Winter Garden

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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. Although both Rosa and Beatrice explore motherhood and loss in different ways, I did find Rosa’s story more captivating, perhaps because it felt like she had more to lose than Beatrice and everything to gain. She will remember how she told them what she hadn’t known before: that war is about fire and fear and bodies lying in ditches by the side of the road.”

I wish the moral acrobatics from ‘I want to learn from the world’ to ‘I want to take it home and own it’ had been questioned. In Bell’s world, science transforms into magic when we aren’t looking. But while she shines a light on history of sexist exclusion of women scientists, science’s colonial history stays in the dark. When her (wealthy, White, landowning) women finally gain access, they do science just like their male peers - by “discovering” and extracting it from other peoples. In the same way that Robert Dinsdale’s The Toymakers blended history and fantasy, Alexandra Bell weaves a tale that takes place in our own world but is sprinkled with extraordinary magic. Yet whilst the spectacular wonders of the Winter Garden might be the initial draw to readers intrigued by the synopsis, this is also a book about what it means to be a woman in a man’s world and the misery such a life can create. Beatrice and Rosa are both beset by grief and hopelessness, and you can’t help but think that if the characters existed in a past that was fairer and kinder on women, they wouldn’t be driven to such extreme measures to win their wishes. 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.This book has some gorgeous imagery and delightful magic; but it wasn't as brilliant as it could have been because the characters were so difficult to root for and get invested in: Honestly i had a hard time rating this. If i could,i would rate the first half 50% 1.5 stars and the second 50% 5 stars.i feel like 3 stars is pretty decent so…The first half was so painfully boring i wanted to dnf it so freaking bad. the only thing that kept me going was that i wanted to know Vera story. And It was worth the suffering 💔 The biggest problem I have with this book is about the very unidimensional feminism. It is quite clear the author wanted to denounce the sexism of this time, but it is a feminism centered on the protagonists, a real egocentric white feminism. Not even a word about racism and colonization of this period, it could have been in the book as Beatrice is traveling, some opportunities was clearly missed here and in the end the book has some really sketchy racist vibes and ... no thank you

Now she happily dwells in an entirely make-believe world of blood, death, madness, murder and mayhem. The doctors have advised that it is best not to disturb her, for she appears to be happy there. My favorite part of the entire story was the dynamic between the two sisters. Meredith was always the steadfast and responsible one and Nina was the wild and free sister, but they were both strong, just in different ways. Both admired one another for exactly what they regretted the most in themselves and I found that quite interesting. I guess, the grass always seems greener on the other side, right? And of course, the love story junkie in me would be remiss not to mention Danny and Jeff. I was completely smitten with both, they were as different as the sisters, but worthy in their own ways.

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Imposible no sentir en la propia piel el frío de una Leningrado en guerra, el dolor de sus habitantes, el dolor de sus familias resquebrajadas y cómo es capaz de llevarlo cada personaje; una historia con tantas perdidas y sufrimiento, que solo te lleva a preguntarte: ¿Cómo pudieron sobreponerse? ¿Cómo se sobrelleva tanta perdida? ¿Cómo tu corazón puede seguir adelante y luchar cuando todo a tu alrededor ha perdido el sentido? As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. Winter Garden is currently available as part of the Kindle Unlimited program and includes WhisperSync for those who prefer the audiobook format. i feel like that quote fits the main characters really well. i loved the women in this book. there were so passionate about their work, something i really can admire. This isn't just one of my favorite books of the year, it's one of my favorite books of all-time. I know for a certainty that no matter how many books I read, this will always remain precious to me. It has beautiful writing, a breathtaking story, and a powerful ending -- the true sign of a fantastic novel.

The women in this book made me want to scream at how unemotional they where, and how they treated the good men around them. But this book could have benefitted from a strong dose of Edward Said. Where the Victorian setting’s misogyny is regularly deconstructed and criticised, its coloniality is not. One of two protagonists sources her magic by “discovering” the resources of various occupied places and subjugated peoples, all described in a series of vignettes that leave them exotic and dangerous but otherwise nondescript. The story uses Hawaii no differently than India, Thailand, Nigeria, or China; as places for the protagonist to discover adventures and magic to return home with. I didn't quite expect the melancholia but somehow it worked and, rather than depressing me, it helped me appreciate the escapism that the Garden presented. Meredith and Nina are two sisters that lead very different lives. They grew up with a distant mother and in turn have never been close to one another. Their mother told them a fairytale as children. When their father dies it is his last wish that their mother tell them the whole story. To lose love is a terrible thing,But to turn away from it is unbearable. Will you spend the rest of your life replaying it in your head? Wondering if you walked away too soon or too easily? Or if you’ll ever love anyone that deeply again?”

The characters have depth and complexity and even though none of them are particularly likeable I was completely drawn to them all. The main protagonist Beatrice is the most fascinating of characters, although Rosa became just as intriguing with the introduction of her narrative partway through. Both are strong women forging their way in a male dominated society, a Victorian period in time in which it was not an easy place for women. What was it like?’ James asked then. ‘In the garden? Did you really see the Spider Queen? The Frost Orchid? The Book of Lost Souls?’ Excellent heartfelt story about the troubled dynamics of the mother/daughter bond and the relationship between two sisters. Sisters Meredith and Nina couldn't be more different from one another, and have difficulty bridging the gap to find common ground. Their Russian-born mother, Anya, however, has always been cold and distant and the girls have felt unloved, affecting each of them in different ways. Their fragile bond is further threatened after the death of their father, who was the glue that held them all together. Interlaced with a Russian fairytale that changes absolutely everything, this story is harrowing and heartbreaking, in so many ways. It’s the buried resentments that get unearthed, the hidden regrets that are revealed and the realization that there is more to everyone’s story that provides the much needed answers. Reality is, life is a series of choices - some are remarkable and some naturally morph in to regrets - good or bad, the culmination make us who we are.

We all really loved the discussion we had for this one and we really dug deep into the emotional depth of this story and how it made us feel. We used some discussion questions that really enhanced our discussion. It’s stories and discussions like this that really bring out the best reading experiences for me. i wish we could've seen more of james, another character i really loved. he might just be my favourite one, actually. 🌹

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I was drawn into this one immediately and could not stop. The magic of this story is so delicate, elegant, and cold. Winter pervades the entire novel and laces it with icicles, snowflakes and possibility. One quote: "Was that what they'd discover on this trip? That their mother was like one of her precious Russian nesting dolls, and if that were true, would they ever really see the one hidden deep inside?" LITTLE bits of romance (but not the most satisfying- for a reason) so don’t read this for romance. i liked that it wasn’t romancey though - it definitely wouldnt have worked as well if there was a prominent romance storyline 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. Me he quedado sin lágrimas, esta autora me deja seca... Cómo explicar que me he leído este libro en un día y terminé como si un tren pasara a toda marcha encima de mí... es tan desgarrador como hermoso.