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    The Winter People: A Novel
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    The Winter People: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Winter People: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Winter People: A Novel

    Written by Jennifer McMahon

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Kathe Mazur

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The New York Times bestselling author of Promise Not to Tell returns with a simmering literary thriller about ghostly secrets, dark choices, and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters . . . sometimes too unbreakable.

    West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie. Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that suddenly proves perilous when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished without a trace. Searching for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara's fate, she discovers that she's not the only person who's desperately looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 11, 2014
    ISBN9780804165167
    Unavailable
    The Winter People: A Novel
    Author

    Jennifer McMahon

    Jennifer McMahon is the author of twelve novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Children on the Hill, Promise Not to Tell, and The Winter People. She lives in Florida with her partner, Drea. Visit her at Jennifer-McMahon.com or connect with her on Instagram @JenniferMcMahonWrites and Facebook @JenniferMcMahonBooks.

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    Reviews for The Winter People

    4/5

    641 ratings112 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book is classified as horror. Nah. Not even remotely, in my opinion. Paranormal, sure - mystery, of course - there's even a side of creepy but not horror. I'm not a huge paranormal/fantasy reader which is probably why I didn't ultimately give it 4 stars because it definitely held my attention.The Winter People is told between 2 different time periods, then (1908) and now. In a town full of secrets and a creepy diary with missing pages and sleepers roaming around.And guaranteed, next time my cat scratches on the door to the garage, no doubt, I'll think of Gertie.
    • 4/5
      I love that this book is called a "suspense" novel and not a "horror" novel. I found that fitting as the horror in this novel is not is not really about the gore and blood and such, but rather about the not-knowing, the fearing, the having to wonder what would you do...and in this book it is very well done. The chapters alternate between Sara in 1908 and Ruthie in present time and we slowly find out what brings them together. I did prefer the historical chapters but I think the author did a great job tying the whole story together and leaving me wondering what happened next. And before.
    • 5/5
      Whoa what a horror story. This story stuck its claws right into me and made me want to listen constantly. I enjoyed the narrators and they did a superb job with the narration. It was really good. I liked Ruth and Fern. The Winter People was intense, spooky and sometimes gory. Definitely one I will recommend to friends.
    • 3/5
      a good book for October - creepy and atmospheric, blends a few timelines, and features some creative supernatural folklore. A definite page turner and a quick read, although some of the characters could have been better developed and the ending felt rushed.
    • 3/5
      "Sometimes they're angry. They hate being stuck." This was one of my most anticipated scheduled reads for the year. It felt appropriate for the beginning of the winter, since November calls for stories with supernatural twists. The title and the front cover set the scenery. This proved to be a story rich in atmosphere, local lore and with an engaging plot line. And it was also an example of how fast can a certain 5-stars read become a 3 within 120 pages...In my opinion...The story follows two different plot lines that are obviously connected to each other. Set in West Hall, Vermont, a land of witches and dark woods, we initially find ourselves in 1908 when Sara loses what is most precious and dearest to her. Her daughter. And she wants her to return close to her. In our present times, two girls living in Sara's house, discover their mother is missing. Another woman, Katherine, wants to find answers to her husband's death. These stories are linked by a common denominator, a strange, nameless threat that lurks in the woods. The atmosphere is excellent. Actually, it's beyond excellent. It's exemplary both in construction and execution. McMahon creates a setting that draws you in from the very start. Girls are disappearing without a trace, animals are found dead, violently killed, the children are locked in their houses once darkness falls. The land is mysterious, there are whispers of witches living in caves, spirits making their home inside tree trunks. As I was reading, I could honestly feel the cold wind, I could picture the wintry woods, I could hear boots walking with heavy steps upon the snow. The plot, although supernatural in essence, was quite believable and there were many domestic scenes that were chilling and foreboding. These features in combination with Sara, Ruthie and Fawn, who are very interesting characters, made me certain that this would be a wonderful novel. And then a character was brought in and everything changed...Although the descriptive parts were brilliant, the dialogue wasn't worthy of laurels. It was acceptable (and merely passable at times) since there was too much repetition and quite a few stiff interactions. When this creature Candace came along, a nightmare started. She did a major harm to the novel and the story would have been a 100 times better without her. The dialogue became cringe - worthy, the characters' actions became absurd, the whole construction was torn down. She seemed to have sprung out of a low-quality chick-thriller book (or film, a genre that I deeply loathe) and she sounded like a poorly thought-out villain.The quality of the novel was brought down to a significant degree.The other thing that disappointed me was the absurdity of the conclusion, if I may call it thus. The motive was implausible, the perpetrator was highly unlikely and not as a twist, but as a frightfully inconsistent choice. Furthermore, the whole plot seemed laughable during the last 100 pages. I may sound harsh but this is how I felt. The line between haunting and unexplained and ridiculous is very thin and I'm afraid that the last steps of the story walked towards the latter.I recommend the book, though. I really do. It is "Halloween - approved" and the writer knows how to set the pawns. But how do I rate a book that was 5-stars material until the 50% mark and then fell into the 2-stars abyss? I know that most people will enjoy it. It's just that I wanted more but what I got was very little. It was another case of expectations ending unfulfilled. May you fare better...
    • 4/5
      Winter People is among the most original ghost stories that I have had the pleasure to read. I adored both the story line and the layout. The reader is taken back in history through fascinating characters in journal form and also to the modern day where we see how drastically one effects the other. The character development is quite good and I simply had to know how things would turn out for Sara. If it weren't for the plot taking a ridiculous turn for a short time about three quarters through, this might have been a 5-star read for me. Thankfully the ending was as good as the beginning, leaving me happy to have read it.
    • 2/5
      This book was enough to keep me intrigued, but it was too unrealistic for me. I think the author did a great job keeping you interested, and touching your heartstrings. However, the oddity of the situation and the outcome wasn't anything I was prepared for, and somewhat ruined it for me.
    • 3/5
      Jennifer McMahon provides a pretty decent thriller that focuses on Sara Harrison Shea, the happily married mother of Gertie (her daughter). After a horrible tragedy has taken the life of Gertie, Sarah turns to a dark ritual that brings Gertie back to life as a Sleeper...the results are devastating. Fast-forward 100 years where we meet Ruthie, who lives in the same house that Sara did with her mom (Alice) and younger sister (Fawn). After a late night out, Ruthie comes home to find their Mom missing, and something in the woods watching. This is definitely a solid story that keeps the reader on edge. The plot is the major strength of this novel, but the character development is lacking a bit. That, combined with a somewhat disappointing ending, keep this from being a superb thriller. Definitely a solid read though and a great take on zombies, vampires, and the Frankenstein story all in one.
    • 4/5
      This was a bit fantasy, a bit thriller and a bit mystery. I did find the character development in the beginning of the book a bit confusing. There were a lot of people to keep track of and in the end they all did come together (sort of).

      It was definitely worth the couple of days it took me to get through it.

      Many thanks to edelweiss and Doubleday for providing me with this advanced readers copy.
    • 2/5
      This book was enough to keep me intrigued, but it was too unrealistic for me. I think the author did a great job keeping you interested, and touching your heartstrings. However, the oddity of the situation and the outcome wasn't anything I was prepared for, and somewhat ruined it for me.
    • 2/5
      Not my type of book. Didn't realize we were ghost walking. Never finished it and that is unusual for me.
    • 4/5
      This is the first Jennifer McMahon book I've read and I doubt it will be the last. It's a fairly light horror tale, not unlike what one would expect if Mary Higgins Clark were to collaborate with Stephen King in writing a book. It bounces back and forth from 1908 to today via a diary written by a woman who was reportedly killed and skinned by her husband shortly after finishing it. The diary is reported to reveal, if a few missing pages are found, a way to bring a loved one back from the dead. The story promises, witches, walking dead, missing children and murders past and present. What's not to love about it?Bottom line, It's a creepy tale that I enjoyed quite a bit. I listened to the audio version and found it ably narrated. My thanks to the folks at the Horror Aficionados group for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books.
    • 5/5
      Set in West Hall, Vermont, where Sara Shea Harrison is legendary, and follows two different time periods in the same house, 1908 and today. In 1908 we meet Sara and Gertie; in the present we meet Ruthie and Katherine.

      The story is told in various vignettes, during different time periods, and by different characters. In 1908 Sara is 31, married to Martin Shea, and has a beloved daughter, Gertie. Much like Sara, Gertie can see beyond what is there. She tells her mother about a dream where the Blue Dog takes her to see "The Winter People", people who are dead, stuck between here and there. Sara knows the dead can be brought back...she saw her first "sleeper" when she was 9 years old. But do they come back the same as when they left?

      The Winter Peopleis the perfect blend of shivers, mystery, thriller and just plain old good storytelling. one of the best books I have red this year.

    • 3/5
      It wasn't until I was nearly to the end of this novel that I realized: Except for Martin, all of the main characters---all of the characters who make things happen in this novel---are women. The men play significant but supporting roles, which is a difference that's remarkable within suspense/horror (which is why I'm remarking upon it).So, that's cool. Without getting spoilery, I also appreciate that McMahon went in a different direction with the resolution. Rather than the scorched-earth, gates of hell ending that's so frequent in the genre, the resolution here was more nurturing. I could call it more "feminine," but I'm not in the mood to analyze my latent gender stereotypes this morning. After the resolution, the ending is a little epilogue-like, in the sense that it seems to just kind of hang there rather than feeling like it's connected to the rest of the novel. In addition, there's a big old red herring hanging there that kind of annoys me, I don't quite believe that Sara would be journaling and squirreling away pages in the midst of all that was happening, and Katherine ends up acting in a way that seems very much out of character, but in spite of these flaws I enjoyed this novel overall. I doubt it will stick with me, though.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyed it very much, I think the author did a very fine job of time jumping to build the tension in the story.
    • 4/5
      Definitely had the creepy factor. At least, until the climax; that ruined it all. Would have been 5 stars instead of 4 if the climax and end had been better.
    • 3/5
      Creepy, but not significantly deep. The historical meets present day parallel story telling was effectively done.
    • 5/5
      Such a good book. Topic is alittle much at times but a greatly read.
    • 5/5
      Back in the early 1900s in rural town in Vermont called Whitehall, Sara loses her only daughter to an accident and remembers her old auntie's claim to be able to raise the dead. In the present day, 19-year-old Ruthie lives in the house where Sara lived and has heard numerous tall tales about the land around it being haunted. She doesn't pay it much mind until her mother mysteriously disappears on New Year's Day. Also in the present day, Catherine is a recent widow who previously lost her young son to leukemia. Desperate with grief, she moves to the site of her husband's last meal -- the town of Whitehall, Vermont. As the mysteries unravel and the suspense tightens, the three women's stories begin to converge.To begin with, I must admit to not being a fan of the horror genre ... or the supernatural, for that matter. But this book got so many good reviews, that I decided to give it a try, hoping it would be more of a literary book with just a hint of horror. This pretty much turned out to be the case. There's a few moments of gore or eeriness, but the primary concerns of the book are the relationships between the characters and the mystery/suspense of the plot. It's a tightly woven plot that lets out just one secret at a time, thereby keeping you hooked to see what happens next. The characters are pretty interesting, with well-rounded back stories and motivations. The different reactions make for a study in grief and vengefulness and how these emotions affect people. The audiobook had two narrators (Cassandra Campbell and Kathe Mazur) who really brought the story and its characters to life. I recommend this book for those who like a good mystery and don't mind being just the teeniest bit scared.
    • 4/5
      If you could have seven more days to spend with a loved one after he or she died would you take it? Sara Shea from 1908 Vermont does not need to think twice about this question; her daughter, Gertie, tragically died when she fell down a well. She learned how from an Indian who raised her after her mother died. In present day Vermont on the isolated farm that Sara Shea and her husband Martin lived, Alice Washburne is raising her 19 year old daughter, Ruthie, and younger sister, Fawn. When Ruthie awakens one morning, she discovers her mother missing but all of her possessions still present in the house. She seems to simply disappear. Searching for clues, she discovers pages of Sara's diary. Several other individuals are interested in those same pages, especially, Katherine, whose husband died in an automobile accident after meeting that morning in a cafe with Alice. This novel is a contemporary gothic ghost story that will have you guessing how the 1908 and the contemporary lives interconnect and will have you reading this book undercover with a flashlight.
    • 5/5
      scary good
    • 4/5
      deliciously creepy!
    • 5/5
      I almost gave this 5 stars: I was in constant suspense, Sarah's heartache was palpable, and I was impressed by the ending, which was about as realistic as the supernatural theme of the story could allow. I just found some occasional actions by certain characters to be a little hard to believe. I won't say any more so as not to reveal anything.
    • 3/5
      Liked this book until the ending which just seemed to ruin what could have been a really fun novel.I could get into the rather far fetched story line, finding it fun until the end. Made me think that author hadn't really thought plot out to ending and just tired out- was really disappointed.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this mystery thriller - great page turner and a quick read. The story is quick paced and moves between 1908 and present day. I enjoyed the supernatural elements - if you don't you might want to avoid this one. Well written ... could have been more character development (I didn't have a chance to get too connected to any of them).
    • 3/5
      The beginning of this book was slightly confusing, bouncing back and for the between time and characters. But eventually it started to make sense and it ended up being quite creepy. It reminded me a little bit of Pet Semetary, but with a fresh twist. It was a pretty solid read.
    • 3/5
      While I like a lot of the setup and ideas of this book very much, the execution leaves something to be desired. Characters frequently act according to the demands of the plot rather than in any reasonable way, and the action in the second half moves much too fast to be in any way believable.
    • 3/5
      This story switches back and forth between 1908 and the present day. In the past, a young mother loses her daughter in a tragic accident and then tries to use magic to bring her back from the dead. A short time later, she is found horrifically murdered. In the present day, people in the same small Vermont town are disappearing, including the mother of two girls who live in the same old farmhouse. There are rumors that something haunts the woods behind the house.I never really connected with this book or its characters, unfortunately. I found some of their decisions unbelievable, and I wasn't sure what to make of the so-called villains of the piece, whose actions seemed particularly far-fetched. The story never really spooked me or even built up suspense for me either. Really just felt meh about it.
    • 4/5
      It's been a rare thing lately when I can find a book that I don't want to put down - this was such a book. Inserting the supernatural into every-day life usually comes across as so implausible as to be ridiculous, but I bought into this story. It was well-written, moderately creepy and entertaining. I have a mild beef with the switching back and forth between present day and the past, especially at the end, where it seemed like every 4th page or so, we were moving into a different time period. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the genre.
    • 3/5
      Kept jumping back and forth in time lines. I always have a hard time keeping people straight on any book that's above a seventh grade level, and these time lines didn't help! But I finished it, it was fun, and a nice break from my usual scifi fare.