Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Razorbill (2010), Edition: 1, Paperback, 272 pages
Description
Tundra, Alaska, high school senior Winter learns about love, loss, and starting over when her boyfriend, who has been her best friend since second grade, is killed in a plane crash the day after they declared their love for each other.
User reviews
LibraryThing member YAaddict
Some books make you laugh. Some books make you cry. Some books stay with you a long time after reading. But then every once in a while, you find a book that goes beyond staying with you. Every once in a while, you find a book that changes you. You walk out as a slightly different person then you
I clicked with Winter right away. In the beginning, we see her overjoyed by her new found relationship with Spencer. Who doesn't remember how that felt? The excitement of those first sweet kisses. The jumpy feeling you got in your stomach when you realize he feels the same way as you. That is where Winter was at, right before Spencer was killed in a plane crash. Even though I knew it was coming, seeing Winter crumbling and feeling her pain made it a shocking scene to read through. Winter and Spencer were good friends before they started dating. So Winter wasn't just losing a new boyfriend, she was losing a best friend as well.
Spencer died early on in the story, so we don't know much about him. But Mills adds little stories of Winter and Spencer's past before each chapter. This allows the reader to understand how important Spencer was to Winter, and it shows what a beautiful and endearing person Spencer was. With each little story, I fell more in love with Spencer. And that just made the loss of him more difficult to bear as each chapter passed.
With Spencer gone, Winter doesn't think her life will ever move on. Enter Jesse Kerr, Winter's next door neighbor. Jesse was such a wonderful character. He was so sweet and always there for Winter when he thought she needed someone. He was the epitome of a night in shining armor. As Winter and Jesse grow closer as friends, Winter starts to grow feelings for Jesse that are more than friendly. This confuses and upsets her. How could she feel this way about anyone but Spencer? It's just wrong. She already gave heart to Spencer. As as reader, you are right there with Winter. I fell in love with Spencer, but Jesse was so wonderful, I couldn't help but love him to. And that made me feel like I was cheating Spencer in some way. It's impossible not to sympathise with Winter's situation.
Along with realistic and likable characters was the beautiful setting. Mills descriptions of the Alaskan tundra made you feel like you were really there. She wrote just enough to show the scene's beauty, without being too wordy. The writing in this book blew me away at some points. Some paragraphs were so poignant, I had to reread a couples times, just to let the words sink in.
I appreciated the fact that the story didn't end tied up all perfectly. Yes, it was enough of a happy ending to satisfy me, but it showed the realism in losing a loved one. I was proud of Winter for the choices she made.
Winter Longing is a tale about losing someone you've barely gotten the chance to love, and finding a way to move on. It's a powerful message that the ones you love may die, but love itself never dies. It finds you in ways you never expect. Like in a boy next door you have never paid attention to. Winter Longing is one of the best books this year, and has made it's way in my heart as a new favorite.
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were walking in. It shifts you in a way that is indescribable by words. You just have to experience it yourself to understand. That is what Winter Longing did for me.I clicked with Winter right away. In the beginning, we see her overjoyed by her new found relationship with Spencer. Who doesn't remember how that felt? The excitement of those first sweet kisses. The jumpy feeling you got in your stomach when you realize he feels the same way as you. That is where Winter was at, right before Spencer was killed in a plane crash. Even though I knew it was coming, seeing Winter crumbling and feeling her pain made it a shocking scene to read through. Winter and Spencer were good friends before they started dating. So Winter wasn't just losing a new boyfriend, she was losing a best friend as well.
Spencer died early on in the story, so we don't know much about him. But Mills adds little stories of Winter and Spencer's past before each chapter. This allows the reader to understand how important Spencer was to Winter, and it shows what a beautiful and endearing person Spencer was. With each little story, I fell more in love with Spencer. And that just made the loss of him more difficult to bear as each chapter passed.
With Spencer gone, Winter doesn't think her life will ever move on. Enter Jesse Kerr, Winter's next door neighbor. Jesse was such a wonderful character. He was so sweet and always there for Winter when he thought she needed someone. He was the epitome of a night in shining armor. As Winter and Jesse grow closer as friends, Winter starts to grow feelings for Jesse that are more than friendly. This confuses and upsets her. How could she feel this way about anyone but Spencer? It's just wrong. She already gave heart to Spencer. As as reader, you are right there with Winter. I fell in love with Spencer, but Jesse was so wonderful, I couldn't help but love him to. And that made me feel like I was cheating Spencer in some way. It's impossible not to sympathise with Winter's situation.
Along with realistic and likable characters was the beautiful setting. Mills descriptions of the Alaskan tundra made you feel like you were really there. She wrote just enough to show the scene's beauty, without being too wordy. The writing in this book blew me away at some points. Some paragraphs were so poignant, I had to reread a couples times, just to let the words sink in.
I appreciated the fact that the story didn't end tied up all perfectly. Yes, it was enough of a happy ending to satisfy me, but it showed the realism in losing a loved one. I was proud of Winter for the choices she made.
Winter Longing is a tale about losing someone you've barely gotten the chance to love, and finding a way to move on. It's a powerful message that the ones you love may die, but love itself never dies. It finds you in ways you never expect. Like in a boy next door you have never paid attention to. Winter Longing is one of the best books this year, and has made it's way in my heart as a new favorite.
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LibraryThing member jonilee73
Such a touching book. This book handles the grief that comes from losing a loved one very well. Winter has loved Spencer for years and they share the first kiss the day before he dies in a plane crash while taking his pilot license test. She finds comfort in the new friendship with a boy who has
I loved Jesse. He was always there for Winter and he understood everything that she was going through. He is the sweet guy that all the girls dream of one day finding. When I first read the summary I thought that Jesse was a new boy in town and had just recently moved to the house next to her, but I was wrong. He has lived there for years, but they never really were friends until Spencer's death.
Winter also has another best friend, Lindsay, who is grieving for Spencer as well. And she is dealing with battles in her life that Winter doesn't seem to notice at first while she is dealing with the loss of Spencer. I am glad the novel touched on that fact. That sometimes when a person is dealing with tragedy they forget that their friends can be dealing with other problems. It was a real situation that has never been featured in any other book I have read before.
The only thing that I was confused about was the timing. It seemed as though six months had passed since Spencer's death at one point in the novel, but then it is mentioned that it has been two. So many things seemed to happen is such a short period of time. But this is the only negative I have for this book.
All in all, this is a good book. It teaches us about loss and moving on. I cried a few times while reading the book and I can't imagine going through what Winter went through. And the descriptions of Alaska were to beautiful that I actually wanted to go there, and I despise cold weather, so that is saying something.
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lived next door to her for years, Jesse. I loved Jesse. He was always there for Winter and he understood everything that she was going through. He is the sweet guy that all the girls dream of one day finding. When I first read the summary I thought that Jesse was a new boy in town and had just recently moved to the house next to her, but I was wrong. He has lived there for years, but they never really were friends until Spencer's death.
Winter also has another best friend, Lindsay, who is grieving for Spencer as well. And she is dealing with battles in her life that Winter doesn't seem to notice at first while she is dealing with the loss of Spencer. I am glad the novel touched on that fact. That sometimes when a person is dealing with tragedy they forget that their friends can be dealing with other problems. It was a real situation that has never been featured in any other book I have read before.
The only thing that I was confused about was the timing. It seemed as though six months had passed since Spencer's death at one point in the novel, but then it is mentioned that it has been two. So many things seemed to happen is such a short period of time. But this is the only negative I have for this book.
All in all, this is a good book. It teaches us about loss and moving on. I cried a few times while reading the book and I can't imagine going through what Winter went through. And the descriptions of Alaska were to beautiful that I actually wanted to go there, and I despise cold weather, so that is saying something.
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LibraryThing member Jessica5
Let me just start off by saying that I loved this book so freaking much! What first drew me in was the cover, and then once I started the story I was addicted! From what I had remembered of the summary, I thought that Winter was going to lose her long term boyfriend who she was madly in love with.
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But no. She lost the boy she had been madly in love with since 2nd grade but had only just admitted her feelings (which he reciprocated) the very day before he died. Now that is sad. It was details like these that made the book so emotional and so good to read. But that's not the reason I love this book. No, the reason I love this book is one word. Jesse. I completely fell in love with Jesse once he started to show up randomly in Winter's life. He was so sweet and so caring that even when he got frustrated that Winter couldn't get over Spencer, he still stuck around. And when the moment on the cover happened in the book, I literally had an "awwwwwww" moment because it was so sweet. I seriously want to take Jesse home with me and never let him go! He was just the thing Winter needed in her life and I couldn't help but be jealous of her. Yes, I'm jealous of someone who's not even real. But you would be to if you read this book! Which you should do! Right now! Trust me, you will not ever regret picking up this amazing book. Show Less
LibraryThing member thehidingspot
I had high expectations as I cracked open WINTER LONGING. Based on the description, I expected an intense, emotional novel in which a girl finds the strength to move on and, in the process, finds love... again.
I suppose that is what happens in WINTER LONGING, but... it just didn't wow me. I was
I thought my opinion of the novel would change as Winter grew closer to her neighbor, Jesse, but this, unfortunately, didn't prove true. Instead, I found Jesse to be rather cliche and too perfect. It was sweet that he is so patient with Winter, but I just didn't buy the devotion. I couldn't figure out why he liked Winter so much.
I think WINTER LONGING will find fans, but it simply wasn't for me. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. Those who can find a connection with Winter, or even Jesse, will be more apt to experience the emotional aspects of the novel, which, I think, will result in a more favorable opinion.
I suppose that is what happens in WINTER LONGING, but... it just didn't wow me. I was
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most disappointed by Winter. For me, she was one-dimensional and vaguely annoying. I felt bad that she'd lost Spencer - he was not only her first love, but also her best friend. She must have felt like she was losing him twice... and it couldn't have been easy to deal with that grief alone.I thought my opinion of the novel would change as Winter grew closer to her neighbor, Jesse, but this, unfortunately, didn't prove true. Instead, I found Jesse to be rather cliche and too perfect. It was sweet that he is so patient with Winter, but I just didn't buy the devotion. I couldn't figure out why he liked Winter so much.
I think WINTER LONGING will find fans, but it simply wasn't for me. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. Those who can find a connection with Winter, or even Jesse, will be more apt to experience the emotional aspects of the novel, which, I think, will result in a more favorable opinion.
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LibraryThing member DamarisGCR
5 Stars!Tricia Mills has written a beautiful story! I could not help but cry at some parts in the book. Tricia did such a great job at describing the way Winter felt, that I felt like I was in her shoes. Winter has always been in love with her best friend Spencer. She finally got the courage to ask
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him out and when she does, Winter finds out that Spencer has always cared about her too. After finally getting the chance to be with Spencer, Winter loses him in a plane crash. Her whole world fell apart overnight. She felt she had nothing to live for. Not only did she lose her best friend, but she lost the love of her life as well. Just when she thinks that she cannot be happy again or ever care for anyone else, her neighbor Jesse comes into the picture. Winter and Jesse live next door to each other and their parents are very good friends. Only thing is, Jesse is part of the popular crowd and a jock. They never really looked at each other in that way before. This story made me cry, laugh and smile all at the same time. Just when Winter thought that without Spencer she couldn't live and move on, life took a twist and she found herself feeling again and learning to let go. The characters in Winter Longing seem so real and are easy to like. I truly felt like I was in the book watching from the out crowd. Beautiful beginning and beautiful ending. This will not be my last book by Tricia Mills. A MUST READ! Show Less
Original publication date
2010-08-12
Physical description
272 p.; 5.39 inches
ISBN
1595142886 / 9781595142887