The author of the strange and wonderful Tex and Molly in the Afterlife returns with a sad, poignant, funny, and altogether extraordinary work of power and purpose. "In The Land Of Winter" is the story of Pippa Rede -- a young, contemporary witch and devoted mother of nine-year-old Winterbelle -- who struggles for subsistence in a frigid northeastern corner of America. In the busy days before the highest holiday in Christendom, her adored daughter is stolen from her by bigots and zealots bolstered by the powers of official government who have labeled Pippa a monster and an unfit parent. Left homeless, jobless, and childless to face the longest, coldest nights of the year all alone, Pippa retreats into the dark, wild wood on a transforming inner quest. For, even when all else is swept away, there is still magic in the world. And Pippa Rede is determined to unlock the strengths she will need to win back her Winterbelle and restore the rightness of the universe.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
This delightful modern fairy tale blends myth and magic with intolerance and hysteria to deliver the message: don't mess with a witch. Single mom and do-it-yourself witch Pippa Rede works in a trendy shop, lives with her disapproving great-aunt, and nurtures her beloved nine-year-old daughter, Winterbelle. When voices in the village raise cries about ritualized abuse (escalated to QROST, quasi-ritualized occultic sexual traumatization), Pippa loses first Winterbelle (to the authorities), then her job and home. With a small band of supporters?a civil libertarian lawyer, a witch friend, an elfin boy, a representative from Witches Against Negativity and Discrimination, an elderly woman, and a gentleman who goes on duty two weeks a year as a werewolf?Pippa prevails, calling on her inner resources and beliefs and emerging a stronger witch and woman than ever. Grant (Tex and Molly in the Afterlife, LJ 9/15/96) has a wonderful, witty feminist fable here, suffused with the supernatural yet grounded in morality. Highly recommended.?Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
The ever unpredictable, loopy Grant, who specializes in midworlds (Tex and Molly in the Afterlife, 1996, etc.), takes us- -with little allure--into a frigid and tree-filled New England 'burb near Mount Wabenaki, where witches stir their brews. A husbandless young wiccan, Pippa Rede, works in the Rose Petal and Thorn flower shop supporting herself and her adorably sensible nine-year-old daughter, the elfin Winterbelle. Pippa is often distraught, but the sweet Winterbelle helps soothe her buffetings. Then the local Herald begins printing attacks on satanism, pointing to Pippa. It's all very unfair--she is, after all, only a friendly, contemporary young witch trying to make it on her own, for heaven's sake. At school Winterbelle seems to outwit meddling psychologist Carol Aaby, who nonetheless comes that night to the Rede home with the Department of Family Services and removes Winterbelle from the house of witchcraft. Things get worse as Pippa is fired from the Rose Petal and Thorn for being scary to Christians during the shop's big Christmas season. Will the editor of the Herald consider helping her? Will lawyer Arthur Torvid, fuming about Constitutional rights, come to her aid? Not bloody likely when psychologist Aaby calls Pippa the Devil's pawn and the Herald prints an alarmist letter about ``ritual abuse.'' Pippa finally gets help from an unexpected source: Spear, a Native American law-school dropout, has developed a special personal interest in people who are doing something that doesn't make sense to anybody else--such as wiccans--and he proves more than a match for Pippa's many enemies. The bad guys are one-dimensional, the conflict hopelessly banal. Here, sentimentality flattens all interest. (First printing of 25,000) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richard Grant has written another gem...,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: In the Land of Winter (Mass Market Paperback)
I first read _Tex and Molly in the Afterlife_ (also by Grant). I really liked that book and decided to try another. _In the Land of Winter_ is a shorter, but more intimate book. (of note, Pippa is a character from _Tex and Molly_)Grant does a fabulous job of making Pippa (the main character) a three-dimensional character. She is fleshed out emotionally and physically throughout the book, and reading it, one can become quite attached to her and her plight. His writing is veritably magical. He illustrates beautiful scenery, horrific and endearing characters, and plotlines of great imagination. He has truly become one of my favorite authors. I have and will continue to recommend this book to all my friends.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richard Grant Is My New Favorite Novelist,
By Rabbit Bronte (Shenandoah Valley, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In the Land of Winter (Hardcover)
I found IN THE LAND OF WINTER by just browsing through a bookstore's shelves, but just had to buy it after reading the first few pages. Richard Grant is a wonderful discovery for me. Not only does he have the loveliest prose style--lyrical, then zany by turns--but he tells a powerful and entertaining story. His style may at first seem comical, but the story gathers great power along the way. Rather than stereotyping his characters, he gives humanity and depth to his people that many would consider on the fringe of society. Richard Grant also writes about the feelings of motherhood in a way I've never encountered before--deeply felt, but completely without saccharine--and he's a guy! How do you know so much about how motherhood feels, Mr. Grant? After reading this novel, I felt I looked at the world in a new and different way, and felt wiser for it. Thank you, Richard Grant.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kirkus Reviews Misses the Point; a fine book,
By A Customer
This review is from: In the Land of Winter (Mass Market Paperback)
I am sorry the Kirkus reviewer is so damn jaded. It may not be Dostoyevsky, but it's a fine book with characters you care about. I am particularly happy to see someone write such a good, Regular Guy type of witch. The religion and magic are not incidental, but they don't mean only pagans or outre religious feminists will be comfortable here. Anyone who likes a good read, clean deep affection, and a taste of individual liberties will find a couple of hours' joy in this book.
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