Winter Garden

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I wish the author had just written straight historical fiction of only the Leningrad part and left all the present-day stuff out of it.

Like with continents, sometimes the changes were invisible and underground, and sometimes they were explosive and deadly. But when their beloved father falls ill, these two estranged women will find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. Any attempts they tried to make to get close to her were rebuffed, so they gave up trying and began to believe that maybe their mother just didn't really care about them very much. From the author of acclaimed national bestseller Firefly Lanecomes a haunting, heartbreakingly beautiful novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between past and present. Couple of irritations: these women are always wrapping themselves in blankets to go sit outside in the middle of the winter.

Summary: As expected from Hannah, this was a sad but beautiful story about families, wars, about surviving and about the purest form of love! The only other books that has made me cry this hard before has been The Bronze Horseman which is my favorite book in the world. Lies and secrets can destroy relationships, but understanding a person's story gives clarity into their seemingly inconceivable ways of behaving in the present, bringing empathy and understanding. More than a set of facts from a history book, Hannah makes you feel and I was brought to tears more than once. The story has a poignant tone and I read it when it was raining outside and almost freezing which was a very good choice in my opinion because this is not a summer beach read!

The five star rating that this book deserves - no, demands - makes me question all of my other books that I had given a five star rating.You couldn't control the direction of your family any more than you could stop the continental shelf from breaking apart.