Winter [Paperback]

John Marsden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2005

"As I walked towards Warriewood I couldn't help thinking about Matthew. Matthew Kennedy. Nice name. It was so annoying, I'd met him twice now and both times he hadn't put a foot wrong." For twelve years Winter has been haunted. Her past, her memories, her feelings, will not leave her alone. And now, at sixteen, the time has come for her to act. Every journey begins with a single step. If Winter is going to step into the future, she must first step into the past. 'Winter' is an intense and emotionally rich novel from Australia's number-one writer for teenagers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Marsden's Letters from the Inside, this engrossing Australian novel features a tough teenage heroine and puzzles aplenty. Sixteen-year-old Winter returns to Warriewood, her late parents' estate, under circumstances that only gradually become clear. Winter, sharp-tongued and iron-willed, has refused to stay any longer with the Robinsons, her guardians for the past 12 years. "Something had always bothered me," she explains, "Some nagging thought deep in my mind had never been satisfied." She quickly uncovers signs of misdoings: the family house is empty of all its expensive furniture and the well-paid caretakers have allowed the property to deteriorate. The heroine soon learns that the story the Robinsons have told her, about her parents dying together while racing a yacht, is false. Her father died in the race, but her mother, an expert sportswoman, died six months later, under mysterious circumstances. Winter's determination to solve the riddle of her mother's death drives her on, even as the people she meets seem equally determined to conceal something from her. Improbable as much of the premise seems, Marsden's slow, teasing exposition will very likely lure readers further into the story to keep pace with the unstoppable Winter. The knockout punch Marsden delivers here may not have the lasting impact of his clincher in Letters, but it will certainly satisfy the expectations raised by the taut plot. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-In this short but satisfying Australian novel, 16-year-old Winter is determined to know the truth about her parents. Orphaned at four years old, she has spent most of her life with cold, uncaring relatives in Canberra. Now she has returned to her childhood home, Warriewood. Instead of answers, however, she finds more problems, from an irritating but intriguing boy next door to the crooked managers who are supposed to take care of her land and cattle but are instead stealing from the estate. Told that her parents drowned in a sailing accident, Winter visits their graves and discovers that her mother actually died six months after her father. To find out what really happened, she confronts the local authorities, a doctor, and her strong-willed great aunt, any or all of whom may be trying to cover up the truth. At first, the teen seems stubborn to the point of unreasonableness, but before long readers will warm to her and cheer her on. As the secrets of her past are revealed, she takes charge of her inheritance and of her life; at the same time, her icy reserve begins to thaw. The facts of her mother's death, when they finally come out, are unexpected enough to make for a gratifying conclusion. Teens will especially enjoy the ferocity with which Winter stands up to the adults who try to take advantage of her.
Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Macmillan (April 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0330421840
• ISBN-13: 978-0330421843
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,475,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 9, 2005

By 

Evie M. (Brisbane, QLD, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter (Point) (Mass Market Paperback)

Disappointing is probably the best word I can find for this book. There are a lot of questions left unanswered, the plot is somewhat rambly, and the situation that the main character (who struck me as very flat and shallow, a strange thing for a John Marsden character) is in raises too many questions for it to be believable or flow properly. I was quite shocked to find myself not liking this book at all; especially since I'm quite a big fan of Marsden's other works.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Winter Is Moving On..., August 24, 2005

By 

Elise "Rorzz" (Victoria, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter (Point) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book touched me so badly, I cried. It has a beautiful, entrancing plot with an exciting climax. Winter is a likeable and richly textured character. John Marsden is one of the best authors of all time! If you read this book and dislike it, there is something wring with you. Warning though: this book is a tear jerker. I better finish up here... I'm off to the library to renue my copy. ;)

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tough Girls Finish First!, March 18, 2003

By 

"nabbott6" (Scottsdale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter (Hardcover)

At sixteen Winter has come home. Not that anyone wants her there but the farm is hers and she won't be stopped. But for all her bull-headedness and the reader's wonder at why she's so stubborn soon becomes apparent when Winter sees better than the adults do what is really going on on her land. We thrill to Winter's cleverness at finding the guilty freeloaders and tossing them out on their ears.
The memories that have been teasing Winter about her parents are also chillingly brought to life by her Great-Aunt Rita.
Through it all we think that Winter will be just fine. And we're sort of glad she gets to be a kid again, too.