Scan barcode
A review by robinwalter
A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Once again Ms Fair's writing skill was on full display. Especially in the early part of the book, I chueckled at her skilful phrasing and wryly cynical observations, as here:
her hearty welcome to Maud had not wholly concealed a defensive—or possibly offensive—vigilance.
it’s morally wrong to use bribery . . . so the least one can do is to make the bribe worth taking.”
And here, where the 'heroine' Maud is being introduced to her employer by the cousni she's staying with
Alec came to Wolfering for the funeral and he had Maud’s photograph in a wallet and showed it to all of us. She looked sweet—quite naked and much fatter than she is now,
I laughed out loud at that and smiled at this from Maud
Her stepmother—whose unvarying kindness had sometimes caused the ungrateful Maud to long for a wicked one—
But in the end, the biggest problem I had with this book WAS Maud. To describe her as a dishrag would be to insult the backbone and assertiveness of dishrags everywhere. She REALLY put the "passive" in passive-aggressive, whining (only to herself of course) about the way she was treaded and kept in the dark, while never doing anything about anything, other than her job. As her cousin's companion schemed to get rid of her, I even began to sympathise with the 'villain'. At least the old woman DID stuff, as opposed to just letting stuff happen to her and never saying or doing anything about it.
Part of the problem is that the book was stupidly overlong for its story, and it achieved tht length by one of my most-hated tropes - a failure to 'use your words'. Maud spent LITERALLY 70% of the book wondering what the dark secrets no one would tell her were - AND NEVER ONCE ASKED. Even her 'romance' was entirely passive, and achieved with near-zero communication, falling into a 'happy ending' with an energy level that would make a sloth seem hyperactive. In the end, I was relieved that she didn't end up with one of the characters because I felt that character deserved better.
I read to the end because Ms Fair writes so VERY well, and Maud's employer Old M., was a real delight. While comedies built around miscommunication are tricky to pull off, comedies built around noncommunication , especially by the central character, are anathema to me.
her hearty welcome to Maud had not wholly concealed a defensive—or possibly offensive—vigilance.
it’s morally wrong to use bribery . . . so the least one can do is to make the bribe worth taking.”
And here, where the 'heroine' Maud is being introduced to her employer by the cousni she's staying with
Alec came to Wolfering for the funeral and he had Maud’s photograph in a wallet and showed it to all of us. She looked sweet—quite naked and much fatter than she is now,
I laughed out loud at that and smiled at this from Maud
Her stepmother—whose unvarying kindness had sometimes caused the ungrateful Maud to long for a wicked one—
But in the end, the biggest problem I had with this book WAS Maud. To describe her as a dishrag would be to insult the backbone and assertiveness of dishrags everywhere. She REALLY put the "passive" in passive-aggressive, whining (only to herself of course) about the way she was treaded and kept in the dark, while never doing anything about anything, other than her job. As her cousin's companion schemed to get rid of her, I even began to sympathise with the 'villain'. At least the old woman DID stuff, as opposed to just letting stuff happen to her and never saying or doing anything about it.
Part of the problem is that the book was stupidly overlong for its story, and it achieved tht length by one of my most-hated tropes - a failure to 'use your words'. Maud spent LITERALLY 70% of the book wondering what the dark secrets no one would tell her were - AND NEVER ONCE ASKED. Even her 'romance' was entirely passive, and achieved with near-zero communication, falling into a 'happy ending' with an energy level that would make a sloth seem hyperactive. In the end, I was relieved that she didn't end up with one of the characters because I felt that character deserved better.
I read to the end because Ms Fair writes so VERY well, and Maud's employer Old M., was a real delight. While comedies built around miscommunication are tricky to pull off, comedies built around noncommunication , especially by the central character, are anathema to me.