My seventh novel, The Siege (2001) was shortlisted both for the Whitbread Novel Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction. If a child was born from those two people, I wonder if it would be born knowing all their secrets, somewhere within it. This book is about a woman named Cathy who is trapped in the life she is living, out in the English countryside, because she is scared to go anywhere or do anything. A Spell of Winter я все поражалась, как такое бывает – такая роскошь, такая избыточность, когда литература может себе позволить что-то промежуточное, просто прекрасно средний роман, в котором все гладко, продуманно, прошито и выписано.

Cathy and her older brother Rob grow up without their parents on an estate in rural England in the early 20th century. Her brother is the only one who really understands what her life has been like, and keeps her close. Catherine and her brother Rob grow up on a large but failing English country estate owned by their grandfather. And that's why she's trapped in "winter", with her life not really moving forward at all even though the years are passing.

Some readers may find the book's "intensity and darkness", which hovers between "gripping and overwrought", a little "heavy-handed", but the reviewer was impressed by Dunmore's "keen, close writing" and "artful use of metaphor". It also seemed surprisingly emotionless after the string of heart-wrenching tragedies leading up to it.

With Kate's departure for Canada and Rob's for the front, destitute times at home force Cathy into self-reliance. With her sumptuous use of words, she evokes a rich, gothic setting, and a quietly sinister and claustrophobic atmosphere that I adored. Comment: The spine or cover may be slightly worn but the book is otherwise in good condition and will provide thought provoking read! It’s nice to think that Dunmore got the prize off to a flying start (just check out the people who have received the award since), especially as the author died a couple of years ago. You gotta have a long attention span for this one and a good eye for detail, both of which I can have when I'm suitably interested, but this one just didn't do it for me.He will leave her body before I do, and he’ll be there, waiting for me, making sure I’m never alone.