A Winter’s Love chronicles the loves and lives of Emily and her friends and family. As probably expected from someone who went on to write a classic like A Wrinkle in Time, the writing is delightful in parts. The beginning parts were engrossing for me but I lost interest after that. It was really hard reading about a woman falling for another man right under her husband’s nose. The pacing was rather too slow for me too.

It was...ok. I didn't enjoy the book and chose not to review it online. I couldn't get into the story even though I enjoyed older stories by this author. It never captured my interest and I ended up skimming the last 50% of the book.

A Wrinkle in Time was one of my all-time favorite books, so I was intrigued to read this novel. It was very different but am enjoyable look at marriage in one of my favorite places, Switzerland. I love L’Engle’s ability to describe characters.

I loved A Wrinkle in Time as a child, so even though this sounded not at all similar, I really wanted to give it a read.
I loved the setting of Switzerland at Christmas time in the late 50's. I enjoyed how human and flawed the characters are. It was a very insightful look at marriage over time. While the resolution made me sad, I don't think that any other one was possible.

a very well written family story that i found a very nice read but nothing overly special or unique. but if you haven't read a lot of family stories yet or love l'engles writing from her very well known and loved children book, this book is worth a try!

It is always interesting to read different types of books from the same author. I first encountered Madeleine l'Engle in, of course, A Wrinkle in Time, a book that grapples with adult themes but is aimed towards children. So how does she do in a book with adult themes for adults? I never should have wondered, of course L'Engle would deliver a stunning novel. Thanks to Netgalley and Open Road Integrated Media for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ah, family, the source of so much happiness and so much despair. Many novels focus on the family, almost all novels I'd say. LEngle's novel, however, isn't a flippant take on family life but rather a study on marriage, parenthood and teenhood. A Winter's Love is full of love and anger, sadness and joy, all surrounded by the stunning Swiss landscape. Initially I was worried this would be one of those soppy novels, in which there are grand speeches, tragic inner monologues, moonlit nights full of forbidden passion, etc. All those things are in A Winter's Love and yet it never once feels melodramatic or over the top. L'Engle's moonlit night is one we have all experienced once upon a time, the depth of her characters' emotions are recognisable in their almost sad ordinariness. There is a sense of reality to A Winter's Love I hadn't expected but that was much appreciated.

In many ways the plot of A Winter's Love is very straightforward and quite simple. A family in something of a crisis reunites for winter in the Swiss mountains, only for all the crises that had been brewing under the surface to erupt. The magic of A Winter's Love, in my opinion, is how gently and softly L'Engle explores these crises. The pace and tone of the novel are quite restrained, but purposefully so. The plot moves slowly, almost as if every second, every decision no matter how small, counts. It is this tension that also gives the novel its beauty since despite the relative normality of the plot I still found myself holding my breath at the turn of a page. What will Emily Bowen do about the distance between her and her husband, and what about her sudden feelings for this other man? Will Courtney Bowen overcome the crippling issues holding him back from embracing his current life? Will Virginia, the Bowen's oldest daughter, cope with the sudden changes in herself and her life as she enters her teenage years?And what about the host of side-characters, each with their own internal life just begging to be explored?

Madeline L'Engle is a master at crafting characters and that is exactly what she does in A Winter's Love. It is not the plot that keeps you hooked to the pages, but rather it is the way in which L'Engle brings all her characters to such immediate life. L'Engle shows that there is something happening behind each closed door, on every face turned away at the end of a sentence, inside every head. There is some tension within the book as L'Engle seems conflicted between making Emily's love affair passionate while also not too much of a temptation. After all, it was written in the 50s. But on the other hand, the ordinariness of it all works in its own way, since the grand passion we sometimes read of in novels is often overly dramatic. The emotions of the novel are also balanced out by L'Engle placing her story in a distinct time period, just after the Second World War. There are other tensions at play in this small Swiss village, remnants of anti-Semitism and Nazi collaboration. In the shadow of the mountains and the Second World War, L'Engle's characters battle with their inner demons and their desire for love and happiness. Although not a happy book, it does feel like a true one.

A Winter's Love was a novel I took my time with. I loved lingering on it, languidly reading on as L'Engle's characters plod through the snow and through their lives. L'Engle writes beautifully, elevating what could otherwise be quite a dull book. I'd definitely recommend this to those interested in Family Dramas and fans of L'Engle.

In order to read the number of books I read, I'm a fast reader. But if you're not like that, and you take your time reading a novel, savoring the imagery and the basic, human story, this book is an excellent choice. It explores the struggles of marriage, the relationships between parents and children, friendship, adultery. It's a well-crafted tale and I found myself wishing I was only going to read this book, and this book alone, for a whole month.

A Winter's Love is written by Madeleine L'Engle, the author of A Wrinkle in Time. A Winter's Love is an adult novel about Bowen family who are going through tough times. Emily and Courtney's relationship is under tremendous strain after Court lost his teaching job. They are spending the winter in the French Alps but amid the majestic setting they are growing apart and Emily is falling in love with Abe, a close family friend.
The book is very much character driven and slow paced. I was taking my time to read it and savor the beautiful prose. Because the book was written in 1950's a lot of characters' actions and beliefs felt old-fashioned and outdated. I liked Emily but I found it a little jarring when she was saying things like "Before I married Courtney I wasn't anybody." She couldn't imagine herself as her own person, she could only see herself as part of Courtney's or Abe's world. For me the exquisite writing was the best part of the story. I can see why Madeleine L'Engle became such an acclaimed writer.

Madeleine L'Engle is best known for her children's books, but A Winter's Love was written for adult. Originally published in the late 1950's, this story is the timeless story of being in love with two people...at the same time.

Emily is a mother of a teenager and a four year old and is married to an academic writer who's recently lost his university post and has since lost his direction and self confidence. This has caused him to withdraw and emotionally distance himself from his family.

The family is spending a year in Switzerland where Emily's husband hopes to be able to write more. World War II isn't far in the past distant, so there are still collaborators and resistance fighters living side by side. Emily's teenage daughter and her friend are busy rushing into adulthood including meeting future suitors but she's not the only one as Emily finds herself attractive to local men.

This is the story of a family in crisis.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I recieved an e-copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I really enjoyed this author's previous middle grade works and wanted to give this book a shot. I can definitely see where some people would like this book it just wasn't for me!

What I love most about Madeleine L'Engle is the relationship she develops between the characters and the reader. There is a sense of connection there, a familiarity that so many authors just don't quite form. It's the way you can listen to a best friend or lover talk about the mundane and every word, while a casual acquaintance can prattle on and you just can't be bothered to care. Madeleine L'Engle makes you bother to care!

There were so many layers woven throughout this book, that it was difficult to choose which character was right, or which was wrong. They all had weaknesses, and those, coupled with a harsh change in lifestyle had led them to what was starting to seem like a path of self destruction. Having insight into the minds of so many of the parties involved made it almost painful to read. It was an all to common tale of classic miscommunication, where so many things could be solved if one person would just open up to the other.

This book touches on some very sensitive subjects, from adultery to antisemitism. It delves deeply into the possible ramifications of these subjects, and on how simple it can be to combat them. It also gives an insight into how they grow to be commonplace and accepted.

A common theme of Madeleine L'Engle is how one person's actions can spiral outwards and affect the others around them. This was no exception. A mother's unhappiness, a father's frustration, all culminating in a winter of overall discontent, yet not quite unhappiness.

A Winter's Love wraps itself around you like a worn blanket, never quite finishing, just leaving you with a vague sense of "it's all going to be ok". And that was more than enough.
~ George

Originally published in January 1957, this book features the lives and loves of Emily Bowen, married to Courtney and yet finding herself falling in love with Abe Fielding whilst juggling the demands of motherhood, loss of a child and her place in the world.


This book has a dream like quality to it, written in a daydream manner. Nothing is ever direct, crude or cruel, but rather it weaves a spell around the reader who becomes caught up in the magical time of falling head over heels in love and also yet the discomfort of knowingly cheating on the one who you made vows to.


Emily is a confused woman living within a strained marriage, not quite sure of her place in the world now that she is no longer fulfilling the role of the supportive wife to her husband Courtney, who has lost his teaching job at a prestigious New York school and now finds himself at a loose end, wondering where to go to provide for his family and regain his battered ego.


…she could see, staring and wondering, wondering what it was she felt about the man who lay there, what beyond the habit of love. It was a deeply ingrained habit and there was nothing to have changed it, but she stared with a sort of horror as though daylight would reveal a stranger.


Having previously planned on a sabbatical in Switzerland, they go live in a cosmopolitan town up in the Alps where the extramarital affair begins. Abe and Emily have always had an attraction to each other, but now that Courtney is becoming difficult and aloof as he deals with his wounded ego, it is easier for Emily to justify falling for the overtures of Abe. And the reality is she is a beautiful woman, who wins the attentions of more than just one man in this bustling town.

Emily is also the busy mother to both Virginia, a teenager and a young four year old daughter Connie. To complete the household, Virginia’s friend Mimi Oppenheimer has come to spend the holidays with the Bowen family, the Jewish friend who unexpectedly finds herself dealing with the racist undertones of a Europe that has the Second World War still fresh in its memory.

The affair is only ever described in the earliest stages, with almost nothing more than kissing and a quick fondle in the dark, a welcome change from more modern down and dirty stories. The novel is written in an almost ethereal manner, too beautiful for this world, set in the enchanted reality of the Swiss Alps in the winter time.

For suddenly she realised that there was no decision to be made. Once the dream was over, once the eyes opened to the daylight, there was no choice except to leave the world of the dream.

This is a glorious book, simple and kind, exploring what marriage and love means in a modern world.

Madeleine L'Engle's "A Winter's Love" is an exquisitely rendered story of interconnected couples and families experiencing an Alpine winter, where the extreme weather matches the inner turmoil with which the characters contend. With atmospheric language, L'Engle conveys a strong sense of place and mood, and her characters come to life with a vibrant dialogue that crackles with wit and resonates with deeply felt emotion. This is largely the story of Emily Bowen, wife to professor Court who's recently lost his job at a New York college. They've come to Europe with their youngest daughter for a sabbatical year, and also to weigh the decision to move to Indiana. Meanwhile, their elder daughter Virginia and her friend Mimi have come from boarding school to spend the winter holidays at the Bowens' villa. Staying at a nearby hotel are Abe Fielding and his son Sam, old friends of the Bowens from New York. Rounding out the cast of characters are Gertrude - a member of the French Resistance recovering from TB and the psychological scars of war - and her lover, mountaineer Karlo, along with her doctor and landlady. As Emily finds her feelings towards Abe growing romantic, she faces the dilemma of pursuing a relationship with him, or remaining with her husband and children. Meanwhile, Virginia, Mimi, Sam, and his friend Snider, deal with their own burgeoning understandings of love and faithfulness, and Gertrude suffers a crisis of confidence along with a crisis of health. What I found particularly exquisite about L'Engle's book is the way she explores the strength of one's moral resolve, particularly when that resolve comes into conflict with romantic desires; and how she throws into relief the topsy-turvy confusion of her adolescent characters as something similar to the adults' attempts to navigate murky and inscrutable situations themselves. In so doing, she reveals the pains of growing up, love and loss, and the fortitude required to persevere in the face of external, and especially internal, obstacles. A compelling and absorbing read!

I guess L'Engle just isn't one of my favorite authors, as much as many friends and contemporaries adore her. Glad I had the opportunity to read it.

A Winter's Love, though previously published, was not a book of Madeleine L'Engle's that I had heard of before and wasn't quite sure what to expect. A Wrinkle in Time has been a classic that I have enjoyed over the years, so I was eager to get started in reading this early work.

The book itself is well written, L'Engle is still young in her style so it has a notably different feel than other works that I have read. The subject matter, however, was incredibly mature and at times difficult as my attention wanted to wander elsewhere. To dismiss it as a mid-life crisis style book, or a marriage-on-the-rocks book, is not well enough for what her writing deserves--yet at the same time, that's what it felt like to me in this first read. It is a bit haunting, and I will no doubt return to it. Later in life. When it is more likely to resonate.

Overall it was an interesting read, though far from the scope and genre of what I was expecting, and I am glad to see that it has been re-released after being out of print for many years.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, the family of Madeleine L'Engle, and Open Road Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This novel was formerly published in 1984 by Ballantine Books. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me. This ebook contains a biography of Madeleine L'Engle's life and rare photos from her estate.

An interesting an well-defined look at the moral and religious approaches to relationships, dated only by the lack of cell phones. I found this novel delightful despite or perhaps because of the social lessons contained within. The biographical information concerning the author is extensive and very touching.

For me this book was a very slow burn and it took me a long time to get into the story. It is set post second world war in the French Alps, where an American family had originally planned to come for a sabbatical. Courtney has recently found himself pushed out of his teaching post and is unhappily writing, whilst his wife Emily cautiously tiptoes around him. The book centres on Emily and her emotional wrestle with a developing new love. Should she satisfy her emotional needs and allow herself to fall for another man and deal with the fallout, or should she stick by her husband and family and try to move forward? The emotive issues dealt with here are still relevant today. The characters did slowly grow on me and I eventually found myself getting drawn into Emily's dilemma. Overall, not quite for me, but more enjoyable in the end than I first expected.

The writing was absolutely beautiful, and this book stands the test of time. I really felt for Emily.

First published in 1957, the late Madeleine L'Engle's tale of regret and illicit love follows Emily Bowen, her husband Court, their children, and Emily's paramour Abe as they vacation in the Swiss Alps following WWII. Court, recently laid off from his academic post, turns what was to be a sabbatical into an escape until he chooses to accept a lesser post in Indiana or decides to make a go of it as a writer. Despondent and prickly, Court rejects Emily's repeated attempts to help in any way she can. The largely ignored wife then turns to more understanding arms, that of Abe, an old friend from New York.

What is most interesting to see is how prose has changed over the past 60-some years, comparing what those in the late 20th century wrote and read compared to today's literature. This narrative is carried primarily through dialogue, which can be jarring to modern readers. We get glimpses of the characters inner most thoughts mostly through their words and that is different than the more action-driven narratives we see these days. Still, the emotional themes persist, and L'Engle throws in a few twists with religion, anti-Semitism, and adultery. The effect is subtle and much more nuanced, I think, than many of those same themes today. It leaves the moral dilemmas up to the reader in a way that is as novel as it is satisfying.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review.

This was my first foray into the writing of Madeleine L'Engle, as such I can't contextualise this within the wider scope of her work and many other will be able . I understand that it is one of her earlier works and that her talents are not quite as matured or in evidence in A Winter's Love than in her later and more famous novels but if things are only going to get better from here all I can say is I cannot wait to read more. L'Engle has huge talent and her writing is both thoughtful and effortless, easily beautiful and elegant enough to excuse some minor flaws of plot and character.

Emily and Courtney have relocated their family to the Swiss Alps after Courtney was edged out of his professorship at a US university. Courtney has retreated into himself, disappointed, angry and ashamed but unable to open up to his wife leaving them both feeling isolated and anxious about their marriage. Abe Fielding, an old friend of the family, has also recently arrived, unearthing old, half-acknowledged feelings and possibilities for Emily. Caught in this poignant triangle they grapple with loss and grief, their morals and their desires. These flawed characters are written with beautiful, credible fragility and my heart ached for all three.

In addition to these fraught relationships we come to know the Bowen children, young Connie and adolescent Virginia and Virginia's friend Mimi as well as Abe's teenage son Sam. While still described in gorgeous prose this younger generation is less compelling and their relationships less convincing. Perhaps it is my own age but my connection to them was not as profound.

A Winter's Love is a complex love story about many types of love, marriage, passion, filial love and friendship and L'Engle's quiet, graceful prose reveals the imperfections of all of them and the mistakes and sacrifices they can engender.