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"Beautifully read" The Oldie
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
Product Description
When Marnie receives a phone call that summons her to the side of a once-beloved friend, she is wrenched from her orderly London life and sent back into a past from which she has fled but never escaped.
Ralph, Marnie and Oliver once knew each other well and are still inextricably bound by ties of love and betrayal. Now they meet again in Ralph's secluded cottage in the Scottish highlands, to spend the precious days that Ralph has left with each other.
As they reminisce, Marnie is taken back to the summer years ago when everything changed between them and heartbreak and desire broke up their little group. Will Ralph have the chance to say what needs to be said before it's too late? And can they put the devastating events of twenty years ago to rest and rekindle the intimacy they once shared?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Winter House by Nicci Gerrard
This latest book by one half of the Nicci French partnership is surely most suitable reading for a cold winter's day. The cover alone promises much - I felt drawn to the little house in the deep blue picture and enjoyed feeling that I would relate to the story.
In many ways the theme of The Winter House is the long lasting effects of childhood relationships; those which exert the strongest of pull on our adult selves. There is something completely solid and grounded about these building blocks of our lives. Nicci Gerrard certainly understands the importance of those intuitive and sometimes inexplicable aversions, attractions and loyalties.
In the conversation at the back of the book the author explains that there were times when writing The Winter House that she felt suddenly stranded. And that.: "Indeed halfway through I stopped for several months". Alas this is clear in parts of her writing and the reader may experience the same emotion. For this reason the book is not entirely satisfactory. NG asks a lot of her reader and sometimes I felt bogged down with it all and wondered whether it would be worth finishing.
Only three characters really speak, Ralph who lies dying in his lonely northern home, attended by his old friend Oliver who calls in Marnie to help them over this lingering leave taking. However Emma, Marnie's mother is in the background and it was her that I felt was the most interesting and rewarding. She came across as wise and accepting of fate, unselfish and an extraordinary parent.
There are wonderful descriptive passages of the days of snow and isolation. Huge chunks of the book are set in the past and you move from then to the present day. A thoughtful understanding of the dying process is shown in the fierce, intense writing of Ralph's unspoken thoughts running through the narrative. Whether Ralph is a likeable character is up for debate but given his childhood he could hardly be easy going.
This is not an overly involving read, much is being made of rather little at times but nevertheless it is a gentle, generous book with true kindness at it's core.
This latest book by one half of the Nicci French partnership is surely most suitable reading for a cold winter's day. The cover alone promises much - I felt drawn to the little house in the deep blue picture and enjoyed feeling that I would relate to the story.
In many ways the theme of The Winter House is the long lasting effects of childhood relationships; those which exert the strongest of pull on our adult selves. There is something completely solid and grounded about these building blocks of our lives. Nicci Gerrard certainly understands the importance of those intuitive and sometimes inexplicable aversions, attractions and loyalties.
In the conversation at the back of the book the author explains that there were times when writing The Winter House that she felt suddenly stranded. And that.: "Indeed halfway through I stopped for several months". Alas this is clear in parts of her writing and the reader may experience the same emotion. For this reason the book is not entirely satisfactory. NG asks a lot of her reader and sometimes I felt bogged down with it all and wondered whether it would be worth finishing.
Only three characters really speak, Ralph who lies dying in his lonely northern home, attended by his old friend Oliver who calls in Marnie to help them over this lingering leave taking. However Emma, Marnie's mother is in the background and it was her that I felt was the most interesting and rewarding. She came across as wise and accepting of fate, unselfish and an extraordinary parent.
There are wonderful descriptive passages of the days of snow and isolation. Huge chunks of the book are set in the past and you move from then to the present day. A thoughtful understanding of the dying process is shown in the fierce, intense writing of Ralph's unspoken thoughts running through the narrative. Whether Ralph is a likeable character is up for debate but given his childhood he could hardly be easy going.
This is not an overly involving read, much is being made of rather little at times but nevertheless it is a gentle, generous book with true kindness at it's core.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Winter House The content of Nicci Gerrard's books are quite different to those that she writes with her husband as Nicci French. Gone is the suspense and horror, they are however still quite wonderful. I eagerly await every new book and this didn't disappoint, capturing me in a world I didn't want to leave until I had read every page. A great story that left me feeling quite thoughtful.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Only the hardest of hearts will fail to be moved by this story of loss, love and friendship
25 Mar 2010
Format:Paperback
The Winter House is the beguiling story of a woman summoned to confront the trappings of her youthful past, a complex quadrangle of tangled relations, which have long been buried but never forgotten. With a wisdom beyond its pages it is a novel that makes you explore you own half-forgotten friendships and relationships; whether consciously of subconsciously you cannot help but relate to Marnie's circumstances by placing a question mark against people, choices and events from your own past.
When Marnie receives a phone call out of the blue from old friend Oliver Fenton, he his summoning her to a small cottage in remote Scotland where their friend Ralph is dying. There was a time when these three, and Lucy (a fourth) were all very close and inseparable friends. But that all came to an abrupt end years ago and Marnie hasn't been in touch with the boys since. Can they all put past events behind them and transport themselves back to their youth, to give Ralph the peace, the strength and love he needs at the end? Much has happened in their lives since their youth, but will the bonds of friendship still be strong enough to see through their differences now?
It is a very warm and poignant novel, more about relationships and emotions than about events. The main characters are real, immediate, - very well portrayed. In just a couple of places I think the writing loses it's thread, with the theme of 'home' and 'homesickness' being ever so slightly over-played as well, but on the whole it's a novel I can recommend for its originality, kind heart, warmth and good story telling, and only the hardest of hearts will fail to be moved by this story of loss, love and friendship.
When Marnie receives a phone call out of the blue from old friend Oliver Fenton, he his summoning her to a small cottage in remote Scotland where their friend Ralph is dying. There was a time when these three, and Lucy (a fourth) were all very close and inseparable friends. But that all came to an abrupt end years ago and Marnie hasn't been in touch with the boys since. Can they all put past events behind them and transport themselves back to their youth, to give Ralph the peace, the strength and love he needs at the end? Much has happened in their lives since their youth, but will the bonds of friendship still be strong enough to see through their differences now?
It is a very warm and poignant novel, more about relationships and emotions than about events. The main characters are real, immediate, - very well portrayed. In just a couple of places I think the writing loses it's thread, with the theme of 'home' and 'homesickness' being ever so slightly over-played as well, but on the whole it's a novel I can recommend for its originality, kind heart, warmth and good story telling, and only the hardest of hearts will fail to be moved by this story of loss, love and friendship.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Had it been written by a teenager I would have understood...
... but by a grown woman??? I have forced myself to read but have been unable to make good progress as it is one of the most boring books I have ever had the displeasure of buying... Read more
Published 6 months ago by H. Lacroix
The Winter House
The winter house is about 3 friends/lovers who all back together after some horrible events in their lifes. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Karen Gooderham
Enjoyable & Worthwhile Read
This is an enjoyable and worthwhile read, and I have given it four stars. But... Well the "but" is that, having read all Nicci Gerrard's (and, incidentally, all Nicci French's)... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Perfectionist?
Elicited a lot of emotions of childhood and adolescence
Having read a lot, in fact, all of the Nicci French books of which Nicci Gerrard is part author, her books written solo are completely different and so is the style of writing. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mrs. Susan Brown
Poignant
I had read two of Nicci Gerrard's previous three books and consequently was looking forward to reading The Winter House. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Nicola
A VERY MOVING NOVEL
I have just finished reading The Winter House, and I thoroughly enjoyed. I found it emotional,thought provoking, sad and happy all in one book. Read more
Published 18 months ago by bibliophile
excellent read
Wasn`t too sure I would enjoy this book as I have read most books by Nicci FRench and Nicci Gerrard. Read more
Published 18 months ago by bridget
Unbearably poignant
I don't know what I expected from this book but I'm pretty sure I didn't expect to be sitting up half the night in order to finish it and snivelling into the bargain! Read more
Published 19 months ago by Moonlit
winter house by Nicki French
I was recommended to this author by a friend so it is the first book I have read by her.
I have found it rather slow and I do not like books that keep going back in to the... Read more
I have found it rather slow and I do not like books that keep going back in to the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by roseanne
Another gripping, superbly written novel by Nicci Gerrard
A superbly written, twisty novel about obsessive and lost love, psychological torture and how you can be haunted by half-forgotten childhood experiences.
Published 23 months ago by S. Mason
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