Winter Shadows

by Margaret Buffie

Cass feels the long winter shadows on her heart. Her mother died of cancer and her father has remarried a woman who has moved into their old Manitoba house with her nasty, babyish daughter and an attitude that's very hard to take. Christmas promises to be a miserable time.More than a century earlier, Christmas is proving to be difficult for Beatrice, too, for she has shadows of her own. Some are cast by her circumstances. She sees the growing prejudice against people like her who are of mixed Cree and Scottish backgrounds. And like Cass, she has a stepmother. Her father's new wife is threatened by Beatrice and is driving a wedge into the family. Beatrice can only be sure of her beloved Cree grandmother, relegated to a room upstairs. When a way of escape presents itself to Beatrice by way of an eligible bachelor, she is torn by the choice it offers her. Should she settle for a man she doesn't love or address the problems at home? Through her journal, she explores the answer and, at the same time, inspires Cass to find the strength she needs to face her own situation. Margaret Buffie's great skill as a storyteller creates a splendid, engaging novel that offers readers a rich combination of fine history, suspenseful shifts in time, and unforgettable characters.From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal, Historical, Romance, Fiction, 19th Century

Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2010

About the author

Award winning author, Margaret Buffie, was born and grew up in the west end of Winnipeg, attended various schools - graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba. An artist for many years, Margaret decided to write a YA novel and Who Is Frances Rain? was published by Kids Can Press. It quickly became a bestseller after appearing in bookstores in 1987. Since then Margaret has published nine more YA books. She works at her home in Winnipeg during the winter and on the veranda of her cottage in Northwestern Ontario in the summer months. Margaret's books have been published in the United States, Norway, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, China and other countries. Margaret is the recipient of the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for Body of Work (For writing inspirational to Canadian Youth); The Young Adult Canadian Book Award; is a two time winner of the McNally Robinson Book for Young People award and has been shortlisted for many other awards and honours.

Here are a few reviews of my first novel and most recent novel. To see more reviews for my other books go to http://margaretbuffie.com and click on each title.

WHO IS FRANCES RAIN?

REVIEW: Who is Frances Rain? is as distinctly Canadian as the intoxicating lure of silent woods and wind-whipped lakes. The textures of the narrative and the well-rounded characters are just as haunting as the ghosts Lizzie finds on Rain Island. It’s a ghost story with much to reveal to the thoughtful reader about the turbulent emotions at work within families. It’s a novel that makes us grateful for a strong new voice in Canadian literature for young people, a voice we’ll want to hear again soon. QUILL AND QUIRE

REVIEW:Who is Frances Rain? will probably be devoured by its young adult readers in one sitting. It deserves to be; this is an excellent book. TORONTO STAR

REVIEW:Buffie’s story is moody and atmospheric – the lake and the island are pungently, perfectly evoked. Lizzie’s encounters with ghosts are beautifully handled, with just the right balance of eerie and emotional moments. PUBLISHERS WEELY

WINTER SHADOWS

REVIEW:Vicky Metcalf Award-Winner MargaretBuffie returns with a breathtaking novel that is part realism, part time-travel fantasy,
and part coming of age tale. Winter
Shadows focuses on two young women who
live in the same Manitoba home a century and a half apart.....
This communication across time obviouslydraws on the conventions of fantasy, but these elements
arenever forced or implausible, and there is plenty of suspense and energy to sustain the two alternating narratives." QUILL AND QUIRE, DECEMBER 2010:

REVIEW: Buffie is a master of the ghost story, carefully allowing Cass and Beatrice to drift in and out of each other's lives in convincing fashion. The convention of the diary allows Cass to connect the dots and learn more about her ancestors. The dialogue both in past and present is authentic, revealing character and moving the action along. CANADIAN MATERIALS

REVIEW: The alternating narratives are gripping, and the characters are drawn with rich complexity; even the stepmothers are finally humanized. Readers will be pulled in by the searing history of bigotry as well as the universals of family conflict, love, and friendship. Grades 7-10.
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOC. BOOKLIST: January 2011

THE DARK GARDEN

REVIEW: a first rate blend of ghost story and problem novel about Thea, 16, struggling to recover from traumatic amnesia after a bike accident. Buffie creates a tightly knit, evocatively written, and lushly (but chastely) romantic thriller. The protagonists - living and dead - are distinctly characterized; a once beautiful, now weed-choked garden is simultaneously setting and symbol of lost happiness. vivid sensory writing makes the fluctuations in Thea’s state of consciousness perfectly convincing. KIRKUS

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

review 9/14/12:

First I’d like to say that I won a copy of this as a member of the Early Reviewers group on Librarything, in exchange for an impartial review.

This was a heart-wrenching book to read. It was so well-written I could really empathise with the characters. I lost my father early, and I fought tooth and nail against my mother’s husband (notice, even now I can’t call him my step-father) taking the place of my father. I didn’t even want my father’s twin to take his place (even though in his own way he did, and did very well!). I felt Cass’ grief for her mother, the guilt that she carried, and the animosity towards her step-mother. On the other hand, the author starts to show the little ways in which Cass’ step-mother really is trying, and failing horribly most times, to mend their relationship.

And then you’ve got Beatice’s story overlapping Cass’. How horrible it must have been to face such racism and ignorance, and have to continue day after day with your head held high. The author did a very good job of melding two unique stories into one.

The part I liked the most was my own love of genealogy. I would love to meet some of my female ancestors! Phoebe Newton, if you’re out there and you can contact me (even though you were born in the 1770s), I would love to know your story! *big grin*

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, okay. I'm 27 and I'd like to think that I can make every decision perfectly by myself, but... the total WIN in this scenario goes to my mom, who picked this up at the library for me to read. Because...

WOW. I literally couldn't put this book down. I almost literally put my entire life on hold just to finish this book. (Just kidding... kind of.) I absolutely LOVED this book. I have been having some family difficulties lately, and so it helped that I related to both of the main characters in that way. This is the kind of story that wraps you up in the mystery and wonder of it all - the kind of story that touches you in a way you can't explain. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves good stories, who loves time-bending plots, and especially loves books that keep you on the edge of your seat and staying up late to finish another page, another chapter, until the end. Kudos to the author, also, for the love story entwined in these pages; ah! Perfection. ; )

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Cassandra Cullen (goes by Cass) finds a journal in a cupboard, she soon realizes it is someone’s journal by the name of Beatrice who was alive in. Something happens when Cass starts to read it. The journal tells of Beatrice’s life, but something happens when she starts to read the journal. Cass starts to feel like she is really with Beatrice.
Cass starts to see Beatrice around her, and when she tries to show everyone else that this girl is there everyone laughs at her. Cass realizes then that she is the only one that is seeing this girl.

As Cass continues to read Beatrice’s journal it tells Cass of her life back then.
Beatrice, (who is part Indian decent- her mother was) lived with her father, Nohkom (grandmother) and his father’s wife named Jean. Beatrice did not get along with Ivy. Ivy was her mother’s friend, when she was alive, that she used to do classes with. Beatrice knew from the moment she met Ivy, that Ivy wanted to be with her father, and as soon as her mother passed away, Ivy was right there with her daughter Daisy.
Now in the 1800’s women jobs were to be house wives, and too raise children. Beatrice wanted so much more for herself. Beatrice was never afraid to share her opinion when she didn’t agree with something, and this often happened at home with Jean. Now Beatrice’s father wasn’t well and he begs Beatrice to at least give Jean a chance to become part of this family. Now Jean’s 12 year old daughter came off as she didn’t like Cass at all, in Cass’s opinion. She was constantly bugging her and trying in one way or another to get Cass into trouble, of course Jean had no problem dishing it out.
Cass’s felt Shadows around her all of the time. With the loss of her mother, and a new step mother Jean, who doesn’t want any part of her. Cass feels angry, lost and alone. With her spirit girl it helps her as a distraction from her life.
When Jean tells Cass that she is having a party and she has no choice on going, Cass is so upset. She feels like she is forced to do things and her father will never tell Jean know. At the party instead of telling Cass first, Jean announces to the whole party that Jean and Gordon were expecting a baby. Cass was hurt and furious, that Jean wouldn’t even share with her about the news first. When
Cass has an aunt Blaire- her mother’s sister, that when Cass and her father are having problems she always runs to her aunt. Aunt Blair and her father don’t get along. Blaire agrees with Cass that her dad moved too quickly with Jean. Cass’s father Gordon feels stuck in between his wife Jean and his daughter Cass. He tries as hard as he cans but neither one of them makes it easy on them. With everything that was going on Cass begs her dad to let her stay with her Aunt Blaire for awhile, until things cooled down.
While Aunt Blaire’s, Aunt Blaire talks to Cass and tells her that it is time for both of them to let go of their anger about Jean. Aunt Blair tells Cass that her father deserves to be happy again. Cass knows that that her aunt is right, but Cass doesn’t want to let go.
Cass tells her aunt that her mother must hate her. On the day her mother died she chose to go out with friends instead of being with her, and she died before Cass got back. Cass’s Aunt Blaire tells Cass how she spoke with her mom before for she died and, her mom told Blaire how proud she was of her. This helped Cass let go of the guilt she had been carrying around.

Cass is curious how it was even possible that they were even able to communicate, when Beatrice lived over a 100 years ago. As time goes on Cass and Beatrice communicate more through their journal entries. She reads in Beatrice’s journal that she has been promised to a man named Rev.Robert Dalhouse. Beatrice likes him Cass can tell, but when Beatrice speaks of a Duncan Kilgour, Beatrice speaks as if he is the worst human, but she has such passion, that Cass can tell that Duncan is who Beatrice really has strong feels for Duncan, even though she hasn’t admitted it to herself.
Beatrice trice to please her family and everyone around her with this engagement to Robert. They would be married and they would live their life together, that’s what Beatrice tells herself. Inside though her thoughts were always drifting to Duncan, he drove her crazy, but grabbed her heart at the same time. Duncan feels the same about Beatrice. Duncan is completely honest with Beatrice how he feels about her. Beatrice is torn, she knows that she is promised to Robert, but her heart really does belong to Duncan.
At a dance, Beatrice has to be honest to Robert about her feelings for Duncan. Robert surprises her as well telling her that he had feelings for someone else. Their parting is mutual.
Duncan does know about Robert and Beatrice parting. Duncan really calls Beatrice out, asking her what she really wants in her life. He proposes to Beatrice when she thinks he’s joking at first. Beatrice can tell by the look on Duncan’s face his proposal was sincere. She tells him for sure, very happily.
The end of the journal is empty pages and Cass never see’s Beatrice or hears from her again. She wonders what happened, who Beatrice ends up with.
Cass finds a photograph dated 1857, with the name Humphry Lloyd Hime, there was a woman in the picture with him with a ring on her finger. It was Beatrice and Duncan.
This is when Cass finds a letter from Beatrice, telling her that they are blood relatives. Mystery solved as to why she got to meet her.
Beatrice thanks Cass for her help, telling her not to be with Robert. Beatrice tells her that she married Duncan and she’s very happy.
Beatrice tells Cass they wished they could have known each other, but that she’d be gone before Cass was to read this letter. Her Papa believed they would see each other again one day.
Beatrice then tells Cass that Nohkom told her that, Beatrice would one day have three sons and a daughter. This would lead to Cass four generations later.
In awe of what Cass has just read. When Cass looks out the window and she sees the reflection of Nohkom, and then the reflection of her mother. Cass knows then they will always be together.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern day girl lives a parallel life with a 150 year old ancestor. Fantastic ending!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I just met my literary fictional dream soulmate, Duncan. He’s so perfect oh my goodness. His personality. How hot he is. The very air he gives off.

Ahhhhhhhh

I couldn’t write a more attractive character myself.

Aside from that, this book was good. It was too emotional for my liking, really, but it was so well written and realistic that I couldn’t help but enjoy it.
In most other cases, I would say that Beatrice and Cass were annoying emotional, but their emotions were justified(unlike nearly every other YA protagonist). I was annoyed at times but that did not make a huge impact on how I enjoyed this book. Five stars, and I will probably never get over Duncan.

[cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered loving this when I was younger. Some things didn't work for me this time around. The romance between Cass and Martin was really shallow and rushed and not necessary at all imo. I was kinda irritated because I felt like Beatrice's intense disdain for Duncan was exaggerated and mostly unwarranted. It felt like it was there to make the plot more interesting and not because it was natural based on their relationship.

[Madame Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways"
Beatrice and Duncan forever :)

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story. Lots of feelings in this book. Well written, intriguing. I did not want to put it down.

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

Winter shadows — and family struggles — affect two young women, five generations apart, whose stories unfold through first-person, alternating voices in the latest novel from Margaret Buffie (author of the classic Who Is Frances Rain?). In the present, teen aged Cass, still mourning the death of her mother, wrestles with her new blended family. Her stepmother Jean and her irritating 12-year-old daughter Daisy seem to have supplanted Cass in her father’s affection. Cass dreads the winter ahead in the family’s historic home on the shores of the Red River in Manitoba. When a stone fireplace is uncovered during renovations, Cass discovers a star brooch that provides a link to a long-ago inhabitant of her home.

In 1856, Beatrice Alexander, a young Métis woman, has returned from school in Upper Canada to find that her father has remarried, and that her beloved Cree grandmother has been exiled to an upstairs bedroom. Beatrice, too, strains against her new family and the future that lies ahead of her as an unmarried woman in the early settlement. To fight the winter shadows, she confides her concerns in a diary which, like the star brooch, provides a link to Cass.

Although the time slips may occasionally prove confusing for the young reader, the strength of the girls’ relationship across the years is well depicted. Buffie paints a rich picture of the life of an educated Métis woman in the 1800s. A sprinkling of Cree words adds to the flavour. (Cree words and other relevant historical terms such as ‘York boat’ are translated and explained in a glossary.) When Beatrice must choose between two suitors, the reader — like Cass — knows just how the story should end.

As well as historical detail, the novel provides insight into both girls as they mature and learn to, if not appreciate, at least understand their stepmothers — and to make strong choices in their own lives.

Reviewed by Brenda Halliday in Canadian Children's Book News (Winter 2011, Vol. 34, No. 1)

[MissSusie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows that step families have been hard for a very long time. The parallel stories of Beatrice in the 1856 and Cass in the present both have a new step mother after their mothers have died and the relationship is not an easy one. I like this time travel/shadow travel/ ghost/spirit story? With a dash of romance. It is kind of hard to categorize.

It is set in Manitoba in 1856 Beatrice is not happy to have come home after being away at school and found her father married to Ivy a sour woman and Aggatha, Beatrice’s Cree grandmother, is not being taken care of, this sets off a chain of events that makes a relationship between Beatrice & Ivy very tense to say the least. Cass’s mother has died and her father has re-married to an unhappy jealous woman named Jean who also has a daughter Daisy who seems to do her best to annoy Cass. Suddenly these two girls’ centuries apart are seeing flashes of each other’s lives and Beatrice’s diary appears to Cass and she reads about Beatrice’s life.


I enjoyed this book and think that a lot of young people will relate to it, because blended families are hard but what I loved about this book was the reveal of the new wives past and what made them react to these girls the way they did and how when they found a happy medium to their feelings, that was when healing starts.

The “romance” between Beatrice & Kilgour was sweet I liked the way she never realized how he felt about her and how she fought her feeling tooth & nail without even realizing what she was doing. I also liked how Daisy & Cass’s relationship grew, these two stories were very true to life about how hard a blended family can be.

I totally see why this book has won awards in Canada and since Winnipeg Manitoba is only a couple hours from where I live it made it even more special. I liked the history of the Cree in this area and how they blended with the new immigrants into a thriving community.

I highly recommend this book.

4 Stars

Full disclosure: I received this book from the Librarything Early Reviewers Program for a unbiased review.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This well deserved, award winning book skillfully weaves the lives of two young women, 16 year old Cass, an unhappy present day girl, who lives in an old family home, located in a small Manitoba community, and 18 year old Beatrice of Scottish-Metis descent, who lives in 1856. An angry, unhappy teenager, Cass, can't understand why her father re-married so soon after her mother's tragic death from cancer. Her new, unfeeling step-mother seems totally intent on destroying her mother's memory and her young step sister adds to the tense situation. Beatrice recently returned from school in the East to find that her widowed father has married a jealous, mean-spirited woman. To make matters worse, the new wife's son has entered their lives and makes things more difficult for Beatrice, with his constant teasing. Beatrice must decide whether she should marry a minister,with whom she is not in love, and leave her family to help him in his new ministry, or stay to protect her injured father and her frail Cree grandmother.Christmas plays it's special magic, when Cass and Beatrice start to actually see each other and help each other solve their common problem.
Although billed as a children's book, this beautiful, well written story will appeal to those of all ages.With it's rich historical detail, it is destined to become a Canadian classic.I can see this as a Christmas movie, joining the ranks of "A Child's Christmas in Wales".

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis
Cass resents her new stepmother and stepsister. She feels that there is no place for her  in her father's new life and no longer feels like she has a home. When she finds a mysterious broach, her life begins to get even worse; she begins to see people that aren't there and Christmas without her mother is right around the corner. Can connecting with a girl from the past help her push the shadows out of her life and enjoy life again?

Review
I found the story line of Beatrice to be fascinating. I had never heard of Scottish/Indian children in Canada. The story was so interesting, that I could have read an entire book on Beatrice's life alone. Unfortunately, it was interspersed with the story of Cass, a resentful and hurt young girl. I found it very difficult to connect with Cass, she came off as pretty when I know that she had deeper feelings that I simply never felt. I did appreciate that both girls were able to learn something about their stepmothers that allowed them to be seen as flawed people instead of the enemy.

My Recommendation
A great read for teenagers, especially those dealing with parental loss or family transition. I give it a 3/5.

***FTC Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review, no other compensation was given, all opinions are my own***

[Merel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, especially Beatrice's story but there were things that bothered me from the very beginning. The biggest turn off for me was in the very beginning when Beatrice (who was supposed to be of Native American ancestry and speak her native Cree language) described something about an Indian shaman. As far as I know Native American did not call their medicine men & wise people shamans which made the whole credibility of the Native American part of the book a bit questionable. Would a young woman in 1850's even have heard a word shaman and even more so used it to describe her own cultural background? I know it's damn pedant of me to feel that a small thing like this spoils the whole thing for me but I just can't help it. It is very difficult for an outsider to write a book about other peoples.

The parallel stories were quite enjoyable nevertheless, as soon as I got over with my doubts about the book & author. I think the theme of loss and moving on is a very good one for a YA book (or any book) but somehow I felt that everything was solved a bit too easily in the end. Of course it was not all perfect but in my opinion & experience, the difficult relationship issues inside families are not easy to undo. Anyway, it was an ok book I enjoyed reading.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Themes: stepfamilies, grief, romance, race, Christmas
Setting: modern Manitoba, Canada and 1856 Manitoba

Cass is dreading Christmas, her first with her new stepmother and stepsister, and a reminder that her mother is gone for good. School stinks and her father is almost a stranger.

Then she finds a brooch and it seems that she now has a link to the past. She is seeing things that happened in her house 150 years ago.

Beatrice has been away at school and doesn't really know her new stepmother, but she can't wait to get home to her beloved Cree grandmother. She takes a job at the local girls' school and tries to find a way to get along with her stepmother. She's also torn between her possible romance with the new preacher in town and her infuriating new stepbrother.

Cass and Beatrice have their stories wound together and see visions of one another. Now Cass wants to know, who will Beatrice choose? And can her situation help Cass now with her problems?

I liked this story. It might be just a little light, but I liked the characters and the story. I really liked the way the Cree story was woven in. 4 stars.

[A Canadian Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was initially hard to get into Margaret Buffie’s Winter Shadows because each chapter alternates between Cass and Beatrice so it was a little jerky, but it became a lot easier to read once both girls’ stories started to overlap a bit. I was also expecting that Cass would time travel, but she actually is only able to get glimpses of Beatrice and read her journal in real time, which I really liked because I believe that spirits can exist but time traveling … not so much.

Although Buffie does a really good job developing both Cass and Beatrice, I found Beatrice’s character more captivating because I’ve never read a book where the protagonist was Métis (a mixture of First Nations and European descent). Having always loved studying Canadian history, it was interesting to read a bit about some of the prejudice the Métis would have experienced by the full-blooded Europeans. Beatrice even used Cree words, which made her story more authentic!

Winter Shadows was received for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a charming book. I enjoyed reading about the two girls. Both of them are headstrong and difficult, yet sympathetic characters that are trying to work through emotionally painful situations. I really liked the development of all of the characters in the book. They felt believable and the conflict was realistic. The chapters alternate perspectives which moves the plot along, though it did annoy me to switch back sometimes when I wanted to keep reading about one girl - so it was a little bit choppy in that respect.

I found that I enjoyed reading both perspectives pretty equally. I like Victorian novels and thus loved reading about Beatrice. The Victorian Canada setting and people were unique. Cass was a more harsh and outspoken character than Beatrice, so her chapters sort of allow the reader to blow off some steam between the Victorian bits.

It was an enjoyable read, well written with wonderful characters, a great setting, and an interesting plot to which many teens can relate.

[Adrienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

In 1856, Beatrice Alexander has returned home from her boarding school to help care for her injured father and ailing grandmother. The most difficult task of all is dealing with her father's new wife, Ivy, who loathes her. In the present day, Cass, living in Beatrice's house, is miserable following her mother's death and her father's subsequent marriage. Jean, Cass's stepmother, seems to hate Cass and any reminders of her mother. Beatrice's and Cass's stories are woven together as they begin to see shadowy glimpses of each other and Cass even gets to read Beatrice's journal.

I found this book to be interesting but flawed. I enjoyed Beatrice's parts of the story somewhat more than Cass's. The present-day dialogue seemed stilted and abrupt in places; it just didn't really seem like someone would talk. Also, the reason for the connection between Beatrice and Cass seems a little weak, and the author introduced some issues that were never resolved and, in my opinion, should have been left out if they weren't going to be developed.

[Merrilyn Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cass is in a tough spot. Her mother died two years ago and her dad has remarried a woman with a 12-year-old daughter. The family lives in the ancestral home of Cass's mother, but Jean, the stepmother, tries completely to clear out the mother's influence in the house. Beatrice is angry with her dad, her stepmother, and her new stepsister with whom she has to share a bedroom. While she is going through this rough time, Cass feels a presence in the house and discovers a young woman's spirit visiting her. About 150 years ago, in this very house, lived Beatrice, who was going through similar tough times. She lived with her father and stepmother, whom she disliked, and Native grandmother. The two women, Cass and Bea, find each other's spirits through a diary that Bea wrote and they help each other across the century to cope with life's difficulties. I liked reading the Cree language that Bea and her grandmother spoke. It was also interesting to learn about the immigration of the Scots and English to Canada. The love stories woven into the story are sweet and tame.

[Aliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book for its cover. The time worn book on the cover drew me in. I am so glad this one time, I judged a book by its cover for this is a beautiful, exquisite, heartfelt book that will stay with me forever. The premise begs you to suspend your disbelief in the idea that a redheaded teen today could somehow connect to a fellow teenage ancestor, who grew up in the same home, via her ancestor's diary, visions or maybe ghosts haunting. The phenomenon is never explained because what truly matters is that this connection helps both girls, one in 1800s Canada frawght with racism against mixed raced families and children (Scottish and/or English and native First Nation, Cree), and the other in the present day as they both cope with the deaths of their mothers and the new lives (and loves) that tense and sometimes, toxic familial situations their stepmothers and stepsiblings represent.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Cass's dad remarries shortly after her mom died of cancer, she (Cass) is understandably upset. Especially since it entails sharing her bedroom with a step-sister well, and all traces of her mom vanish or are banished from the house. One day Cass finds a hidden brooch that magically transports her back to 1856 to the life of a girl named Beatrice who is facing similar family drama in addition to the possible romantic intentions of two different men. While the stay is brief, it is also intermittent and Cass ends up with Beatrice's diary. Cass and Beatrice develop a bond of sorts over the span of a few months and are genuinely concerned about what happens to each other.

Told in alternating voices between the two girls, this is a well-told story, with an enlightening glimpse into the life of a Native American/Scottish population in Manitoba, Canada.

[Anaiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this novel especially as the holiday season nears. The story is uplifting and sweet, I recommend this book especially to grade school students who I think will gain a lot from reading it, but readers of all ages will undoubtedly enjoy it. Although I wished I had learned more about Beatrice I understand that it was not the point of the story, I think the point was for both young women to help each other through a difficult and confusing time in their lives. The author does a swell job of transitioning between the two characters and makes the story of both girls easy to follow. I'm sure some young girls will connect more with the story than I ever could. It is a wonderful story to read with a cup of tea and when it's snowing outside!

[Melanie Fishbane · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not often that I give a novel, 5/5 stars. Margaret Buffie is at the top of her craft with her latest novel, Winter Shadows. Two teens, 150 years apart, are connected through tragedy and time one Christmas Season. The trick about writing a novel in two different first person points of view is to make their voices distinct and compelling. Both Cass and Beatrice have their subtle nuances in speech that make them quite different and interesting. Teens will appreciate the struggle both have to contend with to fight and figure out what they want in two very different worlds. Her subtle touches of character descriptions, simple metaphors and setting made me feel like I was still in winter under a blanket of snow, instead of the stifling heat of a summer's day in June.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. I think it could have been done much better. There wasn't much character development, the story moved along with the characters behaving as you'd expect. Their actions & the book's ending are obvious. However, I found I easily disliked both evil stepmothers. The two main characters, Beatrice & Cass were likeable. I enjoyed the historical aspect...that with the development between Daisy and Cass were my favorite things about the novel. Cass' relationship with Martin was completely random and under developed. Like I said, I did enjoy this book, but I had hoped for a lot more from it. Try "Revolution" by Jennifer Donnelly, for a better time traveling diary historical fiction story.

[Jessica Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, at first I was not to sure about this book, but the more I read into it the more I like the idea of Cass and Alexandra communicating with each other in the past.

The stories are common, what a lot of young girls, and boys for that matter have to deal with every day. The story plot was realisctic, other than the future and past aspect.

I loved Duncan, he was so manly. He seemed a big, man that could handle things for you in a heart beat. He had a big heart and was always helping others.

I also thing one of my favorite characters was Grandma, she wasnt in the story much, but she was a joy to read about. She was cheerfull, and when she said that she had her memories to keep her happy, it was so true.

Overall a good book, bit of a slow read, but I would recommend it.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed Winter Shadows, I didn't like the way the book was organized. Sometimes one character saw the other before it happened in "real" time. Also, the italicized diary entries were intensely annoying, distracting, and gave me a headache. I understand why it was done, but it could have started out with the first paragraph in italics and then switched to a regular font.

Other than that, I enjoyed this book. Even though I wanted to smack Cass a lot, I felt she was an accurate portrayal of a teenager thrust into that situation. I, too, have a stepparent who intruded in my life and was less than kind. The hostility between us never reached the level that Cass experienced, but it easily could have. I was definitely crying by the end.

[Karie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at random and decided, after reading the flap, that it might be worth reading. It was all right, but there were definitely more than a few key scenes that I had to reread because it seemed like the characters jumped to a conclusion or did something out of character--things just didn't make sense. And even after the re-read, things still didn't make sense. I think that if there had been more emphasis/belief in Cree mysticism, the plot would have flowed much better. It was a good idea, decently executed, but the book could have been SO much more--there was definitely a sense of missed potential here.

[Mary Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is lovely historical fiction about a time and place not written about much. I empathized with both the modern girl, Cass, and Beatrice who lived in the same house more than a century earlier. The characters were well drawn and captivating. I really enjoyed so much about this book, but it did move a little bit slowly for me, and when one character saw the other before it happened in "real" time, I was thrown out of the story. I think it could have unfolded more smoothly and perhaps some of the "encounters" were unnecessary. My absolute favorite part (spoiler alert) was when one of the girls wrote in the other girl's diary.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. I liked the way the author alternated chapters with the present and the past. She did a nice job with transitioning between the two voices of Cass and Beatrice. Her historical perspectives touch on the Indian lore of the Cree indians as well as the touches of history from the Scottish settlers of the area. She weaves a fine tale that emphasizes the parrallel lives of Cass in the present struggling with family issues and Beatrice in the past working her way through a similar situation.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Winter Shadows contains parallel story lines - one from Beatrice in 1856 and the other from Cass in the present day. Beatrice has returned home to take care of her father and grandfather and finds life with her father's new wife difficult. Cass also has step-monster problems as well as coping with a younger stepsister. The two girls both suffer from episodes of "shadows" in which they can "see" each other across time.

Both plots develop too slowly and, at times, the author seems overtly determined to impart historical detail and Native American language on the reader.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I was a bit skeptical about this story. Was it a ghost story, a historical romance, or a mystery? Once I got into it, though, I fell into the spirit of the book and was able to buy into the Cree spirits and overlapping time periods. An enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion, though probably not something I'd recommend or read again.