I have immediately come on here to review ‘The Winter Garden’ by Kristin Hannah, and I am even doing it with some tears still in my eyes. ‘The Winter Garden’ was chosen by the Knowle Book and Pudding Club and I was very excited about it as, about this time last year, I read ‘The Four Winds’ and, when I finished, I knew I wanted to read more books by Kristin Hannah – I just did not think it would be about a year before I did it. And I am determined that I am going to read another one soon, and definitely before another year is out.
I did not know what the premise of this story was, other than the word ‘Leningrad’ on the front cover, but nothing prepared me for what an emotional rollercoaster this read was going to be. I cannot give away what this is about, because I want you all to experience this beautiful book for yourself. Although, my advice is that you should be prepared for some tears as you reach the conclusion of the story.
What I will say about this book is that Kristin Hannah is incredibly skilled at not only putting women at the centre of her stories, but placing them at the centre of history. A place that, sometimes, women miss out on, despite all the important parts they have played throughout our world history – often a little more behind the scenes, but still being essential as the story of the world unfolds.
Alongside this, Kristin writes beautifully about relationships. And, in both of the books that I have read, she has written excellent relationships between mothers and daughters: how these can be some of the most incredible bonds, but also some of the most challenging relationships that women can face. In ‘The Winter Garden’, this relationship is represented in so many different ways but, essentially, love is at the centre of them all, even if it is not always obvious to those who are there until the past is fully understood.
I am not sure if I am doing this book justice, because there is just so much wonderful storytelling throughout this story, and it will have you researching more about the historical events that are described in its pages. But the epilogue is one of the most beautiful I have read, and brought the story to an almost perfect conclusion – although I hoped that there was a further reunion as the book came to a close.
If you are a fan of Kristin Hannah’s books – which is your favourite? As I need to work out the best way to tackle her extensive backlist of titles – and I definitely need to do it sooner than in a year’s time.