A Spell of Winter: Amazon.co.uk: Helen Dunmore: 9780140248814: Books

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Product Description

This is a novel set just before, during and after World War I. It is the story of a brother and sister whose mother deserts them and whose father goes mad. Incarcerated in an enormous house in the country, their intense emotional relationship becomes a sexual one.

From the Back Cover

'A marvellous novel about forbidden passions' Daily Mail

'An intensely gripping book...written so seductively that some passages
sing out from the page, like music for the eyes' Sunday Times

'A hugely involving story which often stops you in your tracks with the
beauty of its writing' Observer

'An electrifying and original talent, a writer whose style is characterized
by a lyrical, dreamy intensity' Guardian --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
It is winter in the house. Read the first page

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lyrical and unjudgemental morality tale, 15 Jun 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Spell of Winter (Paperback)

A haunting evocation of young souls left to develop alone in a large house full of emotional and financial disintegration. A brother and sister's isolation and loneliness lends their love for each other a new and dangerous bent. Without guidance or boundaries they struggle with the moral and physical implications before one (perhaps) finds redemption and hope.

This novel confronts parental abandonment, mental illness, incest, love and the tragedy of war with the lightest and most effective touch. The natural world and a strongly developed host of supporting characters provide a strong framework for a deeply personal tale.

At times the insights into a young girl's soul (it is written in the first person)seem almost pornographic in their intimacy but they render this work compelling.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darkly haunting, 15 Jun 2007

By

Suzie (Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: A Spell of Winter (Paperback)

This is a dark, disturbing novel, but strangely haunting. I read it when it was first published, and re-read it more recently. It is my favourite Helen Dunmore, and certainly, in my opinion, her most poetic, the language sometimes so striking that I re-read whole chunks, savouring the unexpected use of words, descriptions that make me gasp with admiration. Phrases such as, 'Her voice poured like treacle over the polished floor,' and, 'The corridor seemed to have swallowed up our voices too,' are breathtaking, but it is the overall impression of the coldness of winter, Catherine's season, that permeates the whole story. 'This morning the ice on my basin of water is so thick I can not break it. The windows stare back at me, blind with frost.'

Helen Dunmore evokes all the senses to the full, so much so that you almost feel the scratchy roughness of Rob's jacket against your skin, and suffer the claustrophobic intensity of Miss Gallagher's interest in Catherine, the young narrator. You instinctively dislike Miss Gallagher, an impression underlined by the writing: 'Her bicycle was by the front steps. Upright, ugly and insistent.' And, 'The coat flopped around her, long and lean as a washed-out banana.'

Kate, the Irish maid, is the one warm gleam in the children's otherwise wintry lives, but apart from Kate they have only each other. The book, set around the first world war, is an exploration of their relationship and its development as they grow up. The story might have its darker aspects but I loved it. I would urge anyone interested in the beauty of the English language to read it and savour every word.

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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Read, 15 Jun 2002

By

K. L. Stone "K S" (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Spell of Winter (Paperback)

The is a well contructed love story told in a graceful and captivating style. The author has been quite brave, yet obviously careful, in her portrayal of an intense sibling relationship turned too far inward to escape the youthful urges of sexuality. The individual's sense of seclusion during harsh and powerful winters is expertly conveyed. However, if your sense of morality is easily threatened, read something else; because, this is a complicated work that teases out taboos in a way in which the reader will never forget.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
Well I have to hand it to Dunmore; she is not an author who will shy away from difficult or disturbing subjects. Read more

Published 2 months ago by J. Willis