Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother? From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors comes a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children …
Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.
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This book, had, by far, the most moving story of a relationship between a mother and daughter. I don’t normally shed tears, but this one truly touched me. I would recommend this book as a beautiful read.
Part mystery, part women’s fiction, total tear-jerker. I’ve never been interested in reading about World War II until I discovered this book and then The Nightingale, her other WWII set novel. Hannah has brought the human toll of war to life in ways you don’t expect. She goes far beyond the battlefields to the intimate battles deep within each …
I enjoyed this novel. I didn’t want to put it down, and the characters felt familiar to me after the first couple of chapters. It left me crying a mix of happy and sad tears at the end.
This book captured me from the very beginning. Not only for the mother, Anya but for her daughters, Meredith and Nina. Heartbreaking at times, particularly Anya’s story of growing up in Leningrad. Wow…Kristin Hannah can write.
This was a wonderful, mother/daughter relationship story. This story touched my heart and the tears flowed. I will read this many times.
Kristin Hannah has a true gift. She is able to tell a story in such a way that pulls you in and then stays with you when it is done. This book is no exception. It is a fictional story of two daughters discovering who their mother truly is. It begins and ends with a fairy tale she has told them all their lives. Now as they hear the whole tale they …
I engaged and I cried for the history and for the family. This lovely story of tragedy and triumph. A picture of the woman’s side of war and life of those left behind to suffer and survive. This book follows a group of women through loss and grief as they are separated by war and death yet survive. It’s a story of history and relationships told …
In Winter Garden, Sisters Meredith and Nina are as different as Lazarus’s sisters Mary and Martha. When their father dies, the bottom drops out of their world; he’d been the heart of their family. The novel unfolds as they search for a way to live without him. Meredith promises her dying father to help her newly widowed mother. Nina promises to …
If you read The Nightingale and haven’t read Winter Garden, do so ASAP!!
As much as I loved The Nightingale, this book took my breath away! Months later, I still think about the Winter Garden characters and how fictional stories parallel real life. The story is tight, characters are strongly defined, and the ending? I never saw it coming.
The angst and self-absorbed personalities of the daughters almost totally put me off this book. Finally it progressed to the amazing story of the mother. I still didn’t like the daughters in the end. Just scan through their problems and wait for the emotionally heart wrenching story of their mother. Excellent history lesson for everyone.
This is a great read… Filled with historical facts regarding a terrible time in Russian History. It centers around an elderly woman who is withdrawn from everyone around her. It is her past that explains everything. We can never really know what shapes another person.
This was my second book from this author. I did really like it but I read this after The Nightingale. I felt it read a bit slow but I think that had to do with just coming off of the constant movement in The Nightingale. The mother in the story made me very mad and frustrated for most of the book. It wasn’t until the end that I felt for her. …
I loved this story. The beginning was hard because Meredith was so unlikeable, but I stuck with it because I knew Hannah was taking the story somewhere. And she did. The historical story based on life in Leningrad during the war is heartbreaking and compelling. It’s a lesson to us all when government has too much reach and power. Anya is a true …
This is a story that truly demonstrates how the past can shape a person. Vera survived the siege of Leningrad but at a very high cost. The book alternates between modern day and WWII, each layer of the past revealed gets us closer to understanding Vera’s detachment to her two daughters. It’s a heart wrenching story that I absolutely loved.
Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah
Pub date: 2010
Genre: historical fiction
Library loan, digital copy
St Martin’s Press
Rating: 4/5
Book Swap Recommended read
Evan Whitson was the glue that held his family together. It is only when he becomes ill and dies that his daughters, Meredith and Nina, realize how little they know about their family. The …
This is my all time favorite book which I’ve re-read about four times over the past few years. The characters are so realistic and the story very touching and thought provoking. What would I do in similar circumstances? I really don’t know. Loved the family dynamics between mother and daughters. I’ve personally recommended this book many times …
I only gave it 4 stars as I found it difficult and sometimes tiresome to read. It is an amazing story of the fall of Leningrad and her struggle to survive, her loss and the resulting hardness she absorbed. There are two daughters who never understood why their mom showed no love to them. Their fathers dying wish was for his wife to tell them her …
I love Kristen Hanna. She weaves a story together beautifully. It had many twists and turns and I didn’t want to put it down. Great
I’ve read most of Kristin Hannah’s books. Everyone was good, but Winter Garden is my 2nd favorite after The Nightingale. Excellent and powerful stories!
I love all of Kristin Hannah’s books and this one did not disappoint! It’s about family and complicated relationships. Really enjoyed it!