First I would like to start by thanking NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. But, unfortunately this was a case of me loving the cover, requesting the book and regretting it later. I think the cover is stunning and the premise of the novel is interesting, but I could not get into this one. I have said this time and time again, I always try my best to read my ALC and ARCs but I could not with this one. I kept picking it up, putting it down and forgetting about it. After some time, I had to let this one go. I am sure something else will enjoy Winterland way more than I did.

This was an interesting read! This was my 1st book at Rae Meadows but will not be my last, I am adding their books to my TBR!

I have been in quite the historical fiction kick, and this was a fun read for this desire. This tells the story of a young girl chosen to represent the USSR in gymnastic tournaments, including the Moscow Olympics. It has a series of compelling characters (including some well written side characters) that I really enjoyed reading from and sympathizing with. I wish there was a little more difference made between the changing perspectives, in the audiobook I would be a few sentences into a changed perspective before I realized it had changed. I also struggled some with the pacing of the story. There seemed to be several repetitive scenes in the middle and then the ending felt a little rushed to me and I would have liked more interplay between the different storylines that were introduced but never added to the gymnastics plot.
Overall, I enjoyed reading about a girl so sure of herself and her power in the face of a system that very much centered success over people. This book felt more like a snapshot of a particular moment and time and its success is in showing how these systems affected the characters and their perceptions of themselves.

Set in the '70s in the depth of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, a young girl is selected for the renowned USSR gymnastics program. Think Nadia Cominici and all the struggle between the US and USSR. The girl's family is overjoyed yet this choice sets a series of events that are breathtaking and heartbreaking.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers for the Chance of this Audio Book. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this title. The Audio narrator was very difficult for me to follow. I am still intrigued by the storyline but I think this will be one that I have to read the actual print vs enjoying the Audio.

For some reason, I thought this would exert more emphasis on thrillers, but I was sorely mistaken. I am very thankful to Rae Meadows, Macmillan Audio, Henry Holt, and Netgalley for granting Advanced Listener Access to Winterland. it didn't really vibe well with me, which isn't to discredit others who may harbor a more profound love for historical fiction pieces.

Wow--I really enjoyed this powerful story of Anya's journey through Soviet gymnastics and how she learns more about herself and her absent mother.

I highly recommend.

Thank you for allowing me to listen to this book as an ARC. In return I am providing an honest review.
I liked the concept of the story and was very interested in the main story line as I had never reas any historical fiction based in Russia and especially about the gymnasts.
While the story was good, I was disappointed in the outline of the book. I felt like there were way too many characters concentrated on instead of mainly on the protagonist with the others as a side line. Some parts of the story also appeared too drawn out and it didn't keep my interest as it should have.
While the historical part of the story was interesting and new to me, the book could have been better laid out in my opinion. The protagonist should have been kept as the main character instead of concentrating at the same time on quite a few at once.

I have to say, the more I thought about this book after I finished, the more I really enjoyed it. I love historical fiction, so it was really fascinating to go back to the heyday for Soviet gymnastics during the 1970s and 1980s. I also really enjoyed the mystery element with the disappearance of MC Anya's mother many years ago.

WINTERLAND tells the coming-of-age story of Anya, a young girl chosen to be part of the famed USSR gymnastics program in the Soviet Union, during the 1970s. Anya has always been able to confide in her neighbor, an older woman who survived the Gulag camp, and unbeknownst to Anya, was a dear friend to Anya's mother, and who might have the key to her disappearance.

I really thought the audiobook was done well, and a great choice for narrator, by Daphne Kouma.

*many thanks to Henry Holt and Co and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

I really enjoyed this historical fiction book about the life of a young Russian gymnast and the challenges that entailed. Great on audio with a stunning cover. I'm excited to read more from this author! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I admittedly know very little about Russian history and often find it inaccessible and overwhelming. So I appreciate when a book like Rae Meadows' Winterland comes along because it makes learning about the Russian people and culture both entertaining and educational, while also presenting the story in such a way that makes it easy to absorb and comprehend.

Winterland is a tour de force that completely wrapped me up in storytelling goodness. It follows the USSR's gold-winning 1970's & 80's gymnastics program through the eyes of Anya, a young girl selected to compete for the motherland at the precocious and tender age of eight. Anya cares nothing for winning gold for her country - she just wants to learn some new tricks - but over time, she will grow to know the crucial role she plays in promoting Soviet pride and securing honor for her country ... but at what cost to her mental and physical health, as well as that of her teammates?

Intermixed with Anya's story of rising in the ranks of USSR gymnastics is a bleak, harrowing tale of oppression and loss. Narratives from Anya's elderly neighbor who spent time in the Gulag labor camps are interspersed throughout this novel, as well as glimpses of Anya's mother's life before she mysteriously went missing under suspicious circumstances. Also told is the story of Anya's father, who is his doing his duty for the communist government, trying to be a good Soviet by not looking too closely at all of the ways he and his fellow comrades are exploited and repressed. While these vignettes do take us away from the central story of Anya's gymnastics career, they provide incredible insight into the daily lives of the USSR citizens and help paint an atmospherically ominous portrait of life in the motherland.

The 1970s and 80s were a time when Soviet gymnasts dominated the world stage, unlike today when Americans have the spotlight. The USSR was unstoppable, but behind all of that glittery gold hanging around these young girls' necks was a story of abuse and self-sacrifice. The USSR used up and spit out its gymnasts, caring for nothing except winning gold. Forcing its girls to tumble through debilitating injuries and hit incredibly risky maneuvers, the USSR gymnasts were merely pawns and unfortunate victims in a much larger game of power and pride.

While Anya's story is fictionalized, Meadows based the stories of her teammates on the real-life gymnasts who competed for the USSR at that time. Most notably is Elena Mukhina, a Soviet gymnast poised to dominate the world, winning competition after competition, and doing things no one dared try, including the Thomas Salto, an incredibly daring tumbling pass taken from men's gymnastics. Elena snapped her spine doing the Salto after she was forced to perform it after a series of other injuries that left her in a weakened state. The result? She was a quadriplegic for the rest of her life and the USSR kept the details of her injury hush-hush so as not to bring shame and scrutiny upon the Soviets.

With real-life tales of horror such as Mukhina's, it is no surprise that Winterland is an absorbing, yet distressing look into Soviet gymnastics program. Yet despite its dark and depressing overtones, Winterland is still a story of hope. Anya, the spirited little girl at the center of this novel, has heart and tries to be true to herself and those she loves despite her crushing circumstances. This book is incredible and is well-worth a read by anyone who is gymnastics-obsessed or interested in the oppressive state of life in the USSR.

I listened to an audiobook of this novel, and greatly appreciated Daphne Kouma's narration. I would have never correctly pronounced the numerous Russian people and place names in this book, so I am happy that I listened to this novel to get a more authentic experience. Additionally, Kouma does a fine job of giving Anya a juvenile voice, while deepening her narration for the parts of the males.

Winterland by Rae Meadows takes place in 1973 in the Soviet Union, and centers around the famed USSR gymnastics program. It follows the life of Anya, who was selected for this program when she was just 8 years old.

I was excited to dive into this book because I’ve always enjoyed following gymnastics and have been curious about the programs of the USSR, Russia, and Romania.

It was eye opening, although not surprising, to learn of the strict, relentless program these young girls gave their lives to. What little choice their parents were left with when the girls were selected for the program, and how disposable the girls were to their coaches. Winning was the goal. Loyalty was expected. Being the best was the only option. At any expense.

I love historical fiction, and really enjoyed diving into a different country and decade from my often read WWII book choices. I appreciated the sweet innocence of Anya - her determination and love for her sport. And my heart broke for what these girls and their families sacrificed for their country. I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction as well as the sport of gymnastics. I found it to be enjoyable and interesting, albeit a slower read. (Take note: not a lighthearted read or page turner!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy of Winterland by Rae Meadows.

As someone fascinated my the olympics and gymnastic this book perfectly mixed historical fiction and a thriller and just tension.

Especially around the holidays, nostalgia can seem simple. Thoughts drift back to younger years, snowy mornings opening presents by the fire, all that jazz. In fact, nostalgia is complex and can even be dangerous. Case in point: nostalgia for the Soviet Union.

The past three decades of Russian history have not been a cakewalk, and Vladimir Putin rose to power exploiting the perception that life was better when the country ran a communist empire. Russians who supported Putin got Soviet authoritarianism but without the empire — and as Ukraine is currently making clear, the Eastern Bloc does not want to be reassembled.

Nostalgia for the U.S.S.R. is not limited to Russia. The other day I saw an American wearing a CCCP hat, complete with hammer and sickle insignia. Why? Perhaps out of support for communist ideals, perhaps out of irony.

"Winterland," the fifth novel by Rae Meadows, is at once a warm evocation of family life in the Soviet Union and a damnation of the country's systemic repression. Its young protagonist is a gifted gymnast who comes to realize her body and mind are simply grist for an Olympic medal mill.

Meadows sweeps a century of history into her narrative by introducing an elderly neighbor who's close to the young gymnast, who is named Anya, and her single father. The disappearance of Anya's mother is a mystery explored throughout the book.

Through flashbacks, we learn about the neighbor's experience in the wake of the 1917 Russian Revolution: She and her family were consigned to a labor camp for supposed disloyalty. The main action of "Winterland" is set in the 1970s, when Soviet leaders were still trying to brush Stalin's terrors under the rug, and Anya's neighbor struggles to make sense of a long life shaped by profound, needless hurt.

The author's sensitive exploration of her story's historical context makes "Winterland" a sports story like none other. Stories about driven, talented athletes are commonplace, but Anya's motivations are eerily hollowed. She wants to be famous, but only because fame means safety. She wants fortune, but only because her father is working himself to death. She wants to achieve athletic excellence, but her triumphs don't bring joy — only a lack of its opposite.

Those circumstances could make Anya inert as a character, but Meadows brings Anya's inner and outer worlds to life with vivid vignettes. The girl and her father bus to the gym on a sunless Siberian morning. Anya worries about her friends and their harrowing lives, both on and off the mat. She rides a Ferris wheel, gazing down at a domineering coach who suddenly looks tiny.

Anya is both repelled and fascinated by her coach, a chain-smoking taskmaster who makes her push her body to the breaking point. She recognizes that he, too, is a product of the system: His role is as scripted as hers, and if either of them dropped out, replacements would immediately be drafted.

Meadows also acknowledges, implicitly, what her readers have learned about elite women's gymnastics over the past several years. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse of young athletes wasn't limited to the U.S.S.R., or to the 20th century. The kind of treatment suffered by U.S. gymnasts at the hands of their team doctor isn't a central focus of "Winterland," but Meadows shows us, through Anya's eyes, how such men took advantage of the trust placed in them.

Though Meadows regularly shifts perspective among her characters, sliding back and forth across decades of Soviet history, it's always clear where we are in the story. There's suspense as Anya becomes an Olympic contender (her peers in the novel include both real-life gymnasts of the era and fictional characters inspired by them), but the excitement is undercut by the fact that no possible athletic triumph will free Anya and her loved ones from the government's iron grip.

Meadows, now based in Brooklyn, formerly lived in Minnesota. Northlanders will easily relate to the Siberian city where most of the book is set, with its extreme winters and sunny summers. Norilsk is also familiar in its juxtaposition of natural wonders and extractive industry.

An audiobook is narrated by Daphne Kouma, who pulls off the rare feat of voicing a child character without sounding the least bit cartoonish. Anya is a naive elementary student when the story opens, but she's also smart and wary, and Kouma captures that intelligence — as well as convincingly portraying very different characters, like Anya's rumbling bear of a coach.

By the end of the book, we're completely invested in Anya's quest; not her quest for gold, but to be able to choose her own path through life. The right of self-determination, "Winterland" reminds us, is nothing to take for granted.

I liked this book and I thought it was good but not great. I was originally interested in it because the blurb related it to disappearing earth which is one of my favorite books but it has nothing in common with it other than it took place in Russia.
The book follows Anya growing up in the 1970’s USSR and her journey to become an elite gymnast. The story jumps back and forth in the timeline between Anya’s mother who was a ballerina and disappeared when she was little and Vera who is Anyas old neighbor who was imprisoned in a gulag camp during the Russian revolution. The story is interesting and the characters are fleshed out. I also enjoyed the narrator a lot but the story never feels complete and it doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s an interesting portrait of that time period but doesn’t really have anything new to say about its real life character and it’s made up ones. All in all it’s a solid book if you’re interested in Russia or gymnastics.

Well, this book hits really clothes to home. So I will warn you, as much as I try and keep my reviews fair, I’m sure my personal experiences will alter my true thoughts about this story. Because in all honesty, this story was very reminiscent of my childhood.

No, I’m not Russian nor did I win a medal at the Olympics for gymnastics, but I did dedicate my childhood to the sport to try and become an Olympian. Oddly, and well, traumatically enough, I trained under a coach mentioned in this book. To put it bluntly, he ruined my childhood. I understood and came to terms with that trauma just a few years ago.

Wheeewww, this book review is getting personal.

Growing up, I was a gymnast during the not so great era of gymnastics. The era that has been blasted all throughout the news. No, what you’ve read in the news didn’t happen to me or my immediate teammates (but I know survivors), but I suffered in different ways.

As much as I’ve made this about me, this book was sort of coping. I hated it, because it was so true. But I also loved it, because I still have such a deep love for the sport. It’s beautiful and taught me so much life lessons, but it also took a lot away from me. I really don’t know how to explain it other than that.

This was very much a love/hate book, only because I connected with it so deeply.

Do I recommend this to other readers? It’s tough because it’s very gymnastics heavy, so a lot could go over heads if you’re unfamiliar with this sport. Specifically, terminology and gymnastics related vocabulary is used frequently. At the same time, it feels like others will be reading the childhood diary I didn’t write.

To end on a lighter note (and about me), one of my favorite gymnastics coaches I ever had is Russian and he is a big teddy bear, unlike the stoic coaches within this story.

Anyway, read this story if you wish, but also, thanks for reading my therapy session.

Content warnings: child abuse, death, life altering injury, emotional abuse

Anya has been chosen to be a gymnast for the USSR. This is one of the greatest honors for her family. Since her mother’s disappearance, her family has been on the government’s radar. Anya hopes to improve the family name with her talent. But, it is more of a struggle than anyone ever imagined.

I remember watching Olga Korbut (yes I am that old!) and Nadia Comaneci when I was a young girl. I knew they struggled but really had no idea exactly what they may have gone through. This book brought all of this to light. I had a childhood full of gymnastics, twirling, dancing, singing and anything else my mother wanted to put me in. And yes, a lot of it was a struggle, but not to this extent.

This story made a huge impression on me. Being an over achiever, I can feel for Anya. But, THE PRESSURE! Then there is her neighbor (her name escapes me🤷🏻‍♀️), with her past in the Gulag camp for just living her life.

Y’all! This book is a must read! There are very few books that I want to read again…THIS IS ONE OF THEM!

Need a story which will open your eyes…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I don't have strong feelings either way about this book - I didn't really enjoy it, but didn't actively dislike it either. I do think it pairs well with a discussion about Simone Biles' decision to step back from competition in the 2020 Summer Olympics, as gymnastics is a cutthroat sport where the athlete's needs are sometimes forgotten in the proxy war between superpowers.

Thanks Netgallery for this opportunity. DNF. I thought it was going to be very informative about Russian Olympic hopefuls. However, it did not hold my attention. I prefer plot driven to character driven stories, which this book was. Also, I did not care for the narrator.

Our first snowfall of the season wasn’t subtle. It arrived in full force with blustery snowflakes piling up in heaping mounds on our doorstep. It was the perfect time to pick up WINTERLAND by Rae Meadows.

I was so intrigued by the setting in the USSR during the 70s and the parallels to world events today. .The story is told in dual timelines and follows young Anya and her experience with the infamous USSR gymnastics team and her mother who had disappeared years ago.

I found myself drawn to the present day timeline with gymnastics and would have enjoyed the novel more if that was the main focus. My initial investment turned cold (see what I did there?) as the storyline became a bit redundant. I was left wanting a bit more action and closure than the story offered.

The audiobook was fantastic with the Russian accents and pronunciations and it really brought the story to life. I would highly recommend the audiobook format!

RATING: 3/5
PUB DATE: 11/29/22

Many thanks to Henry Holt and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.