Winter Garden

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When I first started the book, I was reading more out of curiosity than anything else. Truthfully, I found many of the characters to be cold and distant and wasn't really sure that I'd ever connect with them on an emotional level but I was intrigued enough by the story to keep reading. And along the way, there's this undercurrent to the story that pulls you in deeper and just keeps growing stronger. I think that it's ok not to like the characters at first because one of the important messages of this book is how often and easily people misjudge each other without knowing their full story. I think it was written like that on purpose -- to make you experience the message of the story first hand. Because I promise you by the end of this story, I was overflowing with emotion. Few books have ever made me care so deeply for the characters as this one did. This isn't just a story you read, it's an experience you go through. Una historia familiar contada en dos hilos argumentales, separados por años y hechos, la relación de una madre y sus hijas que no logras entender, y un padre que sirve de eslabón para mantener la unión de la cadena familiar.

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 Winter Garden is the story of two sisters yearning to connect with their cold, distant mother who has constantly pushed them away. When Meredith and Nina’s father dies, the two are both at home together for the first time in years, promising their father they will coax the full fairy tale from their Russian mother Anya, who’s shared bits and pieces with them over the years. person dual pov worked SO well. loved getting both of the women’s views and they each had such a distinctive voice and were completely different characters Ok, before anything, please note the genre of this book is Women's Fiction, and not specifically Romance even though there is indeed a beautiful, powerful, and heart-wrenching love story at the heart of the book. If you're a romance reader (like me), please don't worry though, I promise the ending is amazing. i really enjoyed this book.. i can genuinely think of very few things wrong with it. i think my maiiiin problem is that is wasn’t as exCiTTTing as i thought it was going to be/could have been. like it didn’t thrill me. i kinda wanted to be on the edge of my seat.. but i wasn’t? STILL that’s probably more my own preference than anything about the actual book 🤪He shrugged. 'I'm not so sure. If something brings you more grief and heartache than reward and pleasure, yet you persist in the endeavour anyway, then how else might one describe it?'] Both women have seemingly an absurd amount of money and at least Rosa is working for it, while Beatrice just has family money that she spends in enormous amounts for her travels and experiments. How she even survives is beyond me. They live in a world where woman's worth is measured by her husband and they have no real right, yet Rosa is making business like no other and both can live on their own and do whatever they want with no social repercussions other than some vague gossip. In some things, they have so much freedom and choices for the period they are supposedly living in, but for some other things, it is forbidden to do anything. It just doesn't make much sense to me and it only seems to be convenient for the plot. I liked the ending, which has a healing touch. I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and fans of strong woman characters. Rosa was destined to be a lady of the manor and could not wait to find a loving husband. She spoke her mind and was determined to succeed in her life goals. What both ladies hadn’t realised was how different their lives would turn out. When they start to compete against each other to win the winter garden competition things certainly get complicated. I could sympathise with both women on many occasions but I felt Rosa’s rational thinking won me over in the end. 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.

I loved the captivating writing of this book. While magical elements were a large part of the story, what drove the plot was the two main characters and their struggles within Victorian society. Neither women fit the social norms that were expected of women and faced very different but equally challenging lives and decisions. Bell is very frank and honest in her writing of difficult topics including sexuality, excessive drug use and oppression, while paying close attention on issues of grief, mental health and misogyny. I found it hard to read in places but the topics were handled well and written with care. I will say the magical elements and the ending is so worth the sad moments in this book, each character comes a long way from their hardships. Her solution? To re-frame the reflections of her senior protagonist, Anya, as a fairy tale she’s told her daughters over the years. Now grown, Meredith and Nina have never felt loved by their mother but remain fascinated by the Russian fairy tale she used to share with them as children. Their beloved father is now dying, and he urges Anya to tell the girls the real story…. all the way to the end. Perhaps if they hear it, they’ll finally understand their mom’s iciness, and why she spends hours in the cold sitting silently with her thoughts in her cherished winter garden. 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, these two estranged women will find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. On his deathbed, their father extracts one last promise from the women in his life. She had so many questions about the world — and if she couldn’t ask them, then how would she ever learn its many secrets? » Were there some weaknesses? Yes, but I’m so grateful for the quality of this novel, I’m willing to overlook them. By and far, this book blows anything and everything I’ve read this year, so far, completely out of the water.Present Day: When her dreams of becoming a musician are shattered, Lucy takes refuge in her family’s ancestral home in Oxfordshire. Everyone knows it was originally home to the notorious gunpowder plotter Robert Catesby. As Lucy spends more time in the beautiful winter garden that Robe 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. if u like the vibes and storylines from the night circus/alice in wonderland definitely consider reading this one💗 This was a peculiar work for me and I cannot say for sure how much I liked it. It certainly made me think and it even made me cry, because unrealised wishes, wrong decisions and missed opportunities are a raw subject to me these days. However, the whole magical realism of this world just left me wondering. The most difficult facet of the research was definitely reading the first hand accounts of the survivors. Diaries, letters, interviews. Unfortunately, the records of this time are not as extensive as they should be. It is yet another example of Stalin’s repression. Only recently has the real truth begun to be told.