The Winter House

by Judith Lennox

For three girls growing up in the Fens in the tumultuous years between two world wars, the Winter House was a special place of refuge and friendship. Winter or summer, they would meet at the old wooden house by the waterside to confide all the secrets and heartaches of childhood and adolescence. There was Robin, idealistic and clever, destined for Cambridge; Maia, the most beautiful and ambitious of the three, looking for a rich husband; and quiet Helen, living under the seemingly benevolent tyranny of her widower father, the local vicar. Adulthood separates the three girls, and Robin, abandoning ideas of university, goes to London to work amongst the poor, meeting there her first great love, the handsome but brittle Francis. Maia's ideal marriage to a wealthy man ends in tragedy and Helen, meanwhile, kept in near-imprisonment by her obsessively protective father, has her very sanity threatened.Hugely satisfying, dramatic and romantic, The Winter House tells how these women find their way through a world changed for ever, through political and social upheaval, through the Spanish Civil World War and to the brink of the Second World War. Set against a backdrop of London, Paris and the unchanging English countryside, it is a novel of rare warmth and beauty.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Roman, Romance, Fiction, Historical

572 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Aka Judith Lennox-Smith

Judith Lennox lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband and three sons.

Reviews

[Vehka Kurjenmiekka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Melodraamaa oli tarpeeksi.

[Tetty · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my real favourites, it's one of the books that I don't lend out just in case I don't get it back!
I love the characters and the storyline. The characters develop over time and the storyline unfolds with surprises and grows the characters in ways that are very unexpected. The book tackles many issues and is skillfully written. One of those that I can't put down.

[Heini | lokikirjoituksia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Päädyin lukemaan kirjan lukupiirin kautta ja vaikka jouduinkin taistelemaan etenkin kirjan alku- ja loppupuolella, päädyin pitämään kirjasta viihdeteoksena yllättävän paljon. Jokaisessa hahmossa oli jotain mielenkiintoista, vaikka myös pinnallista, ja rakkaus kulki sopivan vahvana teoksen läpi alusta loppuun saakka. Kaikenlainen lukeminen on hyvästä, joten siinä mielessä olen iloinen, että lukupiiri toi eteeni juuri tämän kirjan!

[rebellyell666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inhalt:

Die junge Robin – rebellisch, nicht gläubig und pazifistisch. Die junge Helen – zurückhaltend, verträumt und ruhig. Die junge Maia – verwöhnt, intelligent und herrschsüchtig. Diese drei unterschiedlichen Typen schwören sich eins: Freundschaft und das Versprechen, bei den großen Ereignissen der einzelnen mit dabei zu sein.

Schreib-/Erzählstil:

Mir imponiert das gekonnte Zeichnen der einzelnen Charaktere, die Lennox in die früheren zwanziger bis dreißiger Jahre wirft, um ihr Schicksal zu gestalten. Mich übermannt noch jetzt das Gefühl, als ob die Charaktere wirklich gelebt hätten und heute noch leben. Lennox versteht es, den nötigen Esprit und die Reife der jungen Mädchen sowie ihren Nebendarstellern zu entwickeln und auch die Reaktionen auf Schicksalsschläge gekonnt darzustellen.

Meine Meinung:

Ich weiß nicht, warum dieses Buch all‘ die Monate eingeschweißt und ungelesen auf meinem Stapel lag. Ich war in diesem Buch, ich fieberte mit, ich verfluchte die Stunden, in denen ich es nicht weiterlesen konnte.

Lennox hat mir wieder die Leidenschaft des Lesens näher gebracht. Das Mitfiebern mit den einzelnen und das Rätseln, was Lennox als Nächstes mit ihren Protagonisten anstellt, raubte mir (beinahe) den letzten Nerv und ließ mich manchmal im kalten Wasser zurück. Ich brachte viel Empathie und Verständnis für die einzelnen auf, doch manchmal hätte ich einige der Mädchen schütteln können, weil mir kein Fortkommen geschildert wurde, sondern Stillstand. Mir gefällt es, dass Lennox keine verschwörerische, alles überdauernde Mädchenfreundschaft dargestellt hat, sondern ein dünnes Band, das man beinahe reißen hören kann. Man kämpft als Leser permanent gegen dieses Reißen an und auch Lennox weiß, dass sie sich der unkonzentrierten Aufmerksamkeit seines Lesers sicher sein kann.

Am Ende treibt sie alles auf die Spitze und genau dieser Berg ist es, der mich weinen ließ. Ich danke ihr für dieses Ende, ohne mehr verraten zu wollen.

Fazit:

Lennox darf sich gerne – so es sie denn will – in die Riege meiner Lieblingsautorinnen einreihen! Tipp: Lesen!

[Circlestones Books Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In the warm spring of 1928 they lounged on the cushions on the verandah of the winter house, and looked forward to freedom.” (Quotation pos. 152)

Content:
Robin, Helen and Maia are childhood-friends. Yet, they want different things from life. The three of them have to learn during these years during the twenties and thirties of the last century in England, that it is almost impossible for women to lead an independent life, as different there own choices might be. However, they do not know, that the years still to come will ask them decisions that might cost their souls, their self-esteem and probably the most precious thing, their life.

Theme and genre
This novel tales place in England between the two World Wars and is about growing up in a time far away from gender equality. Main topics are friendship, dreams for the future, love, loss and important decisions.

Characters
A different choice of main characters, very well developed, maybe not always believable and sometimes quite annoying in their behavior.

Content and writing
The story is told in four parts, each part leading over a certain period of the years between 1918 and 1938. We follow the main characters in alternating chapters, but without interruptions of a linear storyline. Open questions and own reflections during reading about missing gaps are solved near the end of the story. The language is enjoyable to read and gives a vivid picture of life in the period in which the novel takes place.

Conclusion
A gripping story about three women, growing up in rural England in the years between the two World Wars, searching for a place for their dreams and hopes in a world still dominated by men.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the different story lines of this novel, working apart from each other, as well as in several points of contact of the different protagonists. The four caracters are really opposed to each other and represent entirely different approaches to life, happiness and future, as well as modes of living, problems and obstacles put in each of the girls' ways.

[Mrs M W Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really draws you in and I did and didn’t want it to end. Thoroughly good read and highly recommended. I don’t go into storylines or plots as it’s up to each reader to draw his/her own conclusion and I hate spoilers.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel about three girls growing up in the 1920s. Fast-paced and interesting despite scenes of politics and war. Realistic descriptions and memorable people.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much like Judith Lennox, and she certainly didn't disappoint in this book.

[Hansje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for winter evenings! Read it twice!

[Anna-Maria Tuominen-Reini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally I had the time to read, and finish this book. Fascinating story. Recommended!

[MRS A HARDY · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book

A good book very interesting.dragged a little in the middle but came to an exciting end.slightly depressing though . ,

[Di Schlenk · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent period piece

[Lena Unterwegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was am Anfang ein wenig wie ein Kitschroman über junge, naive Mädchen wirkt, entwickelt sich zu einem engen Geflecht von historischen Umständen, politischen Einflüssen und 3 nuancierten Lebensgeschichten die mit der Zeit deutlich mehr Tiefe erlangen, als am Anfang des Buches zu vermuten ist.

[LeseSprotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

obwohl die story einige längen hatte, ist es insgesamt eine großartige, intensive geschichte.

[Doreen Whelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winter

This book did not grab my interests. It was long drawn out and just lost the plot. Then that is just my opinion, someone else may enjoy it.

[Sonja D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kurzweiliges Buch mit überraschenden Wendungen. Auch eine schöne Liebesgeschichte mit viel Schicksal. Lebenswege von Frauen in einer politisch schweren Zeit.

[Steffi Mehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manchmal habe ich es erwartet manchmal nicht. Einfach eine schöne Geschichte und ich vergesse die Welt um mich rum.

[Lizzy Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Winter Hiuse opens with three friends, Robin, Helen and Maia, who, at the end of the First World War and on the verge of adulthood, vow to celebrate the great milestones of their lives: their first jobs, travelling abroad, losing their virginity. Robin is a pacifist from a progressive family whose two brothers fought in the war, one never returning, the other coming home with shell shock. Helen is the only child and dutiful daughter of the widowed local rector, a man who believes himself a cut above the rural labourers and artisans who inhabit the run-down cottages of their marsh-surrounded village. Maia is the beauty of the trio, a girl brought up to expect the finer things in life only to be abandoned by her profligate father in the worst possible way.

Each girl has a dream. Robin dreams of escaping the academic fate her father has planned for her and moving to London to become involved in activist politics, to do something that makes a difference in the world. Helen dreams of having a home and family. Maia wants the security of wealth that she knew as a child, and is prepared to do what it takes to get it.

As the girls become women and pursue their dreams, each has to make choices and compromises, face hardships which test their endurance – and their friendship. The adolescent vow of celebrating milestones isn’t forgotten, but it becomes representative of the naivety – if not always innocence – of their youthful hopes, as well as the differences in their personalities, upbringing and values.

The story covers the period of the aftermath of the First World War, through the twenties and into the Great Depression and the Spanish Civil War, and ends with Europe on the brink of another war. These great events aren’t just a backdrop to the story; they play a significant part in Robin’s and Maia’s lives, while Helen’s eventual questioning of her faith is indicative of a broader wave of secularism that reflects the changing values of this time.

The Winter House is an interesting and engrossing story, easy to read and, in parts, moving. It makes me wonder why I don’t read more historical sagas.

This review first appeared on my blog.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Я никогда не задумывалась, сколько всего может вместиться в 20 лет жизни, наверняка - очень многое, для этого даже не нужно жить в период между двумя мировыми войнами в, казалось бы, вполне себе благополучной Великобритании с Версальским договором, расширившим Империю максимально за всю ее историю и почти миллионом военных и около военных потерь (книга и начинается с двух телеграмм - похоронки и извещением из госпиталя); с первой победой лейбористов в 1924 и всеобщей забастовкой 1926 года (это часть о Робин с ее стремлением улучшить мир и для начала положение людей в бедняцких кварталах Лондона, ее идеализм, феминизм, стремление помочь, ее смешные идеи о свободной любви и любовь, у которой свои правила); это время, когда рушаться некоторые социальные барьеры, сформированные во время Викторианской и Эдвардианской эпох - но кто-то, как прежде, выходит замуж за деньги (как Майя, которая бежала от неопределенности и нищеты и попала в клетку, которая даже разрушенная исковеркала ее жизнь), а кто-то идет наперекор всем и вся и учится на врача (а женщине в 40е это было все еще нелегко), или просто - немыслимое дело прежде - решает связать свою судьбу с человеком не своего сословия...

Книга, густо замешанная на исторических событиях - тут и Мюнхен в грохоте сапог, где "сначала ты уступаешь в мелочах — вскидываешь руку, стоишь у репродуктора и жадно слушаешь новости с нюрнбергских автогонок… Мол, все это только видимость, незачем из-за нее идти на принцип. Но затем ползучая зараза охватывает и другие стороны твоей жизни, вторгается в твой дом, решает, что тебе носить, о чем говорить, как воспитывать детей. А под конец решает, что тебе думать." и интербригады в Испании, рабочее движение, ожидание, надежды нового века.
А пока история пишет себя, обычные люди живут, приноравливаясь и к войне, и к деспотичному отцу, влюбляются, дружат, совершают непоправимые и поправимые ошибки, и маленький зимний дом стоит в болотах, как память о детских клятвах, как убежище (ненадежное, но символичное), почти языческое место силы, в которое возвращаются, сколь бы разные дороги не положила под ноги жизнь.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the is one quite well. As with most of Judith Lennox’s books it has the 3 or 4 main characters storylines that all intertwine which I do enjoy. In this case it was Robin, Maia and Helen - Robin seemed to be the main character although I found her character/storyline the least interesting and very drawn out and frustrating! Many of the sections about the wars and politics surrounding them I skim read, although I did learn about about the Spanish Civil war.

Maia’s story was a strange and intriguing one and I wanted to hear more about Helen but she featured the least.

Overall i found it quite sad and it left me feeling a bit melancholy afterwards, but it was a compelling read.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm... I don't know what to say. I liked it and I didn't. I picked it up because the plot seemed interesting enough. It meant to be a snack between some longer reads, but I found it was one of those longer reads even though it isn't even 300 pages. The characters, they are well built, but I just couldn't get inside their heads enough to really feel for them. But I liked it enough that I wanted to read to the end.

[B A · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not know why, although I do not have the habit of leaving books unfinished, I could not find any motivation to read to the end. It is one of the 4-5 books that I have quitted in the middle. Maybe it was not the right book for the time.

[Marijke · Rating 4 out of 5]

weer een heerlijk boek van judith lennox...over 3 vriendinnen die totaal andere levens hebben mooi geschreven elke x benieuwd wat ze gingen meemaken...

[Carobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vinterpaviljongen.

[Yaroslava Yakovenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Зимний дом"- тягучо-тривала як місяць лютий історія, що не відпускає, бо у ній прекрасне все - і гарно прописані характери героїв, і дивовижна атмосфера ХХ ст., і жіночі долі.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor compared to "One Last Dance". I struggled to finish this book.

[Katharina {stern_klee} · Rating 2 out of 5]

3,5/5 🌟

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over het leven van drie vriendinnen die steeds samen kwamen in een klein houten huisje aan het water.
Gelezen als hardcover