The Winter House

[This is a review I wrote in 2010]

**Only the hardest of hearts will fail to be moved by this story of loss, love and friendship**

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 show more 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. show less

I can't remember what led me to this book but it was just right for me at this point in time. It's essentially a story about three people who had been friends / lovers as young people, coming together again as one of them is dying. I was (and remain) suspicious and cynical about this author...I guess I see her as a marketer as much as a writer (why write different styles of book under different names?) but I suppose the reality is that all writers have to be part marketer these days. Anyway, putting that aside and judging the book on its merits, I found myself engaging very much with all the characters. Even though there might be seen to be an element of romanticism in the story, I did feel that we were close enough to the real world as show more I experience it that I could find the story quite believable in most of its elements. In fact, I discovered that the book actually helped me reflect on a relationship in my own life to help me to see how valuable it is.

Death and dying is undoubtedly the dominant theme of the book, with three major deaths in the story. Having reached the age where my peers are starting to die, I find myself more and more interested in the process of dying - what makes it better or worse, and how I might like my own death to occur if I get to have any choice. That makes this book an obvious choice for me, but the characters also look back on their younger life so there's also some intrinsic interest for readers who still feel a long way off the stage of dying. show less

The Winter House is a beautifully written book about of 3 friends who reunite after almost 20 years to care for Ralph who is dying, they spend their last days together retelling the story of their friendship. Marnie the main character tells the majority of the tale with Ralphs memories interjecting in thoughts rather than spoken voice.

A remote cottage in Scotland provides the backdrop to this heart renching story in which the main characters recall their shared memories of childhood. Their history complicated and intertwined with the summer setting of most of the memories reflecting the hotbed of feelings, emotions and confusion of the characters teenage years. The contrast of the wintery, snowy cottage the characters are in show more effectively conveys the bleakness of their situation.

The cover of the book initially attracted my attention - the deep blue drew me in and I spent some time looking at the picture taking in each detail considering the cold isolation of the cottage and the warmth within. After reading I was struck by how effectively the cover conveys both the main characters.

This is a poignient and touching novel which makes you consider your own teenage years, lost or forgotten friendships and all the experiances which are the building blocks of your character. Gerrards writing is exquisitely tender and the characters are warm and believable.

A wonderfully haunting book which I adored - highly recommended. show less

I had read two of Nicci Gerrard’s previous three books and consequently was looking forward to reading The Winter House. The present day story takes place in a small cottage in the depths of the snowy, cold Scottish Highlands, in which are gathered Marnie, Oliver and Ralph, three old friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time. Ralph is dying and they have come together to put past problems behind them and be with him when he needs them most.

A lot of the story looks at their earlier lives and how they became intertwined. It’s quite a slow-burner of a story and on occasions I wished that it would move a little quicker. However, the end had me sobbing and any book that can do that is a winner in my eyes, as I know the story, show more characters or both have had a profound effect on me.

Nicci Gerrard is a very good writer, and she does poignancy particularly well in her novels. With The Winter House, she has produced a book which is moving, and tells of friendship, love (both requited and unrequited), loss and family, and I would definitely recommend it. It’s not what you would call an upbeat story, given that one of the main characters doesn’t have long left to live, but it is certainly a good read. show less

I loved this story. It is the sort of book I would never normally pick up but am glad it turned up in my reading group. It is not about easy subjects and it did make me cry. But to me it expressed the difficult emotions of life and ultimately it was a hopeful book.

Listened to an audio version of this book which was well read and the characters really came to life. A touching novel well written and with nice description of cold landscapes.

I sailed through this faster than anything I've read recently. A lovely retrospective over the life of friendship and family.