wintering

by Derek Johns

'Wintering' captures the fragile moment between innocence and maturity in an entrancing story about growing up - for both a father and a son.

In the late 1950s, bankrupt Jaguar salesman Jim Parker must start his life over again in a village near Glastonbury. He grudgingly accepts employment in a relative’s clothing store. Meanwhile his two children attend a tiny rural school and his long-suffering wife sets up house in a primitive farm cottage. While Billy, his son, dreams of the mysterious Glastonbury Tor, Jim secretly sells Billy’s toys to fund his adulterous rendezvous with a teenage waitress. Jim’s meek wife, who knows of the affair but says nothing, tries to fulfil herself through amateur dramatics. Billy comes to learn of his father’s guilty secrets and eventually confronts him. Ostensibly this novel is about how young Billy’s coming of age intertwines with his father’s dawning realisation that he, too, must grow up and stop acting like such a feckless, self-pitying prat.

Genres: Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

DEREK JOHNS has been a bookseller, editor and publisher and now works as a literary agent in London.

Reviews

[Neil McLeod · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very readable and nicely paced book, but the characters lack sufficient depth to really hold interest, particularly in light of the lack of real plot. Therefore it fails to work as either an evocative, meditative work of literary fiction, or as an entertainment.

[Dave Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://electrichalibut.blogspot.com/...

[Sally Whitehead · Rating 1 out of 5]

A nicely written book, and engaging enough to make it an easy read. I enjoyed the setting around Wells and Glastonbury Tor, but feel it could have been even more descriptive, evocative and atmospheric. The majority of the characters were fairly two dimensional, the most interesting one probably being Leonora who probably had a very interesting back story but of whom we see relatively little development. Other characters, such as Lewis, seem pointlessly incidental. Eleven year old Billy's fascination with the Tor and the possibility of Jesus having visited England are only ever touched upon and again never really developed. To some extent the novel is nicely evocative of post war rural England, but sadly the plot is just incredibly dull.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the Somerset countryside in the 1950s, this book tells the story of a family's fall from grace following the failure of the father's business.

The father has to come to terms with his failure while at the same time the mother finds a new independence, and the son struggles with adolescence in a new and unfamiliar village.

I loved this book. It brought back so many memories of a much more innocent era - one which I am sure many people yearn to return to.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a comfortable friend, easy to read and the characters are likeable. The character of Billy is a sweet inquisitive boy with a thirst for knowledge.
Even though Jim is a rogue, he is likeable, but for me the person who does the most discovery of themselves in the book is Margaret.
A sweet book!

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review; The Wintering by Derek Johns
http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/2010/0...
"This book had so much promise, but I found the ending to be empty, leaving me with an uncomfortable and disappointed feeling."

[sisterimapoet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a bit of a let down. A bit limp. A bit obvious. No real depth of scene or character. It felt more like an extended short story than a novel.

[Polly Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read & good characters but a bit dull. Would've liked more descriptive insight about Somerset in the 50s.

[Alic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Surprised I gave this one star. Sorry just not for me