Midwinter Break is an excellent title for a novel about an old married couple. Gerry and Stella Gilmore travel from their home in Scotland to Amsterdam where Stella has a secret motive for going to this particular location.

Gerry and Stella are originally from Ireland, and their Irish life story is very much in play as the story unfolds. Gerry is a retired architect, and Stella used to teach English. The two seem like a typical married couple in their late sixties, early seventies who have had a good life and still love each other. They have a married son and grandchild who live in Canada. They are fortunate that they can still travel and make it on their own 'pegs' (legs) without too much trouble.

Bernard MacLaverty has something large in mind for us as we read this slim volume covering the course of a weekend. Gerry drinks too much and spends most of his time trying to figure out how to get another drink in without Stella realizing it. Stella is a devout Catholic and resents Gerry's disdain for her religious fortitude. The couple love each other but frequently bicker during the weekend, over small things, but we get the feeling that something serious is going on.

The story is compelling if you have been married for a long time or if you have lived a long life. What becomes of the old scars that don't want to heal? MacLaverty tells a tale of wisdom and redemption in his newest novel. It is a lovely, quiet story that can teach many of us something about life.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bernard MacLaverty, and W. W. Norton & Company for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a review.

Wow....what a story. Lovely, heartbreaking, inspirational. Loved it

Bernard MacLaverty is an Irish author - new to me. His writing is impeccable and intimate. He paints a clear portrait of a retired middle age married couple.
However, although I appreciate the authors understanding of this relationship - which we observed up close and personal - I didn't actually enjoy the the plot or the themes in this novel. My own personal beliefs are so very different their both Stella and Gerry - I didn't have much empathy for them.
I've read many books about married couples- young couples, aging couples..etc. that I have related to. This is not one of them.

Ambivalence between Gerry and Stella embody them as a couple. Neither one seems happy yet they are 'connected-at-the-hip' through years of habit and familiarity.
They are both off in there own heads - having their secretive conversations with their own inner voice about one another. Their communication skills do not empower each other. The independent choices of comforts they each reach for were bleak and gloomy. In my opinion drinking and religion ( both) - if obsessive -can disempower a relationship. Gerry liked to drink. Stella liked religion - Both of their passions were causing harm their relationship.
I felt the whole theme around religion and drinking was as as dreary, dark and cold as the rainy day in Amsterdam - when Gerry and Stella first arrived.

Flashbacks of a shocking-frightening-painful experience from years ago explains the troubles that show up in this marriage. The characters are believable, human, with faults and strengths......
There is love, loss, and resilience......but I found much of the story dreadful! (Just personal taste- but please note: I do think it's beautifully written)

3.5 stars for excellent writing- great descriptions- a sincere issue this couple needed to grapple with (although I HATED THE CHOICES MYSELF - AS I PERSONALLY DON'T VALUE RELIGION OR DRINKING IN THE WAY THIS COUPLE DID) ......

A favorite Plus for me: I enjoyed walking through the galleries at the Rijksmuseum. There was a painting of "The Jewish Bride", by Rembrandt. Loved it!

Thank You W.W. Norton & Company, Netgalley, and Bernard MacLaverty

MIDWINTER BREAK BY BERNARD MACLAVERTY

This is a story written with compassion and love. It is about a married retired couple named Gerry and Stella. There is a lot of peace and tranquility in terms of the way Bernard Maclaverty has written this lovely novel. The two main character's Gerry and Stella are from Ireland who now live in Scotland. Gerry used to be an architect and Stella was a school teacher. They are in their twilight years of their lives and marriage. They have one son named Michael and one grandchild named Toby who reside in Canada.

Stella and Gerry decide to take a four day trip to Amsterdam where Stella who is very religious looks for a sanctuary to live. Stella and Gerry both experience flashbacks of the day Stella was shot in the stomach while pregnant with their only son by the IRA in Ireland. The story of that day is written seamlessly into the narrative. The bullet did not harm her unborn child since it was a gun shot wound that entered Stella's stomach and exited without harming her baby. Stella is knocked to the ground and makes a vow to God that she will devote her life to serving him if her unborn child and herself live. Stella and Michael miraculously are not injured from the gunshot wound. The outcome is that Stella can not have any more children.

Gerry is drinking whisky and water every time he thinks Stella is not aware of what he is doing. Stella is aware of Gerry's alcoholism and her reason for going to Amsterdam is to keep the vow that she made to God and to leave her marriage to Gerry. Stella is interested in joining and living with a group in the Netherlands called the Beguines. The Beguines are a member of the dutch sisterhood, formed in the twelfth century, and not bound by vows. When Stella looks into this sisterhood, she finds out that the last sister in this group died in 1971. There still is a group that exists however you have to be between age 30 and 65 and it is costly.

Stella has to make a decision and she tells Gerry that she wants to sell their home and get two separate places to live when they return home. There are many things to love about this book. I loved the courage that Stella exudes by making a decision to want more out of life than just settling to stay in a marriage where she is no longer happy. I loved both characters and the realism that is written about their relationship. Gerry really admires Stella and is a kind person, he has a drinking problem. The author is talented in weaving a contemporary story about real people with real problems.

I don't want to tell what decision is made. Does Stella and Gerry stay together or do they separate? Does Gerry think he has a problem with alcohol? Is Gerry willing to admit he has a problem? I think the author did an excellent job of describing the different countries. It is a quiet but powerful story that is realistic and timely. It takes place in winter but you can smell the flowers and hear the birds.

Thank you to Net Galley, Bernard Maclaverty and W.W. Norton & Company Publishing for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.