In the Midst of Winter
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
**THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**
**The captivating new novel from the multi-million-bestselling author of The House of the Spirits and The Japanese Lover**
'In some of the most beautiful passages in the novel, Allende explores the gentle but redemptive depths of mature love and the paths it can take . . . Allende has an unflashy wisdom to offer, a maturity that illuminates her storytelling . . . it pursues an age-old question: how to live a full life and find meaning, not just survive or endure one’s past’ Financial Times on In the Midst of Winter
New York Times bestseller Isabel Allende returns with a beautifully crafted, multi-generational novel of struggle, endurance and friendship against the odds.
Amid the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, an unexpected friendship blossoms between three people thrown together by circumstance. Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car driven by Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented migrant from Guatemala. But what at first seems an inconvenience takes an unforeseen and darker turn when Evelyn comes to him and his neighbour Lucia Maraz, desperately seeking help. Sweeping from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala to turbulent 1970s Chile and Brazil, and woven with Isabel Allende's trademark humanity, passion and storytelling verve, In the Midst of Winter is a mesmerizing and unforgettable tale.
Praise for Isabel Allende:
‘Isabel Allende is a master storyteller. When it comes to love Isabel writes from the heart to the heart and I feel all the richer for having been touched by her’ Santa Montefiore
‘If Allende's life depended on her narrative gifts, she'd not only survive, but reign’ Los Angeles Times
‘Isabel Allende is the most romantic of writers and The Japanese Lover is a novel of high romance and lush sensuality, unashamedly about the enduring power of love and ending on a note of grace’ The Times
‘Lush storytelling, with a liberal dusting of South American magical realism and a multi-generational narrative sweep’ Financial Times
‘Internationally beloved Allende, as effervescent in her compassion, social concerns, and profound joy in storytelling as ever, brings both humor and intensity to this madcap, soulful and transporting tale of three survivors who share their traumatic pasts … Allende has a rare and precious gift for simultaneously challenging and entrancing readers’ Booklist, starred review
‘Grief and loss are transformed into healing friendship in this fantastic novel … A suspenseful, icy adventure. Filled with Allende’s signature lyricism and ingenious plotting, the book delves wonderfully into what it means to respect, protect, and love’ Publishers Weekly
‘This winter's tale has something to melt each frozen heart’ Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Grief and loss are transformed into a healing friendship in this fantastic novel from Allende (Zorro). Sixty-year-old scholar Richard Bowmaster and his coworker and tenant, 62-year-old Lucia Maraz, who is a visiting professor at NYU, are faced with a shocking dilemma when a young Guatemalan refugee enters their lives. Set primarily in Brooklyn and upstate New York, the book opens with a minor car collision between Richard and Evelyn Ortega an undocumented immigrant working for an overbearing employer. Shaken and terrified because she borrowed her employer's Lexus without his permission, Evelyn comes to Richard's apartment. Unable to calm her, Richard solicits Lucia to come help and, with a snowstorm raging outside, the three nibble on pot brownies and share stories: Evelyn's harrowing, tortured childhood at the hands of the MS-13 gang, Lucia's youth amid the violence of the 1973 Chilean coup. Upon sobering up, Evelyn explains that she cannot return the Lexus, and that there is a dead body in the trunk, presumably murdered by her employer. Richard, having grown up hearing of his father's escape from the Nazis, has "the idea etched on his mind that to help the persecuted is an inescapable duty." With the threat that Evelyn could be deported if they notify the authorities, the three quickly plan to dispose of the body in upstate New York, launching a suspenseful, icy adventure. Filled with Allende's signature lyricism and ingenious plotting, the book delves wonderfully into what it means to respect, protect, and love.