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Harry Cane #1
A Place Called Winter
To find yourself, sometimes you must lose everything.
A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything.
Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.
In this exquisite journey of self-discovery, loosely based on a real life family mystery, Patrick Gale has created an epic, intimate human drama, both brutal and breathtaking. It is a novel of secrets, sexuality and, ultimately, of great love.
A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything.
Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.
In this exquisite journey of self-discovery, loosely based on a real life family mystery, Patrick Gale has created an epic, intimate human drama, both brutal and breathtaking. It is a novel of secrets, sexuality and, ultimately, of great love.
296 pages, ebook
First published March 26, 2015
522 people are currently reading
8329 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Gale
43 books706 followersPatrick was born on 31 January 1962 on the Isle of Wight, where his father was prison governor at Camp Hill, as his grandfather had been at nearby Parkhurst. He was the youngest of four; one sister, two brothers, spread over ten years. The family moved to London, where his father ran Wandsworth Prison, then to Winchester. At eight Patrick began boarding as a Winchester College Quirister at the cathedral choir school, Pilgrim's. At thirteen he went on to Winchester College. He finished his formal education with an English degree from New College, Oxford in 1983.
He has never had a grown-up job. For three years he lived at a succession of addresses, from a Notting Hill bedsit to a crumbling French chateau. While working on his first novels he eked out his slender income with odd jobs; as a typist, a singing waiter, a designer's secretary, a ghost-writer for an encyclopedia of the musical and, increasingly, as a book reviewer.
His first two novels, The Aerodynamics of Pork and Ease were published by Abacus on the same day in June 1986. The following year he moved to Camelford near the north coast of Cornwall and began a love affair with the county that has fed his work ever since.
He now lives in the far west, on a farm near Land's End with his husband, Aidan Hicks. There they raise beef cattle and grow barley. Patrick is obsessed with the garden they have created in what must be one of England's windiest sites and deeply resents the time his writing makes him spend away from working in it. As well as gardening, he plays both the modern and baroque cello. His chief extravagance in life is opera tickets.
He has never had a grown-up job. For three years he lived at a succession of addresses, from a Notting Hill bedsit to a crumbling French chateau. While working on his first novels he eked out his slender income with odd jobs; as a typist, a singing waiter, a designer's secretary, a ghost-writer for an encyclopedia of the musical and, increasingly, as a book reviewer.
His first two novels, The Aerodynamics of Pork and Ease were published by Abacus on the same day in June 1986. The following year he moved to Camelford near the north coast of Cornwall and began a love affair with the county that has fed his work ever since.
He now lives in the far west, on a farm near Land's End with his husband, Aidan Hicks. There they raise beef cattle and grow barley. Patrick is obsessed with the garden they have created in what must be one of England's windiest sites and deeply resents the time his writing makes him spend away from working in it. As well as gardening, he plays both the modern and baroque cello. His chief extravagance in life is opera tickets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,157 reviews
August 28, 2016
A mesmerising story based on the author's great-grandfather Harry Cane who was one of many that made the harrowing Journey from pre-war England to take up the opportunity to farm in Canada but Harry's story is different and unique with a mixture of adventure, love and heartbreak.
Harry Cane has followed tradition at every step until an illicit affair forces him to abandon the golden surburbs of Edwardian England to travel to the town of Winter in the newly colonised Canadian prairies
Beautifully written, bold and moving with well developed memorable characters.
I was happy to have come across a hard copy of this book while browsing in a bookshop recently as it was recommended by one of my Goodread's friends. The story was a slow burner to start with but it hald my interest throughout and I ended up really enjoying the book, so much so that I am still thinking about the characters after finishing the novel. I loved the sense of time and place in the novel and the fact that the historical content enhanced the story. The writing is excellent and its one of those books where not a word is wasted.
The hard copy has a chapter on the Inspiration for The Novel and a Question and Answer session with Patrick Gale which I found really interesting.
I think this would be a great book club read as it is different and would make for a great discussion.
Harry Cane has followed tradition at every step until an illicit affair forces him to abandon the golden surburbs of Edwardian England to travel to the town of Winter in the newly colonised Canadian prairies
Beautifully written, bold and moving with well developed memorable characters.
I was happy to have come across a hard copy of this book while browsing in a bookshop recently as it was recommended by one of my Goodread's friends. The story was a slow burner to start with but it hald my interest throughout and I ended up really enjoying the book, so much so that I am still thinking about the characters after finishing the novel. I loved the sense of time and place in the novel and the fact that the historical content enhanced the story. The writing is excellent and its one of those books where not a word is wasted.
The hard copy has a chapter on the Inspiration for The Novel and a Question and Answer session with Patrick Gale which I found really interesting.
I think this would be a great book club read as it is different and would make for a great discussion.
March 30, 2019
The novel opens with Harry Cane waking in an experimental sanatorium in Canada; how the Englishman came to be there, is the story. Harry grew up in a wealthy family; his easy childhood cut short by his mother’s early death. He and his much-loved brother are shipped off to boarding school where he will not dazzle, neither socially nor academically. Education finally over, Harry spends his days doing what gentleman do; riding, checking his portfolio and dinner at his club. Shy and rather withdrawn, he marries the sister of his brother’s wife and the physically awkward though loving couple have a daughter, whom Harry dotes on.
But all this comfort will be lost to him when a whisper about Harry’s hidden and scandalous affair reaches his brother-in-law. Under the threat of exposure, arrest and social ruin, he is forced to immigrate to Canada where he plans to embark on life as a homesteader/farmer. On the voyage there, he meets a treacherous man who will shape the next part of Harry’s life but will essentially lead him to friendship and ultimately the love of his life. You must read the novel to see how Harry fares.
In this finely crafted novel, Patrick Gale is a pleasure to read; his superb renditions of a time, place and a lifestyle not known to most of us wend their way beautifully throughout the whole novel. It is a novel about love, deception, passion, murder and self-discovery. A Place Called Winter is my first Patrick Gale novel and will definitely not be my last. Highly recommended. 4.5★
But all this comfort will be lost to him when a whisper about Harry’s hidden and scandalous affair reaches his brother-in-law. Under the threat of exposure, arrest and social ruin, he is forced to immigrate to Canada where he plans to embark on life as a homesteader/farmer. On the voyage there, he meets a treacherous man who will shape the next part of Harry’s life but will essentially lead him to friendship and ultimately the love of his life. You must read the novel to see how Harry fares.
In this finely crafted novel, Patrick Gale is a pleasure to read; his superb renditions of a time, place and a lifestyle not known to most of us wend their way beautifully throughout the whole novel. It is a novel about love, deception, passion, murder and self-discovery. A Place Called Winter is my first Patrick Gale novel and will definitely not be my last. Highly recommended. 4.5★
April 3, 2016
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Well this was a pretty sad book. It's about a man named Harry who has a brother named Jack. Their father was rich and left everything to the boys but Harry was to watch over things. So they both end up with wives, Jack went to school and has a job as a vet. Harry just hangs out with his wife and child.
Then.....
Harry ends up losing his money on a stupid venture and then does the unthinkable back in those days and is told he should set off somewhere else. He ends up in the Canadian prairies, he starts out working for some people on a farm.
He then makes his own home and has a wife and daughter. Um.. well I can't tell you but there is some things about his wife and daughter. Anyhoo, he ends up doing some other stuff and ends up in an asylum for a bit and then comes back to his land eventually when a kindly man takes him to his home that rehabilitates people, or tries.
Like I said, this was a pretty sad book and Harry's life pretty much sucked accept it seemed like it might get better the way it ended.
*I would like to thank Hatchette Book Group through The Reading Room for a print copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Well this was a pretty sad book. It's about a man named Harry who has a brother named Jack. Their father was rich and left everything to the boys but Harry was to watch over things. So they both end up with wives, Jack went to school and has a job as a vet. Harry just hangs out with his wife and child.
Then.....
Harry ends up losing his money on a stupid venture and then does the unthinkable back in those days and is told he should set off somewhere else. He ends up in the Canadian prairies, he starts out working for some people on a farm.
He then makes his own home and has a wife and daughter. Um.. well I can't tell you but there is some things about his wife and daughter. Anyhoo, he ends up doing some other stuff and ends up in an asylum for a bit and then comes back to his land eventually when a kindly man takes him to his home that rehabilitates people, or tries.
Like I said, this was a pretty sad book and Harry's life pretty much sucked accept it seemed like it might get better the way it ended.
*I would like to thank Hatchette Book Group through The Reading Room for a print copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
July 3, 2015
At first it was a bit slow, but starting around chapter 8, the story fully engaged me. I was interested in the characters, and I enjoyed some of the details of settler life as well as of the Cree. I was deeply moved by the story as well. I liked it, but ....
My only complaint: the characters didn't feel off to me, but they didn't exactly feel spot-on either. For one thing, they didn't have much of a period feel. Their inner lives didn't have the slightly foreign feel that fully realized characters of another era usually should - more 21st century at their core really.
Storywise, the expected external behaviors were mostly there, but I missed the inner contortions. Many revelations that should've pulsed with power felt a bit lifeless because they didn't have the internal buildup, the dark twists of consciousness that accumulate force until they break surface and express themselves in inevitable actions. The story didn't have that feel of inevitability that I usually find in the most penetrating fictions.
For instance, as
So overall an entertaining read but not quite revelatory. Definitely worth reading though.
Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled because I just finished Giovanni's Room, and that book was steeped in bone-deep psychological understanding, stepping from revelation to revelation, deeply rooted in the period the characters inhabited.
My only complaint: the characters didn't feel off to me, but they didn't exactly feel spot-on either. For one thing, they didn't have much of a period feel. Their inner lives didn't have the slightly foreign feel that fully realized characters of another era usually should - more 21st century at their core really.
Storywise, the expected external behaviors were mostly there, but I missed the inner contortions. Many revelations that should've pulsed with power felt a bit lifeless because they didn't have the internal buildup, the dark twists of consciousness that accumulate force until they break surface and express themselves in inevitable actions. The story didn't have that feel of inevitability that I usually find in the most penetrating fictions.
For instance, as
So overall an entertaining read but not quite revelatory. Definitely worth reading though.
Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled because I just finished Giovanni's Room, and that book was steeped in bone-deep psychological understanding, stepping from revelation to revelation, deeply rooted in the period the characters inhabited.
January 22, 2015
An absolutely remarkable novel, I loved every single minute of it. Old School storytelling at its best, Patrick Gale weaves a heartfelt and emotive web around the reader as we follow a man called Harry Cane through life, love, war, insanity and redemption.
When we meet Harry he is a gentle soul who drifts through life, facing problems as they arise but mostly having a quiet and routine existence with nothing hugely significant going on. He meets Winnie, marries her and seems set to carry on meandering along. Then an encounter leads to a passionate affair, which when it ends leaves Harry in an untenable position – so he departs for Canada, seeking a new path.
It is beautifully written, atmospheric and with a magnificent sense of place and time, undeniably addictive I was enthralled throughout. Fascinating looking back at the differing attitudes of the time, the characters pop from the page and it is all brilliantly authentic and often very emotional. I was up and down like a yo-yo with my feelings whilst reading this, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, always utterly enchanted with the people and the places, by the end I was in tears. The good kind.
It is kind of hard to know what else to say, sometimes I guess less is more. I have joined the growing mob of readers who are going to throw this novel at everyone they ever met once it is released – a marvel of a story that you will both relish and adore, I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
When we meet Harry he is a gentle soul who drifts through life, facing problems as they arise but mostly having a quiet and routine existence with nothing hugely significant going on. He meets Winnie, marries her and seems set to carry on meandering along. Then an encounter leads to a passionate affair, which when it ends leaves Harry in an untenable position – so he departs for Canada, seeking a new path.
It is beautifully written, atmospheric and with a magnificent sense of place and time, undeniably addictive I was enthralled throughout. Fascinating looking back at the differing attitudes of the time, the characters pop from the page and it is all brilliantly authentic and often very emotional. I was up and down like a yo-yo with my feelings whilst reading this, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, always utterly enchanted with the people and the places, by the end I was in tears. The good kind.
It is kind of hard to know what else to say, sometimes I guess less is more. I have joined the growing mob of readers who are going to throw this novel at everyone they ever met once it is released – a marvel of a story that you will both relish and adore, I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
February 5, 2016
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for making it available.
This was a lovely, beautifully written, poignant book, that reminded me a little bit of John Boyne's The Absolutist in its tone and subject matter, although the former left me more of an emotional wreck than this one did!
Growing up a child of privilege, Harry Cane was shy, ill-at-ease in social situations, and more than happy to blend into the scenery than be noticed. His financial situation left him able to live a life of leisure, and if he could interact with no one but his more gregarious younger brother, Jack. But when Jack meets an outspoken young woman, Harry comes along to meet her sister, and before he knew it, finds himself happily married to a woman whose social discomfort is similar to his own, and they are proud parents of a baby girl.
Despite some financial challenges, life is peaceful for Harry, and he is able to live the life he wants. But when he finds himself drawn into an unlikely affair, it changes him completely—and its discovery threatens to ruin his marriage, his comforts, and even his life. With nowhere else to turn, Harry decides to join the crush of people migrating to the Canadian wilderness in the hopes of settling a homestead there. Life is bleak, and the work is even harder, but he learns that he is far stronger than he ever thought, and can handle adversity better than he imagined.
Living in the harsh landscape brings him face-to-face with a menace both attractive and ruthlessly dangerous, and two relationships which will change his life in similar but different ways. Harry realizes that he is willing to fight for what he believes he deserves, and he is worthy of love. But he must face occasional isolation, harsh elements, the threat of war, even madness.
Patrick Gale is a terrific storyteller. This book captures perfectly the tone and feel of its time in history, its setting, and the conventions of the world in which his characters live. While at first Harry's passivity is a little frustrating, you watch him discover his inner strength and you find yourself rooting for him. A Place Called Winter is loosely based on a mystery within Gale's own family, and that makes what transpires in the book even more aggravating and upsetting.
While I found the book moved a little slower than I would have liked from time to time, and found the continued return of one of the book's villains to be a little improbably after a while, I really enjoyed this book, and found myself very emotionally invested in what happened to the characters. This is the second of Gale's books I've read and he again dazzled me with his writing—this is book of sensitivity, emotion, a little suspense, and a lot of heart.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for making it available.
This was a lovely, beautifully written, poignant book, that reminded me a little bit of John Boyne's The Absolutist in its tone and subject matter, although the former left me more of an emotional wreck than this one did!
Growing up a child of privilege, Harry Cane was shy, ill-at-ease in social situations, and more than happy to blend into the scenery than be noticed. His financial situation left him able to live a life of leisure, and if he could interact with no one but his more gregarious younger brother, Jack. But when Jack meets an outspoken young woman, Harry comes along to meet her sister, and before he knew it, finds himself happily married to a woman whose social discomfort is similar to his own, and they are proud parents of a baby girl.
Despite some financial challenges, life is peaceful for Harry, and he is able to live the life he wants. But when he finds himself drawn into an unlikely affair, it changes him completely—and its discovery threatens to ruin his marriage, his comforts, and even his life. With nowhere else to turn, Harry decides to join the crush of people migrating to the Canadian wilderness in the hopes of settling a homestead there. Life is bleak, and the work is even harder, but he learns that he is far stronger than he ever thought, and can handle adversity better than he imagined.
Living in the harsh landscape brings him face-to-face with a menace both attractive and ruthlessly dangerous, and two relationships which will change his life in similar but different ways. Harry realizes that he is willing to fight for what he believes he deserves, and he is worthy of love. But he must face occasional isolation, harsh elements, the threat of war, even madness.
Patrick Gale is a terrific storyteller. This book captures perfectly the tone and feel of its time in history, its setting, and the conventions of the world in which his characters live. While at first Harry's passivity is a little frustrating, you watch him discover his inner strength and you find yourself rooting for him. A Place Called Winter is loosely based on a mystery within Gale's own family, and that makes what transpires in the book even more aggravating and upsetting.
While I found the book moved a little slower than I would have liked from time to time, and found the continued return of one of the book's villains to be a little improbably after a while, I really enjoyed this book, and found myself very emotionally invested in what happened to the characters. This is the second of Gale's books I've read and he again dazzled me with his writing—this is book of sensitivity, emotion, a little suspense, and a lot of heart.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
April 11, 2015
Oh this book!!! 5+*s
A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Fragile and poignant, deeply affecting and thoroughly absorbing.
This book is going to be a hard act to follow. With beautiful prose...the language is just so gentle and heartfelt.
I was hooked in in the very first pages and gently reeled in to the very last. I know it will stay with me long after the final page has been turned.
Set in the early 20th century in England, the story follows Harry Cane's life from early childhood with his younger brother Jack, through many trials and misfortunes that ultimately lead him, in adulthood, to a life of exile in the Canadian Prairies, so far removed from the world in which he began.
After the death of their somewhat distant but wealthy father, Harry and Jack have only each other now and are very close. Harry is a shy and gentle man with a stutter, while the younger Jack is more gregarious and outgoing. Their father has left them a considerable legacy which the elder Harry has been charged with administering. This has made them both very eligible men of considerable means, with no worries about their future.
Jack has a love of animals and goes on to study and become a Vet, while the shy Harry cannot decide what to do.
When Jack convinces Harry to accompany him on a blind date he has no idea how drastically it will change the course of his life, as fate steps in to deliver the first of many strikes.
The course of events to come are at turns heartwarming and heartrending as we follow the trajectory of Harry's life and the ill fates that so unjustly beset him.
The prior knowledge that Patrick Gale has borrowed from his own family history in the telling of this story seems to subconsciously elevate it to something on a more personal level ...such knowledge tends to make the characters somehow more real, so that you find yourself engaging with them and becoming more concerned about their wellbeing.
This lends an authenticity to the story which is seldom found in a work of fiction and has the reader thoroughly invested with concern for its characters.
There is no doubt that Patrick Gale has a way with words, the language he speaks is just beautiful, and He speaks it with such careful sensitivity, clarity and empathy, as to make it feel real and personal on every level.
There is something very fragile about the way this story is delivered, I didn't so much read this book as I absorbed it through all my senses.
'Harry read the letter through twice more, it was so far removed from the one he had expected. At first he felt sorrow at the rude demolition of his recent wholesome fantasy, then a flare of anger...'
.....this so perfectly describes the shattering realisation of the moment where Harry had been eagerly anticipating the contents of a recently received letter, as yet unopened, only to discover upon later reading that its contents were far from what he had so excitedly saved himself for.
This book is everything it promises and more. It is one of the most absorbing works of fiction that I have read in recent times and I very much look forward to reading more from Patrick Gale.
I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of good fiction.
A very well deserved 5*s imho.
With many thanks to The Reading Room and Hachette Australia for my copy to read and review.
A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Fragile and poignant, deeply affecting and thoroughly absorbing.
This book is going to be a hard act to follow. With beautiful prose...the language is just so gentle and heartfelt.
I was hooked in in the very first pages and gently reeled in to the very last. I know it will stay with me long after the final page has been turned.
Set in the early 20th century in England, the story follows Harry Cane's life from early childhood with his younger brother Jack, through many trials and misfortunes that ultimately lead him, in adulthood, to a life of exile in the Canadian Prairies, so far removed from the world in which he began.
After the death of their somewhat distant but wealthy father, Harry and Jack have only each other now and are very close. Harry is a shy and gentle man with a stutter, while the younger Jack is more gregarious and outgoing. Their father has left them a considerable legacy which the elder Harry has been charged with administering. This has made them both very eligible men of considerable means, with no worries about their future.
Jack has a love of animals and goes on to study and become a Vet, while the shy Harry cannot decide what to do.
When Jack convinces Harry to accompany him on a blind date he has no idea how drastically it will change the course of his life, as fate steps in to deliver the first of many strikes.
The course of events to come are at turns heartwarming and heartrending as we follow the trajectory of Harry's life and the ill fates that so unjustly beset him.
The prior knowledge that Patrick Gale has borrowed from his own family history in the telling of this story seems to subconsciously elevate it to something on a more personal level ...such knowledge tends to make the characters somehow more real, so that you find yourself engaging with them and becoming more concerned about their wellbeing.
This lends an authenticity to the story which is seldom found in a work of fiction and has the reader thoroughly invested with concern for its characters.
There is no doubt that Patrick Gale has a way with words, the language he speaks is just beautiful, and He speaks it with such careful sensitivity, clarity and empathy, as to make it feel real and personal on every level.
There is something very fragile about the way this story is delivered, I didn't so much read this book as I absorbed it through all my senses.
'Harry read the letter through twice more, it was so far removed from the one he had expected. At first he felt sorrow at the rude demolition of his recent wholesome fantasy, then a flare of anger...'
.....this so perfectly describes the shattering realisation of the moment where Harry had been eagerly anticipating the contents of a recently received letter, as yet unopened, only to discover upon later reading that its contents were far from what he had so excitedly saved himself for.
This book is everything it promises and more. It is one of the most absorbing works of fiction that I have read in recent times and I very much look forward to reading more from Patrick Gale.
I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of good fiction.
A very well deserved 5*s imho.
With many thanks to The Reading Room and Hachette Australia for my copy to read and review.
February 25, 2025
“A Place Called Winter”, by Patrick Gale
Brilliant 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a historical fiction inspired by the author’s great-grandfather . The setting is early 1900’s, starting in England and ending in the new colonized Canadian prairies, specifically in Saskatchewan.
The opening of the book was quite upsetting. The way people with mental illness were treated in the past was simply cruel. How easily they were dismissed as being relevant or even considered being human.
The story starts with a middle-aged Harry undergoing treatment in an experimental sanatorium, with no explanation how he got there or why, then the story flashes back to his earlier life. The dual timeline worked perfectly and provide us with a rich background of Harry's life and his search for self discovery.
If you are looking for an action book than this book is not for a good choice.
The story itself is heartbreaking and bleak, but the author was very sensitive and told the story with finesse and clarity. I also trust that he did an excellent historical research
The development of the storyline is slow, but the narrative is too good to notice it.
I loved the main character and Bethel, and I wished Bethel’s participation was bigger.
I thought that the writing and storytelling were superb, hence my ratings.
I so enjoyed the opening that I immediately purchased the audiobook (not available in my local library) which was narrated by the author and who did a terrific job as the narrator. I read the book (ebook and hardcover borrowed from the library) simultaneously, so my pleasure was doubled.
Hardcover: 352 pages
ebook (Kobo): 376 pages (default), 33 chapters, 102 words
Audiobook narrated by the author: 11.1 hours (normal speed), unabridged, but there is no author’s acknowledgment or the reading group guide.
Brilliant 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a historical fiction inspired by the author’s great-grandfather . The setting is early 1900’s, starting in England and ending in the new colonized Canadian prairies, specifically in Saskatchewan.
The opening of the book was quite upsetting. The way people with mental illness were treated in the past was simply cruel. How easily they were dismissed as being relevant or even considered being human.
The story starts with a middle-aged Harry undergoing treatment in an experimental sanatorium, with no explanation how he got there or why, then the story flashes back to his earlier life. The dual timeline worked perfectly and provide us with a rich background of Harry's life and his search for self discovery.
If you are looking for an action book than this book is not for a good choice.
The story itself is heartbreaking and bleak, but the author was very sensitive and told the story with finesse and clarity. I also trust that he did an excellent historical research
The development of the storyline is slow, but the narrative is too good to notice it.
I loved the main character and Bethel, and I wished Bethel’s participation was bigger.
I thought that the writing and storytelling were superb, hence my ratings.
I so enjoyed the opening that I immediately purchased the audiobook (not available in my local library) which was narrated by the author and who did a terrific job as the narrator. I read the book (ebook and hardcover borrowed from the library) simultaneously, so my pleasure was doubled.
Hardcover: 352 pages
ebook (Kobo): 376 pages (default), 33 chapters, 102 words
Audiobook narrated by the author: 11.1 hours (normal speed), unabridged, but there is no author’s acknowledgment or the reading group guide.
June 28, 2018
A truly brilliant book - a moving love story that packs so much in, with wonderful characterisation, a gripping plot and great engagement with history. I loved it and would highly recommend.
April 10, 2015
“When a thing has always been forbidden and must live in darkness and silence, it’s hard to know how it might be, if allowed to thrive.”
A Place Called Winter is the sixteenth novel by British author, Patrick Gale. In early 20th century England, shy and stuttering Harry Cane, nurturing older brother to the infinitely more confident Jack, is rather surprised to find himself married to Winnie, and before long, a father to Phyllis. Even more surprising, the obsessive infatuation for another that forces him to abandon his family, England and the bulk of his wealth for the hardship, privation and loneliness of the Canadian prairielands. Harry is befriended on the ship by a strangely charismatic man, a Dane named Troels Munck, who commandeers his life and steers him to a land plot near the remote Saskatchewan town of Winter.
The narrative alternates between two time periods: Harry’s life after he leaves a mental asylum and joins the therapeutic community run by the unconventional Dr Gideon Ormshaw at Bethel; and the events of his life from when his father died, events that led up to his admission to the asylum. Based on story of his own great-grandfather’s life, Gale’s story portrays the reality of pioneering in the Canadian wilderness. It also touches on accepted therapies for mental illness at the time and the dangers of being a homosexual in this era. Gale has a marvellous talent for making the reader feel true empathy for his main character: it is virtually impossible not to feel Harry’s heartache, his anxiety, his anger and his fear, but also his love.
Gale’s descriptive prose is a pleasure to read: “She looked after the geese and ducks and was an excellent shot, regularly bagging wild duck…. She also shot rabbit and the occasional hare. These she would pluck or skin herself in an efficient fury all the more self-righteous for being unapplauded and unregarded” and “As Troels came to stand beside him, Harry smelt the musk of his sweat and something else, something threatening, if threat had a smell” and “There were stars, a seamless, spangled fishnet of them from horizon to horizon, coldly lighting the land and lending the farm buildings, outlined sharply against them, an eerie loveliness” are just a few examples.
Fans of Gale’s work will not be disappointed, and newcomers to his work will want to seek out more of it. This beautifully written novel is incredibly moving and completely captivating.
With thanks to Hachette and The Reading Room for this copy to read and review.
A Place Called Winter is the sixteenth novel by British author, Patrick Gale. In early 20th century England, shy and stuttering Harry Cane, nurturing older brother to the infinitely more confident Jack, is rather surprised to find himself married to Winnie, and before long, a father to Phyllis. Even more surprising, the obsessive infatuation for another that forces him to abandon his family, England and the bulk of his wealth for the hardship, privation and loneliness of the Canadian prairielands. Harry is befriended on the ship by a strangely charismatic man, a Dane named Troels Munck, who commandeers his life and steers him to a land plot near the remote Saskatchewan town of Winter.
The narrative alternates between two time periods: Harry’s life after he leaves a mental asylum and joins the therapeutic community run by the unconventional Dr Gideon Ormshaw at Bethel; and the events of his life from when his father died, events that led up to his admission to the asylum. Based on story of his own great-grandfather’s life, Gale’s story portrays the reality of pioneering in the Canadian wilderness. It also touches on accepted therapies for mental illness at the time and the dangers of being a homosexual in this era. Gale has a marvellous talent for making the reader feel true empathy for his main character: it is virtually impossible not to feel Harry’s heartache, his anxiety, his anger and his fear, but also his love.
Gale’s descriptive prose is a pleasure to read: “She looked after the geese and ducks and was an excellent shot, regularly bagging wild duck…. She also shot rabbit and the occasional hare. These she would pluck or skin herself in an efficient fury all the more self-righteous for being unapplauded and unregarded” and “As Troels came to stand beside him, Harry smelt the musk of his sweat and something else, something threatening, if threat had a smell” and “There were stars, a seamless, spangled fishnet of them from horizon to horizon, coldly lighting the land and lending the farm buildings, outlined sharply against them, an eerie loveliness” are just a few examples.
Fans of Gale’s work will not be disappointed, and newcomers to his work will want to seek out more of it. This beautifully written novel is incredibly moving and completely captivating.
With thanks to Hachette and The Reading Room for this copy to read and review.
February 7, 2017
This was an emotionally satisfying novel about a geographical journey as well as a journey of self-discovery for the main character, Harry Cane. This historical fiction novel takes place in the early 1900's, pre WW1 until a time shortly after the war, the two timelines for Harry Cane's past and present life eventually merging. This book was based loosely on the author's great-grandfather's story, detailing his earlier life as a gentleman in England, a place he would then leave behind along with a family to settle in Canada, but not by choice. The bulk of the Canadian territory then was wild and uncultivated, free to homesteaders who could work the land and live upon it for a minimum of three years. Many gave up due to hardship, a lack of success, or a lack of faith, those people soon learning nothing was entirely for free. But this story was about a man who grew to learn he had more mettle than that.
It was also a mystery since it began with Harry Cane, an intelligent and seemingly well balanced gentleman, confined to an asylum where the inmates were treated barbarically. How he ended up there was my question throughout the book, though it faded into the background as I became absorbed in an even bigger mystery--the mystery of who Harry Cane really was--a man who hardly knew himself until he was tested in body and spirit.
First off, I loved the title of this book which refers to a real place, but as I saw things, it also refers to a place within a person who yearns for some human warmth to bring comfort and lighten the load of living. This is a story that slowly unfolded as it went back and forth in time, Harry struggling to remember how he ended up in an asylum and accepting what remembering might lead to.
Harry's story is told simply without embellishment, yet with beautifully descriptive writing, detailing the wilderness both surrounding Harry and within him as he searches to belong somewhere and with someone. It is a frank look at sexuality and the battle of self-acceptance in a less enlightened time. It is a story that was both harsh and soft-edged, a bittersweet mixture, with a melancholy feel to it, a story that didn't flinch from the truth. I really felt I was there with Harry during all he went through and with those he met along the way, rich characters fully realized through their actions and words. And when I finished the book, I felt sad, but in a good way, having witnessed what cruelty and kindnesses people visit upon one another and the power of the human spirit to do more than endure it.
It was also a mystery since it began with Harry Cane, an intelligent and seemingly well balanced gentleman, confined to an asylum where the inmates were treated barbarically. How he ended up there was my question throughout the book, though it faded into the background as I became absorbed in an even bigger mystery--the mystery of who Harry Cane really was--a man who hardly knew himself until he was tested in body and spirit.
First off, I loved the title of this book which refers to a real place, but as I saw things, it also refers to a place within a person who yearns for some human warmth to bring comfort and lighten the load of living. This is a story that slowly unfolded as it went back and forth in time, Harry struggling to remember how he ended up in an asylum and accepting what remembering might lead to.
Harry's story is told simply without embellishment, yet with beautifully descriptive writing, detailing the wilderness both surrounding Harry and within him as he searches to belong somewhere and with someone. It is a frank look at sexuality and the battle of self-acceptance in a less enlightened time. It is a story that was both harsh and soft-edged, a bittersweet mixture, with a melancholy feel to it, a story that didn't flinch from the truth. I really felt I was there with Harry during all he went through and with those he met along the way, rich characters fully realized through their actions and words. And when I finished the book, I felt sad, but in a good way, having witnessed what cruelty and kindnesses people visit upon one another and the power of the human spirit to do more than endure it.
October 10, 2015
Sometimes the most unintended actions can turn out to be the most splendid surprises. When I was home in Cornwall this September on holiday visiting my family, I spied this book out of the corner of my eye in the shop window of Waterstones bookshop in Truro. First of all the cover caught my eye. Seemingly innocuous at first sight but then the wilderness and solitude of seeing a single man with a suitcase drew in me for a closer look. My heart just reached out to this forlorn image, one that spoke of loss and yet maybe a new start. Then after reading the synopsis I was immediately intrigued, it had “buy me” written all over it.
Well, now I have finished the book all I can say is I have been utterly charmed and stand in awe of the writing talent of Mr Gale. A book of epic proportions, that had me invested from start to finish, a book that was not easily put down and I was only longing to get back to reading it at every opportunity. A book that showed me some things in life are out of my control and others maybe not. But the main thing is to try and find our happiness the best way we can and to never give up.
We all know the rags to riches trope but this book genuinely is a riches to rags one, but in so doing a greater freedom and peace is eventually found than thought possible. Based on Mr Gale's own great grandfather A Place Called Winter is the story of one man who loses everything that is familiar to him and due to circumstances beyond his control is forced to start the adventure of his life. This is Harry’s story. A story that is every bit as heartfelt as it is heart-breaking. A story that takes almost a lifetime to reach a final but still fragile happy ever after.
Harry has to leave the UK and fast. After all if your sexual preferences have left you in a loveless marriage and the all too imminent fear of being arrested at the turn of the last century looms over your head like The Sword of Damocles , what do you do? Correct, you run! You run as far as you can. At a time when Canada was still uncultivated and being settled from Europe with land up for grabs, Harry leaves everything behind to start out on a new life, a hard one full of danger and where survival of the fittest is the law.
However, for me it was also about Harry’s internal struggle, his feelings for the love that dare not speak its name. A love that at that time would have had him in serious trouble wherever he found himself. It’s really excruciating to think how people lived in fear and dread of being discovered and yet the instinct and urge is sometimes all too consuming. Profoundly sad and heart-breaking in itself viewed from today’s perspective.
His story starts at Bethel Ranch, a retreat for treatment and observation after he had been released from Essondale Asylum. Why he was exactly there we don't really find out until the end of the book but this ranch is run by a doctor, Gideon Ormshaw, who seems to have an interest in the mental condition of the "sexual deviant." This place for me seemed a little too nice and modern in thinking for the current time and its attitudes towards mental illness, but it is a key place in getting to know Harry's story. Who knows? Maybe some did have it a little better than others. As Gideon says,
Upon arriving in Canada Harry tries to survive the best way he can in a time and place that was harsh and untamed, where the winters were unrelenting and would take their toll of lives if unprepared. Everyone depended on the help of others just to survive. Here Harry was lucky and had the perfect neighbours. However, there were also people ready to use and abuse the predicament of others too as in any society. Bullies of the worst kind. One extremely unlikable user and abuser is Troels. A disgusting, manipulative little opportunist who had me wanting to punch him for Harry every time he turned up on the page. A totally objectionable, slimy piece of work. Here I just wanted to slap some sense into Harry at being so blind. Maybe he wasn't, but I guess in a strange land where you have no clue about what to expect then you latch on to the first person that seems to offer you help. That help did come at a price though but at least it did mean that Harry survived his first year in Canada and got him on his feet when so many failed and paid the ultimate price for their folly.
However, Harry does find moments of tenderness with one adorable guy, something that today can be said to have developed into gay love and a relationship as best as it could be managed with the beliefs and mindset of the time. Harry travels the whole spectrum of human emotion from betrayal to fear, to outrage, to loss, to acceptance and in the end to love. It was a journey, a long journey, not only physically with the vast expanses of Canada, taming the land and fighting for survival. But also emotionally where many people played a role and influenced his life, not only the men but also the women in a platonic way after leaving his wife and child behind in England. He finds one person that he could confide in and doesn't judge him for his ways as she is all too familiar with them, recognising the same in her brother whom she loves unconditionally. A beautiful brother and sister relationship as it should be. There for each other, helping and supporting each other, sticking together through thick and thin.
The other aspect that I loved and had me intrigued was the introduction of the local, native Canadians called Cree. Here we a have peace loving and accepting people that were driven from their land by the pioneers of the day. We see a strong contrast between the puritanical, prohibitive, white, missionary attitudes of the day and the more accepting, at one with nature, peaceful ways of the Cree. One character especially caught my interest at the beginning and by the end totally adored was a Cree who went by the name of Ursula although in his male clothes was known as Little Bear. He was at Bethel Ranch with Harry and obviously at that time totally misunderstood, an anomaly, where today he would in all probability be recognised as being transgender I reckon. A gentle, understanding and sensitive soul trapped within two identities or as he calls it and knows it from Cree "two-souls"
But then WWI arrives and even in far flung Canada families are torn apart, loved ones missed, some never return. It was so sad to think that even here the war had such far reaching effects I had never realised before. This was also a catalyst for Harry, triggering another chain of occurrences that left him bereft and isolated with his feelings. Geez, at this point I did start to tear up. The longing in his heart was just palpable, split asunder by the emotions he shouldn't show but breaking apart inside. No wonder the poor man had a breakdown ending with a spell in a sanatorium. I think I would have gone nuts, there's only so much heartache, grief and loss one man can withstand.
I suppose the main question for our blog is, is it an M/M Romance? In a broad sense, what I can truly say is most definitely YES! If you like wide-sweeping stories that deal with human emotion and feelings, sexuality, how people affect our lives, then Harry’s plight is as tragic, emotional and heart-breaking as any M/M romance I have ever read.
Mr Gale's writing is beautiful and subtle, you never get the "graphic" descriptions of the love scenes, this is left to the reader's imagination but there is enough there to feel all the emotions I’ve mentioned above without the obvious ever having to be stated. These underlying connotations and undercurrents, the what is left unsaid are every bit as poignant, heartfelt and sensitive as any lucid description. A man trapped in a time where the basic fact of being gay would mean running, hiding and being so far in the closet that if you ever dared to air your true emotions then you would have to live in fear of any possible repercussions. So it would be wrong to write about these things in an open and detailed way. Sensitively penned with love and affection, a novel to lose yourself in more than once.
So does Harry get his HEA? Yes, he does! A very bittersweet, poignant and fragile one but an ending suitable for the period which left me comforted to know that after all the trials and tribulations Harry went through he will at last be able to find peace and happiness. After finishing this book with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face all I can sincerely wish for is that Mr Gale's great grandfather found his own peace and happiness whatever his true story might have been.
Well, now I have finished the book all I can say is I have been utterly charmed and stand in awe of the writing talent of Mr Gale. A book of epic proportions, that had me invested from start to finish, a book that was not easily put down and I was only longing to get back to reading it at every opportunity. A book that showed me some things in life are out of my control and others maybe not. But the main thing is to try and find our happiness the best way we can and to never give up.
We all know the rags to riches trope but this book genuinely is a riches to rags one, but in so doing a greater freedom and peace is eventually found than thought possible. Based on Mr Gale's own great grandfather A Place Called Winter is the story of one man who loses everything that is familiar to him and due to circumstances beyond his control is forced to start the adventure of his life. This is Harry’s story. A story that is every bit as heartfelt as it is heart-breaking. A story that takes almost a lifetime to reach a final but still fragile happy ever after.
Harry has to leave the UK and fast. After all if your sexual preferences have left you in a loveless marriage and the all too imminent fear of being arrested at the turn of the last century looms over your head like The Sword of Damocles , what do you do? Correct, you run! You run as far as you can. At a time when Canada was still uncultivated and being settled from Europe with land up for grabs, Harry leaves everything behind to start out on a new life, a hard one full of danger and where survival of the fittest is the law.
However, for me it was also about Harry’s internal struggle, his feelings for the love that dare not speak its name. A love that at that time would have had him in serious trouble wherever he found himself. It’s really excruciating to think how people lived in fear and dread of being discovered and yet the instinct and urge is sometimes all too consuming. Profoundly sad and heart-breaking in itself viewed from today’s perspective.
His story starts at Bethel Ranch, a retreat for treatment and observation after he had been released from Essondale Asylum. Why he was exactly there we don't really find out until the end of the book but this ranch is run by a doctor, Gideon Ormshaw, who seems to have an interest in the mental condition of the "sexual deviant." This place for me seemed a little too nice and modern in thinking for the current time and its attitudes towards mental illness, but it is a key place in getting to know Harry's story. Who knows? Maybe some did have it a little better than others. As Gideon says,
"Places like Essondale exist because we don't know what else to do with people who threaten themselves. As for treatments, we pretend we know what we're doing but strictly speaking, it's all experimental."
Upon arriving in Canada Harry tries to survive the best way he can in a time and place that was harsh and untamed, where the winters were unrelenting and would take their toll of lives if unprepared. Everyone depended on the help of others just to survive. Here Harry was lucky and had the perfect neighbours. However, there were also people ready to use and abuse the predicament of others too as in any society. Bullies of the worst kind. One extremely unlikable user and abuser is Troels. A disgusting, manipulative little opportunist who had me wanting to punch him for Harry every time he turned up on the page. A totally objectionable, slimy piece of work. Here I just wanted to slap some sense into Harry at being so blind. Maybe he wasn't, but I guess in a strange land where you have no clue about what to expect then you latch on to the first person that seems to offer you help. That help did come at a price though but at least it did mean that Harry survived his first year in Canada and got him on his feet when so many failed and paid the ultimate price for their folly.
However, Harry does find moments of tenderness with one adorable guy, something that today can be said to have developed into gay love and a relationship as best as it could be managed with the beliefs and mindset of the time. Harry travels the whole spectrum of human emotion from betrayal to fear, to outrage, to loss, to acceptance and in the end to love. It was a journey, a long journey, not only physically with the vast expanses of Canada, taming the land and fighting for survival. But also emotionally where many people played a role and influenced his life, not only the men but also the women in a platonic way after leaving his wife and child behind in England. He finds one person that he could confide in and doesn't judge him for his ways as she is all too familiar with them, recognising the same in her brother whom she loves unconditionally. A beautiful brother and sister relationship as it should be. There for each other, helping and supporting each other, sticking together through thick and thin.
The other aspect that I loved and had me intrigued was the introduction of the local, native Canadians called Cree. Here we a have peace loving and accepting people that were driven from their land by the pioneers of the day. We see a strong contrast between the puritanical, prohibitive, white, missionary attitudes of the day and the more accepting, at one with nature, peaceful ways of the Cree. One character especially caught my interest at the beginning and by the end totally adored was a Cree who went by the name of Ursula although in his male clothes was known as Little Bear. He was at Bethel Ranch with Harry and obviously at that time totally misunderstood, an anomaly, where today he would in all probability be recognised as being transgender I reckon. A gentle, understanding and sensitive soul trapped within two identities or as he calls it and knows it from Cree "two-souls"
"I was special and my father was proud of me. But to the missionaries, I was an evil influence. They cut my hair short and the evil they saw in me was beaten out day after day. My shaman had taught me better and earlier than the priest did, and I suffered..."
But then WWI arrives and even in far flung Canada families are torn apart, loved ones missed, some never return. It was so sad to think that even here the war had such far reaching effects I had never realised before. This was also a catalyst for Harry, triggering another chain of occurrences that left him bereft and isolated with his feelings. Geez, at this point I did start to tear up. The longing in his heart was just palpable, split asunder by the emotions he shouldn't show but breaking apart inside. No wonder the poor man had a breakdown ending with a spell in a sanatorium. I think I would have gone nuts, there's only so much heartache, grief and loss one man can withstand.
I suppose the main question for our blog is, is it an M/M Romance? In a broad sense, what I can truly say is most definitely YES! If you like wide-sweeping stories that deal with human emotion and feelings, sexuality, how people affect our lives, then Harry’s plight is as tragic, emotional and heart-breaking as any M/M romance I have ever read.
Mr Gale's writing is beautiful and subtle, you never get the "graphic" descriptions of the love scenes, this is left to the reader's imagination but there is enough there to feel all the emotions I’ve mentioned above without the obvious ever having to be stated. These underlying connotations and undercurrents, the what is left unsaid are every bit as poignant, heartfelt and sensitive as any lucid description. A man trapped in a time where the basic fact of being gay would mean running, hiding and being so far in the closet that if you ever dared to air your true emotions then you would have to live in fear of any possible repercussions. So it would be wrong to write about these things in an open and detailed way. Sensitively penned with love and affection, a novel to lose yourself in more than once.
So does Harry get his HEA? Yes, he does! A very bittersweet, poignant and fragile one but an ending suitable for the period which left me comforted to know that after all the trials and tribulations Harry went through he will at last be able to find peace and happiness. After finishing this book with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face all I can sincerely wish for is that Mr Gale's great grandfather found his own peace and happiness whatever his true story might have been.
May 20, 2017
Loved this one! I've read a few of this author's books - some I've really enjoyed and some have been ok. This is definitely one of the good ones. Telling the story of Harry Cane's life both in the UK and Canada I quickly became completely absorbed by this powerful and moving story. My only real complaint was that it ended!
March 24, 2015
We first meet Harry Cane as a patient in a Canadian asylum being subjected to a rather brutal sounding bath treatment. Immediately my interest was piqued, what had he done to end up in such a place? Through the following chapters going back and forth in time, we find out.
The story is set in the early 20th century. Harry Cane and his brother Jack, have a privileged life due to their father’s successful horse drawn omnibus business. However their early life was not a very happy one and women are somewhat of a mystery to Harry. Whereas Jack is confident and outgoing, Harry is a shy, gentle man and unworldly, which makes him vulnerable to those wishing to take advantage.
Over time, Harry marries and has a child. His married life has not been without its problems but generally life is good and uneventful until one unthinking act suddenly brings his life crashing around him. He is forced to leave his wife and child behind and after seeing a poster announcing ‘Canadian Emigration’, makes his way to Canada for a new life as a homesteader; farming in the remote lands of the Canadian prairies – eventually settling in a remote town called ‘Winter’.
As much as I enjoyed the backstory, it is from here on that Harry really comes into his own for me. The strangeness of this whole new world is such a marked difference to the privileged life that he was used to. He is not used to hard physical work and the challenges he faces and the hardships and deprivation of his new life are made clear, However there is no self pity – Harry just accepts and gets on with what is needed. There is a wonderful sense of place and the land and its people are so vividly described that you can’t help but be totally pulled into the story.
Harry finds his own strength of character being tested to the extreme – some events make for heartbreaking reading. The characters that Harry meets in his new life will each have a hand in forming the person that he will become. There are those that are treacherous with evil intentions, whilst others enrich his life and bring him happiness - as well as tragedy.
I loved this book and I couldn't help but care deeply for Harry. He was a good man at heart and deserved so much more than the life he had. It’s sobering to think that in modern times, Harry’s life could have been quite different.
Patrick Gale has created a stunning novel of relationships and loss but also of the ability to endure and triumph. My review can’t possibly do the book justice and I am trying not to give away too much of the story as it is one that you need to discover for yourself. It was only after reading interviews given by the author did I realise that the story is based, in part, on his own family history.
The writing was absolutely beautiful - this is just one example of the prose that stood out for me “He did not consciously harden his heart but he loved with hands metaphorically behind his back”.
I have no hesitation in giving this 5 stars. I am certain it will be one of my top books of the year.
The story is set in the early 20th century. Harry Cane and his brother Jack, have a privileged life due to their father’s successful horse drawn omnibus business. However their early life was not a very happy one and women are somewhat of a mystery to Harry. Whereas Jack is confident and outgoing, Harry is a shy, gentle man and unworldly, which makes him vulnerable to those wishing to take advantage.
Over time, Harry marries and has a child. His married life has not been without its problems but generally life is good and uneventful until one unthinking act suddenly brings his life crashing around him. He is forced to leave his wife and child behind and after seeing a poster announcing ‘Canadian Emigration’, makes his way to Canada for a new life as a homesteader; farming in the remote lands of the Canadian prairies – eventually settling in a remote town called ‘Winter’.
As much as I enjoyed the backstory, it is from here on that Harry really comes into his own for me. The strangeness of this whole new world is such a marked difference to the privileged life that he was used to. He is not used to hard physical work and the challenges he faces and the hardships and deprivation of his new life are made clear, However there is no self pity – Harry just accepts and gets on with what is needed. There is a wonderful sense of place and the land and its people are so vividly described that you can’t help but be totally pulled into the story.
Harry finds his own strength of character being tested to the extreme – some events make for heartbreaking reading. The characters that Harry meets in his new life will each have a hand in forming the person that he will become. There are those that are treacherous with evil intentions, whilst others enrich his life and bring him happiness - as well as tragedy.
I loved this book and I couldn't help but care deeply for Harry. He was a good man at heart and deserved so much more than the life he had. It’s sobering to think that in modern times, Harry’s life could have been quite different.
Patrick Gale has created a stunning novel of relationships and loss but also of the ability to endure and triumph. My review can’t possibly do the book justice and I am trying not to give away too much of the story as it is one that you need to discover for yourself. It was only after reading interviews given by the author did I realise that the story is based, in part, on his own family history.
The writing was absolutely beautiful - this is just one example of the prose that stood out for me “He did not consciously harden his heart but he loved with hands metaphorically behind his back”.
I have no hesitation in giving this 5 stars. I am certain it will be one of my top books of the year.
May 2, 2015
Born in England at the turn of the 20th century, Harry Crane lead a very conventional life as the elder son of a wealthy man. Used to looking after his brother Jack since their mother died during Jack's birth, Harry and Jack shared bachelor lodgings after their school days finished and Harry set out to become an idle man about town while Jack studied to become a vet. After meeting Winifred a quiet girl from a good family, Harry married, had a daughter and settled down to continue his fairly directionless life. However, when he is discovered of indulging in an imprudent passionate affair with an actor, he is told he must leave society and his wife and child. Harry chooses to travel to the Canadian Prairies to take up a land package and become a farmer.
Harry eventually ends up near a town called Winter with few neighbours and even fewer home comforts. However, through hard work and deprivation he truly comes to know himself and thrives in the spartan environment. The story of his life on the land is a moving account and is beautifully described. Harry forms strong bonds with his nearest neighbours, Petra and Paul which are shattered by the intervention of a jealous evil man, Troels Munck who Harry earlier encountered on his way to Canada, with devastating results for all three of them.
This is a beautiful story written with beautiful, evocative language. Harry is a fully formed, complex character and the author paints a very atmospheric sense of life on the Prairies at that time. As well as being an exploration of sexuality this is ultimately more than a romantic love story set in a difficult time and place.
With thanks to Marianne and Julie who both recommended this book to me.
March 6, 2025
✰ 3 stars ✰
My heart ached for thirty-year-old slightly stuttering Harry Cane and how he was compelled to leave his family and the lush English countryside simply because he was caught involved an illicit act, strictly frowned upon in 1907 England during the infamous Oscar Wilde trials. But, it was in A Place Called Winter, under the unsuspecting and remote Canadian newly-established farming colonies, amidst strangers - the image of a forbidding future, he felt wretchedly alone - that Harry would set forth on the path of self-discovery, learning when it means to have the courage to speak up for what your heart wishes to protect & what it yearns to keep safe forever. ❄️
My second foray with Patrick Gale had the storyline follow the same familiar pattern - a non-linear narrative with a subtle touch of mystery that starts off a bit slow, but somehow still manages to keep my interest, with the impending knowledge of a problem that was yet to arise; how it subtly was revealed certainly caught me by surprise. 😥 To shift the timeline from the past to the present in which Harry finds himself in the Bethel asylum - ‘memories... wrapped in a grief so powerful’ trying to understand what affliction ails him - there is a lingering caution that still prevails. And if I'm not anything but curious.
“ ... if everyone felt differently, it would be both. When a thing has always been forbidden and must live in darkness and silence, it’s hard to know how it might be, if allowed to thrive. ”
It was more than just my curiosity that had me turning the pages. Harry --- he's at this crossroads of where and when embracing or even admitting to his sexuality, as thrilling as it was heart-stopping, is cause for harm and derision. 😢 Throw in his own personal ineptitude of shyness and reserved feelings, it is enough to make him hesitant to not only speak up for himself but stand up for himself. For even amidst the fierce terrain, among wolves that exist in sheepskin and the violent hardships both from man and land, there is the chance for tenderness and affection - love and comfort with two siblings who welcomed him into their hearts and homes.
There was an aching fondness and quiet tenderness to how Harry warmed up to Paul and Petra, and how their kindness and acceptance ultimately paved the way for the eventual sacrifices he has to make. It--- is hard to explain why the writing prevailed, or why it was poignant, simply that there was an innate, but intimate way in which the author captured the difference in both their relationships, and somehow, made you feel Harry's longing as well as affection. 🫂❤️🩹 For it is when that deep connection is threatened, it puts him to the test - one which beckons the reader to understand why and what would lead someone to behave the way they do. The writing steadily built upon that foreboding notion - of a danger existing quietly in the shadows, until it struck when you -- not least expected, but least wanted it to.
“For all its indirectness, for all that neither could see the other or look into his eyes, it felt like the most nakedly tender gesture that had yet passed between them.”
Harry was a simple man - punished simply for who he loved. And it is a simple, but profound love that the author captures between Harry and Paul - how they had to keep it silent, but yet sought one another out for company - hesitant to put voice to their emotions, but just savor the secret intimacy granted to them that just felt so real, but -- simple - slow and stupid with love. 🥺 And it is that simple nature of their silent romance that drew them to act in certain ways, because of how they knew it simply could not be, due to the times and the impending war. And when something more sinister than just the cruelty of war tears them apart, you long to know if they'll find each other again....
For that aspect - the mystery and the quiet fierceness in which we see Harry's growth and struggles - his resolve and good convictions - find strength is what resonated with me. Some descriptive passages may have felt irrelevant, and I could have done without the Bethel story line (even if I understood its relevance) - it was those happy and haunting days of his time at Winter that tied the story together. 'You watch so hard you forget to live.' To learn the truth of why he ended up here, to discover himself of what he had lost - it was a place where Harry was sent to be frozen out of his past, to safeguard his present, in order to preserve his future, no matter what the costs, and how much it hurt to give up what mattered the most, so that he could still have something worth living for. 🙏🏻
“You have brought a happiness I never thought to know {...} I don’t have your picture...but I don’t need one, for your face, like your voice and your touch, is tucked away in my heart {...} But the thought of you is indestructible and remains as fresh as on the day I left you.”
My heart ached for thirty-year-old slightly stuttering Harry Cane and how he was compelled to leave his family and the lush English countryside simply because he was caught involved an illicit act, strictly frowned upon in 1907 England during the infamous Oscar Wilde trials. But, it was in A Place Called Winter, under the unsuspecting and remote Canadian newly-established farming colonies, amidst strangers - the image of a forbidding future, he felt wretchedly alone - that Harry would set forth on the path of self-discovery, learning when it means to have the courage to speak up for what your heart wishes to protect & what it yearns to keep safe forever. ❄️
My second foray with Patrick Gale had the storyline follow the same familiar pattern - a non-linear narrative with a subtle touch of mystery that starts off a bit slow, but somehow still manages to keep my interest, with the impending knowledge of a problem that was yet to arise; how it subtly was revealed certainly caught me by surprise. 😥 To shift the timeline from the past to the present in which Harry finds himself in the Bethel asylum - ‘memories... wrapped in a grief so powerful’ trying to understand what affliction ails him - there is a lingering caution that still prevails. And if I'm not anything but curious.
“ ... if everyone felt differently, it would be both. When a thing has always been forbidden and must live in darkness and silence, it’s hard to know how it might be, if allowed to thrive. ”
It was more than just my curiosity that had me turning the pages. Harry --- he's at this crossroads of where and when embracing or even admitting to his sexuality, as thrilling as it was heart-stopping, is cause for harm and derision. 😢 Throw in his own personal ineptitude of shyness and reserved feelings, it is enough to make him hesitant to not only speak up for himself but stand up for himself. For even amidst the fierce terrain, among wolves that exist in sheepskin and the violent hardships both from man and land, there is the chance for tenderness and affection - love and comfort with two siblings who welcomed him into their hearts and homes.
There was an aching fondness and quiet tenderness to how Harry warmed up to Paul and Petra, and how their kindness and acceptance ultimately paved the way for the eventual sacrifices he has to make. It--- is hard to explain why the writing prevailed, or why it was poignant, simply that there was an innate, but intimate way in which the author captured the difference in both their relationships, and somehow, made you feel Harry's longing as well as affection. 🫂❤️🩹 For it is when that deep connection is threatened, it puts him to the test - one which beckons the reader to understand why and what would lead someone to behave the way they do. The writing steadily built upon that foreboding notion - of a danger existing quietly in the shadows, until it struck when you -- not least expected, but least wanted it to.
“For all its indirectness, for all that neither could see the other or look into his eyes, it felt like the most nakedly tender gesture that had yet passed between them.”
Harry was a simple man - punished simply for who he loved. And it is a simple, but profound love that the author captures between Harry and Paul - how they had to keep it silent, but yet sought one another out for company - hesitant to put voice to their emotions, but just savor the secret intimacy granted to them that just felt so real, but -- simple - slow and stupid with love. 🥺 And it is that simple nature of their silent romance that drew them to act in certain ways, because of how they knew it simply could not be, due to the times and the impending war. And when something more sinister than just the cruelty of war tears them apart, you long to know if they'll find each other again....
For that aspect - the mystery and the quiet fierceness in which we see Harry's growth and struggles - his resolve and good convictions - find strength is what resonated with me. Some descriptive passages may have felt irrelevant, and I could have done without the Bethel story line (even if I understood its relevance) - it was those happy and haunting days of his time at Winter that tied the story together. 'You watch so hard you forget to live.' To learn the truth of why he ended up here, to discover himself of what he had lost - it was a place where Harry was sent to be frozen out of his past, to safeguard his present, in order to preserve his future, no matter what the costs, and how much it hurt to give up what mattered the most, so that he could still have something worth living for. 🙏🏻
March 3, 2017
This is a bittersweet story that follows Harry Cane from pre-WWI England to Canadian prairies. Harry is forced to leave his wealthy and privileged life with a wife and a daughter after the affair with an actor. To spare his family from a nasty scandal he chooses to move to Canada and become a farmer in a harsh and uncultivated nature. Telling switches between present and the past as Harry leads the hard life of a homesteader, becomes friends with his neighbours, brother and sister Paul and Petra, finds love, experiences loss, grief and heartbreak and discovers the strength he wasn’t aware of.
This one took me several chapters to get into, but once I got situated I was hooked by this mixture of adventure, history and love story. It is also a story of self-discovery and about what it was like to be homosexual in the first decades of the last century. Harry Cane is just lovable, but my absolute favourite is Petra Slaymaker, the lady who was a far ahead of her time.
In short, traditional, beautiful and emotive storytelling, with memorable characters and perfect sense of time and place.
This one took me several chapters to get into, but once I got situated I was hooked by this mixture of adventure, history and love story. It is also a story of self-discovery and about what it was like to be homosexual in the first decades of the last century. Harry Cane is just lovable, but my absolute favourite is Petra Slaymaker, the lady who was a far ahead of her time.
In short, traditional, beautiful and emotive storytelling, with memorable characters and perfect sense of time and place.
Read
July 7, 2016DNF at 12%
This last paragraph in the blurb was the reason WHY I picked up this book.
Nope. Not true.
I found the telling teeeeerribly boring, and Henry, the main protagonist, extremely unappealing.
An old-fashioned writing, not in a good way, dull and forgettable.
I've already forgot the first 15% I did a try.
Life is too short for boring uninteresting books.
No rating.
"If you've never read a Patrick Gale, stop now and pick up this book. From the author of the bestselling NOTES FROM AN EXHIBITION comes an irresistible, searching and poignant historical novel of love, relationships, secrets and escape."
This last paragraph in the blurb was the reason WHY I picked up this book.
Nope. Not true.
I found the telling teeeeerribly boring, and Henry, the main protagonist, extremely unappealing.
An old-fashioned writing, not in a good way, dull and forgettable.
I've already forgot the first 15% I did a try.
Life is too short for boring uninteresting books.
No rating.
September 18, 2017
I had no idea what to expect when I began this novel. At first it didn't seem like it had anything to do with the blurb I read, as the first pages were an account of the horrific way the mentally ill were treated in asylums near the turn of the century. Then, I began to see how the story would evolve and grow...
What an amazing book!. The author has written of his own forebears, embellishing with fiction what he could not know for certain as fact. Painstakingly researched, he has written a fine tribute to his own family as well as the homesteaders who settled the Canadian West in the early 1900s.
Winter, Saskatchewan is a real place. Harry Cane, the protagonist of this novel, was the author's great-grandfather.
Harry, an Englishman of means and leisure, is married and the father of a daughter, when he first realizes that he is gay. This, in a time when homosexuality was not only socially unacceptable, but it was actually illegal! When his family is threatened by blackmail, he does the noble thing - he emigrates to Canada. The government is offering 160 acres in exchange for three years residency on them. This land, appropriated from the resident Cree Indians, he is expected to farm.
"Think of the memories as pus; once it comes to the surface, you wipe it away. Or, better yet, as mud; brought out into the air, it dries in the sun and then crumbles to dust."
When he arrives in Canada he is taken under the wing of a irreputable man named Troels Munck. A man whose presence in Harry's life will produce much trauma and heartache.
Harry, who loves reading, riding horses, and has never worked a day in his life, is suddenly immersed in immeasurable toil and hardship. He works arduously for a year with a prairie family before setting out to claim his own acres in Winter, Saskatchewan. Here he is expected to build himself a shelter to live in and plow land that is not yet cleared of trees and rocks.
Cut off from his family, he is a solitary workhorse making some little headway, until he becomes ill. Kindly neighbors take him into their homestead and nurse him back to health. These neighbors, Paul and Petra, a brother and sister, are people he will come to love over time. He orders a house kit from the Eaton's catalogue, and proceeds to make a life for himself.
"Luckily he had enough set by that he could focus on doing his own work rather than another man's."
On one of Troel Monck's infrequent visits to the farm, he attacks Petra, leaving her wounded and traumatized.
When WWI begins, Harry and Paul elect to stay on the farm rather than go off to fight. Wheat was a much needed commodity to feed the vast number of soldiers, so there was no shame in staying put. A run in with the dastardly Monck changes Paul's mind and he enlists. Soon after he is 'missing in action'.
This novel has some serious themes running throughout. Not only is it a remarkably well written historical novel, it is a love story, a bold and realistic didactic treatise on how society has historically treated both the mentally ill, and homosexuals.
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this astounding novel. Never did it lag, or become slow. I was rapt with learning of Harry's plight, and wondering how the beginning of the novel could possibly join up with the flashbacks that comprised the bulk of the story. With an ending that is both satisfying and realistic, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
What an amazing book!. The author has written of his own forebears, embellishing with fiction what he could not know for certain as fact. Painstakingly researched, he has written a fine tribute to his own family as well as the homesteaders who settled the Canadian West in the early 1900s.
Winter, Saskatchewan is a real place. Harry Cane, the protagonist of this novel, was the author's great-grandfather.
Harry, an Englishman of means and leisure, is married and the father of a daughter, when he first realizes that he is gay. This, in a time when homosexuality was not only socially unacceptable, but it was actually illegal! When his family is threatened by blackmail, he does the noble thing - he emigrates to Canada. The government is offering 160 acres in exchange for three years residency on them. This land, appropriated from the resident Cree Indians, he is expected to farm.
"Think of the memories as pus; once it comes to the surface, you wipe it away. Or, better yet, as mud; brought out into the air, it dries in the sun and then crumbles to dust."
When he arrives in Canada he is taken under the wing of a irreputable man named Troels Munck. A man whose presence in Harry's life will produce much trauma and heartache.
Harry, who loves reading, riding horses, and has never worked a day in his life, is suddenly immersed in immeasurable toil and hardship. He works arduously for a year with a prairie family before setting out to claim his own acres in Winter, Saskatchewan. Here he is expected to build himself a shelter to live in and plow land that is not yet cleared of trees and rocks.
Cut off from his family, he is a solitary workhorse making some little headway, until he becomes ill. Kindly neighbors take him into their homestead and nurse him back to health. These neighbors, Paul and Petra, a brother and sister, are people he will come to love over time. He orders a house kit from the Eaton's catalogue, and proceeds to make a life for himself.
"Luckily he had enough set by that he could focus on doing his own work rather than another man's."
On one of Troel Monck's infrequent visits to the farm, he attacks Petra, leaving her wounded and traumatized.
When WWI begins, Harry and Paul elect to stay on the farm rather than go off to fight. Wheat was a much needed commodity to feed the vast number of soldiers, so there was no shame in staying put. A run in with the dastardly Monck changes Paul's mind and he enlists. Soon after he is 'missing in action'.
This novel has some serious themes running throughout. Not only is it a remarkably well written historical novel, it is a love story, a bold and realistic didactic treatise on how society has historically treated both the mentally ill, and homosexuals.
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this astounding novel. Never did it lag, or become slow. I was rapt with learning of Harry's plight, and wondering how the beginning of the novel could possibly join up with the flashbacks that comprised the bulk of the story. With an ending that is both satisfying and realistic, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
March 3, 2016
This is one of the few gay novels written by Gale. He believes strongly that *he* might be gay, but this doesn't restrict his options on the topics he wishes to write about. Gay people may populate his novels, but not always as main characters.
What makes it even more interesting as this is based strongly on actual incidents that happened to his maternal great-grandfather. Well, the basic premise anyways.
What do you do with a wayward male to uphold either bourgeois petty ideals in the wealthy middle classes, or non-heir in the upper classes. Well, you pack them off to a colony, with enough money to set themselves up, but far enough that you can cut ties with them.
Henry Cane does well. For a man of independent means, he recognises his 2nd chance in life & social fulfillment and he makes the best of it. For anyone that had gumption, energy and the wish to succeed, going to the fertile praires of Canada or the slopes of inland eastern Australia, had a high probability of financial success and wealth. His family turn on his to save face, and all that is close to him, especially his brother & daughter and lost, and lost for ever. It is heart wrenching when that final cut is realised.
For a story to have tension, one needs antagonism and we get that. The villain is perfect evil. Jealousy is a wonderful motivator for hatred, especially if you are small minded, self centred and greedy for money & affection. A Greek tragedy is the end result. Gale handles this tension well, keeping the reader absorbed and hungry.
Along the way we learn about the hardships of a new settlement, the dispossession of the native Indians, and the mental health system immediately after the First World War. Hang on! The mental health system?? Yes, I refuse to elaborate, except to say - it works, it makes sense and is it allows the final scene to work beautifully. If you lose the people you hold dear in dramatic circumstances, it is not unreasonable to become a little unhinged in grief.
I think some people might find it hard to reconcile with the number of gay, or potential gay men, that could be concentrated in one place. But think about it, if you skim off the pool and dump them in one place, the probability of finding a male lover has just become more probable. That was something the bourgeois back Home never, never thought about. It did makes me smile when I realised this. The concept of two men living together became known as batching, as was thought due to not having enough women around. Hmm- maybe not completely so.
The writing style is clean, sincere, treats the homosexual scenes tastefully to appeal a wider audience, and at the same time, introduces us to characters and situations that hold your interest. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't picked up by a film production company, cast it with English and Canadian actors and became a contender for the Academy Awards.
What makes it even more interesting as this is based strongly on actual incidents that happened to his maternal great-grandfather. Well, the basic premise anyways.
What do you do with a wayward male to uphold either bourgeois petty ideals in the wealthy middle classes, or non-heir in the upper classes. Well, you pack them off to a colony, with enough money to set themselves up, but far enough that you can cut ties with them.
Henry Cane does well. For a man of independent means, he recognises his 2nd chance in life & social fulfillment and he makes the best of it. For anyone that had gumption, energy and the wish to succeed, going to the fertile praires of Canada or the slopes of inland eastern Australia, had a high probability of financial success and wealth. His family turn on his to save face, and all that is close to him, especially his brother & daughter and lost, and lost for ever. It is heart wrenching when that final cut is realised.
For a story to have tension, one needs antagonism and we get that. The villain is perfect evil. Jealousy is a wonderful motivator for hatred, especially if you are small minded, self centred and greedy for money & affection. A Greek tragedy is the end result. Gale handles this tension well, keeping the reader absorbed and hungry.
Along the way we learn about the hardships of a new settlement, the dispossession of the native Indians, and the mental health system immediately after the First World War. Hang on! The mental health system?? Yes, I refuse to elaborate, except to say - it works, it makes sense and is it allows the final scene to work beautifully. If you lose the people you hold dear in dramatic circumstances, it is not unreasonable to become a little unhinged in grief.
I think some people might find it hard to reconcile with the number of gay, or potential gay men, that could be concentrated in one place. But think about it, if you skim off the pool and dump them in one place, the probability of finding a male lover has just become more probable. That was something the bourgeois back Home never, never thought about. It did makes me smile when I realised this. The concept of two men living together became known as batching, as was thought due to not having enough women around. Hmm- maybe not completely so.
The writing style is clean, sincere, treats the homosexual scenes tastefully to appeal a wider audience, and at the same time, introduces us to characters and situations that hold your interest. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't picked up by a film production company, cast it with English and Canadian actors and became a contender for the Academy Awards.
March 15, 2015
How would you cope if you were suddenly cast out from your home, family and everything that’s familiar to start a new life from scratch in the wilderness? It’s a terrifying prospect for anyone. This is exactly the position author Patrick Gale’s great grandfather found himself in when, under the threat of disgrace; he was pressured into leaving his family and comfortable life as a gentleman in the UK to start anew as a pioneer farmer in rural Canada. In “A Place Called Winter” Gale fictionally recreates a heart-wrenching tale of tenacity in the face of the unknown using this very personal tale from his family’s history as inspiration. What I’ve always found so mesmerizing about Gale’s writing is how close he makes me feel to his central characters so that their struggles feel entwined with my own. Nowhere have the dilemmas which trouble his character felt more immediately real than in this new dramatic and intimate novel.
Read my full review on LonesomeReader review of A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Read my full review on LonesomeReader review of A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
November 2, 2025
If one can be transported back in time, this story did so; to a time when psychiatry left much to be desired and moral codes could upend lives. A story of a quiet man living a quiet life, traditional and steady...until he wasn't. Until a hidden part of him surfaced in unexpected ways and the fallout was immediate and harsh.
Part psychological and part historical, this story begins slowly but builds as it progresses, as we follow Henry when he leaves the comfortable familiar to make his way in the harsh realities of homesteading in Canada; the irony of being physically comfortable, but soul-crushed is then traded for physical discomfort that brings eventual joy. The journey is anything but easy.
The story toggles between Harry's time in psychiatric treatment and the history that brought him there, thus slowly revealing important events that shaped his life. The characters are well-drawn, and the occasional inclusion of Cree practices are interesting. It was a harsh time in history, especially for anyone not mimicking "acceptable" norms; a thread handled with gentleness.
That this was inspired by an actual relative gives additional significance to the story. My only disappointment was the lack of really being inside the heads of most of the characters. More so in Henry's, but I would have enjoyed more discussion or interaction between characters that revealed more of that. As it was, much was implied or simply not delved into at a deeper level.
4.25
Part psychological and part historical, this story begins slowly but builds as it progresses, as we follow Henry when he leaves the comfortable familiar to make his way in the harsh realities of homesteading in Canada; the irony of being physically comfortable, but soul-crushed is then traded for physical discomfort that brings eventual joy. The journey is anything but easy.
The story toggles between Harry's time in psychiatric treatment and the history that brought him there, thus slowly revealing important events that shaped his life. The characters are well-drawn, and the occasional inclusion of Cree practices are interesting. It was a harsh time in history, especially for anyone not mimicking "acceptable" norms; a thread handled with gentleness.
That this was inspired by an actual relative gives additional significance to the story. My only disappointment was the lack of really being inside the heads of most of the characters. More so in Henry's, but I would have enjoyed more discussion or interaction between characters that revealed more of that. As it was, much was implied or simply not delved into at a deeper level.
4.25
February 14, 2018
My book club chose this novel for our February Romance month... I can safely say I won't be recommending this to anyone seeking a light hearted love story. We meet Englishman Harry Cane in the early 1900s. Having lived a life of luxury, Harry's fortunes take a swift turn for the worse when he is embroiled in scandal and he takes off for Canada for a new life. Without spoiling much, this is only the beginning of Harry's many depressing downfalls.
The highlights of the story for me were the parts when Harry was genuinely happy- working on the farm for example but unfortunately the author never dwells on those sections for long, and quickly shuts Harry along to the next disaster.
The cast of characters were all very relatable and I enjoyed reading about most of them. As much as I liked gentle Harry though, it was very evident his inner monologue was written by a modern author. His opinions were too 21st century.
The highlights of the story for me were the parts when Harry was genuinely happy- working on the farm for example but unfortunately the author never dwells on those sections for long, and quickly shuts Harry along to the next disaster.
The cast of characters were all very relatable and I enjoyed reading about most of them. As much as I liked gentle Harry though, it was very evident his inner monologue was written by a modern author. His opinions were too 21st century.
July 14, 2016
A really lovely read. Inspired by the true story of the author's maternal great grandfather, who was forced to emigrate to Canada at the turn of the century due to his affair with another man. The first half reads like an undiscovered Forster novel, while the latter sections evoke the hardships encountered on the harsh prairies. Eager to read more of Gale's works.
September 17, 2014
Set at the turn of the 20th Century, A Place Called Winter tells the moving story of Harry Cane who is forced to abandon his wealthy, easy life in England for the harsh and unforgiving world of the Canadian prairies after an affair. Switching between the past and present, his difficult and life-changing journey is slowly revealed. It is a quietly powerful story of love, escape and self-discovery.
Gale is a masterful storyteller who is able to create a wonderfully atmospheric story that quickly draws in the reader and keeps them hooked. The characters in A Place Called Winter are complex and compelling. Gale does well to create interesting characters who reflect the historical period in their views and actions. It is also a very well researched novel which is rich with historical detail about the various places, the major events of the time and the struggles and cruelty that people faced. It is a bittersweet, poignant epic of one man but it probably reflects the wider struggle of many at the time. Extremely memorable and haunting, it is one of those stories you can't stop thinking about once you've finished it.
Overall, if you are looking for a gripping character-based read full of love, tragedy and history, then this is the book for you. This will be one of the best books of 2015.
Gale is a masterful storyteller who is able to create a wonderfully atmospheric story that quickly draws in the reader and keeps them hooked. The characters in A Place Called Winter are complex and compelling. Gale does well to create interesting characters who reflect the historical period in their views and actions. It is also a very well researched novel which is rich with historical detail about the various places, the major events of the time and the struggles and cruelty that people faced. It is a bittersweet, poignant epic of one man but it probably reflects the wider struggle of many at the time. Extremely memorable and haunting, it is one of those stories you can't stop thinking about once you've finished it.
Overall, if you are looking for a gripping character-based read full of love, tragedy and history, then this is the book for you. This will be one of the best books of 2015.
March 27, 2015
If you have not read Patrick Gale I would recommend a perusal of his backlist within which there are some very good reads. I would particularly recommend Notes from an Exhibition and its sequel A Perfectly Good Man. A Place called Winter is heralded as a departure from his usual in that it purports to be a historical novel based on some letters discovered by Gale about his own great grandfather. Certainly the novel is set in the past in the period before the First World War and moves from London to Canada in the early days of settlement. But beyond that Gale revisits his great theme of homosexuality and the issues that homosexuals had in that far off time both in England and the Colonies. Although I enjoyed the story of the novel I found the characters for the most part very one dimensional, almost sometimes like cartoon characters and found it hard to build up empathy with them. Perhaps the only exception to this is Petra Slaymaker a woman settler who has plenty of gumption but is unfortunately killed off by the influenza epidemic that followed the end of the First World War. Although the settings are interesting I found the plot to be very contrived and the ending like that of a romantic novel. I have given it three stars more because I like Patrick Gale's work than because I think this outing merits it. Maybe I should reconsider.
January 7, 2020
This is the first book I've read in its entirety since I was a teenager. I picked it up on a whim thinking I'd like to read more than I have been of recent (I rarely pick up a book and don't think I've finished one in the last 12-13 years). This fantastic story certainly filled it's purpose and then some.
The amount of "real feel" this book had is what instantly attracted me to it. I'm the type of reader that 75% of the time, I have to re-read the line I just read because that's how my dumb brain usually works. But not with this book, I just completely absorbed it.
Patrick Gale did such a refreshing, beautiful job of writing about/including LGBTQ characters in the early 1900's. I couldn't put this book down and I am very sad I'm done it. Thank you for writing the most memorable book I have ever read in my life.
The amount of "real feel" this book had is what instantly attracted me to it. I'm the type of reader that 75% of the time, I have to re-read the line I just read because that's how my dumb brain usually works. But not with this book, I just completely absorbed it.
Patrick Gale did such a refreshing, beautiful job of writing about/including LGBTQ characters in the early 1900's. I couldn't put this book down and I am very sad I'm done it. Thank you for writing the most memorable book I have ever read in my life.
July 22, 2024
Having only just finished reading this - sadly! I should probably wait longer for the dust to settle.
A favourite writer of mine. Here is further evidence why.
The setting is Edwardian England, where Harry begins his life: the world of E. M. Forster. It will dramatically change to a much harsher one – that of the single pioneer settler in Canada; one apparently ill – equipped for it. Harry Cane is our hero (NB the ‘C’ rather than the ‘K’!)
A thoroughly absorbing read. Lots of hard knocks, to put it very mildly. Following Harry’s journey is an awesome experience. There’s much about him which reminds me of John Williams’ Stoner.
Harry Cane is the name of Patrick Gale’s enigmatic great grandfather. At the end of the novel author and reader may come to know the 'real' Harry? But much more besides!!
A novel though, rather than a biography.
A favourite writer of mine. Here is further evidence why.
The setting is Edwardian England, where Harry begins his life: the world of E. M. Forster. It will dramatically change to a much harsher one – that of the single pioneer settler in Canada; one apparently ill – equipped for it. Harry Cane is our hero (NB the ‘C’ rather than the ‘K’!)
A thoroughly absorbing read. Lots of hard knocks, to put it very mildly. Following Harry’s journey is an awesome experience. There’s much about him which reminds me of John Williams’ Stoner.
Harry Cane is the name of Patrick Gale’s enigmatic great grandfather. At the end of the novel author and reader may come to know the 'real' Harry? But much more besides!!
A novel though, rather than a biography.
January 7, 2019
Я в восторге(хотя автору нужно было лучше читать про хэппи-энды)
January 31, 2023
This was our January book club read. We’d had good luck with Gale before: his Notes from an Exhibition received our joint highest rating ever. As he’s often done in his fiction, he took inspiration from family history: here, the story of his great-grandfather Harry Cane, who emigrated to the Canadian prairies to farm in the most challenging of conditions. Because there is some uncertainty as to what precipitated his ancestor’s resettlement, Gale has chosen to imagine that Harry, though married and the father of a daughter, was in fact gay and left England to escape blackmailing and disgrace after his affair with a man was discovered.
There are very evocative descriptions of the pioneer life, lightened for Harry by his relationship with his closest neighbours, siblings Petra and Paul. The novel covers the First World War and the start of the Spanish flu epidemic, which provide much fodder for melodrama, but somehow I don’t mind it from Gale. Harry himself is so diffident as to seem blank, but that means he is free to become someone else in a new land. My other main criticism would be that the villain is implausibly evil. Some of our book club members also thought there were too many coincidences. Gale really makes you feel for these characters and their suffering, though. Sexuality and mental health, both so misunderstood at that time, are the two main themes and he explores them beautifully. In that both are historical fiction where homosexuality is simply a fact of life, not a titillating novelty, this reminded me a lot of Days Without End by Sebastian Barry.
(There’s also a Bookshop Band song about this novel.)
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
There are very evocative descriptions of the pioneer life, lightened for Harry by his relationship with his closest neighbours, siblings Petra and Paul. The novel covers the First World War and the start of the Spanish flu epidemic, which provide much fodder for melodrama, but somehow I don’t mind it from Gale. Harry himself is so diffident as to seem blank, but that means he is free to become someone else in a new land. My other main criticism would be that the villain is implausibly evil. Some of our book club members also thought there were too many coincidences. Gale really makes you feel for these characters and their suffering, though. Sexuality and mental health, both so misunderstood at that time, are the two main themes and he explores them beautifully. In that both are historical fiction where homosexuality is simply a fact of life, not a titillating novelty, this reminded me a lot of Days Without End by Sebastian Barry.
(There’s also a Bookshop Band song about this novel.)
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
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