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ldextre's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Grief, Death of parent, and War
juanat77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
roeper83's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, and War
Moderate: Child death
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.5
"And maybe that was how it was supposed to be, how life unfolded when you lived it long enough. Joy and sadness were part of the package; the trick, perhaps, was to let yourself feel all of it, but to hold on to the joy just a little more tightly because you never knew when a strong heart could just give out."
I've actually had a physical copy of Winter Garden hanging out on my shelves since 2019, but somehow I never actually picked it up... Until it was recently recommended to me again, and I decided to pick it up on a whim to avoid it slipping between the cracks of my TBR mountain like before. And boy, am I glad that I did! Winter Garden turned out to be such a powerful story, and without doubt one of my favorite stories by Kristin Hannah so far. This story definitely leans more heavily on the contemporary than the historical fiction, and it focuses a lot on family, grief and relationship problems. The Russian fairy tale was never far away though, and I personally really enjoyed how the historical part of the plot was slowly introduced in the story. It is true that Anya's past really took the plot to the next level, but it was already a very interesting story with the family dynamics and the remaining family members crumbling after the father's death. There is a lot of character growth, and I had a great time learning more about the characters and how the past can explain present behavior. Winter Garden is a beautifully written, poignant and sometimes heartbreaking read, and it's made me want to return for even more of Kristin Hannah's backlist ASAP.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
cassidy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent