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110th out of 301 books
—
151 voters
Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath
by
Kate Moses
This engrossing début novel depicts Sylvia Plath’s feverish artistic process in the bitter aftermath of her failed marriage to Ted Hughes—the few excruciating yet astoundingly productive weeks in which she wrote Ariel, her defining last collection of poems.
In December 1962, shortly before her suicide, Plath moved with her two children to London from the Hughes’s home in De...more
In December 1962, shortly before her suicide, Plath moved with her two children to London from the Hughes’s home in De...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
October 14th 2003
by Anchor
(first published January 1st 2003)
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Wintering, a novel of Sylvia Plath by Kate Moses, received glowing accolades from enough newspapers and reviewers to fill several pages at the front of the novel. Praise is heaped on the lucid intensity of the prose and the ability for Moses to give insight into the last several months of Plath's life. I'm going to be in the minority in not loving this book, mostly because I am of the opinion that if you want Plath, there is plenty about Plath by Plath. Between her journals, her letters home, an...more
The last few months before the poet committed suicide in mysterious circumstances are recreated in this book that focuses more on Plath's emotional state, how she was feeling her way through this emotional/mental hell, rather than offering any pat explanations for her reasons for taking her own life. In fact, the book stops short of the actual incident but the despair that clings to every page heralds it. Everything in the book, even the most mundane tasks of housekeeping and childcare, are raw...more
I gave this book the rare compliment of reading it twice -- once when it first came out, back in 2003. I have a frustrating relationship with Plath, to whom I'd like to give, alternately, a long hug and a hard slap. Apparently that's the way Ted felt about her, too.
As a child of a mother who made many attempts at suicide, and who finally died by accident when she was about Plath's age (when I was 2 1/2 and my sister was 5 1/2), I have always been struck by the extraordinary self-centeredness of...more
As a child of a mother who made many attempts at suicide, and who finally died by accident when she was about Plath's age (when I was 2 1/2 and my sister was 5 1/2), I have always been struck by the extraordinary self-centeredness of...more
I liked learning about Plath's life--although the authors admits to taking some liberties with events and character--but this felt like a slog. I don't mind books that are slow and painstaking, and I don't really need plot, but the prose is was, I thought, overwrought. Every noun got at least one, and often two, adjectives, and everything was dramatic and symbolic. The structure was cool: it was broken into sections each headed by a title of one of Plath's poems in Ariel, and I liked that Moses...more
This novel is a beautiful and poetic portrait of the last months of Sylvia Plath's life. It is heart breaking and joyful with hope and desperation at a constant ebb and flow. Kate Moses does a masterful job weaving the facts of Plath's life with the fictional intimate conversations, and interactions imagined between the known lines of Plath's fiery rise from the ashes of her broken marriage and the rapid fall of her star as her passion finally burned her out.
Fans of Plath should definitely pick...more
Fans of Plath should definitely pick...more
Since I had no previous knowledge of Kate Moses's work, I picked up this book purely on the basis of my obsession with Sylvia Plath. The book is a fictional look at the last few months of SP's life. The narrative switches quite comfortably between first and third person narrative very often. Considering this is Kate Moses' first book, its quite impressive but its not an easy read. The titles of the chapters are from the poems of Ariel, her last collection of poems. The book starts with Sylvia mo...more
This book was beautifully written and you can tell the author has a profound respect for the woman and works she writes about. Sylvia Plath’s life was a sad one, losing her father at a young age, a nervous breakdown in her twenties, a miscarriage, a failing marriage, and always the desire to be better and do more. Her story isn’t very different from those of most women. The divorce rate in the US is estimated between 40% and 50% and it’s no secret today’s society is full of unfaithful husbands,...more
I would not have read this had it not been for the TNBBC challenge, I've never been big on poetry at all. I just don't GET it, and I guess I never had any desire too. But when I heard on the radio that Sylvia Plath's son had hanged himself this winter after she had killed herself several decades ago, I guess the sicko in me wanted to learn more.
Plath was such a tragic figure, she was really really sick and depressed, and it's so sad that she couldn't get the help she really needed. This book foc...more
Plath was such a tragic figure, she was really really sick and depressed, and it's so sad that she couldn't get the help she really needed. This book foc...more
This was another novel/biography that I normally wouldn't have picked, but I'm glad I did and glad I read it.
I gave it 3 stars because it ended rather aburptly and I had to go online to research the "rest of the story".
Wintering is about, of course Sylvia Plath, whom is a famous poet writer. The story is set in London in the early 1960's. It's the events leading up to her untimely death. Her various relationships in her life; husband, mother, and children. Upon reading this book, I felt like e...more
I gave it 3 stars because it ended rather aburptly and I had to go online to research the "rest of the story".
Wintering is about, of course Sylvia Plath, whom is a famous poet writer. The story is set in London in the early 1960's. It's the events leading up to her untimely death. Her various relationships in her life; husband, mother, and children. Upon reading this book, I felt like e...more
As someone who has studied Plath's life and work for a long time, I was intrigued by the notion of someone having taken on Plath, Hughes, and their friends and families as characters for a novel.
The chapters of Wintering are each titled after one of Plath's Ariel poems, in the original sequence Plath had planned for the book -- the manuscript was to begin with the word "love" and end with the word "spring." Wintering author Kate Moses has clearly done a lot of excellent research -- this is appar...more
The chapters of Wintering are each titled after one of Plath's Ariel poems, in the original sequence Plath had planned for the book -- the manuscript was to begin with the word "love" and end with the word "spring." Wintering author Kate Moses has clearly done a lot of excellent research -- this is appar...more
You need to be in a certain place to read this book.. You need to know what is heartache and what it feels like to lose someone you love. We can never know the whole truth about Sylvia Plath and what she did on those last days of her life but I think that Kate Moses has done a very good job imagining it. I loved how she described the everyday chores and the way Sylvia took care of her children. Read a happy book after this one!
A harrowing view of Sylvia Plath's last few months, alone and freezing in London without heat or telephone or friends -- the chapters in the book follow the true arrangement (Sylvia's choices, not the ultimately-published book) of Ariel. I read each poem with the chapter and realized how chilly her last days truly were.
Moses creates dialogue and descriptions that ring very, very true indeed.
Moses creates dialogue and descriptions that ring very, very true indeed.
This novel focuses mainly on a desperate two week period in Sylvia Plath's life, the winter of 1962. Alone in London with her two children, and dealing with the grief of her broken marriage, she writes furiously, and pulls together the manuscript of her most famous collection of poems, Ariel.
It is an unbearably sad novel, as we follow Sylvia's imagined inner life, but so beautifully written I found it very hard to put down.
It is an unbearably sad novel, as we follow Sylvia's imagined inner life, but so beautifully written I found it very hard to put down.
Beautifully written, incredibly sad to read, of course, knowing already what the outcome would be. It's about a very short period of time when her children are babies and her husband is leaving her. It's fiction based on what's known about her life. The details are very beautiful - she was extremely domestic, painting her apartment, sewing curtains, baking, gardening, etc., all while producing poetry.
Far more sensitive and lyrical than I had expected. The voice used by the author is so different from Plath's own literary voice that it doesn't seem like a work of imitation or author-worship. Moses has collected (or occasionally imagined) the details of the last years of Plath's life, and uses them to create scenes that focus on Plath's motherhood, marriage, and daily life.
This is a fictional biography of Sylvia Plath based on her final collections of poems, published post-humously by her philandering husband, former Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes. The book is written in a beautiful poetic style, but knowing it would end with Plath's suicide, about half-way through I found that I was too sad to continue reading it. So, I put it on the shelf. Feeling somewhat melancholy myself last week, I picked it back off the shelf and finished it out. This is a difficult read, but M...more
Confession: I can't finish this book because I can't cut off the voice in my head screaming "You don't know - You weren't there"
I do think the book is beautifully written but I can't deal with the speculative fiction of Plath's life. It feeds too much (to me) into people reading Plath through her autobiography and not her work.
I do think the book is beautifully written but I can't deal with the speculative fiction of Plath's life. It feeds too much (to me) into people reading Plath through her autobiography and not her work.
This brilliant book is based on Sylvia Plath's Life and death. It is sequenced and directly based upon Moses biographical interpretation of Plath's life as she wrote the poems for her best selling Poetry collection 'Ariel'.
'Ariel' was published posthumously and edited by her husband Ted Hughes. However, when Ted Hughes edited Sylvia's Ariel poems he didn't put them into the order that Sylvia had listed in her own notes.
Wintering's chapter heading are the titles of Plath's 'Ariel' poems correct...more
'Ariel' was published posthumously and edited by her husband Ted Hughes. However, when Ted Hughes edited Sylvia's Ariel poems he didn't put them into the order that Sylvia had listed in her own notes.
Wintering's chapter heading are the titles of Plath's 'Ariel' poems correct...more
this novel annoyed me. it was way too long winded, with the majority of the narrative being made up of painfully long and meticulous description of unimportant things, like the weather or the scenery. This novel should have been character centred, but I ended up feeling nothing for any of the characters. some of the language was beautiful and the fact that it was so well researched, I give it some credit. overall, a disappointment.
I found this book in a recycle dumpster outside of the library and picked it up because Sylvia Plath has fascinated me since the first time I heard about her and the gas oven.
It was hard to put down. Very well researched and written, and Kate Moses can phrase certain intangible emotions perfectly. I admit that I enjoyed the book for mostly personal reasons - my mild obsession with Plath, and having plodded miserably and antagonizingly through a relationship built on symbiotic compromise.
Other t...more
It was hard to put down. Very well researched and written, and Kate Moses can phrase certain intangible emotions perfectly. I admit that I enjoyed the book for mostly personal reasons - my mild obsession with Plath, and having plodded miserably and antagonizingly through a relationship built on symbiotic compromise.
Other t...more
I enjoyed this book which provided insight into Sylvia Plath's last year. It caused me to read the poems that she wrote during this period and gave me more insight into her life beyond what I already knew from who knows where.
The writing is enjoyable, very poetic.
The writing is enjoyable, very poetic.
If you want to be depressed read this book. It is an account of the last couple months of Sylvia Plath's life. Her marriage has failed and she is left alone with two young children at Christmas.
The story jumps around quite a bit and is hard to follow at times. But it is richly written.
To be honest - I am so glad to be done with this book. Sylvia was a very depressed person. The love story was interesting but again sad.
If you like The Bell Jar then read this book. Or if you are a huge Sylvia P...more
The story jumps around quite a bit and is hard to follow at times. But it is richly written.
To be honest - I am so glad to be done with this book. Sylvia was a very depressed person. The love story was interesting but again sad.
If you like The Bell Jar then read this book. Or if you are a huge Sylvia P...more
Sep 10, 2010
Tamara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone with Sylvia Plath interest
Recommended to Tamara by:
Katie
I'd rather give 4 1/2 stars. The use of Plath's language, voice, and imagery is amazing. I loved this book, and felt just about every emotion while reading it. I'd definitely recommend this to Sylvia Plath's fans, though I think it would be best if the reader has some previous knowledge of Plath's life because the book isn't written in consecutive order and could be hard to follow otherwise. I also think that Ted Hughes was painted in a very fair light. His story felt honest without being overly...more
Kate Moses's gorgeous writing gives us a peek into the life of Sylvia Plath: her complex relationships with Ted Hughes and her mother, her dedication to her children and her work; meticulously researched, but fiction all the same.
If you love Sylvia Plath's poetry and are fascinated by her life then this might be an interesting book. Caring little about Plath or her work, the poetic language of this novel did little to create tension or sustain my interest.
I loved this. The poet's struggles with her time, her marriage, herself--depression, motherhood, perfectionism... I really felt this marriage, really felt this personality. A lovely book.
An engaging and wordy novel allowing the reader a speculative window onto the last few months of Plath's life.
We get to see Sylvia not just as a poet or a tortured soul, we see her as a mother, a child, a lover and a friend. We see the choices and sacrifices she had to make as well as those she chose.
The novel gave strong presentations of seasonal changes in England, as well as comparisons of country and city life.
Very accomplished although at times hard to remember when reading that this is...more
We get to see Sylvia not just as a poet or a tortured soul, we see her as a mother, a child, a lover and a friend. We see the choices and sacrifices she had to make as well as those she chose.
The novel gave strong presentations of seasonal changes in England, as well as comparisons of country and city life.
Very accomplished although at times hard to remember when reading that this is...more
One of my favourite books. The scholarship is so skilful - the painstaking acquisition of Plath and Hughes' vocabulary - that you tend to forget it isn't a biographical account, verbatim, the truth.
I will be forever fascinated with Sylvia Plath and this book definitely quenched some of that thirst to know more about her and her life. It is gracefully written with care (and caution).
I was a little disappointed in the book. While I found it nicely written, I thought that the narrative arc would be paired with Plath's poems (or perhaps more clearly).
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Nov 20, 2008 10:07am