Lucky me, winning an ARC of this from netgalley! I've read two others of Evison's books but this one hit it out of the park. (and the legal yadda yadda, ""I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.")

I live in a senior community and new neighbors who move on my street lately have all been in their late 70s or 80s, and usually one of a couple is diagnosed with something. The other spouse will do the caregiving, perhaps have a caregiver in for 4-6 hours a day but that's it. I don't understand it. What if the "healthy" spouse falls? I still don't understand it after reading this, but it's not my business either.

And that is the story here. Abe is 90, Ruth in her late 80s. They met on a blind date in college and were opposites in most ways, liberal arts vs business, Democrat vs Republican, adventurous vs stay-at-home. They are living on a farm, in a house that has seen better days and none of their three children live nearby. How do they handle it?

I'll thank Evison for not mentioning grand and great-grandchildren because that would be so many characters to keep track.

Hahaha, favorite quote (from someone who hasn't shoveled snow for years), "to rage against the dying of the light sometimes meant shoveling the walkway or driving after dark."

Oh, Abe, asking someone (who is retired themselves) to put in a handicap ramp and not paying them anything?? I think the cover comes from a dance of their 50th wedding anniversary because Ruth is wearing a blue dress and the title comes from the characters' last name.

<img src="https://i.imgflip.com/239nlu.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="happy couple"/>

Jonathan Evison’s novel offers a poignant and often touching exploration of a marriage’s evolution over the years. Through the intertwined timelines of Abe and Ruth’s college days, family life, and later years, we witness the complexities of love, sacrifice, and resilience. Evison’s nuanced portrayal of their relationship, along with the emotional depth of Ruth’s illness and the dynamic with their adult children, offers a raw, relatable look at the challenges and tender moments that come with growing older together.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC which I read in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful, quiet story of a couple throughout their marriage. Heartbreaking at times, it showed the endurance of how opposites attract and stay together despite their differences.

Unfortunately this is going to be a DNF for me at this time. It is 1000% me and not this book. I’m dealing with aging parents and this one is hitting a little too close to home for me at this time. I will come back to it at another time when I can take this heavy book. It is heavy and sad and it’s just too dark for me right now..

@duttonbooks | #gifted 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 by Jonathan Evison was one of those books that grows and grows on you. It followed the nearly 70 year marriage of Abe and Ruth Winter who met in college, married, moved to Bainbridge Island, WA, raised a family and lived their long lives there in an old farmhouse. As you can imagine, 70 years is a long time and their lives were not without hurdles, but through everything their marriage survived.⁣
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As the book opens, Ruth has a significant health scare. The always independent couple want to handle it themselves, but their children have other ideas. Evison alternates between that crisis and the many earlier years of their marriage. At times the writing was a little wordy and at first the backstory of their lives was a bit hard for me to gain traction in, but without even realizing it, I soon found myself fully immersed in the story of Ruth and Abe.⁣
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It’s not often you read such a realistic story about a long, complicated marriage. The setting was also a bonus for me since I live near Bainbridge Island and have been there many times. I was impressed with Evison’s thoroughness in delivering so realistically the lives of the Winters in this beautiful setting. His words truly touched my heart. There may have been tears. If you’re a fan of stories about marriage, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 is a book you really should consider. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

A story of a 60-plus marriage, complete with all the warts, rough spots, and tragedies that occur during a lifetime together. It’s the story of Abe and Ruth Winter and the life they built together on Bainbridge Island in Washington. When Ruth faces a heath crisis, they must learn how to maneuver this next stage of life, trying to maintain their independence in their own home. It’s proof that marriage is a decision you make every day, that it’s hard and never perfect, but despite that, can still be perfect all the same. I loved the setting and reading about places I’ve been and visited. But mostly I loved the story of 2 flawed human beings and how they stuck it out through the highs and lows of life.

A delightful story of a marriage. Abe and Ruth are married in their early twenties, raise a family, and live to be in their 90s. The marriage is not without trouble as one of their children dies, Ruth strays twice, and Abe works hard leaving Ruth to raise the children. In the end, Ruth gets cancer in her jaw and Abe thinks back on his life. The story goes from past to present. It was a great read!

This was a moving and very emotional look at life as an elderly person and a portrait of a fifty plus year marriage told in reverse.

The story starts on Abe's 90th birthday in 2023 and through flashbacks we get to see how he meets and falls in love with his with, Ruth and the ups and downs they face together over the years (including the loss of one of their four children and a cancer diagnosis). If you like messy family drama's told with quiet humor and insightful moments this is sure to appeal.

I loved it a lot and would recommend to fans of books like The days I loved you most by Amy Neff, Sandwich by Catherine Newman or Count the ways by Joyce Maynard. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Jonathan Evison’s The Heart of Winter is a beautifully written story that captures the complexities of a long marriage with honesty and heart. Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke’s relationship begins with a disastrous blind date in college, yet it grows into a life full of love, challenges, and quiet triumphs. Living on their Bainbridge Island farm, they experience the joys and struggles of parenting, the heartbreak of loss, and the tests of aging together.

The dual timelines were one of my favorite aspects of the book, offering a full picture of their journey—from their younger, more hopeful years to their present-day struggles. The transitions felt seamless, and both timelines brought so much depth to Abe and Ruth’s story. Evison’s writing is subtle but powerful, making even small moments feel meaningful and I still am thinking about it.

I also listened to this via an advanced audiobook copy, which added so much to my reading experience. The narration captured the emotional layers of the story perfectly. This book doesn’t shy away from the challenges of a long partnership, but it also shows the beauty in the everyday moments that hold people together. It’s a moving, relatable read that will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio and Dutton for my advanced review copies.

A great story about Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke who have been married for seventy years. It is their story of struggles and love and shows all of us about true love is all about. Highly recommend!

THE HEART OF WINTER by Jonathan Evison (Lawn Boy and This is Your Life, Harriet Chance)is an absolutely gorgeous novel about roughly seventy years of marriage between Abe (an insurance salesman) and Ruth (wishes to be a poet) Winter. Using flashbacks from the present day, Evison writes movingly about their relationship, including meeting as undergraduates at University of Washington, moving to Bainbridge Island, raising four children, and facing a serious health crisis. Throughout, he eloquently illustrates life changes such as when he comments on having adult children: “The audacity. The presumption. The indignity. It seemed a cruel arrangement that one's children, the very nurslings who once drooled on your shirt collar and threw up on your lapel, who wet the bed and ... depended upon you for every little comfort, nay, for their very survival, one day grew into sanctimonious, domineering, irredeemable despots, hell bent on infantilizing you as though it were the natural order." THE HEART OF WINTER squarely addresses mortality ("Tomorrow: the day we all took for granted as we plotted and planned our futures") and marriage (" ... a marriage requires maintaining, and amending, for it is more than a binding commitment, it is a process, one that demands participation, a willingness to absorb, to accept, to reassess"). This novel, based in part on Evison's mother's response to health challenges, would be an excellent selection for book groups, especially as it portrays societal expectations and the roles of men and women in the second half of the twentieth century. THE HEART OF WINTER received a starred review from Booklist ("One of our very best writers, Evison expertly details the hopes and dreams, sacrifices and tragedies of family life."). Highly recommended.

A solid story of a strong couple telling of their time together from courtship, to babies of their own and raising a family, to raising their babies babies.

There’s one part that has really stuck with me though and is still bothering me. Why did not one relative show up? UGH

This affirming look at the bond of marriage from first date to ninetieth birthday, will conjure similar memories of past decades for many. When Abe and Ruth first meet, it is love at first sight for Abe. Unfortunately, Ruth instantly dislikes Abe. The story of how such opposing forces eventually lead to seventy bumpy years of marriage is sweet, sad, and often funny.

Begun in the present, dated chapters provide flashbacks that telescope this incredibly long marriage into a novel. Anyone over sixty will admit to sharing the same worries about illness, being a caregiver, and eventually losing a spouse. The realistic memoir does not paint a falsely, rosy picture of marriage. It does show how years of compromise and adjustment living together, bring about a relationship that is sweet and true and tender. A couple can safely navigate both joy and tragedy with love.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Heart of Winter" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book just didn't make me want to read it each day. I did finish it but it was not something that I liked reading. Overall a 2 because I finished it.

A husband and wife. A full, imperfect life. Growing pains. Just into the second chapter, my heart felt full - this is so eloquently written that it takes no time feeling as though you’re personal friends with the main characters. The nuances, the tiny moments that make up a life - all captured so gracefully in the writing. I’d find myself suddenly smiling warmly, letting out a little laugh, or letting out an “oh no.” There’s also no denying the plentiful tears - both subtle drops and streaming rivers. It’s early in the year, but I do think this may be vying for my favorite book of the year! Reading this is a must, no questions asked.

Abe and Ruth have been married for 70 years when Ruth is diagnosed with a horrible form of cancer. Their story is told through short stories from their lives together. They met in college on a blind date, married and raised a family. Together they have had highs and lows in life and in their relationship. Now Abe is faced with caring for Ruth, their farmhouse and their old dog, Megs. This was a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of two lives.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and was initially drawn to the beautiful cover.

I love the concept of this book: yes please to a heartfelt portrayal of a seventy-year marriage. That's not something I remember seeing before in fiction. While on the whole I enjoyed this, I despised the motif of the dog that ran through the book and wholeheartedly despise the ending—enough that I was mad when I turned the final page, which didn't feel like the right emotion to leave a reader with after such a big-hearted book.

Oh this book was fabulous, I could not get enough of Abe and Ruth's story. I loved that it was a time jumper and went back and told their story from when they first meet. I loved every minute I spent with Abe and Ruth and wish I could read it for the first time again. This is my first book by Jonathon Evison but I've since bought Again and Again. I gave this book 5 stars and have recommended it to everyone I know.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read The Heart of Winter. This is an enduring tale of family and love over the span of basically a lifetime. It deals with health, and trauma, the complexities of maintaining identity within raising a family and building a life. The overall framework is good. I struggled at some points with the author’s attempt at writing in period and put in church references. I prefer books where this is more seamless and a part of character not something that feels other from the story and characters but an audience grab. There were points where Abe calls people flaky who have different views than himself even referring to his much loved wife’s opinions as such when they fall different than his. I do understand that a character like Abe is supposed to be coarse and of a time but it just fell flat, forced, and off putting to me.

I had not read any of Jonathan Evison's previous works so I was not sure what to expect. From reading others reviews, I am definitely in the minority with my review. Maybe it is just the stage of life that I am in but this was a huge miss for me.

The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison is a novel that, despite its beautifully written prose, ultimately left me feeling both bored and depressed. The story centers on themes of loss, isolation, and the struggle to find meaning in difficult circumstances. While these are important topics, the execution felt overly heavy and sluggish.

The characters are well-crafted, with realistic and deeply human flaws, but their journeys often felt too bleak without much hope or redemption to balance the narrative. The pacing was slow, making it challenging to stay engaged, and the constant undercurrent of melancholy weighed down the reading experience.

Evison’s talent for descriptive writing is evident, painting vivid pictures of the harsh winter landscape and the internal struggles of the characters. However, the unrelenting somber tone made it hard to find moments of light or inspiration.

The Heart of Winter might appeal to readers who appreciate introspective, melancholic stories, but for me, it was a difficult and depressing read that lacked the dynamism needed to keep my interest.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.