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Wolf Winter by C. Ekback
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Wolf Winter (edition 2015)

by C. Ekback (Author)

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5714041,431 (3.85)67
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:

Swedish Lapland, 1717. Maija, her husband Paavo and her daughters Frederika and Dorotea arrive from their native Finland, hoping to forget the traumas of their past and put down new roots in this harsh but beautiful land. Above them looms BlackAsen, a mountain whose foreboding presence looms over the valley and whose dark history seems to haunt the lives of those who live in its shadow.

While herding the family's goats on the mountain, Frederika happens upon the mutilated body of one of their neighbors, Eriksson. The death is dismissed as a wolf attack, but Maija feels certain that the wounds could only have been inflicted by another man. Compelled to investigate despite her neighbors' strange disinterest in the death and the fate of Eriksson's widow, Maija is drawn into the dark history of tragedies and betrayals that have taken place on BlackAsen. Young Frederika finds herself pulled towards the mountain as well, feeling something none of the adults around her seem to notice.

As the seasons change, and the "wolf winter," the harshest winter in memory, descends upon the settlers, Paavo travels to find work, and Maija finds herself struggling for her family's survival in this land of winter-long darkness. As the snow gathers, the settlers' secrets are increasingly laid bare. Scarce resources and the never-ending darkness force them to come together, but Maija, not knowing who to trust and who may betray her, is determined to find the answers for herself. Soon, Maija discovers the true cost of survival under the mountain, and what it will take to make it to spring.

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Member:verburg
Title:Wolf Winter
Authors:C. Ekback (Author)
Info:Sceptre (2015)
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Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck

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» See also 67 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 40 (next | show all)
The author does a wonderful job of creating atmosphere. The story takes place in the deep dark coldest winter in memory (a wolf winter) in Swedish Lapland in 1717. I was surprised not to see huge snow drifts outside when I stopped reading. The book is also very creepy and suspenseful.There is a murder mystery as part of the plot. The pacing is very slow, so if you aren't a patient reader this book is not for you. There is some information in the back of the book in the Author's Note which I recommend reading first, unless you are very well versed in the politics and religion of Scandinavia in the 1700s. ( )
  Maryjane75 | Sep 30, 2023 |
3.8/5 ( )
  jarrettbrown | Jul 4, 2023 |
So dark and cold. ( )
  JessicaReadsThings | Dec 2, 2021 |
Set in 1717 in the north of Sweden, midwife Maija, her husband Paavo and their two young daughters have swapped their home in Finland with her husband's uncle to a house at the foot of Blackåsen Mountain. The daughters stumble upon the body of a dead man (Eriksson) in a remote area; while the other settlers blame a wolf, Maija is certain the wounds are too clean for that and decides to start asking questions. While the Nordic setting and political background around whether a monarch should rule Sweden could have made for an interesting story, especially with the involvement of the Church, the characters were very dull and I did not feel any tension nor connection. It was a struggle to finish. 1.5 stars, rounded up. ( )
  skipstern | Jul 11, 2021 |
I really enjoyed this book. The character development is exceptional and the pacing, over the course of a winter, is excellent. A great read.
( )
  nancymaguire | Jul 10, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 40 (next | show all)
**** 4 out of 5 stars
Review by: Mark Palm
A Winter’s Tale

Some books are made for summer, and some for winter. If there was ever a novel that was made for a cold, snowy night it is Wolf Winter, by Cecilia Ekback. I live in Texas, and even down here you could feel chills coming off of this book. In 1717 Maija, her husband Paavo, and her daughters Frederika and Dorotea have recently arrived in Swedish Lapland after leaving Finland. They have a farm at the base of a foreboding mountain, Blackasen. While herding goats Fredericka discovers the mutilated body of one of their neighbors, Eriksson. The authorities attribute his death to wolves, but Maija is certain his injuries were caused by a man with a sword.

Slowly Maija is drawn into the mystery of the man’s death, the fate of his widow, and a series of tragedies that have occurred on the mountain. Meanwhile Fredericka is drawn to the mountain by a spirit that no-one else can see. As the “wolf winter” (the most harsh that anyone can remember) begins, Paavo leaves to look for work. Majia must keep her family safe in harrowing conditions while trying to solve the mysteries that threaten to turn her neighbors against her. She receives assistance from Olaus, the local priest, and some nearby Lapps, but for the most part it is Maija and her daughters who have to fight for their very lives.

Wolf Winter is a mystery, but it is also a tale of survival. If there was ever a book that made me appreciate where I live, and the conveniences of modern life, it is this one. Ms. Ekback knows how to spin a mystery, but what she does even better is show us the awesome powers of nature. There is a scene in this novel where Majia and Olaus and her daughter's struggle to keep her house from being buried during a blizzard that is an absolute tour-de-force. I wasn’t kidding when I said you could almost feel the cold coming off of this book.

The plot takes a while to gain some traction, but once it did, I was hooked. Maija is a wonderful character, strong and smart and compassionate, and her relationship with Olaus is surprising and touching. Both her daughters are well-drawn, as are most of the characters in the book. I particularly enjoy the roles of the women in Wolf Winter. Against the tide of the times they are the backbone of the story, along with the weather.

In a modern world we often forget what a potent force nature is, but in this book every aspect of the character’s lives are affected by it, and and Ms. Ekback is at her formidable best in describing it. if you had told me that I would be reading a really good thriller about a Female Finnish farmer is the 1700’s I would have thought that you were crazy, but Ms Ekback pulls it off. If you give it sometime this story will get to you, so I would suggest hot chocolate, or some good strong coffee while you read this powerful novel. It might almost make you warm.

Full reviews available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.co...

 
There is some breathtaking writing here. Ekbäck is wonderful at evoking place, and when the place you write about is as brooding and menacing as Blackåsen, you hardly need a human villain – though there are those aplenty, too. ...Who-and-whydunnits require tremendous discipline: at times, the pacing is uneven, while there’s a little too much repetition and a few too many scenes that do not advance the story....But there is so much to enjoy in Ekbäck’s debut that it’s easy to ignore the occasional clumsiness and easier still to forget that this is a debut. Wolf Winter eminently repays reading for the beauty of its prose, its strange, compelling atmosphere and its tremendous evocation of the stark, dangerous, threatening place, which exits in the far north and in the hearts of all of us.
 

» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Ekbäck, Ceciliaprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Björklund, Ing-BrittTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bresnahan, AlyssaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
del Rey, SantiagoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Funnell, JennyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lichtneker, DavidCover imagesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Raese, JaneDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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For the women in my family who don't sleep
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Swedish Lapland, June 1717
"But how far is it?"
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Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:

Swedish Lapland, 1717. Maija, her husband Paavo and her daughters Frederika and Dorotea arrive from their native Finland, hoping to forget the traumas of their past and put down new roots in this harsh but beautiful land. Above them looms BlackAsen, a mountain whose foreboding presence looms over the valley and whose dark history seems to haunt the lives of those who live in its shadow.

While herding the family's goats on the mountain, Frederika happens upon the mutilated body of one of their neighbors, Eriksson. The death is dismissed as a wolf attack, but Maija feels certain that the wounds could only have been inflicted by another man. Compelled to investigate despite her neighbors' strange disinterest in the death and the fate of Eriksson's widow, Maija is drawn into the dark history of tragedies and betrayals that have taken place on BlackAsen. Young Frederika finds herself pulled towards the mountain as well, feeling something none of the adults around her seem to notice.

As the seasons change, and the "wolf winter," the harshest winter in memory, descends upon the settlers, Paavo travels to find work, and Maija finds herself struggling for her family's survival in this land of winter-long darkness. As the snow gathers, the settlers' secrets are increasingly laid bare. Scarce resources and the never-ending darkness force them to come together, but Maija, not knowing who to trust and who may betray her, is determined to find the answers for herself. Soon, Maija discovers the true cost of survival under the mountain, and what it will take to make it to spring.

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