Winter Time

by Laurence Fearnley

‘The SUV advanced, without slowing as it passed; the driver probably didn’t even register him. Roland watched until it reached the canal crossing, where the curve of the hill and the trees swallowed it up. And then he was alone with his frosted breathing, the mist, another breath, a sob.’

Having returned to the Mackenzie Country to deal with the unexpected death of his brother, Roland has more than enough on his plate. He could do without the demands of a cantankerous neighbour, the complaints of his partner back in Australia and discovering that someone is impersonating him online, stirring up the locals against him.

Even the weather is hostile, rendering roads unpassable and his old home an icebox, the fire offering little comfort. And yet, when cycling on the empty roads, cocooned in a snow-muffled landscape, he finds he can confront what he actually feels.


A vivid novel about familial love, friendship and how our lives touch, connect and impact upon one another.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club

Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2022

About the author

Laurence Fearnley is an award-winning novelist. Her novel The Hut Builder won the fiction category of the 2011 NZ Post Book Awards and was shortlisted for the international 2010 Boardman Tasker Prize for mountain writing. Her book Edwin and Matilda was runner-up in the 2008 Montana New Zealand Book Awards and her second novel, Room, was shortlisted for the 2001 Montana Book Awards. In 2004 Fearnley was awarded the Artists to Antarctica Fellowship and in 2007 the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago. Laurence Fearnley lives in Dunedin with her husband and son.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Familial love, tension, friendship and interconnections are all part of Laurence Fearnley's novel WINTER TIME, set in New Zealand's MacKenzie Basin, a location which absolutely stars in this story. A place in which breath frosts, mists are all encompassing, peaks are starkly white, snow slopes glow silver-blue, and the lakes are black and dark.

Full Review at: https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurence Fearnly has been an absolute find.

The first book I read by her simply sublime, this one an entirely different affair. Essentially this reads like a mystery with not much happening yet there’s a lot going on.

Roland has been completely orphaned by the untimely death of his brother in Tekapo. He arrives from Sydney to sort out the required details. We are treated to the eerie life in winter time in the McKenzie Basin.

Atmospheric and intriguing.

[Jordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters, setting and restrained energy of the book are brilliant. Next time I'm in Mackenzie country I'll be thinking of all the characters in this book. Can't wait to pick up another of Laurence Fearnley's novels

[Lynn Sadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just love Laurence Fearnley's writing.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

NZ author Laurence Fearnley sets her novel in central South Island , Mackenzie country. I hope I never go there in winter. It may be beautiful to behold but reading her powerful descriptions made me feel freezing cold.
Main character Roland returns to his small home town to deal with his brother’s death. He’s a compelling figure, full of complex doubts and weaknesses but we never turn against him. There’s a range of other interesting people, mostly hard to take. It’s a mystery novel, full of shadowy dangers and unknown threats. I really liked it, for both plot and setting, and hope to read more by this author.

[Rose Coveny]

This is the second book in a series based on the five senses. This one is based on touch. I wish that I had realised that at the start of the book.

[Lynne Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book evokes such a chill it might be best read during a hot summer! The setting is Tekapo in winter and you can feel the cold surround you on each page. Roland returns to his home town to find out what happened to his younger and dearly loved brother. Sometimes I felt the brother was “over” loved. Still, a good story with a build up to the end. A satisfying read, more so because of my familiarity with the setting.

[Carol Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel set in the Mackenzie country of New Zealand's South Island. It is very atmospheric (the snow, ice and fog were almost too convincing) and the characters are compelling. The potential challenges and dangers posed by social media are emphasised as are the complications of families and small towns.

[Harry McLellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read winter Time by laurence Fearnley... ahhhh.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Read it immediately.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the Mackenzie Country in NZ's South Island, place is almost a character in it's own right, with terribly cold winter conditions that the region is known for. Roland returns from his new home in Australia when his brother (his last remining family member) dies in a car accident. His journey home is a journey into the past, as he revisits memories while trying to make sense of his brother's death. Not a lot happens, plot-wise, but there is a bit of mystery and dramatic tension around controversial social media posts which appear to be from Roland. I'm quite pleased I read this in summer - I think I would have felt very cold reading about the snowy conditions in winter!

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the setting - we don’t often get fiction set in the South Island of NZ. I could relate to the cold, the scenery, the weather, the description of the old family home in the small towns of the inner south. Unfortunately I found the characters in this book a bit one dimensional, and often felt frustrated by the repeated reinforcing of their particular type.

[Fiona Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed, cried, fumed and shivered through this book, both worried for its main character, Roland, and transported by the twinkling, deadly beauty of the very recognisable landscape. I have fast become a fan of Laurence Fearnley's sense of place and people.

[Helen Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved this book. I could feel the cold of Lake Tekapo in wintertime.

[Jean Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent description of Mckenzie Country. Beautifully written but a rather strange plot.

[Christine Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story - interesting twists and quite insightful. Got a little bogged down in the snow (excuse the pun), and a couple of "unlikely's" but good twist.

[Angelika · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An atmospheric character driven book about one man’s attempts to find his place in a world that is at once familiar and hostile. An enjoyable read.

[Veronica Huntington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book! Loved the scenic descriptions, and the way it moved and never felt rushed or stressy. Found the ending little too abrupt and feel I need a few more answers!

[Mary-Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description of the Mackenzie country was fantastic, however not a captivating story.

[Inger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning book, stunning Otago winter landscapes, lots of sadness