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Midwinter Break: A Novel
Midwinter Break: A Novel
Midwinter Break: A Novel
Audiobook9 hours

Midwinter Break: A Novel

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Gerry, once an architect, is forgetful and set in his ways. Stella is tired of his lifestyle and angry at his constant undermining of her religious faith. Things are not helped by memories that resurface of a troubled time in their native Ireland. As their vacation comes to an end, we understand how far apart they are-and can only watch as they struggle to save themselves.

Bernard MacLaverty is a master storyteller, and this is the essential MacLaverty novel: compassionate observation, elegant writing, and a heartrending story. It is also a profound examination of human love and how we live together-a chamber piece of resonance and power.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 22, 2017
ISBN9781681686783
Midwinter Break: A Novel

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Reviews for Midwinter Break

Rating: 3.6868132747252744 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

91 ratings11 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Gerry is a retired architect and lecturer. His wife Stella used to be a teacher. Like the author himself, they are Irish but have lived for a long time in Glasgow. Their marriage is a long-lived one and, to all appearances, they are close and in love. Yet, their relationship is growing hollow, drained by Gerry's alcoholism and Stella's increasing exasperation at his constant criticism of her committed Catholic faith. Things come to a head during a brief stay in Amsterdam - the "Midwinter Break" of the title - where we learn that the marriage is also darkened by the shadow of the Irish troubles.

    Reading Bernard MacLaverty is like watching a master craftsman at work. Consider the following description of a busy coffee-shop:

    Coffee places were so noisy. This one sounded like they were making the Titanic rather than cups of coffee - the grinder going at maximum volume, screaming on and on - making enough coffee grounds for the whole of Europe while another guy was shooting steam through milk with supersonic hissing. A girl unpacked a dishwasher, clacking plates and saucers into piles. A third barista was banging the metal coffee-holder against the rim of the stainless steel bar to empty it - but doing it with such venom and volume that Gerry jumped at every strike. Talking was impossible. It was so bad he couldn't even hear if there was muzak or not. And still the grinder went on and on trying to reduce a vessel of brown-black beans to dust. Stella had to yell her order.

    In a few lines of deceptively simple description, MacLaverty conjures up the scene in uncanny detail, while also giving us an inkling of his protagonists’ thoughts and inner turmoil.

    The same keen sense of observation is brought to bear on the couple’s marriage and on the subjects of old age, sectarian violence, alcoholism and faith. These are the catalysts for the couple's drifting apart, even though there is much to show that at heart they do care for each other. As for the author’s attitude towards religion, I liked the fact that, despite no longer being a believer let alone a practising Catholic, he treats Stella’s faith with both understanding and delicacy.

    This is, in many ways, a brilliant novel. But be prepared – because of its subjects, I found it also unremittingly bleak
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A story about a marriage and coping with trauma. I remember Ireland and the troubles. Seems so long ago but the world has not improved. Having never read books by this author I will read others as his style is interesting
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Having criticised literary fiction in my last review, rather to my surprise I really enjoyed this novel! The minute detail that it is written in could have been very annoying but I didn't find it so. In fact the observational detail was part of its pleasure for me - the ritual detail of what we all do when on holiday! It made me smile in recognition at several points. And the detail of a close relationship - which in this case is a marriage but could be with any close family member. Expected to dislike this novel but didn't.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Gerry and Stella, an older Irish couple, take a long weekend break to Amsterdam. For Stella it's a purposeful trip to investigate the potential of a life-changing decision she wants to make, spurred on by Gerry's relentless heavy drinking.I was a little disappointed by this novel. MacLaverty writes in quite a bleak style, and whilst I'm quite up for a good dollop of angst in a novel I find hopelessness much harder to tolerate. He also has a style that involves commenting on every minutiae of what his characters are doing, which I grew weary of from time to time. My other irk was that I didn't like the fairly one-sided portrayal of the Troubles in the novel. Given that he'd decided to place his characters as now living in Scotland (mirroring his own life), I felt the backdrop story from their earlier life in Northern Ireland was somewhat unnecessary and brought politics into a book which was essentially about love and disappointment. Stella's back story was quite sensationalist, and I think the plot line in Amsterdam would have carried the novel sufficiently without it.3.5 stars - readable enough, but not a favourite by any stretch.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Essentially a book about religion and Northern Ireland. Handily disguised as a love story. Well written, entertaining, but misleading and a missed opportunity.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Gerry and Stella, a long-married retired couple, are off on a long weekend get-away to Amsterdam arranged by Stella. They are seemingly comfortable with each other as they approach old-age. But all is not as it seems. As the novel progresses, we learn that Stella had an ulterior motive in arranging the trip, and Gerry has a serious drinking problem about which he deceives only himself. The future of Stella and Gerry is not so secure as it we originally thought.This novel has lovely characters, a moving story, and is a very real portrait of a long relationship. I liked it very much.3 1/2 stars
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The mood of the book Midwinter Break and the content actually had the effect of making me question the longevity and even the purpose of marriage. Is it for companionship? Is it for love? What happens when that love loses through time its spontaneity, its freshness, and those little traits you once adored in your partner now appear as an irritation, an annoyance rather than a pleasure.Gerry and Stella have embarked on a short break to the city of Amsterdam. This is a place that on the one hand is steeped in architectural magnificence and yet is more renowned even recognized for it's tolerance of escorts and prostitutes who brazenly advertise their trade in "rosse buurt" but better known to tourists as the red light district.Gerry and Stella approaching the twilight of their years present to the readers as a loving couple comfortable in each other's company enjoying the good and bad of this colourful capital. As a retired architect Gerry has an immediate connection with Amsterdam and both can certainly appreciate the history and horror, the open wound that is The House of Anne Frank. Gerry possesses an alcoholic's desires and need to be constantly refueling with Ireland's most famous export; Jamesons blended whiskey. Stella has begrudgingly accepted this weakness viewing this as part of her husband's failings, but is this trip to Amsterdam Stella's opportunity to break free and discover within herself some inner peace and contentment before her body and mind succumbs to the ravages of time. A type of religious community, an order of women living "useful and happy independent lives"... appears to offer the redemption and release she craves, but would they accept her?At the airport waiting for the flight home Stella tells Gerry that she does not wish to remain in their marriage any longer and on returning home to Scotland the flat will be sold. We learn of a traumatic incident that happened to Stella many years ago and her staunch support of the catholic church which Gerry views as..."Inflexible, narrow, capable of doing terrible damage by her adherence to rules and systems."..... Yet Stella views her relationship with the church as a support helping her cope in those dark times..."Mass is the most precious thing in my life. It's the storyboard of how to get through."..This is a very powerful, soulful, intimate tale showing the effects and damage that a long term relationship can have on the parties involved. In some ways this book presents itself as a depressing read, yet cannot it also offer hope? Relationships, and love within a marriage change, people need to be aware that as we grow older the way that we interact with our surroundings and the people we love the most never remains or indeed cannot remain the same...."What was love but a lifetime of conversations. And silences. Knowing when to be silent. Above all, knowing when to laugh".... Midwinter Break is informative, enjoyable and highly recommended
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This quietly powerful novel, which was selected for this year's Wellcome Book Prize longlist, is set in present day Amsterdam and is centered on a retired Northern Irish couple who has moved to Glasgow and is on a long holiday weekend in the Dutch capital. Gerry was a modestly successful architect, who loves the bottle at least as much as his wife Stella, a former teacher and devoutly religious woman, who struggles against her husband's alcoholism and with a secret that has inspired and possessed her for over 40 years. She is no longer happy living with Gerry, and seeks to use her remaining years to serve God and to repay Him for the dire fate that He spared her from. The author's portrayal of the two characters, and the wonderful city of Amsterdam, is evocative and touching, and I found myself sympathizing with Stella's plight, becoming angry with Gerry's insensitivity and boorishness, yet rooting for the two of them to remain together despite their shortcomings. Midwinter Break is a superb examination of the destructive effects that alcoholism can have on an individual and an otherwise happy marriage, and it certainly deserves a place on this year's so far excellent longlist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a quiet but powerful little book. It examines the long marriage of an Irish couple, Gerry and Stella, who live in Scotland, through the device of an extended weekend holiday to Amsterdam. As with many marriages, theirs has fallen into dull routines: Stella becomes increasingly involved with the Catholic church while Gerry lives under the delusion that his wife has no idea how much he drinks. Gerry thinks they are just on a short midwinter break, but Stella uses the possibility to consider leaving the marriage to fulfill a promise she made to God years ago in the aftermath of a tragic event. MacLaverty takes us into the mind of each character, reflecting on the past, present, and possible future. The book is a realistic exploration of a marriage, told in beautiful, vivid language. Bernard MacLaverty has yet to disappoint me.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really loved this author's Grace Notes so was keen to read this, although I was a bit sceptical about the focus on a retired couple- was this an attempt to cash in on the grey pound? I was so pleased I read it, this is a wonderful, touching but dryly humorous look at a long marriage, through one weekend in Amsterdam. As the weekend progresses and the couple explore the city, MacLaverty gently shows us how they got there
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Stella and Gerry, married for forty years, in the retirement years of their life, one son, one grandson. They take a weekend trip, leaving Scotland, and heading to Amsterdam. Gerry thinks it is just for time away, change of pace, but Stella has other motives, a discontent in her life and a spiritual promise made during a time of heartbreaking distress. Gerry drinks too much, is often dismissive of her faith, and Stella wants there to be something more before her life ends.A quiet novel, a reflective one as we are privy to the thoughts of both Gerry and Stella as they look back in time. Unresolved issues, misunderstandings, and where each see their lives and each other. Touching novel, maybe because I too will be married for 35 years, husband retired, more time behind us than before, I felt this book and the struggles of this pair. Hard to be married for a long time, without having something unresolved. The things that don't get said, present here in this novel, things Gerry doesn't say to Stella, and should. Her hopes for her life and what she needs from Gerry to continue their lives together.As they visit different parts of Amsterdam, eat at various places, they take stock of their true feelings. Beautiful, beautiful language. "The end of the daylight striking the glass obliquely created a glittering, grisaille effect. Like ground glass, a layer of dust activated by almost horizontal light transformed the window into Waterford crystal. No expense soared for the Irish pub of Amsterdam. The admission and exclusion of light."Wonderfully descriptive, and an elegant and honest look at a couple in their twilight yearsARC from edelweiss..