ny times book review winter garden

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

"I think maybe love can just... dissolve." "No, it does not," her mother said. "So how do --" "You hang on," her mother said. "Until your hands are bleeding, and you still do not let go."

“And maybe that was how it was supposed to be…Joy and sadness were part of the package; the trick, perhaps,was to let yourself feel all of it, but to hold on to the joy just a little more tightly…”

“I would not love him again. Not if I had known how it would feel to live with a broken heart.”

"They would always be a family, but if she learned anything in the past few weeks it was that a family wasn't a static thing. There were always changes going on. Like with continents, sometimes the changes were invisible and underground, and sometimes they were explosive and deadly. The trick was to keep your balance. You couldn't control the direction of your family any more than you could stop the continental shelf from breaking apart. All you could do was hold on for the ride."

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<em>winter garden</em> is kristin hannah's best book yet.

Film Critic

Winter Garden is Kristin Hannah's best written and most deeply affecting novel yet. That is saying a lot since her career has produced such reader pleasing novels as On Mystic Lake , Between Sisters , Firefly Lane and True Colors . Still her latest novel is one of her most compelling stories yet and reaches deep into the reader's soul for compassion and understanding. It is a book that must be read for the detail and intensity of its story. Though it is not an easy book to read, it is one that is well worth the effort.

The book focuses on two sisters, Meredith and Nina Whitsen, and their mother Anya. The two sisters have spent most of their lives trying to communicate with their mother but to no avail. Anya is as remote as the Russian landscape from which she emigrated. The only time Anya seems able to communicate with her daughters is when she is telling them a fairy tale about a "snow princess."

Their "isolated" childhood affects the two women in their adult lives. Meredith finds her marriage falling apart as she withholds her emotions from her husband. Nina finds she is destined to live a solitary life as she can never seem to make the commitment a full relationship needs.

Through it all there is Anya, standing remote and resolute in her unflinching ability to never span the distance between herself and her children. It is only when they demand she tell them the full story of the "snow princess" that some degree of understanding begins to emerge.

Winter Garden is a slow starting book in the sense the reader is put off by the unlikeability of its main characters. Each is so flawed and unyielding that the reader loses interest in their stories. This goes hand in hand with the remoteness of Anya and to some degree the detachment of her two daughters. But as the story unfolds and Anya's story is told the relationships begin to build and so does the interest of the book. It is a gradual process but one that pays huge dividends in the end.

It would be easy to dismiss Winter Garden as an austere, remote adventure in storytelling. It would also be easy top put the book aside well before Hannah reaches her stride in the story. I urge you to stick with this one. The final half of the book is so engrossing that I would hate for anyone to miss out on the satisfaction that awaits.

This is Kristin Hannah's big book. It is a story that careens from one emotion to another. It explores relationships that don't want to be explored. It focuses on a woman caught up in "Sophie's choice" type situations and who bears the emotional scars forever.

This is a beautifully written novel, a meaningful novel, a satisfying novel - if you have the diligence and patience to stick with it from beginning to end. I hope you do. And once you have read it you will be compelled to recommend it to your friends.

Winter Garden starts out cold, beautiful and remote but thaws about halfway through to envelop you in a world of discovery. Some relationships are never easy but most are worth searching for their meaning. Anya and her daughters prove that to us in this excellent book.

Winter Garden is published by St Martin's Press. It contains 394 pages and sells for $26.99.

Jackie K. Cooper - www.jackiekcooper.com

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Jackie k cooper, contributor, popular in the community, you may like.

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Book Review: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah – Bingo!

Winter garden….

Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother?

From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colours comes a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past.

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and travelled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

My Thoughts:

I first came to Kristin Hannah’s work with The Nightingale and over the last eighteen months, I’ve collected her backlist and been slowly making my way through it, loving her more with each novel. She’s an author though who seems to have only two types of readers: those who really hate her (yet still keep reading her books if only for the fact that they then seem to get great enjoyment out of picking them apart on Goodreads) and those who really love her. After four novels, I am definitely in the ‘really love her’ camp. She has an ability to take an event or an issue and present it with a clarity of purpose that focuses largely on human connection. I am always moved by her stories and Winter Garden is no exception. I read this on the verge of tears for most of the second half of the novel, so full of emotion, and as so often happens to me when I read fiction inspired by historical fact, I reached a point where I just had to put the book down so that I could have a good cry. Because it hurt. This story hurts you to contemplate, yet it’s value in terms of remembrance cannot be overstated.

When I think of Russia in terms of WWII, I think of the winter that pushed the ill equipped German troops back, consequently turning the tide of the war. And that’s it. Yet, there is a whole history that was repressed and hidden for decades; a history where an estimated one million people died of starvation in Leningrad, a city that was cut off from the rest of the world, where temperatures in winter sat at around 20 degrees below zero; a city filled with women, children and the elderly, slowly starving and freezing to death, bombed nightly by the Germans. That history was not in any WWII textbooks when I was at school.

In Winter Garden, Kristin presents us with a fractured family. Two sisters with no relationship at all with their mother, who treats them, even as adults, with inexplicable coldness. Upon the death of their father, their mother falls apart at the seams and begins to behave erratically. It isn’t until she reluctantly begins to tell her daughters the story of her life in Leningrad during the war, under the guise of a fairy tale, that the lives of these three women begin to turn a corner.

There are so many reasons why I loved this novel and the presentation of the past as a fairy tale was one of them. It was such an excellent way for Anya to expose herself to her daughters, plus the element of de-coding for Meredith and Nina added an aspect of intrigue to their lives that was a welcome distraction from their grief and personal troubles. I really enjoyed the contemporary story as much as the historical one. Meredith was a character I could completely relate to and there were times when I just wanted to shake Nina for her carelessness and inability to see things from Meredith’s perspective. Kristin Hannah does sisters well, she really does. I have a younger sister, and every time I read a novel by Kristin with sisters in it, I can relate to so many things! But as frustrated as I was by Nina, I also admired her tenacity and passion for not letting something go. Meredith might have been my favourite, but the story needed Nina equally as much.

Of course, the real backbone of this story is the history it brings out into the light. My edition of Winter Garden is a reading group one, so it’s filled with a whole lot of extra material in the back: a Q&A with Kristin on the writing of Winter Garden, an essay by Kristin on the inspiration, some reading group discussion leads, and recipes from the story. It’s in the essay that Kristin states:

‘I wanted to give you all this story of survival and loss, horror and heartache in a way that would allow you to experience it with some measure of emotion. I am not a historian, nor a nonfiction writer. My hope is that you leave this novel informed, but not merely with the facts and figures; rather, I want you to be able to actually imagine it, to ask yourself how you would have fared in such terrible times.’

There is suffering on a scale within this novel that is almost impossible to imagine enduring: watching your children die a little more each day from starvation; the horror of being trapped in a frozen wasteland with war raging around and above you, people dying where they fall and being left there; knowing that if you lie down or sit for a rest, your body will shut down from the cold and lack of sustenance, and you will die and then your children will die. Many of us are so lucky, that the closest we come to this is through reading about it. That an entire generation was able to move on and live out their lives after enduring such horror never ceases to amaze me. WWII affected so many people in so many places around the world; to document the horror in any way, shape, or form, is a service of remembrance, a homage to those who survived as much as those who didn’t. I admire any author who writes the stories of this time; the research alone would be shattering. I can see how this novel paved the way perhaps for Kristin to write The Nightingale. Her unflinching narrative doesn’t hold back; she is like a journalist in some ways, presenting the truth, in all its desperate ugliness.

Winter Garden shows both the human capacity for survival and for self-recrimination. It’s a deeply moving story, particularly if you are a mother, and it has the most beautifully bittersweet ending.

The Author:

Bingo! Winter Garden is my ‘book based on a true story’ -the Siege of Leningrad during WWII. This year I’m playing book bingo with Mrs B’s Book Reviews . Head over there to see what square and book Mrs B has scored for bingo today.

WINTER GARDEN

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2, 2010

A Russian refugee’s terrible secret overshadows her family life.

Meredith, heir apparent to her family’s thriving Washington State apple enterprises, and Nina, a globetrotting photojournalist, grew up feeling marginalized by their mother. Anya saw her daughters as merely incidental to her grateful love for their father Evan, who rescued her from a German prison camp. The girls know neither their mother’s true age, nor the answers to several other mysteries: her color-blindness, her habit of hoarding food despite the family’s prosperity and the significance of her “winter garden” with its odd Cyrillic-inscribed columns. The only thawing in Anya’s mien occurs when she relates a fairy tale about a peasant girl who meets a prince and their struggles to live happily ever after during the reign of a tyrannical Black Knight. After Evan dies, the family comes unraveled: Anya shows signs of dementia; Nina and Meredith feud over whether to move Mom from her beloved dacha-style home, named Belye Nochi after the summer “white nights” of her native Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Anya, now elderly but of preternaturally youthful appearance—her white hair has been that way as long as the girls can remember—keeps babbling about leather belts boiled for soup, furniture broken up for firewood and other oddities. Prompted by her daughters’ snooping and a few vodka-driven dinners, she grudgingly divulges her story. She is not Anya, but Vera, sole survivor of a Russian family; her father, grandmother, mother, sister, husband and two children were all lost either to Stalin’s terror or during the German army’s siege of Leningrad. Anya’s chronicle of the 900-day siege, during which more than half a million civilians perished from hunger and cold, imparts new gravitas to the novel, easily overwhelming her daughters’ more conventional “issues.” The effect, however, is all but vitiated by a manipulative and contrived ending.

Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-312-36412-0

Page Count: 400

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2009

Categories: FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

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by Kristin Hannah

Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable...

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New York Times Bestseller

MAYBE SOMEDAY

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014

Sydney and Ridge make beautiful music together in a love triangle written by Hoover ( Losing Hope , 2013, etc.), with a link to a digital soundtrack by American Idol contestant Griffin Peterson.

Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. While music student Sydney is watching her neighbor Ridge play guitar on his balcony across the courtyard, Ridge is watching Sydney’s boyfriend, Hunter, secretly make out with her best friend on her balcony. The two begin a songwriting partnership that grows into something more once Sydney dumps Hunter and decides to crash with Ridge and his two roommates while she gets back on her feet. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggie—and that he's deaf. Ridge’s deafness doesn’t impede their relationship or their music. In fact, it creates opportunities for sexy nonverbal communication and witty text messages: Ridge tenderly washes off a message he wrote on Sydney’s hand in ink, and when Sydney adds a few too many e’s to the word “squee” in her text, Ridge replies, “If those letters really make up a sound, I am so, so glad I can’t hear it.” While they fight their mutual attraction, their hope that “maybe someday” they can be together playfully comes out in their music. Peterson’s eight original songs flesh out Sydney’s lyrics with a good mix of moody musical styles: “Living a Lie” has the drama of a Coldplay piano ballad, while the chorus of “Maybe Someday” marches to the rhythm of the Lumineers. But Ridge’s lingering feelings for Maggie cause heartache for all three of them. Independent Maggie never complains about Ridge’s friendship with Sydney, and it's hard to even want Ridge to leave Maggie when she reveals her devastating secret. But Ridge can’t hide his feelings for Sydney long—and they face their dilemma with refreshing emotional honesty.

Pub Date: March 18, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4767-5316-4

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: May 7, 2014

Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

More by Colleen Hoover

by Colleen Hoover

Finding positivity in negative pregnancy-test results, this depiction of a marriage in crisis is nearly perfect.

ALL YOUR PERFECTS

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2018

Named for an imperfectly worded fortune cookie, Hoover's ( It Ends with Us , 2016, etc.) latest compares a woman’s relationship with her husband before and after she finds out she’s infertile.

Quinn meets her future husband, Graham, in front of her soon-to-be-ex-fiance’s apartment, where Graham is about to confront him for having an affair with his girlfriend. A few years later, they are happily married but struggling to conceive. The “then and now” format—with alternating chapters moving back and forth in time—allows a hopeful romance to blossom within a dark but relatable dilemma. Back then, Quinn’s bad breakup leads her to the love of her life. In the now, she’s exhausted a laundry list of fertility options, from IVF treatments to adoption, and the silver lining is harder to find. Quinn’s bad relationship with her wealthy mother also prevents her from asking for more money to throw at the problem. But just when Quinn’s narrative starts to sound like she’s writing a long Facebook rant about her struggles, she reveals the larger issue: Ever since she and Graham have been trying to have a baby, intimacy has become a chore, and she doesn’t know how to tell him. Instead, she hopes the contents of a mystery box she’s kept since their wedding day will help her decide their fate. With a few well-timed silences, Hoover turns the fairly common problem of infertility into the more universal problem of poor communication. Graham and Quinn may or may not become parents, but if they don’t talk about their feelings, they won’t remain a couple, either.

Pub Date: July 17, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-7159-8

Page Count: 320

Review Posted Online: May 1, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018

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Winter Garden : Book summary and reviews of Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Winter Garden

by Kristin Hannah

Critics' Opinion:

Readers' rating:

Published Jan 2011 448 pages Genre: Literary Fiction Publication Information

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About this book

Book summary.

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are. First published in hardcover: January 2010.

Media Reviews

Reader reviews.

"Readers will find it hard not to laugh a little and cry a little more." - Publishers Weekly "Anya's chronicle of the 900-day siege [of WWII Leningrad] imparts new gravitas to the novel...the effect, however, is all but vitiated by a manipulative and contrived ending." - Kirkus Reviews "This tearjerker weaves a convincing historical novel and contemporary family drama with elements of romance. It is sure to please fans of Danielle Steel, Luanne Rice, and Nicholas Sparks." - Library Journal

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Kristin Hannah Author Biography

Photo: Charles Bush

Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale , Winter Garden , Night Road , and Firefly Lane . Her novel, The Nightingale , has been published in 43 languages and is currently in movie production at TriStar Pictures, which also optioned her novel, The Great Alone . Her novel, Home Front has been optioned for film by 1492 Films (produced the Oscar-nominated The Help ) with Chris Columbus attached to direct. Kristin is a former-lawyer-turned writer who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. Her novel, Firefly Lane , became a runaway bestseller in 2009, a touchstone novel that brought women together, and The Nightingale , in 2015 was voted a best book of the year by Amazon, Buzzfeed, iTunes, ...

... Full Biography Author Interview Link to Kristin Hannah's Website

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Winter Garden: A Novel Paperback – December 31, 2018

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Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn't know her mother? From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah comes Winter Garden , a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past. Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time―and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

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Kristin Hannah’s Best Books Ranked in Order (+ PDF)

Posted on Last updated: March 1, 2023

Home » Books » Authors » Kristin Hannah’s Best Books Ranked in Order (+ PDF)

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This list of author Kristin Hannah’s best books ranked will help you choose which book by this beloved author to read next. Plus, get a printable PDF of the full list to help you track your reading.

Kristin Hannah is best known for immersive and emotional, modern, and historical fiction for women that just seem to get better and better. There are some real page-turners in these best-selling Kristin Hannah books.

First, get the details of Kristin Hannah’s latest book. Then, read my list of Kristin Hannah’s best books ranked. For even more resources, read on further for a list of Kristin Hannah books in order, details about the best Kristin Hannahs books to movie adaptations, and authors like Kristin Hannah to check out.

Table of Contents

Kristin Hannah New Book 2023

According to publisher Pan Macmillan , Kristin Hannah’s new book will be released on June 22, 2023. It is tentatively titled The Things We Do For Love / Another Life, and its the story of the tested bond between a newly single woman who yearns to be a mother, and a promising teenage girl who yearns for a mother, set in a small coastal town on the Pacific Northwest.

List of Kristin Hannah’s Best Books Ranked

Below is my list of Kristin Hannah’s best books ranked with stars, summaries, and reviews to help you choose your next Kristin Hannah book.

First, for quick and easy reference, these three books are Kristin Hannah bestsellers on this blog, as well as some of my personal favorite Kristin Hannah novels:

Now, onto the list of Kristin Hannah’s best books ranked!

The Nightingale

My top pick

My review: 5 out of 5 stars; one of Kristin Hannah’s bestsellers on this blog

Best for fans of World War II historical fiction

The Nightingale is the gripping and unforgettable story of two adult sisters during World War II in France. First, in a quaint town, teacher Vianne and her daughter Sophie bid farewell to their husband and father, Mauriac, as he goes off to battle.

Surprisingly, the Nazis invade France, and a Nazi soldier shelters in Vianne’s home, putting her life at constant risk, as life’s necessities dwindle.

Meanwhile, Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, a rebel and spitfire, meets and quickly falls in love with the partisan Gaetan. But after Gaetan betrays her, she joins the underground resistance and must also continually face dangerous decisions.

What happens as this novel progresses will touch your heart and shock your conscience with the horrors of war, as you turn the pages.

The Nightingale is so universally beloved for very good reason. I personally recommend the paper version, as I found the audio narration to be dry. However, this is an absolute must-read.

For more, read my full review of The Nightingale .

Best for fans of Vietnam-era historical fiction and Alaskan settings

The Great Alone transports the reader to Alaska in 1974 for a harrowingly epic story of resilience. Ernt is a former Prisoner of War, who returns home from the Vietnam War with PTSD. He impulsively decides to move to Alaska, where he, his wife Cora, and his teen daughter Leni will live in America’s last frontier, fighting for survival both literally and figuratively.

Leni befriends a local boy and, as a brutal winter approaches, these characters face a string of utterly traumatic events as dark and cold as the Alaskan Winter itself. And the results are both beautiful and devastating.

The Great Alone is the most memorable winter-themed book that has stayed with me since first reading it. I still think about the picturesque but harsh realities of Alaska and found myself Googling the State so many times while reading and afterward. Its riveting words that once kept me up all night turning the pages still make it a five-star read for me.

For more, read my full review of The Great Alone .

Firefly Lane

My review: 4 out of 5 stars; a bestselling Kristin Hannah book on this blog

#1 New York Times bestseller

Best for fans of emotional, decades-long friendship stories

In Firefly Lane , it’s 1974 in the State of Washington, and a nerdy teenager named Kate Mularkey meets and befriends Tully Hart, the “coolest girl in the world.” In fact, due to circumstances surrounding Tully’s family life, they become inseparable as sisters.

Over the next three decades, their friendship plays out over their journalistic careers, life and love… and a lot of cultural references. But, Kate ultimately chooses a quiet family life, and Tully chooses a fame-filled professional life.

For thirty years, their friendship weathers jealousy, anger, hurt, and resentment. Then, one single act of betrayal puts their friendship to the ultimate test.

It’s a heartwarming coming-of-age novel that will leave you feeling like you know the characters and holding back tears at the end.

For more, read my full guide to Firefly Lane .

The Four Winds

My review: 4 out of 5 stars

Best for fans of Depression-era historical fiction and Chanel Cleeton’s novels

The Four Winds is set amidst the Great Depression when America was in crisis and millions were out of work.

Elsa Wolcott was considered to be too old to marry, and her future seemed bleak until she met and quickly decided to marry a man. But, when the Great Depression hit, Elsa was left alone to either fight for the land she loved or leave it and head west to California with her children, in search of a better life.

But, the choice is not without consequences, and the land challenges their journey just as much as the state of the economy. This is a gripping tale of motherhood and the struggle to survive and thrive when everything is working against your favor.

You will learn about the social and political climate of the time through the eyes of unforgettable characters, and anxiously await your discovery of what becomes of their treacherous journey.

The audiobook is read by beloved narrator Julia Whelan, known for injecting emotion and suspense into her readings, and I very highly recommend that format.

Comfort & Joy

Best for fans of fables and holiday stories

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In Comfort & Joy , protagonist Joy is recently divorced and alone, so she boards a plane to spend the holidays in the Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected event leaves her deep into the woods she makes a fateful decision to leave her old life behind.

She meets six-year-old Bobby, about to experience his first Christmas without a mother. He has closed himself off from all the world — except Joy, with whom he forms a deeply powerful bond, as his father watches on.

But everything is not as it appears, and Joy is separated from her new life as quickly as she began it. Desperate to return, only the magic of Christmas may save Joy and Bobby in this fanciful, short tale that really keeps you on your toes wondering what’s real and what will happen next.

Winter Garden

My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Best for fans of emotional historical fiction like that of Chantel Cleeton

In Winter Garden , Meredith and Nina Whitson are two adult sisters at odds. While Meredith works as a stay-at-home mother and manages the family apple orchard, Nina is a world-traveled photojournalist.

When their father becomes ill, Nina returns home, and they cope with their cold and disapproving mother.

But when their mother begins to retell the Russian fairy tale she often told them as children, so begins a journey into the truth surrounding her past life in war-torn Leningrad decades earlier. The sisters learn secrets so terrible that it shakes them to the core and changes them forever.

I enjoyed this book and it’s definitely one of the best books about Winter , but I recommend the audio version, as the pacing is a bit slow, and it can be listened to at higher speeds to keep the suspenseful action moving along more quickly.

No, Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is a standalone book.

My review: 3 out of 5 stars

Best for fans of Firefly Lane

Fly Away is the sequel to Firefly Lane , a historical fiction book series . I don’t want to say too much about it, as I would have to give away the ending of the first book, but I will generally note that Fly Away picks up a few years later, and it primarily explores Tully’s grief and relationship with her mother, Cloud. Kate’s family also plays a big role in the novel.

While I loved returning to beloved book characters and learning more about Cloud’s background as well, Fly Away felt more like a long epilogue than a well-rounded story in its own right.

Read this one if you are a big fan of the series and the characters, and you just can’t miss more of them, or if you want to see how the sequel differs from season 2 of the Firefly Lane Netflix series.

List of Kristin Hannah Books in Order

You can generally read Kristin Hannah’s books in any order, except you should read Firefly Lane prior to reading its sequel, Fly Away .

Below is a list of all Kristin Hannah books in order of chronological publishing date, from oldest to most recent:

Kristin Hannah Books to Movies

Firefly Lane is a #1 watched worldwide series on Netflix , starring Sarah Chalke and Katherine Heigl. It’s very different than this bestselling Kristin Hannah book, but I still really enjoyed it. Watch the trailer below:

Season 2 was released on Netflix in December 2022.

Authors Like Kristin Hannah

If you like Kristin Hannah’s novels, you may like the books of these authors like Kristin Hannah , who also write immersive and emotional, modern, and historical fiction books similar to the best Kristin Hannah books.

That concludes my list of author Kristin Hannah’s best books ranked with some extra resources for you, including Kristin Hannah’s books in order. To recap and help you decide what to read first or next, the top 3 picks are:

Sunday 26th of December 2021

I just finished Kristin Hannah’sWinter Garden and loved it. I appreciate the strong women characters in Ms Hannah’s books.

Wednesday 7th of April 2021

Have you read Lisa Scottoline’s new book Eternal? If so, what do you think?

Jules Buono

I have not!

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Authors & Illustrators

Kristin Hannah

Winter garden.

From the New York Times number one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds , comes Kristin Hannah's haunting, heartbreakingly beautiful novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between past and present. Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and travelled the world to become a famous photo journalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, these two estranged women will find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. On his deathbed, their father extracts one last promise from the women in his life. It begins with a story that is unlike anything the sisters have heard before – a captivating, mysterious love story that spans sixty-five years and moves from frozen, war torn Leningrad to modern-day Alaska. The vividly imagined tale brings these three women together in a way that none could have expected. Meredith and Nina will finally learn the secret of their mother's past and uncover a truth so terrible it will shake the foundation of their family and change who they think they are. Mesmerizing from the first page to the last, Winter Garden is an evocative, lyrically written novel that will long be remembered. 'It’s a tearjerker, but the journey is as lovely – and haunting – as a snow filled winter’s night.' – People

It’s a tearjerker, but the journey is as lovely—and haunting—as a snow filled winter’s night. People

A gripping read. Booklist

Readers will find it hard not to laugh a little and cry a little more as mother and daughters reach out to each other just in the nick of time. Publishers Weekly

Books by Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds

Firefly Lane

True Colours

The Great Alone

Between Sisters

Another Life

The Nightingale

IMAGES

New York Times Book Review Cover on Behance
New York Times Book Review (豆瓣)
NY Times Book Review on Behance
New York Times Book Review by Eunhae Suh
NY Times Book Review Spotlights Matthew Zapruder's Book 'Why Poetry'
The Winter Garden

VIDEO

The Boat Runner
Интервью Ричарда Армитиджа для NY Times Book Review с русскими субтитрами
KVS PRT BEST PRACTICE SET||KVS OLD PEPPERS|| KVS PRACTICE SET||YUTH COMPETITION TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"The Wise Turtle's Journey
Pinnacle Point: Jon Meacham in Chattanooga
Sea World Dolphin Dies in Collision With Another

COMMENTS

WINTER GARDEN.
Broadway, between Bleecker and Amity sts. THIS EVENING, Dec. 18, commencing at 8 o'clock, BABES IN THE WOOD and THE FAT BOY. Characters by Messrs.
Paperback Trade Fiction Books
A version of this list appears in the February 13, 2011 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Read 21.2k reviews from the world's largest community for readers. ... Winter Garden was one of the most breathtaking books that I have ever read in my
<em>Winter Garden</em> is Kristin Hannah's Best Book Yet
Winter Garden is a slow starting book in the sense the reader is put off by the unlikeability of its main characters. Each is so flawed and
Book Review: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Winter Garden shows both the human capacity for survival and for self-recrimination. It's a deeply moving story, particularly if you are a
WINTER GARDEN
Meredith, heir apparent to her family's thriving Washington State apple enterprises, and Nina, a globetrotting photojournalist, grew up feeling
Book summary and reviews of Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard;
Winter Garden: A Novel
This story of sadness, grief, love and forgiveness is truly unforgettable. The relationship between sisters Nina and Meredith is so strained but the promise
Kristin Hannah's Best Books Ranked in Order (+ PDF)
In Winter Garden, Meredith and Nina Whitson are two adult sisters at odds. While Meredith works as a stay-at-home mother and manages the family
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Synopsis. From the New York Times number one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, comes Kristin Hannah's haunting