Enjoyed this. It’s slow and moody. Atmospheric. Solid storytelling and strong character development. I’m not often one to really enjoy literary fiction but I do respect it and I respected this read.

The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison tells a compelling story of a marriage. Set in alternating narratives between now (when an unexpected diagnosis has brought Ruth to an unexpected health precipice) and the history of their marriage. I found the couple's story to be compelling, though two people this opposite attracting and lasting was a bit hard to swallow (though doing so in that era was perhaps more likely). I think the major "events" were worked into the story well. My only concern with the fidelity of the story was how kids (and hence grandkids) totally dropped out of the narrative once they were out of the house. All told, though, this is a lovely account of a relationship weathering both anticipated and unanticipated challenges.

This was a story about a marriage that I loved, except for the parts I didn't. Overall, though, it was a lovely story and I especially loved the ending. It is a testament to what a marriage really is all about.

4.75 stars

While I have several of Jonathan Evison’s books on my list, his upcoming release THE HEART OF WINTER is the first novel I’ve read by him. I was so blown away by it!

In this novel, we are introduced to an elderly (on the cusp of 90 years old) married couple Abe and Ruth. Ruth discovers a loose tooth in 2023, and that leads to a cancer diagnosis. The reader is then taken through the journey of them meeting and their marriage from the 1950s through 2024. This is a study of these two people as individuals and their marriage together. They had a tough early marriage with a child right away, causing Ruth to feel saddled by domesticity, and Abe making decisions for both of them without talking to his wife. When things evened out some, they lost their second daughter. Life was often bumpy, but these two stuck it out.

I felt like I identified with each Ruth and Abe in some ways, and I felt that Evison drew the characters so well. There were specific scenes toward the end that broke my heart - and one that also made me laugh when Abe was looking for prune juice at Safeway.

Character-driven readers who enjoy reading about a character over a lifetime (think THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES) are the target demographic for this book. I think this will strike a chord for middle-aged readers, like me, as well. They can identify with the life decisions these characters experienced for much of the novel, and they can also see a preview of what’s coming in the future or perhaps identify with what their parents are dealing with. I loved how the author created scenes, but sometimes there was more narration when I thought a scene or longer scene would make the point better.

“Sometimes we need a complement, a contradiction, a counterpoint to be our best selves.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE HEART OF WINTER publishes January 7, 2025.

The description of this novel made me anticipate a heart-felt and endearing story. Rather, I found this to be a bit choppy and characters weren't well developed. This should definitely come with a trigger warning about a dog passing away at the end. For anyone who is an animal lover, and has ever put a dog down, this is a sad thing to read about and was upsetting.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison is about couple Abe and Ruth Winter who met in college and had been married seven decades. They lived on a lovely farm in Washington. The story alternates between 2023-2024 and their years before, including meeting at college, their children and their marriage. Abe was dependable, reliable and steadfast; Ruth a free spirit and highly intelligent. Transparency, trust and comfort in routine served them well as they aged. Their intertwined lives were filled with joys and sorrows, ups and downs. When in her late 80s, Ruth's toothache became something far more, she had to rely on her husband for help as her caregiver. Worry and deep love for each other caused mental and physical slips which concerned their older children. Priorities shifted with new routines and realizations.

The author writes cleverly and thoughtfully about human nature and what a marriage partnership means. Abe and Ruth had to learn how to let go of what they knew while keeping their individuality, an excellent lesson for every human. This tender book is chock full of thought-provoking life lessons and pieces of wisdom. I really enjoyed the couple's evolution as college students to middle age to old age. The writing is gentle and sweet in the face of heartache and the characters are endearing.

My sincere thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this heartwarming and poignant novel. My parents are ageing and many aspects of this story are relatable in a bittersweet way. This book is a special one and was so easy to get lost in.

I think this book was beautiful. In a world full of unrealistic romantic novels; this one is real life. Love. Friendship. Sadness. Joy. Heartbreak. All of the emotions people who are together for years and years experience. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this arc.

The story of the marriage of Abe and Ruth as they approach the age of 90. The book goes back and forth between 2024 and other years of their marriage, beginning with their meeting in college. The ups and downs of their lives are visited with beautiful writing. Although this could be considered a depressing book, it's done so well that anyone who is married will find beauty in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a couple that has been married for almost seven decades. We alternate between present day, where they're dealing with health crises and facing the ends of their lives, and following their relationship over the years. It's slow, meditative, and gorgeously introspective. It's a really honest portrayal of what it takes to make a partnership work throughout the many different stages of life, from Ruth struggling with her identity as a homemaker and wife to Abe figuring out how to be emotionally present even though it wasn't the norm for men of his generation. At times it read a bit like a history lesson, but I was touched by how Ruth and Abe navigated their differences and overcame the obstacles inherent in having four kids. I enjoyed their thoughts about how their relationship with their kids changed, and the ending felt sweet and lovely.

A touching story of a long marriage, and a particularly intimate look at two people dealing with what are likely to be the final years of their lives. I don't think we see that enough in fiction and there's such drama there, as we approach those big decisions. I'm not sure the dual timeline was as effective as it might have been, though it's difficult to cover so many years in a substantive way. Overall, an enjoyable and touching read.

This is the third of Jonathan Evison's novels that I've read, and as with the others, he displays a deep knowledge of the ways of the heart and the importance of community and of connection. All of his people are in relationships that while not conventional, harbor similarities, and feature growing appreciation for others who may not be on the same page at all, gaining a wider world view in the process. In this exploration of a 70-year-old marriage, Evison has created two characters, Abe and Ruth, and has trained his focus completely on them. Unlike other authors who branch out their works by giving inner lives to supplemental characters, Evison presents the story of the couple only from each of their point of view, much the same as he did in Small World. Wonderful use of Bainbridge Island where they own a farm, as well as the part of the Puget Sound locale. Highly recommend.

This book is very poorly written with one dimensional characters and a plot that is full of holes. I do not recommend it.

It's hard to know what to make of my feelings about this book. I'm always a fan of an enduring love and growing old together, weathering hardships. I love a good dual POV and flashbacks woven into the story as relevant. And I got that... sort of?

The first half of the book felt a little stronger than the second. This book is definitely a reflection of how we are all a product of our time, but that felt more true for one of the protagonists over the other in ways that were really frustrating. Some of the beats of overcoming certain hardships or issues in the flashbacks felt too summarized and glossed over; we needed more time to witness that development rather than just be told about it.

(I also was not terribly endeared toward any of the children, to be honest.)

SPOILERS AHEAD:

The ending was a little too open-ended for me, but the final chapter centers around them taking their old, sick dog to the vet to be put to sleep. I'm coming up on an anniversary of doing that for one of my pets, and even though they'd mentioned it earlier in the story, I wasn't expecting it right then, and definitely not as the final chapter of the book.

I spent like twenty minutes sobbing at the end of this because it touched on a pain point for me, and I was left feeling unsatisfied with the ending. I love a good front porch, but ending it there made the second half of the book feel like it was meandering toward nothing rather than one of several options.

[NetGalley was kind enough to provide me with an ARC for this title.]

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read the ARC of The Heart of Winter.

This is a heartfelt story about the relationship of Abe and Ruth. They met in college and could not have been more opposite from one another. Through all odds, they married, raised a family and grew old together.

The writing was so beautiful and I loved the way the characters grew and evolved throughout. This is a story about family, friendship, the trials of marriage, loneliness, and grief. I was brought to tears at the end, it was that good. I give this one all five stars.

Publication date: January 7th, 2025

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
A long life has plenty of heartache, grief, boredom, and joy, but when we commit to life with another person, we can share all of these with someone or feel alone in a marriage. The Heart of Winter shows some of the events and emotions when we spend 70+ years with another human being. We don't always get it right, but we have to keep trying.

My genre is realistic fiction, slow stories with strong character development. As an older adult, I can affirm that this is a very true to life story. I’ve watched family and friends deal with the many issues related to navigating complicated medical needs and loss of mobility and independence. Evison mentions that the story was inspired by his mother, diagnosed with the same or a similar cancer as Ruth, a main character in the story. I and my aging cohort have also experienced Ruth’s growing sense of connectedness to all of creation that is beautifully described in lyrical sentences, such as describing choral music as greater than the sum of its parts. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review of the latest book by a favorite author. #Netgalley; #Dutton.

This was a poignant story of an unusual couple whose marriage had lasted many decades. With declining health and hard decisions to make, the couple’s early marriage story is shared in chapters throughout the book to the point where the reader has a clear picture of their devotion and each spouse’s ability to see their situations through the eyes oft the other. A bit long, the book was nonetheless captivating and thought-provoking, with well-developed characters and a believable conclusion.

Net Galley always surprises me with authors I have not read and genres to explore. The Heart of Winter is an exceptionally brilliant novel about a marriage surpassing 70 years and its incumbent joys and sorrows. The author captures the relationship of Abe and Ruth with love and depth. As a reader approaching the ages of the main characters, I found the book so accurate and on the mark. All of the problems of aging, and not done gracefully, brought me to tears. The writing flows effortlessly and I read the novel in two sittings. Some of the dialogue I recognized as having used myself when lecturing my own children. Evison is to be lauded for a wonderful depiction of a family and a marriage we can all relate to and empathize with deeply. I loved it,

An example of being influenced by a book's cover. Check! I was, it was me. I needed to know more about this couple. After reading the story, I felt little connection to the main characters. It wasn't what I hoped it to be. I will try to revisit this at a later date. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I found reading this to be more of a chore than a joy. It's mired in details that felt cumbersome and even the writing seemed clunky to me. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.