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86th out of 169 books
—
53 voters
Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories
On the verge of giving up--anchored to dreams that never came true and to people who have long since disappeared from their lives--Van Booy's characters walk the streets of these stark and beautiful stories until chance meetings with strangers force them to face responsibility for lives they thought had continued on without them.
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
May 12th 2009
by Harper Perennial
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Simon Van Booy's 'Love Begins in Winter' occupies that beautiful, strange, dreamlike realm between realism and romanticism, never foraying too strongly into the unbelievable and yet meditating on the beauty that reverberates from an unseen plane. Characters with certain personality flaws borne of traumatic experiences are all nonetheless burning with the primal, raw power of the heart.
Van Booy writes for the awakening soul -- not the earthbound, the docile, nor for the folks who know themselves...more
Van Booy writes for the awakening soul -- not the earthbound, the docile, nor for the folks who know themselves...more
"Love Begins in Winter" is a touching story about the healing power of love.
The beginning is simply beautiful .
I wait in the shadows. My cello is already on stage. It was carved in 1723 on a Sicilian hillside where the sea is very quiet.
I loved the authors writing style,and his way of taking the little specifics of character's lives by reveling slowly the significance and the hidden truth.Here’s Hannah describing her first meeting with Bruno:
From my pocket I took a large stone and set it squa...more
The beginning is simply beautiful .
I wait in the shadows. My cello is already on stage. It was carved in 1723 on a Sicilian hillside where the sea is very quiet.
I loved the authors writing style,and his way of taking the little specifics of character's lives by reveling slowly the significance and the hidden truth.Here’s Hannah describing her first meeting with Bruno:
From my pocket I took a large stone and set it squa...more
I don't read a lot of short stories. I tend to have a fondness for huge tomes that I strengthen my arms with by dragging them around with me wherever I go (they're too hard to read in bed, though - a problem). I like short stories, but sometimes they just end too fast and I want more. There are exceptions to this - I love Hemingway's spare stories and now I'm adding Simon Van Booy to this list.
At their core, these stories are about loneliness, the yearning for connection, the difficulty of makin...more
At their core, these stories are about loneliness, the yearning for connection, the difficulty of makin...more
I almost wanted to give this 5 stars because it made me cry at least that many times and was just beautiful in so many places. However, there were a few moments where I felt the author was trying to hard too be profound and it just came across as uncomfortable and embarrassing. Usually those moments would make me put a book aside, but Van Booy made up for it with all these truly perfect lines.
The author has this really odd writing style. The entire book feels depressing, although every story sti...more
The author has this really odd writing style. The entire book feels depressing, although every story sti...more
This turned out to be a wonderful collection of uplifting stories about love, forgiveness, romance, family and hope. Each short story contained a character that had either given up hope or was at a crossroads in their life and had to make a decision or take a leap of faith or sometimes just open their eyes to see the love that was all around them and in some cases had been all along. They were all written wonderfully, very literary and lyrical with wonderful twists and turns that were at once co...more
So maybe Van Booy appears a bit pretentious in the "About the Author" section. And maybe here and there I found a line I thought was trying much too hard to be profound in one way or another. And maybe I want to grab Van Booy by the lapels and smack him around a little for being three years younger than myself and writing the way he does. But all is easily forgiven after reading this collection of five stories.
His writing was simply beautiful: in its eloquent use of metaphor, its well-timed deta...more
His writing was simply beautiful: in its eloquent use of metaphor, its well-timed deta...more
The title story in this collection feels like a Nicholas Sparks novel for middle-aged women who subscribe to the New Yorker. (I say this as an almost-middle-aged woman who subscribes to the New Yorker.) It's dripping with sentences that seem written solely for the purpose of making the reader swoon at their profundity, but which actually mean nothing, or something really obvious. The plot: Two people who've lost someone meet cute and fall in love at first sight and say things like "Stones are re...more
Love Begins in Winter is a collection of five short stories written around the theme of love. Yes, love. In today's cynical world it is hard to find many talented writers who can celebrate love without making it sound like a bad Hallmark card. Van Booy not only succeeds, he excels. These are exquisitely written stories which show us a writer with the ability to see the many shades of love through a variety of fully drawn characters with a variety of experiences.
The title story is a short masterp...more
The title story is a short masterp...more
This is really more of a 3.5. And it may even wind up being upgraded at some point because I feel like these are stories I will continue to think about. My problem is that the whole time I was reading it, I couldn't decide if I liked it or if I was annoyed by it. Some of the stories felt overly precious and too much like self-conscious attempts to impart a moral lesson or greater thought. At some points it edged uncomfortably close to Alchemist territory, which I know is not a negative for every...more
I don't remember how I came upon Simon Van Booy's first collection of stories, but I loved it and I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of this book. Perhaps this is a recipe for disappointment, because I was indeed disappointed, especially by the first story of this collection. This collection is of fewer, longer stories than his first. The writing is again beautiful, lyrical, but not overdone to my taste, but the stories themselves feel heavier and over-crafted. Also, there was this editing o...more
Love Begins in Winter
By: Simon Van Booy
ISBN: 9780061661471
Published May 5, 2009 by Harper Perennial
Available Format: Paperback, ebook
My Rating: ★★★★☆
On the verge of giving up anchored to dreams that never came true and to people who have long since disappeared from their lives Van Booy's characters walk the streets of these stark and beautiful stories until chance meetings with strangers force them to face responsibility for lives they thought had continued on without them.
I was introduced to Si...more
By: Simon Van Booy
ISBN: 9780061661471
Published May 5, 2009 by Harper Perennial
Available Format: Paperback, ebook
My Rating: ★★★★☆
On the verge of giving up anchored to dreams that never came true and to people who have long since disappeared from their lives Van Booy's characters walk the streets of these stark and beautiful stories until chance meetings with strangers force them to face responsibility for lives they thought had continued on without them.
I was introduced to Si...more
less powerful than his incredible debut, this collection finds van booy a bit more sure of himself and in command of significantly more fleshed-out plot concepts. his confidence, unfortunately, takes a certain magic out of some passages that, in his first book, would have read more ambivalent or unsure and in that way wonderfully described characters in like states of mind. in these stories, van booy knows what he's doing and charges ahead to bring you to his still impeccable vision -- but this...more
This book took me totally by surprise. I may just have discovered a new favorite author. I picked this up from the donations pile at our library's book sale department and decided to give it a try based on the blurbs on the back. I'm not usually a short story fan, but I took this book home and read it all the way through at a single sitting. Incredible use of language--sentences and paragraphs I wanted to remember forever--and plots structured more like mini-novels than typical short stories. I...more
It is impossible to read a book written by Simon van Booy without an arsenal of pens to underline all the beautiful sentences that he writes.
"I firmly believe that while lies and deception destroy love, they can also build and defend it. Love requires imagination more than experience."I'm not a huge short story reader, but I bought this collection because I loved his novel Everything Beautiful Began After so, so much. I liked these stories, too, but there was an element of...preciousness, maybe...more
Simon van Booy kende ik ook al, van The Secret Lives of People in Love. Ik denk, denk, dat ik zijn tweede bundel, Love Begins in Winter mooier vind. Maar, een heel klein beetje mooier maar. Ik ben internet zo enorm dankbaar, en al die boekenblogs in de wereld, want anders had ik Simon van Booy nooit leren kennen. Hij is nog niet vertaald in het Nederlands, en dat zal waarschijnlijk ook nog niet gebeuren, tenzij zijn Everything Beautiful Began After (zijn nieuwe boek, dat volgende week zal versch...more
As I may have stated before, this IS one of the best books I have ever let my eyes fall upon and my mind and soul into. It is very simply human (because when you come down to it, we are simple creatures, with complexity weaved into us by living life), and it's simple-ness is what makes it beautiful and real, but Van Booy writes in such a way as to wrap the readers heart around his characters and their small, yet huge lives.
I am a pretty strong believer in not bending pages in books, but after r...more
I am a pretty strong believer in not bending pages in books, but after r...more
Simon Van Booy is likely to become on of my favorite writers. His prose is heavy with meaning and yet playful. Love Begins in Winter is a collection of five short stories that are all lyrical and well-wrought. The five stories are “Love Begins in Winter,” “Tiger, Tiger,” “The Missing Statues,” “The Coming and Going of Strangers,” and “The City of Windy Trees.”
My favorite story was “The Missing Statues,” which deals with a hard day in the life of a little boy, made better by the kindness of a gon...more
My favorite story was “The Missing Statues,” which deals with a hard day in the life of a little boy, made better by the kindness of a gon...more
Jul 25, 2011
Larry Hoffer
added it
Some of the most beautiful short stories I've read in a long time. This collection is not very long but each of the five stories packs an emotional wallop and has definitely stuck in my mind more than a week after finishing the book. As you can tell from the title, each of these stories has to do with love--and each approaches the subject from a different angle. I've never read anything that Simon Van Booy has written but I'm definitely going to find his other book now. If you like short stories...more
I read the author's Modern Love essay in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/fas...) and found it so touching and poignant that I sought out his most recent book. It's five pretty good short stories, but nothing that'll be particularly memorable or worth a reread later. If you do read it, skip the "About the author," "About the book," and all those sections at the end. The author comes off as eccentric and obnoxious, which, for me, takes away from the stories.
I read this book for the Vibes & Scribes book group, and found it a pleasure to read such delicately-wrought short stories about the inner lives of calcified introverts right at the moment that they emerge from their shells even as their youth has faded. His stories are peppered with keenly observed truisms of sorts such as “love between strangers takes only a few seconds and can last a whole lifetime,” which are old-fashioned treats in current works of fiction.
Poignant and true, honest and simple. Love Begins in Winter was simply divine. Each story connected and reconnected those who were separated or still searching for their other half. Van Booy's writing style was exactly what I needed, and each time I finished one story I couldn't wait to go onto the next. With quotes like, "The most significant conversations of our lives occur in silence," and "One's life is nothing more than a string of moments. Each life is like a string of pearls," it's easy t...more
Van Booy is my favorite modern author, by far. While I am typically a very quick reader, his writing slows me down in a beautiful way. The poignancy and beauty in his work is such that I cannot devour it, that I find myself pausing to absorb it.
My two copies of these books are well underlined and well worn. I can only hope that Van Booy continues to write, and often, because my life is better for reading his work.
My two copies of these books are well underlined and well worn. I can only hope that Van Booy continues to write, and often, because my life is better for reading his work.
Picking up where his first collection left off, this set of insightful short stories showcases Van Booy's skill at creating poetic metaphors and unique, yet strangely familiar, characters. I especially liked how imagery from one story is echoed in later stories, suggesting more of a connection than meets the eye. Male readers, don't be put off by the rather delicate title or cover design -- this is quality short-story writing for everyone!
I thought this was a lovely, poignant book, elegantly written, almost dream-like. There was a fairy tale quality to quite a few of the stories. Also, it had cellists, gypsies, NYC, Paris and Smiths fans in it - how could I not like this book? The minor reservation I had was that sometimes it sometimes teetered in the edge of sentimentality - but then, I like a love story that ends happily ever after.
“I read books because I love them, not because I think I should read them.” -Simon Van Booy
It is a rare thing for me to write or underling books that I’m not reading academically but there were so many beautiful, poetic, truthful lines in this book that I couldn’t not. Initially Van Booy seems the typical literary fiction writer that critics and intellectual elitists adore. Alas, it doesn’t take long to figure out all the beautifully poetic yet uncomplicated prose makes his work very accessible...more
It is a rare thing for me to write or underling books that I’m not reading academically but there were so many beautiful, poetic, truthful lines in this book that I couldn’t not. Initially Van Booy seems the typical literary fiction writer that critics and intellectual elitists adore. Alas, it doesn’t take long to figure out all the beautifully poetic yet uncomplicated prose makes his work very accessible...more
One of favorite lines in this beautiful collection of short stories: "Children are the closest we have to wisdom, and they become adults the moment that final drop of everything mysterious is strained from them. I think it happens quietly to every one of us -- like crossing a state line when you're asleep." I love to hungrily read sentences like this, pause, and remember why I read.
Aug 29, 2009
Kim
marked it as to-read
enjoyed an essay he wrote on "modern love" for the NYT online, so thought i would give this a go. plus, i like the title. winter is usually associated with endings and is a lonely time for a lot of people. i think winter is pretty romantic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/fas...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/fas...
A stunning book that makes you wonder if Simon Van Booy is hiding under our beds, watching us cry and laugh and love, much like a scientist does its caged guinea pigs...'Love Begins in Winter' reads as if it were written one beautiful line at a time and is insightful, moving and, above all, uplifting. I will read this over and over for years to come.
Nearly perfect, Simon Van Booy's collection of short stories focus on love. Everything is hyper-romantic in a poetic way, when drop of rain that run down your window pane can have such emotional significance. Love Begins in Winter thoroughly resonates with any loving emotion in the reader's heart. After reading the first, titular story while on a flight to Denver, I immediately texted my husband to tell him that the story reminded me how much I loved him. It's that powerful.
This book of short stories was achingly beautiful. This was my introduction to Van Booy and I can't wait to to savor another one of his books. As a reader you are both mesmerized by some of the profound thoughts that Van Booy weaves into his stories but you are equally smitten by his lyrical prose and his compelling characters and plots. I literally found myself torn several times between wanting to re-read portions of each story to really take in their beauty but also wanting to keep reading be...more
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| Creative Reviews: Review: Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy | 1 | 5 | Aug 19, 2011 03:06pm |
Simon Van Booy was born in London and grew up in rural Wales and Oxford. After playing football in Kentucky, he lived in Paris and Athens. In 2002 he was awarded an MFA and won the H.R. Hays Poetry Prize. His journalism has appeared in magazines and newspapers including the New York Times and the New York Post. Van Booy is the author of The Secret Lives of People in Love, now translated into sever...more
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“He thinks I suffer from depression. But I’m just quiet. Solitude and depression are like swimming and drowning. In school many years ago, I learned that flowers sometimes unfold inside themselves.”
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May 18, 2011 08:26pm