Winter
John Marsden

Pan 2001

135p pbk  $13.95

0-330-36270-4

The end of this story has an amazing twist to it, in which the truth of Winter’s mother’s death is revealed to the reader.

This story is hard to get into but when you do, you won’t be able to put it down. This book leaves the reader on the edge of their seat for a good part of the second half of it.

I recommend this exciting book to all people of all ages. John Marsden has outdone himself yet again.

Winter is yet another great book by John Marsden.  In this story, sixteen-year-old Winter De Salis is looking for clues that will reveal her mother’s death.  Winter’s parents died when she was four and she was sent way to live with her aunt’s family.  Now, 12 years later, she has come home to find out the truth about her past.  The story comes to a climax when Winter discovers how her mother died.

This is a fast-moving story that has an intriguing storyline and theme.  The language is simple and suited to a teenage audience.  The text is fairly large and easy to read.  Winter is a read alone book. John Marsden has written an excellent book about a teenager’s path to discovery.  A wonderful book, Winter will keep you guessing until the very end.  I give it a 9/10 and recommend it for people 13 years+.

Pauline, aged 14, Canberra, ACT

Winter, is a book about 16 year old Winter DeSalis, who moves back to her parents farm, years after their deaths.  Something bothered her about the story she was told about her parents deaths, so Winter goes about searching to find the real cause of her parents’ death.

Although John Marsden is a fabulous author, Winter did not ‘click’ with me.  I would say it is definitely not my favourite of his work. 

I would recommend it to 10-15 year old girls.  The storyline is fairly basic, a slight twist at the end helps, but it is still weak and at times a bit boring.  It is not as sophisticated as some of his other work, I think it would be a read-alone book if you were desperate for something to read. 

Sam, aged 14, Canberra, ACT

Winter De Salis is 16, headstrong, stubborn and spoilt. For her, her past has never been clear. She has lived for the last 12 years with her mother’s half-sister’s family. Her parents died when she was four.

Winter has finally come home to learn the truth about her parents’ deaths. Her memories tell her she has always been lied to and so she sets about discovering the ever-evading truth. But not all is revealed so easily. Sometimes, however, the truth can be just as painful as a lie as Winter soon finds out.

By the end she has not only found the truth, she has found herself.

A book well worth a read for anyone aged 13 and up. Winter keeps you guessing till the end. Winter is an easy to read, read-alone book as it tends to hit you on a more personal level. It is said to be fiction but John Marsden has threaded a realistic story which could almost be mistaken for a real life incident. John Marsden has taken great care to mould this story into a heart-felt mystery of a young girl on her journey to discovery.