the hope filled. When Aubry meets Rebecca, Sarah and Effie: the sisters he insists they return to town so they can work in tandem. After all, if magic is a change in perception, why not do it publicly?
However, more than magic is happening as Aubry falls for one sister, and the sisters connected by their Mother’s spell, choose to begin their separation. Can they overcome their abilities? Who will win:Dr.Waycross? Rev Boatwright? Salmon Thumb?
First, I must beg pardon of the author Tim Westover. I was challenged enough this fall not to read/review this until now. It is a marvelous work of historical fiction about the spreading of America. It is also sociology at looking at the positives and negatives setters of differing types bring to newly sprung villages. All in all however, it is a cracking good read that will be added to my best of the year 2 days prior to the end of 2019. I simply LOVED this book. Highly Recommended 5/5
About three healing sisters and an early 19th century doctor in frontier Georgia, the tale is told alternately by each of the four. They are each Strong characters. I enjoyed it. The author weaves together the conflict between herbalist and physicians who bleed people, and a little magic, with substance abuse, politics and superstition. It binds the whole with romance. It’s good reading.
I was sure from half way thru this was the first of a series and there is some room for that
Welcome to Freakish Friday my Fellow Book Dragons! Another week has passed and we are again late in the evening and looking toward the witching hour. Our Gem this evening is akin in color to amethyst. But look deeper and it’s color runs closer to that of Sanguinarine, also known as Bloodroot, a deep, deep russet. Our Gem Maker is Tim Westover. Not a Southerner by birth, but a Southerner by choice.
This is “The Winter Sisters: A Novel” and I loved it. This is Southern Gothic at it’s best. The Winter Sisters is not just a tale of Effie, Rebecca and Sarah, but it is the tale of the spirit of an entire little town in the mountains of Georgia in 1822. As in Flannery O’Conner’s “Wise Blood” or Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” southern towns do not just have people in them, they have souls. Lawrenceville’s soul is overseen by the Reverend Boatwright and he has determined that soul is in danger from the Winter Sisters. Why?
The Winter Sisters are that breed of female that was so useful in making sure our (I say our because as a Dragon, my ancestors have nearly always lived in the mountains) ancestors survived to procreate and thus ensure that I sit to write this missive to you. They understand the healing powers of roots, berries, moss and other plants. Willowbark for headaches, honey to cover open wounds, bloodroot for cough and inflammation and the Winter Sisters have a little something extra. The Winter Sisters’ have magic. Oh, just a touch it seems, but they do seem to be witches after a sort. They do things by moonlight, or by the season, they have cured folks deemed dying, and some folks claim to have even seen them reattach limbs or raise the dead!
Into this town comes Aubrey Waycross, M.D. Aubrey has been brought to Lawrenceville under false pretenses, mainly that there is a rabies epidemic. He is determined to save the people in this small mountain town from this cold blooded murderer that took a loved one from him long ago. When he gets there, he finds no epidemic, no rabies, no streets, no sidewalks, not much of a town and not much to hope for in way of a future. He is, to put it lightly, deeply disappointed and a little panicked, having spent his last few dollars on medicinal stock and travel.
The towns folk are suspicious of Dr. Waycross, having only seen doctors “bleed” people or amputate and afraid to go to him. They are afraid to be seen in the company of the Winter Sisters, whom the good pastor has ran out of town, because they fear the pastor (though not enough to try to get to the Sisters when they can do so surreptitiously). They are also afraid to try to go up the mountain to the the Sisters due to rumors of mad dogs, a rabid panther and other nasty beasties.
If you love a good scare or two, a good scrap and a bit of a love story, and you long for the days when a man could tell a good tale, this is the book for you. This book cuts not corners and does not truck with mincing words. If you long for the good old days of Southern Gothic, have no fear, Mr. Westover is here. It’s now available on If you have never read Southern Gothic, this is also a great introduction and is available on Amazon Kindle Unlimited for free right now.
One really splendid thing about this novel is that Mr. Westover is donating proceeds to a Children’s Hospital in Georgia. Until tomorrow I remain, your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free electronic copy on August 26, 2019, of this ARC from Netgalley, Tim Westover, and QW Publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this historical novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my personal, honest opinion of this work. The Winter Sisters is an especially compelling tale. There is a little history, a little SiFi, a little medical lore, a lot of herbal, native American, and even Creole approaches to healing, one persistent medicine man, a bit of drug abuse, a little romance, and a really good mystery between the pages of this very BIG novel.
Three orphaned sisters nearing or touching adulthood – Rebecca, Sarah, and Effie Winters -find themselves ostracized in their hometown in 1822. Their mother was a renowned herbalist and more, who taught her daughters all she knew. The daughters do the best they can, trying to help others with their skills, maintaining their gardens and herbal beds and replenishing their supplies of needed wild herbs from the woods as they reach maturity despite the rumors of a giant black leopard and the presence of rabies. Each of the girls seems to have a different, special calling. Together they are very good at what they do. Due to hydrophobia spreading from an unknown source into the local community dogs, everyone else is afraid to travel through the woods even to closely outlying farms, so the girls gathered up supplies and moved temporarily to the only empty cabin in Lawrenceville so the community didn’t have to brave the woods to attain medical help. Unfortunately, their continued persistence, seen as fearlessness, in gathering the roots, seeds, mosses, etc from those dangerous woods is yet another mark against them in the eyes of the community.
The local preacher burned them out and ran the sisters back to the Hope Hollow family farm following a fire in the community. Lead and fed by Pastor Boatwright, rumors of witchcraft and spirits and monsters convinced the citizens of Lawrenceville that the fire at the local mill may have been the doings of the Winter girls, and despite the community dependence on the sisters for medical help and Rebecca’s engagement to the mill owners’ son – and the only casualty of the mill fire – they want the girls gone. Of course, leopards are never going to be found in Georgia – but witches and shades could call it home and witches have familiars. Everybody knows somebody who has seen the rabid leopard. It must be real.
Lawrenceville Mayor Richardson hires sight unseen a young new Hippocratic doctor certified by the Georgia Medical Society to come fill the gap left by the expelled sisters. In 1822 most prescribed medical cures were handled by bleeding, blistering, amputation, and/or enemas, and despite his youth and level of diagnostic inexperience, Dr. Aubrey Waycross felt adequate to handle the job, and because as a boy he lost his beloved older sister to rabies, he was compelled to take this job in an isolated community suffering from this always-fatal disease. Perhaps with his new skills, he can discover a cure. He surely does understand the symptoms of rabies.
Having now no vacancies in the town of Lawrenceville, the office and housing provided by the community for young, pennyless Dr. Westover are in the barn of the local boarding house. He spends most days with just the company of the community pigs, as the locals are afraid of him and totally sold on the Winter girls’ cures for all that ails them. They would rather do without than trust this purveyor of modern medicine. Aubrey eventually persuades the Winter sisters to move back to town and help him with his practice, combining his Hippocratic teachings with their herbal lore. The boarding house has a room they will grudgingly let them have, and he is willing to share his office with the girls though it is already overfull with his bits and pieces, books, and resident pigs. Maybe, between them all, they can find a way to survive rabies. Unfortunately, they have patients to try to cure. But with even that goal attained will the community learn to accept the Winter Sisters? Or Dr. Westover? And what is going to burn down next?
Start to finish, this was an awesome read.
Lush, evocative and captivating, The Winter Sisters is a mesmerizing gem of a book by Georgia writer Tim Westover. Set in Lawrenceville, Georgia primarily in 1822, the book might best be classified as a literary historical novel, but with more than a touch of mystery and magical realism, as well as a sweet, slow-to-develop love story.
At the heart of the story are, of course, the Winter sisters, three young women who are healers in the mountains of North Georgia. The local preacher considers them witches and drives them from town after he blames a fire at a mill on them. He hangs them in effigy and no one in the town cuts down the effigies. Yet the town folks continue to hike through dangerous terrain to seek healing at Hope Hollow, the sisters’ refuge some miles out of town.
While the sisters continue healings at Hope Hollow, young Dr. Aubrey Waycross is lured to Lawrenceville by false tales. The doctor is shocked and dismayed by the primitive town, and the town people aren’t favorable impressed by him either. Aubrey dismisses the tales of a rabid panther because panthers don’t roam north Georgia. Yet the preacher insists the panther lurks menacingly about and is the witches’ evil familiar. Aubrey soon confronts the sisters, thinking them “granny women” but discovers they are young, attractive, and mysterious.
Thus begins the tale that spins several encounters with the panther, unexplained healings, some grim medical missteps on the doctor’s part, the increasing menace of the preacher’s rage against the sisters, and the suspenseful battle to save Ouida Bell, the town’s loveliest and sweetest young woman, from rabies. The doctor complicates things greatly by being an ether addict and by not always recognizing either love or genuine healing when faced with them. The story is haunted by the panther and the quest for healing for Ouida Bell, just as the increasing threat from the obsessed preacher raises tensions. Aubrey’s own journey from a haughty, judgmental to a genuine, compassionate healer is a strong, compelling element of the plot.
Much of the story’s magical realism centers on Effie, the youngest of the sisters. She describes herself as a “remnant, left from a time before understanding.”
Tim Westover has a rare talent for putting the reader right into the story, his characters are complex and never stereotypical, and the world he creates is both beautiful and haunting. This is a fine example of Southern Literature at its most moving, enchanting, and compelling.