Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

I am so lucky. My daughter got this book as part of a 'HouseParty' and when she was finished with it she passed it on to me. I haven't read Firefly Lane or True Colors yet, but I'm really looking forward to them after reading this.




From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors 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 traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father fails 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.


This was a great read and brings to point that we really never know where someone else comes from. Sometimes when we think they are hard or rude we need to step back and not take judgement because we don't really know what's going on. This book is all about that. The daughters think their mother is a cold hearted person that never loved them. When they learn her true story it all comes into focus for them all. Great book, you won't be able to put it down.