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Winter Garden
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
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Winter Garden
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Summary
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 Kristin Hannah's 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 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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Editor reviews
In Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden, we find three women a mother and two daughters by blood, but strangers in their hearts reeling from the loss of the man who held their fragile family together. Emptiness pervades this story hollowing out what is left of the Whitson family and creeping into the space between narrator Susan Erickson’s words.
Anya and her daughters Meredith and Nina have already lost their husband and father to death and risk losing each other to pride. Evan Whitson knew of this risk, and on his deathbed asked his wife to tell their daughters her “fairy tale” from start to finish. And so we find the Whitson women gathered in the dark at their family home, Belye Nochi, night after night.
Meredith is the older daughter who stayed home to take care of the family business, and her marriage is falling apart. Younger sister Nina, meanwhile, has traveled the globe as a renowned photographer, but refuses to marry the love of her life. Neither sister has much of a relationship with the other much less with their cold and distant mother, Anya, whose mysterious past in Russia haunts them all.
Erickson’s Anya is resolute, her Nina bold, and her Meredith lost. Effortlessly, it seems, Erickson captures in one moment the decades of sorrow in Anya’s voice and in the next the ready spirit in Nina’s. Always we hear the sheer exhaustion in Meredith’s. Erickson’s voice is at times empty and full, icy and warm, sharp and soft. Throughout the book all three women are alternately devastated with loss, isolated by bitterness, and joyous for the love of family, and Erickson lets us hear it all with her honest and gentle delivery.
Winter Garden is a story best listened to it is after all a testament to the power of storytelling. What Meredith and Nina hear in their mother’s story will cause them to face their grief head on and just might make them a family once again. Sarah Evans Hogeboom
Critic reviews
“It's a tearjerker, but the journey is as lovely - and haunting - as a snow filled winter's night.” --People Magazine
“This tearjerker weaves a convincing historical novel and contemporary family drama.” --Library Journal
“Readers will find it hard not to laugh a little and cry a little more as mother and daughters reach out to each other just in the nick of time.” --Publishers Weekly
What listeners say about Winter Garden
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Diana Judd
- 01-01-22
Enjoyable story
I did find this story extremely well written and narrated. I would say that it was a little slow in setting the scene and at times I felt it could be a long haul. However, once into the core of the book, I wanted to keep listening and find out the outcome. I wasn't disappointed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily bullock
- 07-08-23
Wonderful
Such a story of loss, forgiveness and hope
As always with her books so excellent but the story teller should not be overlooked she is amazing
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 06-06-24
Slow burner with a beautiful ending.
This is a story which is beautifully written but requires the listener to keep the faith through the slower phases. I enjoyed the first few chapters of this book and then the pace slowed considerably for quite a while. The strong beginning encouraged me to keep going and I'm glad I did. The ending of the story is incredibly moving but very compelling and the author has done an amazing job of telling the story of Soviet citizens trapped in the siege of Leningrad. The characters are well drawn and the focus on the female narrative is refreshing. I also enjoyed hearing a story around this period of history. Through study and personal interest, I have enjoyed lots of literature around this period of history in German and English speaking countries but I enjoyed hearing a story sent amidst the Eastern campaign. On the whole it is well narrated, although the Irish accent isn't the most convincing. On the whole a great listen, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miranda
- 28-05-24
Wow
Absolutely loved this and maybe more if one has/had a difficult mother child relationship. I cried buckets yet felt so lifted at the end. What a book just love all her books but this one is special to me.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anya
- 22-02-22
Heart breaking and heart warming
This story felt depressing at times and took a while to find its centre but once it did it was both heartbreaking and heartwarming in its exploration of family finding a way through unimaginable heartbreaking history and how it affects us.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rebecca Piek
- 04-02-22
Marvellous
I completely and utterly loved this book. I was engrossed and hooked whilst reading it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hannah Q-K
- 23-09-24
Beautiful
Heartbreakingly beautiful story. A story about a mother’s love so strong and a history I knew nothing about.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- RICHARD EUSTACE
- 10-08-21
enjoyable listen
another good story from Kristen Hannah. initially the 'fairytale' annoyed me slightly
. taking away from the other characters..but in the end, it was actually a better story nearly.
just one negative..the worst Irish accent ever from the narrator for the character of Danny .. aahh well..can't be great at them all.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-03-21
Very slow boring first half, editor asleep at the wheel!
Nearly gave up on this book so many times but only stuck as it was a KH book. Loved The Great Alone and The Nightingale so this was a major disappointment. The storyline was poor and took so long to get going. Very repetitive. Virtually nothing happens in the first half. Editor asleep I think. Also catastrophic Irish accent. So bad. No Dubliner ever spoke like that. Enjoyed last third of book but all very predictable. Leningrad during the war was best part of the story. Shocking and interesting. But overall the book was not up to KH standards.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-02-22
Pity about the awful Irish accent
I nearly stopped listening the Irish accent was so bad but ploughed on. Not as good as her other books. Too long. Good story behind it.
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