I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Very much enjoyed this novel. It was very well written, conveyed a lot of emotion in a short space. Not only was it an incredible character study, but the portrayal of USSR Gymnastics, what it meant to be a gymnast the brutal trainings, it was all fascinating to listen to. The Narration by Daphne Kouma was so fitting.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the ALC of Winterland by Rae Meadows.

Winterland is a coming of age tale about a gymnast growing up outside a gulag in the frozen tundra of the Soviet Union. Although this one started out a bit slow for me, it quickly became a page turner, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to the characters as they attempted to rise past the Soviet political machine.
Any books set behind the iron curtain are an auto-read for me, although historical fictions fans should be warned that this book bends more literary than historical.

Winterland explores the dark side of gymnastics during the days of the Soviet Union.

Read this if you:
Need a darker winter read
Love sports stories, especially those that look at the challenges and pain involved
Want to read about life under communism

"Perhaps it was true that there was no beauty without suffering. Or maybe that was only an excuse for all the bad things."

Anya becomes a gymnast for the state run program at only 8 years old. The powerful control she must exert on her body to complete the challenging moves are contrasted by how little control she has over her own life. Her coach dictates everything, from how much she eats (very little) to how much time she spends on education (also very little). She's isolated from her family and friends, pushed and used until she breaks or becomes too old.

The Soviet Union in the 1970s is a central part of the story. There's lots of talk about doing things for the honor of the country, to prove the worthiness of their motherland, but also lots of waiting in line and food shortages. The sense of palace is excellent, with most of the story set in a small far northern town where the sun doesn't rise for months in the winter.

One of the things I most appreciated about the book, though, are the different points of view we saw. Though the bulk of the story is told from Anya's eyes, we also see her father's POV, a man who used to be a staunch supporter of communism but whose views are shifting now, and her elderly neighbor Vera. Vera's stories were often the most difficult to read about, as she and her family (including her young son) were imprisoned in a labor camp after the revolution. But she was also my favorite, as the keeper of memories and an ardent supporter of Anya as a child, not just a gymnast.

The writing is excellent, too. I bookmarked so many pages with quotes I loved about beauty, cruelty, loss, and change. I did had both an audio and a physical copy of the book, and would recommend either. 4.5 stars

Thank you Henry Holt for my copy of the book, and to Negalley for my audio version!

From my blog: Always With a Book

Gymnastics is always one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics. I even took a year or two of gymnastics myself when I was young, dreaming big dreams that I could maybe be as good as the gymnasts I saw on TV. So of course when I first heard about this book, I knew it was going to be something I had to read…and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it and how many memories it brought back!

The world of gymnastics is not a pretty one, nor is any competitive sport really. We follow Anya’s journey as she rises up the ranks, seeing the good and bad, the easy and the hard. We also get an eye-opening look at what life was life for athletes and children alike during this time in the USSR living under the Communist Party. Being an athlete gives certain advantages that allows one to rise above their situation.

This is not an easy story as we watch Anya train for hours, whether hurt or not. The hours she puts into this are brutal and grueling, much like the brutal, grueling winters and you feel that cold in your bones as you are reading. The limits she had to impose on her body – what she could and couldn’t eat, what she could and couldn’t do – it was heartbreaking reading these parts. And yet, so many did exactly as they were told all in the hopes of making a spot on that elite team or “the team” heading to the Olympics – whatever team was the “it” team that season.

I loved how throughout this story historical tidbits were woven in, mentions of the great Nadia Comaneci being my favorite. I remember watching a movie about her with my grandmother after one of my gymnastic classes and thinking how amazing she was! She became one of my favorites after that and I remember reading books about her and wanting to be just like her.

I’m so glad I was able to read this one. It was a much anticipated read and it definitely delivered. I loved the way the story was told and found myself completely swept up in the story from start to finish. The different points of view kept me engaged, though I would have loved to know more about Anya’s mother. That is one thread that I wish was developed a bit more.

I am so glad I was able to read this one and if you are a fan of gymnastics like me, I definitely recommending picking this one up!


Audio thoughts: I was able to snag an early ALC of this one and I thought it translated very well onto audio. The narrator, Daphne Kouma, does a fantastic job bringing the story to life. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and she did a great job of giving each character their own personality. I very much enjoyed listening to this one.

The setting is 1970s Russia in the elite, breakneck world of women’s (or in this case girl’s) gymnastics. This is an original story and the gymnastics plot hooked me as my daughter is a gymnastics. You hear about the extreme pressures of iron curtain gymnasts and the unethical lengths the country would go to promote their own, to the point of sacrificing the health and well-being of their gymnasts. This is well-written, fascinating and hard to read at times, but we’ll worth it. The narrator does an excellent job of conveying the gravity and intensity that goes along with this plot and had me completely hooked. I will be recommending this to library patrons and book clubs.

Winterland is a beautifully haunting tale of 8 year old Soviet Union gymnast Anya that brings the arctic chill directly to the bones of the reader.

At age eight Anya is chosen to train with the Soviet Union’s gymnastics program. It is considered an honor to represent the Motherland no matter the cost. Her schooling is all but forgotten as she is surrounded by abusive coaches and doctors. Anya finds humanity in her friendship with fellow gymnast and world champion Elena. When Elena’s body can go no further Anya gets the chance to represent the Soviets at the Olympics but what has it cost her?

Anya’s parents, Katerina and Yuri, were Young Pioneers after Stalin’s death. Believing they were building a better Soviet Union with youthful ideas and naive hopes, they didn’t know how wrong they’d be. When Anya was only six years old Katerina would disappear from her life but why?

Before disappearing Katerina befriends neighbor Vera who lost her husband and son after the insurrection. Acting as Katerina’s confidant she holds the clues to her disappearance. When she befriends Anya years later, the friendship they form is close and Anya learns a great deal about the former work camps.

Overall this story was well crafted and written. As a fan of historical fiction, this is one of the best I’ve read all year.

Thank you to giving me access to an audio ARC to review.

This book interested me at first because I remember this era of women's gymnastics and watching some of the women from Russia mentioned in this piece of historical fiction. It was an amazing book and I could not stop, finishing in one day!

Anya is eight years old in the early 70's when she is picked to be a part of the Russian gymnastics program. Katerina, her mother, was a famous ballet dancer who disappeared several years ago.
Yuri, her father, is raising her alone with the help of an older neighbor, Vera, who survived for years in a Soviet labor camp. The gymnastics program brings Anya many great opportunities, but with that come hardships and struggles she never imagined.

Winterland gives us a glimpse of USSR and the power it held, not only in women's gymastics, but the world. The characters are well developed and deep, giving us not only a look at the Soviet gymastics team, but the culture, the labor camps, the brutal climate, and the tough working conditions faced by Anya's father and many others.

What these children - yes most of them were children - on the USSR gymnastics team endured is heartbreaking. From the grueling hours of training, the expectation of perfection, the medical treatment to numb the pain and stop them from "developing", no time to heal before returning to competition, and the other various physical and emotional abuse they were subjected to all in the name of bringing pride and glory to the USSR.

I loved that we got to see Anya years later, post gymnastics, but still dealing with all she had endured as a child.

This is one of those book that will stick with me long after reading "the end".

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for my ALC of this amazingly heartbreaking story in exchange for my honest review.

Winterland is a very interesting read, a fictionalized story of a gymnast in Soviet Russia. I loved the grit of this book, and how difficult it is to perform those beautiful gymnastic routines. It was a great tale of perseverance and strength.

In the Soviet Union in 1973, 8-year-old Anya is tapped to be part of the famed USSR gymnastics program. Her family is thrilled; well, her father is thrilled. Anya's mother disappeared years ago. Anya’s only confidant is her neighbor, an older woman who survived unspeakable horrors during her ten years in a Gulag camp—and who, unbeknownst to Anya, was also her mother’s confidant and might hold the key to her disappearance. As Anya moves up the ranks of competitive gymnastics, she soon comes to realize that there is very little margin of error for anyone. This story is beautiful and poignant. You will root for Anya while cursing the communist system.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio file.*

While Anya's story is heartbreaking and difficult this book has heart and I lived for the sweet interactions with Anya, her father and Vera. Anya's gymnastics career is so demanding but I enjoyed reading about a sport that I loved watching and my daughter now participates in (in a much more recreational way). With Russia, and Ukraine in the news often, this was a timely novel of the former Soviet Union. The far north and winter setting was fascinating to me as well. The narrator was fantastic. Thank you to Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book!

This one is such an interesting concept. I loved learning about the gymnastics training. I’m the first to admit that historical fiction isn’t a favorite genre of mine though but I keep trying. It just never grabs my attention.

But if you’re a fan of historical fiction and gymnastics, you’ll probably like this one!

Beautiful! This was both sad and incredibly beautiful. I haven't thought a lot about the USSR or any of that. This was a good introduction to the social issues people dealt with. I also learned a lot about gymnastics.
Our girl was a champion.
The narration could not have been better. It was perfection.

Such a gut wrenching story about the gymnasts in the Soviet Union in the 70s. So much sadness in this book as it follows a young Anya as she is rising in gymnastics to get up to the Olympic level.

I can't imagine feeling owned by the country and dealing with working through so many injuries and pressure (I'mnot sure that gymnasticshas gottenmuchbettereven in currenttimes(. This story gets into labor camps as well during Vera's part of the story. The bright spot at least though all the trauma was friendship.

Even though this book was slow in a few parts, you can really feel the heartbreak and emotions through the writing. The narrator does a great job at conveying the emotions while reading as well and was soothing to listen to.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook my honest review.

What you'll get from this book!
1. A great sense of place in Northern Russia, Norilsk, where winter seems to always be present. When I searched the google maps and looked at the pictures, snow. It's all snowy streets. I literally felt cold reading this book.
2. You will also get a sense of the seriousness of gymnastics for the U.S.S.R. in the 1970's and for those involved. The girls bodies are for use of the country to achieve greatness for the eyes of the world.
3. The feel of Russia and the government during the Cold War era.

I am left wanting to read more about this time period! I enjoyed following Anya and her journey as a somewhat controlled child during her opportunity for greatness amongst the stringent training and competition. The book mainly follows her somewhat uneventful life except that it was great in the sense of her opportunity. Nothing extravagant happened, nothing shocking, I could have used more plot wise. By the end I was left with unanswered questions regarding some of the characters. So...if you've read it, let's chat.

The narrator did a good job, and it was enjoyable listening to her tell the story of Anya.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The USSR's gymnast team has shown the world what they can do. This historical fiction book draws back the curtain to reveal a behind-the-scenes telling of what training for Gymnasts looked like in the 1970s USSR. The mood is dark. There are multi-generational flashbacks to times spanning back to WW2 internment camp experiences, providing a bleak backdrop to what was going on in the world of gymnastics. Read along as they train athletes to dominate the gymnast world stage- at all costs.

4 stars

This intriguing piece of historical fiction takes readers into the sinister world of USSR women's (aka tiny girls') gymnastics. If historical fiction about this region and this sport intrigues you, this read will not disappoint.

Anya, the m.c., is in an utterly powerless position, and this is reinforced by her relationship to gymnastics. She is skilled but completely unable to make decisions about her own body or future, and the relentless sense of powerlessness and presence of all kinds of abuses will not surprise anyone who is up on even modern issues in the sport. Anya's physical body and her outcomes in this space are offset by questions about her missing mother and a general sense of trauma held by all of the adults around her (and - as readers see close up - which is also developing in her).

I could not pass up this read. Yes, I find women's gymnastics riveting, but as a person with regionally specific roots, I really couldn't get enough of the setting and other historical elements. The sense of place is really powerful in this one, and it was an unexpected favorite element for me.

This is not an uplifter, but it does provide a look into two interesting cultures, and fans of historical fiction will enjoy this straightforward read. I recommend the audiobook for even more engagement.

Solid. Not spectacular, but solid.


Review copy provided by publisher.

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