A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Published 24th March 2015 by Tinder Press
Read in March 2015
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones and all other good bookshops
The Blurb:
To find yourself, sometimes you must lose everything.
A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence – until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything.
Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.
The Review:
A Place Called Winter is one of the most poignant, brutal and breathtaking books that I have read in a long time. I had took my time reading this book in order to devour and absorb it because it is so wonderfully written.
As Patrick Gale explores loss, friendship and sexuality within this novel he has captured the emotion in a way I've never experienced from a book before. Not only does he handle the issues delicately even when they have been conveyed in a brutal way but he has managed to reflect the seriousness and prejudice surrounding sexuality and engaging in sexual activity without consent in a way which provokes you to think about the stigma and stereotypes that are still in place today surrounding different issues. When reading this book I realised that some of the prejudices are still implemented today that were implemented in the past and it makes me sad to think that although the world is constantly changing and there are always new things being created and discovered that our views and opinions take much longer to change.
Harry Cane is a character that you simply adore. His innocence and lovely nature just makes you love him and want the best for him. Although he seems isolated and is forced to leave his family behind, he always wants to provide the best that he can for those he cares about and wants to protect them from harm. I enjoyed going on the journey with him to Winter and it taught me that what seems like losing everything doesn't mean that you suffer as a person and that your experiences can become better if you just live in the moment and try not to worry too much about the future or dwell on the past (which I'm guilty of overdoing). It has also taught me that the way things turn out may not seem like it's the right thing for you in that moment but by learning from that experience you can make your future brighter and embrace whatever life throws at you. The journey of Harry Cane also taught me that inner strength is something that is developed over time but can be a struggle to grasp fully particularly if mental health and other issues get in the way.
This book left me with a serious hangover for at least 3 days after I finally finished reading this book because it was just so wonderfully written that I felt like I hadn't fully devoured it and I wanted more. This is a review that I have struggled to write because I feel like my words won't be enough to do this book justice and I suggest that this is a book that you read at least once in your lifetime.
A poignant and thought-provoking novel which will stay with you long after you've finished the final page.
Aimee x
Published 24th March 2015 by Tinder Press
Read in March 2015
Available from: Amazon, Waterstones and all other good bookshops
The Blurb:
To find yourself, sometimes you must lose everything.
A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence – until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything.
Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.
The Review:
A Place Called Winter is one of the most poignant, brutal and breathtaking books that I have read in a long time. I had took my time reading this book in order to devour and absorb it because it is so wonderfully written.
As Patrick Gale explores loss, friendship and sexuality within this novel he has captured the emotion in a way I've never experienced from a book before. Not only does he handle the issues delicately even when they have been conveyed in a brutal way but he has managed to reflect the seriousness and prejudice surrounding sexuality and engaging in sexual activity without consent in a way which provokes you to think about the stigma and stereotypes that are still in place today surrounding different issues. When reading this book I realised that some of the prejudices are still implemented today that were implemented in the past and it makes me sad to think that although the world is constantly changing and there are always new things being created and discovered that our views and opinions take much longer to change.
Harry Cane is a character that you simply adore. His innocence and lovely nature just makes you love him and want the best for him. Although he seems isolated and is forced to leave his family behind, he always wants to provide the best that he can for those he cares about and wants to protect them from harm. I enjoyed going on the journey with him to Winter and it taught me that what seems like losing everything doesn't mean that you suffer as a person and that your experiences can become better if you just live in the moment and try not to worry too much about the future or dwell on the past (which I'm guilty of overdoing). It has also taught me that the way things turn out may not seem like it's the right thing for you in that moment but by learning from that experience you can make your future brighter and embrace whatever life throws at you. The journey of Harry Cane also taught me that inner strength is something that is developed over time but can be a struggle to grasp fully particularly if mental health and other issues get in the way.
This book left me with a serious hangover for at least 3 days after I finally finished reading this book because it was just so wonderfully written that I felt like I hadn't fully devoured it and I wanted more. This is a review that I have struggled to write because I feel like my words won't be enough to do this book justice and I suggest that this is a book that you read at least once in your lifetime.
A poignant and thought-provoking novel which will stay with you long after you've finished the final page.
Aimee x