Winter Break: A Novel

Midwinter Break: A Novel .. Novels like "Midwinter Break" by MacLaverty are the reason because I've became an .. They take a winter trip to Amsterdam.
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It is breathtaking writing. And the mortifying mistake that results from that, which recalls Hardy in its depiction of a universe that mocks all human attempts at redemption and amelioration.


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  • Verlieb dich nie in einen Millionär! (German Edition).
  • Exploring the mystery of a long, challenged marriage.

This is an achingly sad book, and essential in its sadness. It is illuminated with skill and application and labour and something very like love. Niall Griffiths 19 August 9: Midwinter Break Bernard MacLaverty. See also Amsterdam Belfast Book review - fiction fanaticism marital relationship meaning of life the loss of love Violence. Most Popular Read Recent Read. Why can't the warring Tories see that a Brexit deal is within grasp? Naz Shah needs to make up her mind about abortion Ross Clark. A Conservative policy agenda two years late Isabel Hardman. Shivanee Novel Niche said: October 11, at 1: Thanks for stopping by, my friend.

October 10, at 8: Thank you for reading, Shakirah! I was left open-mouthed, too! You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. It seems quite ordinary but its impact is extraordinary. It is funny and serious, a sad book and a happy book at the same time. A book mainly about Him yet predominantly about Her. A book about a shared life that is not really shared at all. I wasn't interested in knowing that She says her prayers every night be This love story about a retired couple is full of paradox.

I wasn't interested in knowing that She says her prayers every night before getting into bed with her hot water bottle, or that He, who never prays, sits up all night with his whiskey bottle instead. And even though I related slightly better to Him than to Her, I just couldn't get interested in the clues to unhappiness that were scattered everywhere. Clues such as artificial tears and cracks in masonry. But somewhere along the way, in the space between one line and the next, there was an inexplicable shift in my thinking.

I still don't know how it happened, but by the end of the book, I had become completely involved in both the story and the writing, picking up on the author's clues eagerly, and even anticipating the words that would come next. And then He says exactly that! It was as if the story was a crossword, and I had learned to figure it out.

That was quite a miraculous turnaround, you might say sceptically. And I'm inclined to be sceptical about it myself - I've never had much time for the miraculous. But miracle-like happenings can insert themselves into the smallest spaces - think of the wonder of the midwinter sun slicing through the prehistoric underground chamber at Newgrange: Bernard McLaverty shines a light into the hidden spaces of a shared life and the result is quite wonderful.

View all 68 comments. The Begijnhof in Amsterdam is a vestige of this movement, which is probably no less necessary today than it was in medieval society. Gerry is a boor and a functional alcoholic. Stella is spiritually-minded and feels dis-valued. They have reached that stage in their marriage in which a gentle sniping and comforting ritual is as intimate as it gets. Both self-medicate to relieve disappointment with their lives: Both want a different life. She is obviously the more competent at living. As an intact antique city, Amsterdam evokes not just the past but specific memories for Gerry and Stella.

Especially when they shared a trauma to which they both had to adapt. Is there anything more than that stale shared past to keep them together? Knowing when to be silent. Above all, knowing when to laugh. View all 22 comments. I have a sense of drift. I want to do something with the time I have left. Other than watch you drink This book is the story of a midwinter break taken in Amsterdam by a retired couple Gerry and Stella — Gerry and Stella are a Northern Irish Catholic Couple now living in Glasgow.

He believed that everything and everybody in the world was worthy of notice, but the person beside him was something beyond that. To him her presence was as important as the world. And the stars around it. If she was an instance of the goodness in this world then passing through by her side was miracle enough View all 3 comments.

Novels like "Midwinter Break" by MacLaverty are the reason because I've became an ardent and passionate reader!!! Gerry and Stella a couple for decades make a trip to Amsterdam and must confront the shadows and hurts lurking in the past They must cope with the fact that events and decisions made deliberately in the past have not lost their shaping power at all. Gerry try to find solace with alcohol, and Stella search for meaning leads her to a devout religious life; but in the end they both find Novels like "Midwinter Break" by MacLaverty are the reason because I've became an ardent and passionate reader!!!

Gerry try to find solace with alcohol, and Stella search for meaning leads her to a devout religious life; but in the end they both find themselves in a struggling involving their relationship and more than that, even the destiny of their souls Narrated with a full and rich description-power dealing with ordinary everyday items and concerns, MacLaverty leads the reader in a subtle way to deeper and higher meanings full of heavy and crushing emotions Love and respect for each other, as also the uncovering and exposition of our human weaknesses are items masterfully dealt with in "Midwinter Break"!!

Let me say frankly and honestly, that this novel although a quiet one, will not fail to left his deep traces in the hearts of the reader.

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Sensitive written, with insight in what it means to be humans and full saturated with an almost nostalgic and poetic flair I really are so happy at the beginning of the year to have had such an amazing reading experience!! Full recommendation to all of you my friends, with five stars View all 10 comments.

They are an old married couple. They are Irish but then there was an incident and now they live in Glasgow.

She was a teacher; he an architect. He is an alcoholic; she is devout. There is a fissure in their marriage. This is a story about a trip they take to Amsterdam. There will be flashbacks, teasingly and piecemeal, about the incident. We follow them, together and alone, among the Dutch, and it is ours to wonder if they will still be together at jour Gerry and Stella.

We follow them, together and alone, among the Dutch, and it is ours to wonder if they will still be together at journey's end. On the flight over, Stella starts to tell, cryptically, why she wants to return to Amsterdam, where she last visited thirty years before. It's storyboarding , Gerry says. They draw a comic first -- then film it. It's a way of setting out exactly what you want to happen. The storyboarding of this book, the comic first , may seem well-worn if not trite. As plots go, there are only two endings after all and maybe the reader will care if they are still a couple at the end.

What carries the book is the language. There's the lilt, as when Stella says to Gerry in the airport: You'd be a great one to send for sorrow. And dialogue that informs: At home or in Scotland? Moderation in all things. If you could only see yourself. You used to be so kind and considerate.

What's happened to you? You're nothing but appetite. Yet, from I, the reader, I don't think that's an accurate judgment.

Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty review – marriage under the microscope

Gerry seemed plenty kind and considerate to me. He just was very medicated. But he wasn't a bad man, and he was still palpably in love. And even when drunk he would buy little endearments. All of which got me thinking about husbands and wives; about living with disapproval; about a woman's needs. They are stranded in the airport when they hoped to return. Gerry, alone, starts to itemize the many things about Stella that he loves, a one-sided ledger. Stella hides in a ladies room stall where no one can hear her soliloquy: Can there be so many women in a similar position?

Widows, the brutalised, women in need of a room of their own. Yes, authors get channeled. Because you can't go to Amsterdam without a trip to a museum. And so Stella and Gerry stand together, in a crowd, and look: But she's not so sure. She pointed out the groom's hand around the woman's shoulder and his other hand resting on her breast.

The bride's touch on the groom's hand. View all 18 comments. This is a story written with compassion and love. It is about a married retired couple named Gerry and Stella. There is a lot of peace and tranquility in terms of the way Bernard Maclaverty has written this lovely novel. The two main character's Gerry and Stella are from Ireland who now live in Scotland. Gerry used to be an architect and Stella was a school teacher. They are in their twilight years of their lives and marriage. They have one son named Michael and one grandchild named Toby who reside in Canada.

Stella and Gerry decide to take a four day trip to Amsterdam where Stella who is very religious looks for a sanctuary to live. Stella and Gerry both experience flashbacks of the day Stella was shot in the stomach while pregnant with their only son by the IRA in Ireland. The story of that day is written seamlessly into the narrative. The bullet did not harm her unborn child since it was a gun shot wound that entered Stella's stomach and exited without harming her baby.

Stella is knocked to the ground and makes a vow to God that she will devote her life to serving him if her unborn child and herself live. Stella and Michael miraculously are not injured from the gunshot wound. The outcome is that Stella can not have any more children. Gerry is drinking whisky and water every time he thinks Stella is not aware of what he is doing. Stella is aware of Gerry's alcoholism and her reason for going to Amsterdam is to keep the vow that she made to God and to leave her marriage to Gerry. Stella is interested in joining and living with a group in the Netherlands called the Beguines.

The Beguines are a member of the dutch sisterhood, formed in the twelfth century, and not bound by vows. When Stella looks into this sisterhood, she finds out that the last sister in this group died in There still is a group that exists however you have to be between age 30 and 65 and it is costly. Stella has to make a decision and she tells Gerry that she wants to sell their home and get two separate places to live when they return home. There are many things to love about this book. I loved the courage that Stella exudes by making a decision to want more out of life than just settling to stay in a marriage where she is no longer happy.

I loved both characters and the realism that is written about their relationship. Gerry really admires Stella and is a kind person, he has a drinking problem. The author is talented in weaving a contemporary story about real people with real problems. I don't want to tell what decision is made.

Does Stella and Gerry stay together or do they separate?

Does Gerry think he has a problem with alcohol? Is Gerry willing to admit he has a problem? I think the author did an excellent job of describing the different countries. It is a quiet but powerful story that is realistic and timely. It takes place in winter but you can smell the flowers and hear the birds.

View all 15 comments. This is the story of Gerry and Stella, in their early sixties, off on a 4-day holiday to Amsterdam. They are at pivotal moment in their lives and their marriage. Gerry is an alchoholic and Stella is fed up and looking to lead a more purposeful and spiritual life. This was well-written but it really dragged for me, especially toward the end. I don't know how Gerry and Stella felt, but this seemed like the longest vacation in history.

Too much blah blah blah. The last quarter of the book was more s This is the story of Gerry and Stella, in their early sixties, off on a 4-day holiday to Amsterdam. The last quarter of the book was more skimmed than read. Liked it, but didn't love it. View all 4 comments.

This book really dragged for me View all 8 comments. Mac Laverty is a writer of gorgeous prose, and deeply thoughtful novels. His latest novel strengthens his reputation as an exceptional writer. Mac Laverty spreads details about their lives throughout the book rather than giving them to the reader upfront. They now live in Glasgow and have been there for several decades.

Stella grew up in a large Catholic family in rural Northern Ireland and was the only student in her school to go on to get a Mac Laverty is a writer of gorgeous prose, and deeply thoughtful novels. Stella grew up in a large Catholic family in rural Northern Ireland and was the only student in her school to go on to get a university degree. Gerry, also Catholic, studied architecture at a technical school in Belfast. He lacked the drive or perhaps talent to become an architect and ended up a university lecturer. They have one son, and one grandson.

They live in Canada, and that distance is a source of heartbreak for Stella. The book takes place during a trip the couple make to Amsterdam in January. In this kind of situation, often the drinker believes others are unaware of their addiction. Both have their secrets, which is pushing them apart. Amsterdam in January is an unusual choice for a getaway, but Mac Laverty portrays the city not as dim and cold in the winter light, but as a place of discovery, and hidden corners.

Of the two, Stella continues to practice her Catholic faith, which Gerry has turned his back on. She wanted to live the life of her Catholicism. This was where her kindness, if she had any, her generosity, her sense of justice had all come from. And her humility, she must not forget humility. Catholicism was her source of spiritual stem cells.

Gerry, always the architect, studies the buildings, and reflects. He tried to build a picture of this landscape before the snow. And when he succeeded in doing so, he subtracted the buildings. Dismantling them, andimagined how it would have looked centuries ago… As the story unfolds, the reader learns what drove Stella and Gerry out of Belfast. It was a single horrific event that continues to haunt each of them in different ways.

As Gerry retreats into alcoholism, Stella considers a life without him. But this is a couple who deeply love each other. It is a short trip that leads both of them to face their fears, their secrets, and the meaning of the lives they have lived. Thanks to Net Galley for sharing a copy of this book for review. See my full review at BookBrowse. See also my article on the Beguines, a lay religious order. Follow Gerry and Stella Gilmore as they go on a short break away to Amsterdam.

I found Midwinter Break a refreshing change from your average run-of-the-mill mix of novels. It is a love story but not with young, vibrant, enthusiastic twenty year olds.

Roommates ~Max & Isabella~ Spring Break [Visual Novel][English]

Gerry and Stella are a retired couple who have been married for many, many years. I thought Bernard described the dynamics of having been married together for a very long time spot on. I really engaged with Gerry and Stella, it was all those little t Follow Gerry and Stella Gilmore as they go on a short break away to Amsterdam. I really engaged with Gerry and Stella, it was all those little things that couples share subliminally in their married lives. Because of their age, they share mutual things, some of which brought a big smile to my face. There is lots of good dry humour sprinkled through this story, for example… They approached the main terminal, protected behind stainless-steel bollards.

Then surprise her just before take-off.

Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty review – marriage under the microscope | Books | The Guardian

Gerry lifted his glass and looked at the measure. If you feel well enough. I got the impression that I went away with them to Amsterdam and that I was part of the party. However, this is essentially a love story but has very little in the way of a plot. There are no big surprises and the reader peacefully bumbles along with Gerry and Stella. All very nice in a very leisurely way, a few drinks, some meals and a nice stroll around Amsterdam. Yes, Bernard does the married life thing very well indeed but this does not lead to an exciting read. It is engaging and comfortable but it is not edge of seat stuff.

I wondered where this story was going and expected something big to happen at the end. View all 6 comments. How emotionally draining this book turned out to be. They develop new interests or existing ones come more to the fore and might not be shared with a long-term partner. Personality foibles that seem charming and perfectly tolerable in youth can become irritating, or it may be that par How emotionally draining this book turned out to be.

Personality foibles that seem charming and perfectly tolerable in youth can become irritating, or it may be that partners become less accommodating of each other. Gerry and Stella separately have come to wonder what they have done with their lives. Their interests seem to be diverging so widely that they need to consider whether they can continue together.

We witness their weekend in Amsterdam in heartbreaking detail - their very different agendas, the little and not so little deceptions, their relief when a confrontation is avoided and a few hours alone achieved - yet their underlying love for each other glimmers on. The incident with the earring in the Anne Frank house will stay with me forever. Gerry and Stella are a retired couple from Northern Ireland, now living in Glasgow. They've had successful careers in architecture and teaching, and raised a son who lives in Canada.

Stella is a devout Catholic who enjoys cryptic crosswords. Gerry is a professional cynic, and likes to tease his wife about her religious fervour. He has also developed a serious drinking problem, though he would be the last person to admit it. They take a winter trip to Amsterdam. Gerry assumes it is just another h Gerry and Stella are a retired couple from Northern Ireland, now living in Glasgow. Gerry assumes it is just another holiday, but he soon discovers that Stella has ulterior motives. Though the pair still have a loving relationship, this marriage is in its dying embers.

Stella faces up to the facts, she feels she has more life left to live rather than watching Gerry drink himself to death. I have at least - but I don't know about you. He needs a drink more than ever before. We also learn that their lives have been marked by an event that happened in Belfast many years ago. It is one of the reasons for Stella's unshakable faith in God. But what she doesn't realise is that the incident is also the main cause of Gerry's alcoholism.