The Land in Winter

by Andrew Miller
The Land in Winter cover
Good Books rating 4.38
Historical Fiction
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Hardback • £15.99
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  • ID: 238
  • Added: 2025-09-06
  • Updated: 2025-10-16
  • ISBN: 9781529354317
  • Publisher: Hachette UK
  • Published: 2024-10-24
  • Formats: 36
  • Reviews: 4

The Land in Winter is a hauntingly beautiful novel that delves into the darkest corners of history and the human mind. Set in the West Country in December 1962, the story follows local doctor Eric Parry and his pregnant wife, as well as the troubled Rita Simmons and her husband, a dairy farmer. As violent blizzards trap them in their homes, their lives begin to unravel, revealing secrets and desires that threaten to consume them./n/n Praised for its exquisite prose and profound exploration of human experience, The Land in Winter is a captivating tale of isolation, introspection, and the search for meaning in a frozen world. The novel's intricate storytelling and psychological depth have earned it widespread acclaim, including being shortlisted for the Booker Prize and winning the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Reviews
This Reading Life · 2025-08-30
reflective 4.20

The novel sensitively explores class, social change, and personal complexity through two couples during a harsh winter, emphasizing the nuanced tensions of early 1960s England.

This review reflects on the setting of the Great Freeze of 1962-63 as a powerful backdrop for a story about two very different couples navigating personal and social challenges. The reviewer notes the strong theme of class difference and social expectation, with characters shaped by their backgrounds and constrained by the era’s prevailing norms. The developing friendship between the two women, each pregnant and isolated in different ways, adds emotional depth and highlights the nuanced portrayal of family and societal roles. The reviewer also appreciates the novel’s literary references and the way it captures the quiet complexity of relationships and social change just beginning in the early 60s. They find the story both reflective and somber, with moments that linger emotionally, especially scenes evoking the natural world and the characters’ internal landscapes. Overall, the book is seen as a thoughtful meditation on love, class, and the human condition.

Quick quotes

    Families are awfully complicated, aren’t they?

    This is the early 60’s and times are a-changing, but only just. Class difference counts, education matters and your accent will give you away.

    Nana: Shouldn’t love be the only truth? Philosopher: For that love would always have to be true.

Judith McKinnon's Blog · Judith McKinnon · 2025-08-23
moving 4.50

The reviewer loves the novel despite its potentially bleak premise, praising Miller's ability to create a moving and carefully crafted historical narrative. They highlight the author's skill in making any time spent reading the book enjoyable.

Judith McKinnon finds The Land in Winter to be a beautifully crafted novel that transcends its potentially bleak setting. She appreciates Miller's ability to create a moving and engaging story, noting that his writing is always a pleasure to read. The reviewer particularly enjoys the historical context and the way the author brings the characters to life. Despite the somber themes, the novel is described as a rewarding and enjoyable read.

Quick quotes

    You might think it sounds a little bleak, but I loved The Land in Winter because any time spent reading Miller means enjoying his wonderful writing.

    A carefully crafted and moving historical novel.

    Miller's ability to create a moving and engaging story is truly commendable.

Goodreads · Karen712 · 2025-08-15
exquisite 4.50

The writing is exquisite, with a slowly building atmosphere of suspense and a deep character study revealing mental health struggles and personal histories.

Karen712 appreciates Andrew Miller's style, particularly how the narrative gradually unfolds the characters' backgrounds and secrets, especially around Rita's mental health. The prose is praised for its beauty and ability to convey tension and panic through everyday moments, making the novel more about the quality of writing and character depth than plot-driven action. This gradual revelation enriches the reader's engagement with the story and the emotional landscape of the characters.

Quick quotes

    Miller’s writing is exquisite.

    He manages to imbue a feeling of suspense and even panic to slices of everyday life.

    This book is very much about the writing and prose.

The Old Grey Owl · 2025-07-09
subtle 4.30

The novel explores complex characters with subtlety, avoiding simplistic victim or villain roles, while highlighting the oppressive atmosphere of isolation and societal expectations in a rural winter setting.

The review appreciates how the book treats each of the four main characters with equal weight, creating sympathy for all without casting clear 'goodies' or 'baddies.' It highlights the novel's subtlety in addressing themes like oppression and loneliness, especially as the harsh winter intensifies the characters' struggles in an isolated community. The relationships between the characters, particularly the two women who form an unlikely friendship, are portrayed with nuance, showing the ripple effects of social and personal tensions beneath the surface. The reviewer emphasizes that while the setup might suggest a conventional drama about women oppressed by men, Miller’s storytelling goes much deeper, revealing the complexities of the characters’ backgrounds and internal conflicts. The stifling boredom and conformity of village life during the snowbound winter amplify these underlying stresses, making the novel a rich exploration of human frailty and connection in difficult circumstances.

Quick quotes

    Everything is set up for a drama centred on women being oppressed by conventional men, but one of the novels great strengths is its subtlety.

    Each of the four characters is given equal weight – there are no victims, no baddies and goodies here.

    The stresses that Miller has rippling beneath the surface become heightened as the snow falls and an isolated community is even more cut off than before.

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