Winter Haven

Winter Haven

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3.79 of 5 stars 3.79  ·  rating details  ·  199 ratings  ·  46 reviews
In this exquisitely-crafted suspense novel, one woman's search for answers into her brother's death opens dark secrets in a town's past--and explores God's response to her questions.
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published April 1st 2008 by Bethany House Publishers
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Alana
I received a free review copy through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Vera Gamble hasn't heard a word from her autistic brother who speaks only in Bible verses since she watched him leave their home thirteen years ago. When she receives a phone call that his body has been found washed up on an isolated island in Maine, she travels north to claim it - only to discover that he seemingly hasn't aged in the thirteen years he has been gone. When this news comes out, the town law enforcement...more
Mara
I was really not enjoying this book until I got to the very end, which almost made up for the turgidness of the prose. The last chapter saved the book from getting an even lower rating.

This is a story of Vera, a young woman (much younger than she acts) who sets off to pick up the body of her brother who has washed up on the shore of a small Maine island. How we got there, and why he doesn't appear to have aged in 13 years, are the "mystery" of the book. The answer, when it is finally revealed, i...more
Debbie
"Winter Haven by Athol Dickson" gets 3 stars from me. This is the 4th book of his I have read and though I liked the story line, I didn't like it as well as the other 3 books. To me this book is like Sci-fiction and horror. Thirteen years ago Vera Gamble's brother ran away from home in Texas. The story starts out as Vera is on a mailboat going to Winter Haven to collect her Siggy's body after it was found washed up on the beach, Siggy Gamble only spoke Bible verses and he could speak them in sev...more
Lilly Maytree
I read WINTER HAVEN first of all because of the title (who wouldn't want one of those), and secondly because Athol Dickson's books came with good words from places like Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, Christian Fiction Review, and the New York Times. Not to mention he is a multiple Christy Award nominee and winner, and this particular book is one of four in his new "Christy Collection."

Early on, I realized it was a bit dark and foreboding compared to my usual fare -- fantastic, even. But b...more
Bruce Judisch
"Do not seek the truth, and find no evil."

Is there a more spiritually poignant--or intellectually alluring--tagline than this?

So, why Winter Haven? A few words on the story and the writing.

The Story: Winter Haven is a town on an island of the same name slouching listlessly across the Gulf of Maine. Its inhabitants, isolated by fifty miles of seawater from mainstream reality and unimpeded by centuries of somewhere else's progress, defy such progress and create a reality of their own. And they're...more
Laura
Title: WINTER HAVEN
Author: Athol Dickson
Publisher: Bethany House
March 2009
ISBN: 978-1-7642-0164-6
Genre: Inspirational/suspense

Vera Gamble has gotten the call she’s feared for thirteen years. A body has washed up on the coast of a remote island in Maine, and they believe its her brother, Siggy. Reluctantly, Vera takes vacation leave and heads for Winter Haven, while reading a guide book telling a spooky story about how pilgrims disappeared on the island leaving no proof when a man sent to find he...more
Tim George
Athol Dickson scores another knockout with Winter Haven. Simply put, Dickson produces the best prose in all of Chritian fiction.

Winter Haven, told in the first person by its heroine Vera, answers one great question; is it wrong to ask God why? When we meet Vera she has retreaed into an orderly world of numbers as an accountant. There she finds refuge from her tortured past as the daughter of a faith healer who could not heal his own family. But a call revealing the discovery of her long lost Sav...more
Sara Pittock
Feb 25, 2012 Sara Pittock rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of inspirational fiction1
Shelves: suspense
I didn't come to Winter Haven with high expectations. The only reason I bothered to read Athol Dickson's novel at all was the fact that my mother had thought I'd enjoy it. Back then, when I was still in college, and when my recreational-reading pile only continued to grow, my mother's suggestion actually made me put Winter Haven toward the bottom of the stack. After all, my mother prefered books by Thoene, and Kirkpatrick, while I prefered books by Tolkien and MacHale. It took a couple years, my...more
Katherine Coble
I wanted so much to like this book more than I did. I've had the author recommended to me as proof that Christian Fiction is getting better, that it isnt all just embarrassing. And one level, it does work. The story is unique for a Christian book--a gothic mystery set in modern-day Maine--and the proselytising is better handled here than in other works I've read. Someday, though, I swear I will read a Christian book that doesnt have a preacher or preacher's kid as a main character. Not this one,...more
Deb
Like Vera, the main character of this book, I was completely taken in by it's mysterious supernatural occurences and couldn't put it down until the truth had been uncovered. Vera is startled out of her workaholic existance by a phone call from an islander off the coast of Maine saying that they have found the body of her brother--the brother that disappeared when Vera was just a child. Vera goes on a quest to claim his body and bring it home--but becomes immersed in the mystery of the island whe...more
rjp316
This book was ok. I liked the mystery part of it and was surprised by the ending and liked the fact that this book was written with clean subject manner with no immorality or obscene language. However I did not like the flowery description of each and every thing. I also had a hard time following some of the dialogue especially when Vera was describing some of Siggy’s conversations. I was also frustrated with Vera’s conversations with God and her apparent paranoid personality and lack of strengt...more
Greg Allan Holcomb
Grammar mistake pages 34, 217 and again twice in the 270s. If I wasn't hooked I'd've put the book down at the first one. It's a testament to the skill of the author that I overlooked them.

This book dropped from 4 stars down to 1.5 by not having an editor. Fix the grammatical mistakes and drop the shitting allover religion and this would've gotten a much higher rating. And I don't even respect much about religions.

2 stars means okay, three would've meant I'd read more from this author, Four woul...more
Nancy Steinle gummel
Winter Haven by Athol Dickson is a unique story, bordering on supernatural activities. I liked the transition into the story. Beginning in Texas it moves to Maine where the story reveals itself. A brush with unexplained phenomena frightens our protagonist and she tries to unravel her brothers death. In her travels she meets a mysterious stranger who lights a spark in her. Worries of who to trust makes think she's going mad. When the circumstances of her brother's death is discovered she may have...more
Michelle
About the book:

Eleven years ago, Vera Gamble's brother left their house never to be seen again. Until the day Vera gets a phone call that his body has been found...washed ashore in the tiny island town of Winter Haven, Maine. His only surviving kin, Vera travels north to claim the body...and finds herself tumbling into a tangled mystery. Her brother hasn't aged a day since last she saw him.

Determined to uncover what happened in those lost years, Vera soon discovers there are other secrets lurkin...more
dawn armfield
I have been trying to read this book since I received the ARC. However, the run-on sentences on the very first page have put me off, and I'm having an incredibly difficult time getting past that.

It sounds like a book I'd love, and I'm disappointed that I can't get past the first 10 pages. I recognize that it is an unedited version, but that doesn't account for the poor grammar at the start of the book.

Maybe I'll try it again in an edited version.
Lisa
Another one I absolutely did not want to put down. This book proves there doesn't need to be obscene language or immorality to be interesting and engaging. It was fantastic. My husband asked me if I was coming to bed and I said, "I want to but I just can't! I have to see what happens!" Winter Haven had me guessing through the whole book and just when I thought I had it figured out it turns out I didn't! Loved it till the very end.
Kristy
Mystery meets supernatural superstitions meets faith...this book has all of that packed into it. It's well-written, suspenseful, and completely surprising. I love how the author took a mystery that had every sign of being other-worldy in nature and turned it into something so easily and simply explained, yet at the same time an explanation that deepens faith. We so often forget how far-reaching and exhaustive the works of God are, and that His plans span decades. This story is a great reminder.
Penny
The author is really in to analyzing the psyche... Almost to the point of blotting out the plot. For example: I found myself skimming over pages at a time to keep the continuity of a single simple conversation. Then I would have to go back and re-read the character's lengthy self analysis of her thoughts as she spoke to whomever she was speaking to. It just didn't seem to flow.
Pat
So, I was torn how to rate this book. I think I might like to give it 3 1/2 stars because there was some good writing here and an interesting conclusion to the mystery and struggle of faith. However, it just seemed to drag for me and be a bit too much descriptive in parts. People with more of a taste for the Gothic would probably enjoy this more.
Trudy
Don't bother. This was so erratice in the writing that I had a hard time getting through it. The only reason I finished the darn thing, was to find out if there were supernatural goings on or just weird goings on.
Chris
This is a great book if you like thrillers, mysteries, and/or paranormal novels. It's almost science-fictiony too. Great book. Always interesting.
Natalya
It was really slow. But the ending and theme redeemed it. Dickenson created a unique story, I only wish he had a more engaging writing style.
Ruth
This is a great mystery that keeps you guessing as to what is real and what isn't. The eventual explanation is clever and simple.
Mar
It came together at the end, but I'm not a fan of some of the freakyness. Decent work, but not my kind of novel.
Susan Miller
Amazing story. I loved the suspense, spirituality, and connections that tied this story together.
Julie
Ending was kinda cheesy - but I loved the mystery of it all. Very surprising!
Melinda
I have been in a reading slump as of late. Nothing is keeping me excited enough to read. Now I know it is just a phase and I actually dont like it because I love to love to read! But I stumbled on this book and lo and behold I quite liked it! Really liked it, actually, enough to finish it which has been a feat as of late as a matter of fact. It is a mystery of sorts with a little romance and is squeaky clean. I recommend!
Jan
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Barbara
Good - but with not quite the depth of Dickson's River Rising.
Darlene
Was a little hard to stay reading this book, but I'm glad I made it to the ending.
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Winter Haven (Kindle Edition)
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Winter Haven (Paperback)
Winter Haven (Kindle Edition)

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Athol Dickson's parents were living on the road when he was born. His first bed was a drawer lined with towels in a travel trailer. He has loved road trips ever since. Boating is a passion, too. Athol owns three boats, and once lived aboard a yacht full-time while cruising the Gulf of Mexico and the USA's Atlantic coast. But Athol's nine novels are proof he can sit still and write if he's with his...more
More about Athol Dickson...
River Rising The Cure They Shall See God The Opposite of Art: A Novel Lost Mission: A Novel

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