Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

This is the third book I've read by this author and she has yet to disappoint me. All three books have been VERY different, which I appreciate because there is no sense that I'm reading "another one of those books" like I get with some authors. I'll admit, I am now officially in love with Kristin Hannah!

This story is a love triangle of sorts that illustrates the complex relationships between two sisters and their mother after their father/husband dies, forcing them all together. The girls have never felt close to their mother, to the point where they determined that she doesn't love them, in fact might resent/hate them, but when their father is doling out his final wishes, he compels each woman to get to know and take care of their mother, not an easy thing to do. The only time they feel even remotely connected to their mother is when she is telling them a fairy tale, the same one she told when they were young and this is the place they all come together.

The first half of the book takes some patience to get through, but it's definitely worth it. Hannah has a way of describing historical and cultural happenings that makes you feel like you were/are there. The way she uses Anya Whitson's fairy tale about Stalin's Russia to connect the woman to her daughters is nothing short of amazing.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! If you haven't ready anything by Kristin Hannah, I'd also recommend The Magic Hour and Firefly Lane. I will definitely be looking for more of her work on my next trip to the library!!!

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