3.5
In the Midst of Winter
ByPublisher Description
New York Times and worldwide bestselling author Isabel Allende returns with a sweeping novel that journeys from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil that offers “a timely message about immigration and the meaning of home” (People).
During the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and what at first seems an inconvenience takes a more serious turn when Evelyn comes to his house, seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant, Lucia Maraz, a fellow academic from Chile, for her advice.
As these three lives intertwine, each will discover truths about how they have been shaped by the tragedies they witnessed, and Richard and Lucia will find unexpected, long overdue love. Allende returns here to themes that have propelled some of her finest work: political injustice, the art of survival, and the essential nature of—and our need for—love.
During the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and what at first seems an inconvenience takes a more serious turn when Evelyn comes to his house, seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant, Lucia Maraz, a fellow academic from Chile, for her advice.
As these three lives intertwine, each will discover truths about how they have been shaped by the tragedies they witnessed, and Richard and Lucia will find unexpected, long overdue love. Allende returns here to themes that have propelled some of her finest work: political injustice, the art of survival, and the essential nature of—and our need for—love.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesIn the Midst of Winter Reviews
3.5
“I know that all the history is needed for the story, but a lot of the political information was a bit much for me.
I liked the fact that I could relate to Evelyn’s story, and the banter between Richard and Lucia. Cute and funny, but at times the story felt drawn out.”
“Wasn’t my typical type of read, and I had a hard time getting into it at first. Switching to the audiobook made for a better experience and helped me stay engaged.
I appreciated learning about the real hardships faced by people in Central America. I especially enjoyed the banter between Richard and Lucia—it added some warmth and lightness to an otherwise heavy story. There was also a plot twist I didn’t see coming, which kept things interesting.
Not a favorite, but definitely eye-opening.”
“Not perfect but still a great story by a great author. 3 migrants are forced together to deal with a traumatic experience which causes them to reflect on their unique and related trauma.”
BelievableChange and growDiverse representationMemorableMorally ambiguousMultilayeredOriginalUnlikableNonlinear narrativeUnsatisfying conclusionBeautifully-writtenEasy to readOriginalAbleismAbuseBigotryChild abuseChild lossDeathDomestic violenceEating disordersGriefHomophobiaMisogynyMurderRacismReligious intoleranceSexual assaultSubstance abuseViolenceWar violence
“Es el primer libro que leo de esta autora y estoy genuinamente sorprendida con la forma en que escribe y transmite la historia.
Debo decir que mi personaje favorito fue Evelyn, con una historia tan dura que te hace pensar en las vivencias de esas poblaciones donde la violencia está a la vuelta de la esquina pero la justicia poco llega.
Richard y Lucía, ambos con historias difíciles también, pero formas distintas de afrontar las dificultades y los desafíos de la vida. Al final, siendo tan diferentes, terminan encontrando en el otro la comodidad, el amor, y el compañerismo que secretamente ambos anhelan.
Me ha encantado el libro y espero leer más de esta autora.”About Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende, born in Peru and raised in Chile, is a novelist, feminist, and philanthropist. She is one of the most widely read authors in the world, having sold more than eighty million copies of her twenty-eight books across forty-two languages. She is the author of several bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including The Wind Knows My Name, The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, and Eva Luna. She has received fifteen honorary doctorates, been inducted into the California Hall of Fame, and received the PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award and the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in 2018, she received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. She lives in California with her husband and dogs. You can visit Isabel Allende at IsabelAllende.com or follow her on Instagram @AllendeIsabel, on Facebook at Facebook.com/IsabelAllende, and on X @IsabelAllende.
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