The Day Before Winter

Bennett's Island #9

by Elisabeth Ogilvie

Life on Bennett's Island is challenging yet comfortable for Joanna and Nils Sorensen as questions of family loyalty, ethics, and community accompany the arrival of two young men who hope to leave the past behind

284 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Elisabeth Ogilvie’s striking evocation of the atmosphere of the Maine seacoast that is the background of The Seasons Hereafter is no accident, for she lived in just such an area for many years, and her love for its people and their way of life has influenced all her novels.
Her activities on Gay’s Island, where she spent most of the year, included writing, gardening, and “trying not to suspect that a bear is at the door, a moose lurking in among the alders, or a horned owl hovering overhead about to bear away the cat.”
She contributed a considerable amount of writing of magazine fiction and children’s books, and is the author of several novels, including There May Be Heaven, The Witch Door, Rowan Head, The Dawning of the Day, Storm Tide, and one book of nonfiction, My World Is an Island.

Reviews

[Robin McCarthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Day Before Winter is pretty disappointing. Like An Answer in the Tide, the pacing is a little off and the heart of the story feels adjacent to Joanna’s point of view. Gone are the days of “gunmetal seas” and “gorminess,” this is a lot of sentences about the family pets and flash backs. Ogilvie fails to control the tension as masterfully as she usually does, and it’s a tough read as a result. It feels like “Go Set A Watchman” to me—the book that might have been better left unpublished.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

How sad to finish this last book of the exquisite Bennett’s Island series set 25 miles out from the mainland of Mid Coast Maine spanning from pre Pearl Harbor days into the Vietnam Era.
Joanna Bennett Sorensen, her husband Nils, son Jaime and most of her six Bennett brothers and their families love and fiercely protect their lobstering, fish seining island life. But that way of life is getting harder as Joanna’s generation gets older, faces health and aging problems, but they stand as a tight community taking care of all. Nan Harmon, brought to the island against her will by husband Myles creates animosity and discord. Two young men descended from Island families come to live on the island, but though their help and bon amie are welcomed, they create conflicts that challenge the islanders as winter approaches.
So beautifully written. These are books I will reread and characters that feel like family. The atmosphere the author creates is magical, attuned to nature, the seasons, and the ever turning of the tides.

[Dory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ogilvie’s gentle novels capture some of the magic of Maine’s remote offshore islands. She creates an idealized community of stalwart fishing families with some themes touching on contemporary issues. They are of an easy reading, well-written genre that’s perfect for a holiday read on one of those little islands.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading her books, since it is a continuation of the Bennett family, sometimes I get confused of who is who, but I have gone long periods of time between books so that doesn't help. I just love hearing about life on a Maine island and it always makes me want to rush to one.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

How very bittersweet to read the final Bennett family book by Elisabeth Ogilvie. I so enjoyed all of these books.