In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
Title:
In the Midst of Winter
Author:
Isabel Allende
Read
by: Dennis Boutsikaris, Jasmine Cephas
Jones & Alma Cuervo
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster Audio
Length:
Approximately 9 hour and 47 minutes
Source: Simon & Schuster Audio Digital
Review Copy – Thank-you!
Richard
is a professor in his 60’s who is set in his ways and is patiently riding out a
large blizzard in New York City. When he
is involved in a minor car accident with a young woman, Evelyn, who he believes
only speaks Spanish, he brings his tenant Lucia up from her apartment to
help. They both discover that Evelyn can
speak English . . . and that she has a dead body in her trunk. Evelyn is an undocumented migrant who left
brutal violence in her native Guatemala for a better life in the United States. If they call the police, Evelyn may be
deported. What will the three do? Who is the dead body and why were they
killed?
I
like that the story involved is at its heart a love story between Richard and
Lucia. They are both in their 60’s and
in the “midst of winter.” They have both
had romantic disappointments in life, are they ready for a new spring?
I
also really enjoyed the background story of each character. In particular I was intrigued by the story of
Evelyn’s journey to America and escape from the brutality in Guatemala. It really made me appreciate what young
immigrants have to go through to survive.
Lucia’s story in Chile and the history of brutality in that country was
fascinating and disturbing as well.
Richard had an interesting back story involving tragedy and his own ill
behavior. I’ll admit to liking him less
once I knew his story.
In
this book all three characters are narrators of different sections. I enjoy that the audiobook uses three
different narrators to read these sections and give a unique voice to each of
the characters. It made the book a very
enjoyable listening experience.
I
also really loved how the book delved into the hot topic of immigration and
gave face and story to an illegal immigrant.
Besides showing why Evelyn would want to migrate here, it also showed
what a mess the immigration system is for anyone trying to get into the
country. The story gave a lot of food for thought on current political topic.
Favorite Quotes:
“Her body was growing old, but inside she still kept intact the adolescent she once was.”
Overall,
In the Midst of Winter is a mystery, romance, and story of three unlikely
people coming together to help each other and change their futures.
This sounds like a very engaging story, Laura. Terrific review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review. A new book for me.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds both creepy and intriguing (in a good way!)
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to read this book! :)
ReplyDelete