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benjaminj1996's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a beautiful, heart-breaking book. Probably the best of Gale’s that I’ve read so far. He doesn’t mess about with prolonging plot points - the novel covers quite a long time period and moves fairly swiftly. This means that there are moments of pure tragedy, and the opposite, that completely took me by surprise which I think works in the context of the novel. It does slightly mean that some things weren’t as developed as I’d like but actually, by the very end of the book I felt like there was a great balance of things.
It’s beautifully written in a way that never shows off, too, meaning it’s incredibly immersive both in terms of plot and emotion. The main character is based on what little is known of the author’s great-grandfather, with most of the plot after a certain point imagined due to a lack of records. Starting with a real person I think made this the heartfelt novel it is. Gale writes with warmth and familiarity even in its darkest and most brutal moments.
katharines's review against another edition
3.0
Not at all what I expected from reading the back, but an interesting and entertaining book.
edmundstavros's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
agnesperdita's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
kingarooski's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely little read though it felt like the author had run out of ideas and the ending is rushed. Would have loved more descriptions of Canadian winters.
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/06/03/day-911-a-place-called-winter/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/06/03/day-911-a-place-called-winter/
mikewa14's review against another edition
5.0
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/a-place-called-winter-patrick-gale.html
jacki_f's review against another edition
5.0
Set in the early 20th century, this is the story of Harry Cane, who travels from England to Canada to start a new life in his early thirties. When the book opens he is in some kind of hospital or asylum and we will gradually work our way back to how he got there. I almost don't want to tell you anything more about the story than that. It's the story of a man's life and there are twists and turns along the way. It's told to you by a master storyteller and it holds you in its grip from the start to its very moving conclusion.
When we meet Henry, he's an introverted young man living a quiet and comfortable bachelor life in Edwardian London. Through his brother, he meets Winnie, an equally shy young woman, and they marry. Gradually they realise that for both of them the marriage is a compromise, but it's not until Henry starts an affair that things come to a head and he needs to leave the country. In Canada, a harsh and isolated landscape, he starts again both literally and metaphorically.
I loved the way the book was written. I felt transported to the places where the book was sent. The characters all felt very real and rounded and I also like the way that Gale doesn't spell everything out for the reader but allows you to intuit the things that you are not told.
It wasn't until I finished this book and read the author's acknowledgments that I realised the book is based on a true story, that Winter is a real place and that Harry was the author's great-grandfather. While Gale has imagined a large part of the story, the basic bones are factual and this added an extra and very pleasing dimension for me.
When we meet Henry, he's an introverted young man living a quiet and comfortable bachelor life in Edwardian London. Through his brother, he meets Winnie, an equally shy young woman, and they marry. Gradually they realise that for both of them the marriage is a compromise, but it's not until Henry starts an affair that things come to a head and he needs to leave the country. In Canada, a harsh and isolated landscape, he starts again both literally and metaphorically.
I loved the way the book was written. I felt transported to the places where the book was sent. The characters all felt very real and rounded and I also like the way that Gale doesn't spell everything out for the reader but allows you to intuit the things that you are not told.
It wasn't until I finished this book and read the author's acknowledgments that I realised the book is based on a true story, that Winter is a real place and that Harry was the author's great-grandfather. While Gale has imagined a large part of the story, the basic bones are factual and this added an extra and very pleasing dimension for me.
christinebeswick's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story apparently loosely based on Gale's great grandfather: about a man living as an outsider in Edwardian Britain with his real nature, of necessity, hidden from the world. When he is forced to emigrate to Canada, he builds a new life with hard work and dedication and finds love and happiness as well as great sadness and suffering.
Gale's writing is unsentimental, mesmerising and completely believable. I loved it!
Gale's writing is unsentimental, mesmerising and completely believable. I loved it!