What do you think?
Rate this book
Wintering Well
"WHAT HAPPENED THIS AFTERNOON IS TOO TERRIBLE TO WRITE. . . . PLEASE, GOD, LET WILL LIVE. AND, PLEASE, GOD, FORGIVE ME."
All Will Ames ever wanted to do was farm. But when he's injured in a farm accident, Will is left without a leg -- and without his future.
There's no place on a farm for a cripple. And so, after a long winter of healing, Will and his sister Cassie, who blames herself for the accident, go to stay in town with their older sister and her husband. There, as Maine becomes a state, Will learns that perhas even without his leg, there's another, brighter future in store for him. And Cassie, too, learns that maybe, in the changing world of 1820, Will isn't the only one with the chance at a different, exciting future. . . .
All Will Ames ever wanted to do was farm. But when he's injured in a farm accident, Will is left without a leg -- and without his future.
There's no place on a farm for a cripple. And so, after a long winter of healing, Will and his sister Cassie, who blames herself for the accident, go to stay in town with their older sister and her husband. There, as Maine becomes a state, Will learns that perhas even without his leg, there's another, brighter future in store for him. And Cassie, too, learns that maybe, in the changing world of 1820, Will isn't the only one with the chance at a different, exciting future. . . .
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Lea Wait
40 books510 followersMaine author Lea Wait writes the NYT-praised 8-book Shadows Antique Print Mystery series, the latest of which is SHADWS ON A MORNING IN MAINE, and the USA Today best-selling Mainely Needlepoint series which debuted with TWISTED THREADS in January, 2015, and was followed by THREADS OF EVIDENCE in August, 2015, THREAD AND GONE, in January, 2016, DANGLING BY A THREAD in late October, 2016, and TIGHTENING THE THREADS in March, 2017. Wait also writes acclaimed historical novels for ages 8 and up set in 19th century Maine, the latest of which, UNCERTAIN GLORY, takes place in a small northern town during the first two weeks of the Civil War. Lea's LIVING AND WRITING ON THE COAST OF MAINE, about being an author and living year 'round in Maine with a husband who's an artist also includes writing tips. Lea did her undergraduate work at Chatham College (now University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and her graduate work at New York University. While she was raising the four daughters she adopted as a single parent she worked as a manager for AT&T. Now she writes full time and speaks at schools and libraries. She loves rowing, visiting historical sites, and, of course, reading and writing. See her website,
www.leawait.com, and the blog she writes with other Maine Mystery writers, http://www.mainecrimewriters.com, friend her on FB and Goodreads, and, if you'd like to be on her email list to find out when her next book will be published, send her your email address write to her at leawait@roadrunner.com
www.leawait.com, and the blog she writes with other Maine Mystery writers, http://www.mainecrimewriters.com, friend her on FB and Goodreads, and, if you'd like to be on her email list to find out when her next book will be published, send her your email address write to her at leawait@roadrunner.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 5, 2023
Started off strong, but dragged on during the end. Got cheesy-cringe. Also very religious.
February 9, 2020
Fantastic book! Loved it! No swearing. Great lessons.
If kids read it, one discussion item worth noting is that, at one point, the main characters stand up to some bullies by pulling a prank on them to make them look foolish. Except for the immediate jubilation of the prank, no further consequences of it are stated. Discussions with children might focus on what impact this choice would have on the situation? Make things better or worse? Why? Also on kindness and understanding why the boys were acting like bullies, etc.
If kids read it, one discussion item worth noting is that, at one point, the main characters stand up to some bullies by pulling a prank on them to make them look foolish. Except for the immediate jubilation of the prank, no further consequences of it are stated. Discussions with children might focus on what impact this choice would have on the situation? Make things better or worse? Why? Also on kindness and understanding why the boys were acting like bullies, etc.
October 16, 2024
Nothing particularly wrong with this book except for the anachronisms. For example, using the phrase 'wicked good' over 100 years before it was a documented phrase and other similar annoying out of place expressions.
December 11, 2019
Well researched and fun. I was partially right in my guesses as to where the characters were heading, I'm glad that one fleeting thought I had about them didn't come to pass.
March 6, 2013
gr 5-8
Set in 1819 Maine, the Ames family suffers a tragedy when their 12 year old son Will injures his leg and it must be amputated. Having always wanted to be a farmer, Will is convinced his life is over. His 11 year old sister Cassie feels responsible and refuses to leave his side as he recovers. When Will and Cassie are sent to live with their older sister Alice in town, Will discovers that town life offers more opportunities for him than he would have on the farm. Cassie, who was never completely happy on the farm, finds advantages to being in town too.
This story alternates between Will and Cassie as they try to recover from the tragedy of Will's injury and decide whether to stay in town enjoy all the opportunities it offers or return home to the farm.
This story provided a lot of information about 1819 and it's medicine, attitudes towards women and people with disabilities, and historical events such as Maine becoming a state.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys stories of perseverance, or someone interested in daily life in 1918 Maine.
Set in 1819 Maine, the Ames family suffers a tragedy when their 12 year old son Will injures his leg and it must be amputated. Having always wanted to be a farmer, Will is convinced his life is over. His 11 year old sister Cassie feels responsible and refuses to leave his side as he recovers. When Will and Cassie are sent to live with their older sister Alice in town, Will discovers that town life offers more opportunities for him than he would have on the farm. Cassie, who was never completely happy on the farm, finds advantages to being in town too.
This story alternates between Will and Cassie as they try to recover from the tragedy of Will's injury and decide whether to stay in town enjoy all the opportunities it offers or return home to the farm.
This story provided a lot of information about 1819 and it's medicine, attitudes towards women and people with disabilities, and historical events such as Maine becoming a state.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys stories of perseverance, or someone interested in daily life in 1918 Maine.
September 2, 2007
How can a farm boy whose leg has been amputated make a living in 1820s Maine?
March 8, 2023
Like a "very special episode" of Little House on the Prairie. I like the historical details and the state of Maine details but I felt like I'd been thru this story before. I understand Wait wanted to make the point that women in the early 1800s had little choice of what to do with their lives, but overall I found the story just ok and what little conflict there was felt forced. Probably younger readers, who haven't seen Little House on the Prairie, will enjoy this more than me.
January 11, 2018
Book does a good job of comparing city life to country life in the time period after the War of 1812. Accurate descriptions of historical time period coupled with a compelling story.
May 16, 2018
I wrote a long review, then my computer lost the internet connection.... suffice it to say, this is a good book!
March 17, 2021
Enjoyed the Maine setting.
August 3, 2019
My Maine Book for my state book challenge
July 29, 2009
The following book review of WINTERING WELL, by Lea Wait, was originally posted to the CCF website and is reposted here with permission.
====================
Wintering Well, a middle grade novel by author Lea Wait, captures the reader's attention from the first page. It's there that we read Cassie Ames' journal entry dated August 29, 1819. The entry ends with, "I am the cause of all that happened this day. Please God, let Will live. And please, God, forgive me." And so we read on, wanting to find out what could an 11 year old girl have done that would lead her to write such words in her journal. By the end of the first chapter we know.
The beauty of this story is that it flows. It's historical fiction at its very best. From the seaport of Wiscasset, Maine, where the story takes place, we learn what life was like in 1819-1820. We're there when Maine enters the Union as a free state. We learn how doctors practiced medicine during that time and wonder how anyone survived to talk about it!
It is Cassie telling the story. She takes us along as she and her brother deal with the tragedy. The pain and suffering is real. It's even more gripping because we see and feel it from the child's eyes. We find ourselves cheering the young protagonist on to the very end of the story.
Wintering Well is a story that'll encourage children of all ages to face life's obstacles and move beyond them.
---Copyright 2005, ChildrenComeFirst.com
====================
Wintering Well, a middle grade novel by author Lea Wait, captures the reader's attention from the first page. It's there that we read Cassie Ames' journal entry dated August 29, 1819. The entry ends with, "I am the cause of all that happened this day. Please God, let Will live. And please, God, forgive me." And so we read on, wanting to find out what could an 11 year old girl have done that would lead her to write such words in her journal. By the end of the first chapter we know.
The beauty of this story is that it flows. It's historical fiction at its very best. From the seaport of Wiscasset, Maine, where the story takes place, we learn what life was like in 1819-1820. We're there when Maine enters the Union as a free state. We learn how doctors practiced medicine during that time and wonder how anyone survived to talk about it!
It is Cassie telling the story. She takes us along as she and her brother deal with the tragedy. The pain and suffering is real. It's even more gripping because we see and feel it from the child's eyes. We find ourselves cheering the young protagonist on to the very end of the story.
Wintering Well is a story that'll encourage children of all ages to face life's obstacles and move beyond them.
---Copyright 2005, ChildrenComeFirst.com
March 6, 2013
gr 5-8
Set in 1819 Maine, the Ames family suffers a tragedy when their 12 year old son Will injures his leg and it must be amputated. Having always wanted to be a farmer, Will is convinced his life is over. His 11 year old sister Cassie feels responsible and refuses to leave his side as he recovers. When Will and Cassie are sent to live with their older sister Alice in town, Will discovers that town life offers more opportunities for him than he would have on the farm. Cassie, who was never completely happy on the farm, finds advantages to being in town too.
This story alternates between Will and Cassie as they try to recover from the tragedy of Will's injury and decide whether to stay in town enjoy all the opportunities it offers or return home to the farm.
This story provided a lot of information about 1819 and it's medicine, attitudes towards women and people with disabilities, and historical events such as Maine becoming a state.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys stories of perseverance, or someone interested in daily life in 1918 Maine.
Set in 1819 Maine, the Ames family suffers a tragedy when their 12 year old son Will injures his leg and it must be amputated. Having always wanted to be a farmer, Will is convinced his life is over. His 11 year old sister Cassie feels responsible and refuses to leave his side as he recovers. When Will and Cassie are sent to live with their older sister Alice in town, Will discovers that town life offers more opportunities for him than he would have on the farm. Cassie, who was never completely happy on the farm, finds advantages to being in town too.
This story alternates between Will and Cassie as they try to recover from the tragedy of Will's injury and decide whether to stay in town enjoy all the opportunities it offers or return home to the farm.
This story provided a lot of information about 1819 and it's medicine, attitudes towards women and people with disabilities, and historical events such as Maine becoming a state.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys stories of perseverance, or someone interested in daily life in 1918 Maine.
July 24, 2015
This is one of those historical fiction books that stick in your mind (at least for me, anyways). The story begins when Cassie`s brother, Will, injures his leg and must have it amputated. This completely crushes Will because he longs to be a farmer. Farms have no use for criples, as their father points out. Needing to find a new place in life, Will and Cassie head for a new town where a doctor can make a wooden leg for Will.
The storyline is unique and does a good job at tying in historical details. It's another good lesson about family and discovering new dreams.
The storyline is unique and does a good job at tying in historical details. It's another good lesson about family and discovering new dreams.
June 14, 2013
An interesting read for a Mainer - set in Woolwich and Wiscasset at the time Maine becomes a state, it follows siblings Will and Cassie Ames after will is injured in an accident that Cassie believes she caused, and their lives are forever changed. It was a good book, not a great book, mainly because it is intended for younger readers and therefore a tiny bit boring for this older reader (who is used to lots of action and gore).
Read
January 20, 2017Notes to self: Heard the author speak at the library. Attendee said that she always read this book with her 5th grade class, so we bought it. May read some of it during "Read Across America" on March 2. Set in Wiscassett when Maine becomes a state, 1820. Diary entries [sister] and story about two siblings and their choices after a serious farm accident, dealing with disability, bullies, 'woman's place is in the home.'
October 29, 2025
This story is enjoyable. Set in 1820, this book tells the story of a boy named Will and his sister, Cassie, who go to live with their married sister after a farming accident leaves Will without a leg. There, they learn many new things that change how they want their adult lives to be.
Content Warning: the part where the doctor has to amputate Will's leg is a little hard to read, especially if you're squeamish like me! I had to skip the surgery scene.
Content Warning: the part where the doctor has to amputate Will's leg is a little hard to read, especially if you're squeamish like me! I had to skip the surgery scene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2008
It wasn't until I was half way through this that I realized I'd read this one before. Obviously it didn't stick with me. A solid story about a farming accident that causes a young boy to lose one leg. He, along with his sister, move into town to be near a doctor and both find ways their lives can grow.
April 1, 2008
Takes place in Maine in the early 1600s. A boy loses his leg and is of no use on his father's farm. He moves to town where he learns to be independent and finds work as a wood carver. Excellent depiction of the time period. Quick read. Ages 9 - 14.
February 11, 2010
I read this book in fifth grade and I am a little foggy on the little details but I do remember that it was great and I could really get into the book and keep re-reading this book. I recomind this to most everyone.
June 20, 2008
Loved this book - simple, fictionally historically correct. Would have loved to see the Wiscasset waterfront in those early days. No red hot dogs there, I'll bet!
October 13, 2008
This book is wonderful. It is a heart warming tale, but also shows life as it was in the past. It was a easy, yet well written read. I liked it alot.
November 9, 2009
so far so good
Read
November 13, 2009a little toooo discribtive.....
February 25, 2010
Loved this book!
August 26, 2012
Good.
March 6, 2013
it is a wonderful and graceful book full of surprises and joyful thoughts its not dull at all and the cover my seem dull but dont judge a book by its cover
July 20, 2015
Lou Ann, North River staff, July 2015, 4 stars:
Sweet story of how life changes in an instance and God can use tragedy to
bring about something good.
Sweet story of how life changes in an instance and God can use tragedy to
bring about something good.
June 3, 2016
Excellent Book for Young Adults
December 21, 2016
In life: things don't always go as planned, but God will be with you each step of the way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews