A Place Called Winter

By: Patrick Gale

Narrated by: Patrick Gale

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A privileged elder son and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything.

Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonized Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness, and an evil man of undeniable magnetism, that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.

In this exquisite journey of self-discovery, loosely based on a real-life family mystery, Patrick Gale has created an epic, intimate human drama, both brutal and breathtaking. It is a novel of secrets, sexuality, and, ultimately, great love.

©2016 Patrick Gale (P)2016 Hachette Audio

A Most Beautiful Story

Wow!! I had no idea what to expect and am so glad for this book. The story and narration are excellent. The various storylines, life in upper class England and the transition to homesteading in Canada, made for such an interesting book. Highly recommended.

beautiful story

I don't know how to describe this book except that it held me from the start and made me feel the full spectrum of emotions from beginning to end.

"It WAS bitter; like biting into memory itself"

says Harry when, late in the book, a Cree two-spirit healer (maybe) has him chew roots hoping to trigger a healing vision. Oh, and what bitter memories he has to bite – banished from home and family in England he lands on a Section on the Canadian plains working through every waking hour to fulfill the terms of the Grant; fence and cultivate 160 acres within 3 years. I loved the secondary story of the settling of the Canadian wheat basket and the hard lives of the homesteaders. We had just finished reading "Little House" to our youngest. But this is a story about discovering love, surviving and transcending abuse, emotional and physical. Mr. Gale's narration is good but not so much of a range and somewhat variable. It's much better than an average narration but not as good as one done by a skilled voice actor who could have made the audible version richer than the written one.
I'd read it again. Bonus points for the sensitive discussions of transgender (and coincidental timeliness).

A beautiful story of finding oneself and persevering life’s cruelties

I read this book 3 years ago and it has haunted me ever since. I am not normal a person who cries when reading books but I definitely shed a few tears reading this.

The being gay in the Edwardian times is an important part story l but not the crux of the story, which makes it stand out. Everything that happens to Harry could have happened to a straight man sent off for a different scandals.

The story going back and forth gives a bit of mystery, making you want speculate how an English man ended up in a sanatorium in Canada. Though it’s not hard to figure out the foreshadowing, there was a two revelations at the end that i didn’t expect or wasn’t ready to happen.

The only fault I have with the book is the characterization of the native Cree people. Though it was not done in an offensive way, it did come across as a generic stereotypical native depiction. It would have been nice to have a more accurate representation of the tribe and their culture.

I also wish that it wasn’t read by the author, because though he is a great writer, acting and portraying multiple people is not his strong suit. It would have been an even more engaging listen if done by a skilled voice actor.

Engaging Story

I really enjoyed the story and the mix of characters, places, real challenges, and the pace and flow. My only challenge was getting used to the narration. The narration was good, but was hard to hear and was a distraction to me.

Excellent

A must listen to. I was skeptical at first, but then it sweeps you away!

Poignant

A beautiful story of struggle and ultimate triumph in Edwardian England and on the great Canadian prairie. Moments of true heartbreak and love. Well worth the read or listen.

Beautiful story by a talented author and narrator

Loved it! Very beautiful and incredibly touching! The author is quite amazing at narration, which is quite rare.

Strange

Strange story about homosexuals which I wouldn’t have ordered or listened to if I would’ve known. I finished it because I had already listened to a bit of it before I realized the whole story was about it.

a bit thin

thin on charactor develpoment. did not really care for voice actor.. over all story plot ok. Story did hold enought intrest to finish the book