≡ Download Winter Loon A Novel edition by Susan Bernhard Literature Fiction eBooks

Winter Loon A Novel edition by Susan Bernhard Literature Fiction eBooks

Download As PDF : Winter Loon A Novel edition by Susan Bernhard Literature Fiction eBooks

Winter Loon A Novel edition by Susan Bernhard Literature Fiction eBooks

Choosing among the Amazon First offerings is more often than not akin to throwing a dart at a board while blindfolded—in other words, very much hit or miss. I have learned to at least read the sample pages first before committing my time each month, or deciding to sit it out.

I usually gravitate toward suspense and historical fiction, avoiding literary fiction because so often such offerings, especially debut ones, are overwritten, overly emotional, and sometimes painfully self-conscious attempts to be “meaningful,” or “relevant,” or any of the other words that are au courant. And odd, decidedly odd, as if “pushing the envelope not a little but completely off the table is a requirement.

But I took a deep breath and a chance because the selections in my comfort zone genres were unappealing. By the second sample page of Winter Loon I was sucked in. How could I possibly abandon Wes Ballot lying there on the ice, too cold and traumatized to move?

I suppose this novel is a coming of age tale, but one on the deeply depressing side, the collection of trials and tribulations that makes one wonder how anyone could survive emotionally intact. Yes, it’s true that Wes is fifteen at the beginning, but that is still young enough to bend, possibly break, under the dysfunctional family he comes from, the trauma of losing his mother, the icy detachment and casual cruelty of his grandparents, the uniformly cold and grey environment that surrounds him. He manages, barely so from time to time, saved by unlikely encounters and the occasional ray of emotional sunshine. In the end, Wes does become a young man far better than any of the folks who “raised” him, his own person molded from clay that was nearly punched and pulled into a shapeless mess.

The writing is close to magical, alternating between the bleak setting that mirrors much of Wes’s life and the moments, few at first, that grow increasingly luminous. Fortunately, there’s little overwriting, a tendency to embroider or embellish every sentence or worse, every word. That’s not to say the author skimps on descriptions and scene settings; she does so with a spare elegance when required, and a more robust voice when the particular scene—or part of a scene—requires it. The only quibble I had was that sometimes Wes sounded more mature than an adolescent, especially in his internal thoughts, yet that might be explained—and easily excused—in light of his sometimes harrowing life. Death, despair, and emotional abuse can either destroy a person, immobilizing him, or he can claw his way out of that pit and stand up straight, older than his years. Wes is the boy who managed the latter.

I admit this was not a cheerful book or a novel to sail through as “light reading.” I think it deserves attention, however, and a thoughtful read. You’ll be rewarded, and remember—sometimes sad is good for a change.


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Winter Loon A Novel edition by Susan Bernhard Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

Its been years since a book moved me so, and i read over 100 books a year. Thank you for an ending i can live with. And a storyi won't forget.
A haunting coming of age story about a boy who struggles to move past the pain and tragedies of his parents and grandparents to become his own person. Wes is a character who you grow to love and want to protect as he confronts the challenges of adolescence in the shadow of his mother's death and violent life. Susan Bernhard is one of those rare writers who is able to use language in completely unique and lyrical ways while keeping the story in the voice of her young narrator. A complex story beautifully told.
In just 2 chapters there were a dozen f-bombs and a half dozen uses of God's name as profanity. Won't be reading any more from this author.
I wanted to fully like this novel since some of it is MUCH LIKE MY BOYHOOD-TEEN LIFE was. But the writing just got too fancy for me to get into the emotions of the narrator, Wes Ballot. I felt too much of the novelist intruding into the story’s flow. Sure, there are lyrical and beautiful descriptions but they seem to be through the novelist’s eyes and not the narrator's.

THE MAIN THEME is how personal choices weaken or strengthen both choosers and their victims. Many life lessons that Wes seems to learn go to waste as they don’t permanently direct his future actions. He brings his background of being hurt into hurting others, particularly the girls who come into his life, one who offers unconditional love and a willingness to indulge in sex even at the age of 16 and 17. I felt some of those passages border on “soft porn.”

Some reviewers call this a "COMING OF AGE NOVEL" where “only love can offer us a place to rest—and only if we let it.” But Wes doesn’t let it—he goes searching for more, thus hurting the ones who love him. At the end of the novel he winds up where he started, in his late 20s, still lonely and without a life partner.

For me the best ending would be on page 263. That’s where Wes sums up his “coming of age” as he affirms his deep love for Jolene. His close friend, Troy, tells him “Plant your feet, Wes. Loosen your arms. It’s going to come to you. You need to be ready.”

But for another 80 pages he keeps struggling for a resolution that could destroy all the wisdom that he has garnered. What does he end up with after all his dysfunctional relationships and actions? Ah -- that is the surprise--or is it? I'm sure some readers will be enthralled and others like me less so. That's standard for a "literary novel."
I was turned off by the profanity. Just don't find reading that enjoyable, so I stopped. It just didn't seem interesting to me.
This was such a heartbreaking story and one in which you feel so emotionally invested in the main character. Fifteen-year-old Wes Ballot is living with his alcoholic parents in Minnesota when his mother drowns in a lake. His father sends Wes to temporarily live with his grandparents who aren't exactly warm and welcoming. As Wes waits for his father to return, he meets a girl who is also dealing with the death of a parent. This is the story of a boy who will learn long-buried secrets about his family history and will have to forge his own path in life.

Even though this book has such a sadness to it, in some ways it is uplifting as you watch this young boy deal with the crappy hand he was dealt and slowly develop into a man. While you are reading you just feel protective of him and want to shelter him from any pain or hurt. Haunting is a good word to describe the story as so many things about his family's past that he has no control over are affecting him in the present. And that's why Wes is a character to root for because in a way he's having to fight other people's demons and how could you not want him to find happiness?

Definitely recommend as a good coming of age story. This is one of the better First selections I have picked in recent months.
Choosing among the First offerings is more often than not akin to throwing a dart at a board while blindfolded—in other words, very much hit or miss. I have learned to at least read the sample pages first before committing my time each month, or deciding to sit it out.

I usually gravitate toward suspense and historical fiction, avoiding literary fiction because so often such offerings, especially debut ones, are overwritten, overly emotional, and sometimes painfully self-conscious attempts to be “meaningful,” or “relevant,” or any of the other words that are au courant. And odd, decidedly odd, as if “pushing the envelope not a little but completely off the table is a requirement.

But I took a deep breath and a chance because the selections in my comfort zone genres were unappealing. By the second sample page of Winter Loon I was sucked in. How could I possibly abandon Wes Ballot lying there on the ice, too cold and traumatized to move?

I suppose this novel is a coming of age tale, but one on the deeply depressing side, the collection of trials and tribulations that makes one wonder how anyone could survive emotionally intact. Yes, it’s true that Wes is fifteen at the beginning, but that is still young enough to bend, possibly break, under the dysfunctional family he comes from, the trauma of losing his mother, the icy detachment and casual cruelty of his grandparents, the uniformly cold and grey environment that surrounds him. He manages, barely so from time to time, saved by unlikely encounters and the occasional ray of emotional sunshine. In the end, Wes does become a young man far better than any of the folks who “raised” him, his own person molded from clay that was nearly punched and pulled into a shapeless mess.

The writing is close to magical, alternating between the bleak setting that mirrors much of Wes’s life and the moments, few at first, that grow increasingly luminous. Fortunately, there’s little overwriting, a tendency to embroider or embellish every sentence or worse, every word. That’s not to say the author skimps on descriptions and scene settings; she does so with a spare elegance when required, and a more robust voice when the particular scene—or part of a scene—requires it. The only quibble I had was that sometimes Wes sounded more mature than an adolescent, especially in his internal thoughts, yet that might be explained—and easily excused—in light of his sometimes harrowing life. Death, despair, and emotional abuse can either destroy a person, immobilizing him, or he can claw his way out of that pit and stand up straight, older than his years. Wes is the boy who managed the latter.

I admit this was not a cheerful book or a novel to sail through as “light reading.” I think it deserves attention, however, and a thoughtful read. You’ll be rewarded, and remember—sometimes sad is good for a change.