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A Novel
The extraordinary new novel by Jonathan Evison, about a married couple in their golden years, from when they met across big ups, deep downs, and survive-it-all, opposites-attract love.
Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together—at least if you ask Ruth. Yet their catastrophic blind date in college evolved into a seventy-year marriage and a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island with their hens and beloved Labrador, Megs. Through the years, the Winters have fallen in and out of lockstep, and from their haunting losses and guarded secrets, a dependable partnership has been forged.
But when Ruth's loose tooth turns out to be something much more malicious, the beautiful, reliable life they've created together comes to a crisis. As Ruth struggles with her crumbling independence, Abe must learn how to take care of her while their three living children question his ability to look after his wife. And once again, the couple has to reconfigure how to be there for each other.
In this bighearted and profound portrait of a marriage, Jonathan Evison explores seventy years of big moments in subtle ways, elegantly braiding the Winters' turbulent history with their present-day battles, showing us how the oddly paired college kids became parents, fell apart and back together, and grew into the Abe and Ruth of today. Endlessly heartwarming and moving, The Heart of Winter is a reminder that true love lives in small, everyday moments.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (12/11/2025)
After finishing "Atlas of Untold Stories" by Sara Brunsvold (which had potential but didn't deliver; the author is from Kansas so I wanted to be supportive), I started "The Heart of Winter" by Jonathan Evison. I suspect I'll be crying by the end.
-Carol_Ann_Robb
What are you reading this week? (02/20/2025)
I just finished Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. A very fast read I like her books. Two chapters into The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison . He is a local Washington author. His books are excellent. Also rereading The Glass Castle for my bookclub.
-Paula_Walters
What book or books are you reading this week? (01/09/2025)
...nd we have our first discussion meet-up scheduled. Today I plan to finish The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis. I also managed, through Libby, to snap up: The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison In Ascension by Martin Macinnes My current audio is You Never Know read by the author Tom Selleck. Close readers of the community may recall that I o...
-Anne_Glasgow
"A savvy portrait of love and devotion...[Evison] affords this aging couple a dose of realism and dignity that's often lacking in novels." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This is a poignant testament to the sustaining potential of marriage." —Publishers Weekly
"One of our very best writers, Evison expertly details the hopes and dreams, sacrifices and tragedies of family life." —Booklist
"Jonathan Evison, the brilliant American storyteller, has written a novel for the ages. Abe and Ruth Winter are in a long marriage, having experienced all the joy and pain that comes from living in a lifelong partnership. Ruth is a resplendent character, a mother and wife with dreams of her own, while Abe has to reinvent himself when the worst happens. Love, forgiveness and redemption built the soul of this story. A must read." —Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone
This information about The Heart of Winter was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Algonquin Books
Jonathan Evison is the author of the novels All About Lulu, West of Here, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!, Lawn Boy, and Legends of the North Cascades. He lives with his wife and family in Washington State.
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From "America's librarian" and NPR books commentator Nancy Pearl comes an emotionally riveting debut novel about an unlikely marriage at a crossroads.
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