Winter Garden

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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. Aunque me ha gustado muchísimo esta historia, considero que El ruiseñor jamás podría ser superado, me queda claro que la autora sabe como contar una historia desgarradora, que te vacía por dentro y te deja sin nada, literalmente sin ganas de tomar otro libro, porque sientes que a éste no les has dado el suficiente tiempo de duelo. But Meredith and Nina and their mother come together through the fairy tale, which reveals long buried secrets of pain and sadness. I can't say more without going into spoiler territory. There is a connection to the siege of Leningrad. I recommend reading The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad by Harrison E. Salisbury. 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.

With differing opinions on how to help their heart-broken mother, the sisters work to convince her to tell the full fairytale. We soon find out that the fairytale is a real story about the hardships of life in Leningrad during WWII. Their mother, Anya, begins to soften by opening up. She releases her guilt and forgives herself for the impossible choices she had to make in her past. By sharing, she shines a light on the loss and starts to heal her wounds. Every choice changed the road you were on and it was too easy to end up going in the wrong direction.” I immediately connected to both sisters and although I related more to Meredith, I also liked Nina and I loved that the author showed both their good and bad sides. The mother was so distant and cold but the whole point of the story is to get to know the mother and understand everything she went through.

Winter Garden

Vera and Sasha: everything happened so fast for me she fall in love with him the first time they met?which made no sense to me. And then I blinked and they were married. I wanted more interaction between them so i can be invested in their relationship but sadly there wasn’t they only talked like 6 or 7 times in the book i counted them. And i know this is a women fiction not romance but still i wanted more then this. 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? Some themes are close to me notably stories that deal with mothers and daughters or families in general. That is a theme also dear to Kristin Hannah, from what I read of her books and especially in Winter Garden:

Wonderful story of the promise to a father to hear the story of mother's life that brings a family together in love and respect. When a book brings tears it is worth reading. El que tenga oportunidad que lea este libro, lo disfrute a pesar de las tragedias, porque de ellas, definitivamente también aprendemos. The story within the story, the so-called Fairy Tale, is quite compelling, telling a personal account of the siege of Leningrad in WWII. This is the real meat of this book, but that doesn't get rolling until the second half of the book. I wish the author had just written straight historical fiction of only the Leningrad part and left all the present-day stuff out of it. I did find the ending too implausible to be a tear-jerker. I rolled my eyes when I think I was supposed to cry. But the girls made a promise to their dying father and they gradually begin to draw the truth out of their mother through the fairy tale she's been telling for years, but never finished it to the end. Alternating chapters tell her story of growing up in Russia and her experiences in Leningrad during the war. And what a heartbreaking story it is as her sweet fairy tale turns into a horrifying tale of what was endured during the siege of Leningrad. More than a set of facts from a history book, Hannah makes you feel and I was brought to tears more than once. It’s possible that, for me, Hannah over-corrected in her rewrite, because I actually found the chapters about Meredith and Nina more interesting than their mother’s gradual fiction-into-fact revealing of her tragic experiences in the siege of Leningrad. I also found the ending to be a little too tightly wrapped in giant happily-ever-after bows of coincidence and catharsis, but readers who need cheerful conclusions may feel differently.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. One of my favorite Kristin Hannah novels. Winter Garden is a heart-breaking but beautiful story of the power of love, family, and connection. 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. 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. I absolutely LOVE Kristin Hannah. I do not know how she does it. You think you are reading a book about one thing and bam! it becomes so much deeper than that.

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. Winter Garden is currently available as part of the Kindle Unlimited program and includes WhisperSync for those who prefer the audiobook format.

I experienced Hannah’s writing slightly more than a year ago when I read The Nightingale and I liked it very much! My friend Leslie then recommended this one as her favorite by the author and I did not think twice and got a copy of the book! Leslie was right because this was hauntingly beautiful!

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. Both Nina and Meredith have grown up into adults who are unable to have normal relationships with others. Meredith's marriage is failing, because she shuts her husband out with an emotional wall. Nina is a world famous photographer who runs away from family and commitment by flying off to the latest war/famine/disaster. She refuses to accept a marriage proposal from someone who loves her and she loves because of her stunted emotional growth.