Leaving Winter [Paperback]

Kathleen A. Quinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

A charming story of love, warmth, and the hope of Spring.

Cordelia has come to Rome for the Christmas holidays with dreams of a different life, but she finds that her loneliness and her embarrassment about her weight follow her. Just as she is giving up all hope, she meets Frank, a man with a terribly scarred face and an equally wounded soul.

As their friendship grows and becomes something more, their tentative movements toward each other begin the slow process of healing their lives. Together, they learn how to escape from cold isolation and leave their personal winters behind.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Catching her toe on a loose tile, Cordelia fell into the pew and burst into tears. She was so clumsy. So useless. Her sisters were right. Every single thing she had read in their e-mails this morning was true. She tried muffling her sobs with a fistful of tissues. At least no one was witnessing her humiliation--except for that man in the back. Dashing past him, she had seen the long scar and puckered skin of his face. Deformed, like her. A freak, like her. She wondered if he, too, avoided mirrors. She wished she had never passed that shop, had never glanced at its darkened window and seen her silhouette looking back. After the e-mails, it was too much. Why had she ever thought she'd be different here in Rome? She whipped off her scarf and crumpled it in her fist. "Damn, damn, da--" She glanced at the altar apologetically. The golden rays shimmering around the Madonna seemed to mock her as they fanned out from the altar. This city's rich history had tricked her into thinking she could shed her own history--one of solitude, of rejection. She had had visions of becoming miraculously elegant the moment she left Chicago. She would be draped in scarves, trailing whiffs of perfume. She would look almost--but not quite--untouchable like the Madonna over the altar, instead of .... Leaning back, she eyed the ceiling. Instead of like those fat little cherubs with their dimpled arms and legs. Cordelia took a deep breath, the air catching in her throat like a sob. She wiped her eyes before looking around. It was the smallest church she had visited so far, but cozy and inviting, not cramped. The warmth of the old wooden pews provided a welcome sensation in contrast to the cold marble pillars. Wanting to pull that warmth inside, she stroked the deep, rich wood which seemed to hold within it the prayers, dreams, and fears of all the heart-weary who had sat in this very pew over the centuries. Its immutable smoothness soothed her. One change after another had wrenched her life in the past few years. After only six months of sharing an apartment with a friend, Cordelia had moved back home when her mother had a stroke. The cancer wasn't discovered until later. Needing flexible hours, Cordelia changed her position at the publisher's so she could work from home. To her surprise--and her boss's delight--she excelled at editing. Even there, though, she was fixing things for other people to get the glory. Sometimes she felt like a photocopy of a person. Or a negative--necessary for the photograph, but useless on its own. Her life was a darkroom. Cold and dark. She had nursed her mother until the end--then her father, who had faded, day by day, after her mother's death. She had somehow become the caretaker of the family and the free babysitter for all her nieces and nephews. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Actually, not even that. "Of course I'd love to have you as a bridesmaid," Jennifer had said, "but you'd hate the dresses. They're a little too slinky for you. And yellow is definitely not your color." It wasn't the yellow. It was the slinky. Fat sisters not welcome. If only she were different! Maybe she would have been elegant if she had been called Heather or Lisa. Then she'd be blonde and thin and beautiful. Like her aunt had been. Like her sisters. But she took after Mom's side of the family, so she couldn't really blame Jennifer. Jen had had a beautiful, storybook wedding, and Cordelia would have ruined it. She had known that since the day of Rose's Senior Prom. Awed by her sister's dress and hair and shoes, Cordelia had said that when she grew up, she'd be beautiful like that and wear a beautiful gown to the ball. Just like Rose. "It's not going to happen, Cordy," Rose had said, turning her little sister to the mirror. "Look at yourself. You'll never be like us." Until that moment, Cordelia hadn't realized she was ugly. And she had never forgotten the lesson of that day. The warm scent of incense hung in the air. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. She could see one and smell the other, but where was the myrrh? Or was it the same as frankincense? Sighing, she stroked the wood again. What difference did it make? She hadn't come to Rome bearing the gifts of the Magi. She had come, selfishly, hoping to receive. Something. Anything. Not very Christmasy, but better than being at home.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Silver Lake Publishing (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931095736
• ISBN-13: 978-1931095730
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,523,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 and 9/10 stars!, January 28, 2004

By 

curvynovelsdotinfo "[e-mail]" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leaving Winter (Paperback)

Heroine: plump/voluptuous

Cordelia Brown is certain she is having the worst Christmas ever. Her loving parents have passed away and her beautiful but unkind sisters can't forgive her for inheriting the family home. So she escapes to Rome as per her father's final wishes in the hopes that she'll find some happiness there. Perhaps while in Italy, away from the glares of her sisters, her plumpness will magically transform into voluptuousness and she'll be able to hold her head up high and even appear graceful now and then.

But Cordelia's lack of self-confidence and grief over the loss of her parents follow her to Rome, as do hurtful emails from her sisters. The distraught young woman wanders around the city and happens across a tiny, ancient church that looks like the perfect place to lick her wounds. While weeping in one of the pews she meets a kind but mysterious stranger, an attractive man who hides half his face from her, but she catches a glimpse of it and sees that it is horribly disfigured.

Suddenly Cordelia finds she is not as alone in the world as she thought, or as unattractive as her sisters insisted. But her new friend's scars are more than skin deep and threaten to keep Cordelia from ever growing closer to him.

Can Cordelia win the trust and love of this lonely kindred spirit and turn her worst Christmas into one she'll cherish forever?

What worked for me:

The author described Rome so beautifully that I find I want to go there and see it for myself now.

Aside from a spot or two which could have been polished to an even higher sheen, this story just sang for me! Such wonderful attention paid to minutiae, and what beautiful dialogue was shared between the struggling lovers.

The jump from the narrative about Cordelia and Frank to letters written by their relatives was a bit of a shock, but the e-mail exchanges certainly were a unique way to paint the family portraits.

Size-wise Cordelia thought she was large and ungainly but Frank didn't agree in the least.

What didn't work for me:

Those sisters! Thank heavens I was blessed with a brother instead. (I could go for having a niece like Pam, though.)

Overall:
"Leaving Winter" is a delightful, darling story. Don't miss it!

Warning: This book has some sensual moments and coarse language within its pages. Also, you'll want to have a box of tissues handy.

If you liked "Leaving Winter" you might also enjoy "Lady Blue", "Teacher's Pet", "Etta Mae's Little Theory", "A Worthy Heir", "The Legacy Tree", "The Bridesmaid's Reward", "More to Love", "His Seductive Revenge", "Truth and Lies", "Carried Away", "The Independent Bride", "His Email-Order Wife", or "The Librarian's Passionate Knight".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart-warming story at Christmas time, or any time!, December 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Leaving Winter (Paperback)

This book was a bit of a surprise to me. I didn't know what to expect, but I am happy to say that I loved it! It's a charming little story of two people who have gone through life feeling isolated, yet are finally able to chip away at their "walls" together.

I liked it so much I even ordered several extra copies to give as Christmas gifts!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pure Love Story, March 4, 2006

By 

D. Dalton "BBW Reviewers" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leaving Winter (Paperback)

Cordelia Brown had a life filled with hardships. She took care of her sick mother before cancer took her as well as cared for her father before he passed. Before he died, her father gifted her with a trip to Rome; something he had wanted to do with her mother but never got the chance. Now, Cordelia was off to take a break from life not sure what she was going to do next. She prayed for a dream, having not a clue that it was just a few yards from where she was standing. But would she be able to accept it?

Frank McCarthy also lived a life filled with hardships. Frank had to suffer the loss of a brother with no one to help him get through his darkness. His face scared for life. He prayed for a miracle, also not knowing how close it was to him. Would he be able to thaw out his heart for another?

Kathleen Quinn is an amazing story weaver. I found this story to be heart warming, letting you know that there is still true love out there. Quinn's writing flowed naturally, no matter what characters voice she was using. I loved how the book went between Cordelia, her niece Pam, Frank, and his sister Claire, whether it was seen through their eyes or written down like reading a journal. The voice changes in the storyline kept the book flowing, giving the reader a taste of all the characters involved in the story. I really felt like I knew these characters and hated seeing the end of the book. Even though I loved the ending and was very happy with it. I was unhappy to see the characters be done and no more to tell.

I loved Cordelia most of all cause she was of plus size. She was never able to accept her size around her sisters until Frank entered the picture and showed her the beauty within herself. Once she became confident with herself, nothing stood in her way. She was no longer intimidated by her sisters' rude and childish comments. The only thing that mattered to her was how Frank felt about her.

The other character I liked was Pam, Cordelia's niece. Now I don't believe she was plus sized but she was Cordelia's cheerleader, always there for Cordelia even before she met Frank. Pam loved her aunt and stood up to her mom. Pam was a true free spirit. It was heartwarming to see the change in Pam throughout the story and to see how Frank and Cordelia's relationship made her realize what she needed to hold out for.

This book reflected that it doesn't matter what you look like as long as you believe in who you are as a human being, the inside is truly what counts. There should be more books that reflect this. Kathleen A. Quinn is an author I hope to read more of and hope others come to know her work. It is really good and clean. The love story is pure and should be an example of what people should wait for.

Reviewed by Krista
for BBW Reviews