Winter Rose

By: Rachel A. Marks

Narrated by: Starla Huchton

Length: 1 hr and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

A dark and haunting tale of a young girl trapped in Winter, longing to be free. When Rose and her sister are left to fend for themselves and an ailing mother, they must fight both nature and the darkness of the soul to survive.

A review: "'Winter Rose by Rachel A. Marks is a hauntingly beautiful coming of age story, reminiscent of Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell. With lush prose and realistic characters, Marks crafts a tale that focuses on the difficult subjects of abandonment and poverty, and yet rises above these dark subjects through the use of magical realism and hope. The end result was a novella that I couldn't put down." (Merrie Destefano, author of Lost Girls)

©2011 Rachel A. Marks (P)2018 Rachel A. Marks

Powerful short story.

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Let me catch my breath and calm my emotions. Ooooh. Rachel catches my attention from the first sentence. In moments I'm gripped with a strong protective feel for Rose, Becca, and their mamma. The details shared tell more than saying plainly what's happening. Well written.

Starla acts on the emotions I feel instantly. She brings the details to life through voice, as though I'm seeing it through Rose's eyes. One thing I usually find difficult to determine in audiobooks, the division between sections in a chapter. It IS rather easy to get the feel of those in this story. Starla has added a space or gap between these sections that feels a breath longer than should be, which indicates a jump in time for our characters. This is something that's hard to feel, and I felt it in Starla's rise and fall as she tells each section. Also the writers words help with this flow. Well done team!

This story is of dark, terrible things. Rape and murder are present. But the story Rachel tells of Rose and her sister is breathtaking, heart-wrenching, and gripping. The days get dark but there can always be hope, even a sliver of a chance.

I felt many emotions through this book. All the terrible we see here has me flustered as I want to help these girls. Rachel takes that anger and irritation and turns it into more. A slow change happens through the book as love grows. Wow. I think back and I'm surprised I ventured through these emotions and they relate. The flow of actions by Rose and others all fit to bring Rose to grow inside.

This is such a short read/listen and I can't believe how emotional I got with it. That says a lot for Rachel and Starla. The perfect words and the exact voice for the characters. Wow. I kept tearing up at the end. It's a slow gradual change, but it's there. Such great growth at the right pacing for Rose. I'm blown away at the tremendous journey in such a short frame, yet it didn't feel as though we were making huge leaps. The growth was done with a gentle progression with the perfect moments in time.