Wintering, Katherine May
Wintering, Katherine May
20 Rating(s)
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Wintering
The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

Author: Katherine May

Narrator: Rebecca Lee

Unabridged: 6 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 11/10/2020


Synopsis

THE RUNAWAY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

“Katherine May opens up exactly what I and so many need to hear but haven't known how to name.” —Krista Tippett, On Being

“Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself. . . . This is truly a beautiful book.” —Elizabeth Gilbert  

"Proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark...May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate—capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes." —Wall Street Journal

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, this is an intimate, revelatory exploration of the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down.

Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered.

A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas.

Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.

About The Author

Katherine May is the New York Times bestselling author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. A writer of both fiction and nonfiction, May has had journalism and essays appear in a range of publications including The New York Times, The Times (London), Good Housekeeping, and Cosmopolitan. She lives by the sea in Whitstable, England and is an avid lover of the outdoors.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lili on January 21, 2021

I wanted to like this book. At first I thought it was self-help, then I realised it's meant to be more like a memoir. It's actually a jumbled and disjointed series of non-chronological anecdotes along with dry philosophical musings. The author was diagnosed with autism in adulthood, just as I was, so......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on March 19, 2021

This is a book born of massive privilege, by an author who seems almost entirely unconscious of her privileges. If you work because you have to and do not have the luxury of quitting your job to be one with the winter (intermixed with traveling to Iceland, preserving random vegetables, and swanning......more

Goodreads review by ✨H✨ on December 30, 2022

2.5 Sadly, this book wasn't what I expected. It felt like someone was sharing key moments of their life so basically a memoir. Maybe that could have worked for me had I been able to relate to her. The author did finish each chap by incorporating how we could learn something from the mentioned incident......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on January 11, 2022

Ok, I'm just going to come out and say it. I don't think Katherine May understands what winter actually is, and she's probably the last person on Earth who should be writing an entire book about it. *Phew* glad I got that off my chest. In all seriousness, this read like a parody (with the exception of......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on February 08, 2020

I count myself extremely blessed to have gained access to an early copy of Katherine May's 'Wintering.' Not only is it a VERY beautiful book, I found reading it an incredibly healing experience. So relatable, honest and authentic and it resonated with me on a very deep level. I enjoyed the gorgeous......more


Quotes

PRAISE FOR WINTERING

“A beautiful, meditative book…It feels like Katherine May opens up exactly what I and so many need to hear but haven’t known how to name.” – Krista Tippett, On Being

“There is power and clarity and wisdom to be gained from accepting these difficult times. Wintering offered me empathy, acceptance and perspective that will stay with me long after the pandemic.” – New York Times

“Honest and deeply sympathetic...proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark...May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate—capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes.” Wall Street Journal
 
“Wintering succeeds in delivering a powerful, realtime account of what it is to experience life's inevitable winters — both literal and metaphorical — and come out on the other side. I can think of no more valuable voice to have in your ear as we stumble our way out of a pandemic and emerge from a collective wintering.” – Popsugar

“May writes beautifully….A contemplative, hopeful, consoling book.” NPR
 
“Lovely...May is an astute observer of life’s emotional discouragements.” New York Times

“A gorgeous book, a generous book, a layered book of uncommon sensitivity and substance…A splendid and soul-salving read.” Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

“Drawing on her own life’s difficult periods, May offers a guide to leaning into fallow times and savoring the lessons of hardship.” – People Magazine