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Winter
Winter
Winter
Audiobook7 hours

Winter

Written by Ali Smith

Narrated by Melody Grove

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

From the Man Booker-short-listed and Baileys Women's Prize-winning author of How to be both, the highly anticipated second novel in the acclaimed Seasonal series, which both continues the arc of the series and is also an extraordinary stand-alone read. In Winter, life force matches up to the toughest of the seasons. In this second novel in her acclaimed Seasonal cycle, the follow-up to Ali Smith's sensational Autumn, Smith's shape-shifting quartet of novels casts a merry eye over a bleak post-truth era with a story rooted in history, memory, and warmth, its taproot deep in the evergreens: art, love, laughter. It's the season that teaches us survival.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 9, 2018
ISBN9781501971099
Winter
Author

Ali Smith

Ali Smith was born in Inverness in 1962. She studied at the University of Aberdeen and Newham College, Cambridge. Her first book, Free Love and Other Stories (1995) won the Saltire First Book of the Year award and a Scottish Arts Council Book Award. Her novel Autumn was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker. She lives in Cambridge.

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Reviews for Winter

Rating: 3.9545453951048954 out of 5 stars
4/5

286 ratings14 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I don't think I enjoyed this as much as "Autumn", perhaps the themes feel a bit more pointed, perhaps the layers seem more densely layered yet less dense within themselves. Still, I always enjoy Smith's writing, her clever intertextual references, and her tone of voice. And the broader aims of this quartet are admirable. Looking forward to seeing the sun again in Spring.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When I read Ali Smith, I find myself propelled into research on some real but often forgotten moments in history. There I discover among the alluring magic realism and time travel, new factual information worth remembering and holding. All very satisfying.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not sure I liked it as much as Autumn, but there was still the beautiful humor and lovely puns in the writing. A little confusing to me, though. Maybe aimed at smarter people!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This second in the Seasonal Quartet offers interesting characters and certainly a unique way of looking at things. Even so, this book, this series just don't work for me. I gave them a second chance but probably will end my reading of the quartet here. I can understand the rave reviews but I just don't feel it. (I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really love this book. I devoured it and will need to read it again, slowly. Look up the references I don't fully understand. Think more fully about the connections and ideas. Savour it!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a very different kind of sequel in that none of the original characters are present, but the same setting and timeframe prevails. I'll be interested to see where the sequence goes next.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the second in a quartet of books that Ali Smith is writing. This one focuses on the relationship between two sisters, their son/nephew, and his "pretend girlfriend" Lux. There are surprise connections and, as in Autumn, commentary on very current events including immigration and refugees. She also does a beautiful job with subtle word play which I enjoy. I liked this but I'm not blown away. I actually think Jenny Erpenbeck's Go, Went, Gone does a better job exploring the refugee crisis. In the end, I didn't find this particularly memorable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Less immediately astonishing than Autumn, but perhaps more cumulatively wonderful. There is a moment, perhaps three quarters of the way through, where two elderly sisters who haven’t spoken in years snuggle up in bed with each other. It’s rather glorious and I can see myself revisiting this section over and again. Smith is also great on Greenham Common and Donald Trump. Two books in to this series about seasons and it is already turning into an epic success.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Ali Smith's writing is like pizza - even when it's not so good, it's really good! The set up here is so great, but the story rather fizzles out. Given the fascinating characters, you assume that - had this not been written to a deadline as part of Smith's cycle of seasonal novels - it all could have been so much more. Still, there's plenty of smiles along the way to go with the disappointments (and, it must be said, groans for all the TRUMP! BREXIT! topical nods).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The second in Smith's "Seasonal Quartet," with the expected wordplay, imagination, and cultural commentary. I'm not sure I enjoyed it quite as much as I did Autumn, but it's still an excellent read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a book that left me feeling a little unsatisfied. I loved the earlier book in this series but this one didn't quite do it for me. This was due to the fact that main characters of Sophia and her son Arthur never felt fully realised.
    There are some interesting characters and social commentary that we would expect from Ali Smith and this, like all of her works is a non-linear poetic wander through several connected lives.

    For the full review check out my blog: Engrossed in a Good Book
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Witty, strange, surprisingly poignant - with a lot of bits of phrasings I know will come back to me randomly in the future.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Simply brilliant.Awaiting Spring and Summer
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it - after being a little puzzled at the start, i soon got into the swing of things and enjoyed every nuance. Essentail reading!