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A review by bobinsbooknook
The Winter Garden by Alexandra Bell
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I should preface this by saying that this book shared lots of similarities to that of the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - which is one of my favourite books - so my view of this book is slightly skewed by the comparison.
The writing style was incredibly atmospheric and described a very beautiful and magical setting for the plot to unfold which I enjoyed thoroughly.
However, I found myself strongly disliking both MFC Beatrice and Rosa who came across as a very un-genuine friendship which made the plot harder to fall for at times. The way Rosa belittled Beatrice’s mum dying when she was a kid and then later Beatrice believing her wish to redo her goodbye to her dead mum is more important that helping her best friend get a wish to bring back her dead daughter … baffling.
If you were to remove the themes of an abusive husband the writing style of the book did seem to lean into a YA style book which made it seem like it skirted the edge of some deeper and complex emotions and instead invested the word count into very descriptive detailing on the world around them.
Whilst the writing certainly captures the imagination, the plot pacing and characters could have done with a better balance.
The writing style was incredibly atmospheric and described a very beautiful and magical setting for the plot to unfold which I enjoyed thoroughly.
However, I found myself strongly disliking both MFC Beatrice and Rosa who came across as a very un-genuine friendship which made the plot harder to fall for at times.
If you were to remove the themes of
Whilst the writing certainly captures the imagination, the plot pacing and characters could have done with a better balance.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent