The story of the siege of Leningrad was very descriptive, tragic and depressing. But I feel it was historially important to hear this tale. The current story about the two bitchy sisters with dirty mouths and their cold, unloving mother was equally depressing but was totally unimportant and pretty disgusting actually. The ending was unrealistic and maddening. Slow start going on adnauseum about death of father (additional superhuman menfolk to come). 3 stars because of historical relevance. I had to finish the book but it made me mad. I actually was fairly involved in this book for the majority of it. Meredith has let her father's business consume her life, to the detriment of her marriage; Nina's wanderlust makes her reluctant to settle down even with a guy who shares her interests. Their mom is an emotionally abusive enigma. In trying to get over their father's death, they try to figure out why exactly their mom is so brittle and withdrawn.But the last quarter of the book, Mom's melodrama overwhelms that of the daughters. The descriptions of the siege of Leningrad are brutal; Mom's trauma makes sense. (Why their dad loved her doesn't, really--there were some hints at the beginning that she at least treated him with a little bit of affection, but what kind of man would decide to marry a random female POW who doesn't speak his language and is apparently essentially catatonic for the first year he knows her?) But everything is magically better! Somehow this story totally fixes the (serious, deep) problems both daughters have! And look--[SPOILERS]--somehow they totally accidentally wander into the restaurant owned by Mom's long lost daughter for no apparent reason! Hurray! WTF?Also, poor Meredith and Nina's dead dad is totally forgotten at the end. Because apparently 50 years of devotion don't count. Honestly, I think this would have been a much better book if they'd just learned the truth, and then it focused on Mom bonding with the daughters she failed to raise and the daughters fixing the issues caused by that lack of bonding. Instead, magical new family somehow fixes everything because Reasons.
What do You think about Winter Garden (2010)?
Wow. Very rarely does a book punch me right in the gut and surprise me with sudden, overwhelming emotion. This one did all of those things. It is about the relationship every little girl wants to have with her mom, and how it's never too late to fix relationships you thought were beyond saving. The first half of the book is a little bit slow and takes commitment to get through, but it's an easy read overall. It was an impulse grab from the library and I'm so happy I spotted it.
—lexi
I anticipated reading this book for quite a while and am thrilled to say that I was not disappointed. This was my fourth Kristin Hannah novel and I've loved them all. I especially love Russian history and have read several accounts of the Siege of Leningrad. With each story I am amazed anew at the tenacity, resilience, and bravery of the few remarkable survivors. I love how Hannah unfolded this story.
—Leslie
This was such an AWESOME book. I'm never disappointed when I read one of Kristin Hannah's books.
—Janeen
