THE EDGE OF WINTER

Author: Luanne Rice ISBN: 9780553587654 12/2007 FICTION Publisher: BANTAM

Neve Halloran and her daughter have shared a fierce love for the austere beauty of Rhode Island’s South County ever since Neve guided Mickey’s first baby steps along the sandy shore. Now, with Mickey a teenager and Neve’s last hope for happiness with her daughter’s loving but unstable father gone, both will struggle to make a new life together amid the windswept landscape that sustains them. Captivated by a fragile wildlife sanctuary, Mickey will move toward womanhood in the company of a lonely boy who shares her instinctive way with the creatures of the coast. And Neve will find herself drawn to a man who has devoted his life to the sanctuary, but who is unable to share the pain of a recent loss—or reconnect with the father who still bears the scars of World War II. As winter gives way to spring, and spring to summer, a secret will emerge that has lain buried in the depths just offshore for decades, a secret that will galvanize the small seaside community. For the waters bear their own vestige of the past—and their ceaseless rhythms may point the way to hope and new beginnings.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE EDGE OF WINTER by Luanne Rice is another in a long line of well-written novels. Ms. Rice's writing style is one I find particularly enjoyable. There are no long, flowing, overdone descriptions in her books, no unnecessary dialogue or useless words. Instead, she makes every word count, the spare prose moving her story steadily forward. The writing is honest, realistic and emotionally gripping. Readers feel like they are right inside the tale, alongside the characters and experiencing everything firsthand.

THE EDGE OF WINTER is more than one story, actually. It tells the tale of Mickey, Neve Halloran's daughter, and Neve, a woman who is learning to find some comfort in her newly single status. They are living near the coast, near a wildlife sanctuary whose pull provides the life lessons a young girl emerging from turmoil needs. An elderly man, snowy owls and a U-boat which suddenly appears from beneath the sand make learning to accept, forgive and move forward easier for both Mickey and Neve. This story is especially poignant with regard to the relationship between Mickey and her father. He comes full circle in terms of growth. By the end of this tale they share hope for the future, something that moved this reader to tears.

Superbly written, THE EDGE OF WINTER is a coming-of-age tale that is both poignant and emotionally satisfying. Another winner from master storyteller Luanne Rice!

Kay James