Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is an amazing book. It truly changed me as a woman and mother.
By living through the Siege of Leningrad as a young wife and mother, Vera is forced to make decisions that no woman should ever have to make. She faces devastating losses and manages to keep living because that is what the women in her life have taught her to do. Guilt and heartbreak close her heart to a relationship with her daughters. Her husband's dying wish is for her to tell their daughters a fairy tale that she began and never finished. Like all fairytales, this is the only hope for love and redemption.
Kristin Hannah is an incredible writer. Her writing is lyrical and poignant, while staying realistic and believable. Reading her words made me feel like I was in the fairytale world of Peter's Window to the West. Like the girls, I waited breathlessly to hear more of the fairytale that could only be told in the dark of night. Kristin also put the two stories together seamlessly. Although the ending was a bit hard to believe, I was very thankful she chose the ending she did because I loved the characters as if they were myself and Vera deserved her ending.
I often read books for young adults, but this book is written for adults - both content and the depth of life you need to understand the characters. This book is my new favorite book. It is a powerful book - especially for women.