Spell Of Winter

Winner of the 1996 Orange Prize for Fiction

"With a handful of characters and rich, ripe prose, Dunmore creates a compelling tale of obsession." Mary Ellen Quinn, Booklist

“An electrifying and original talent, a writer whose style is characterized by a lyrical, dreamy intensity.” The Guardian

"Unsettling love and stifled horror create and then destroy the claustrophobic world of this lush, literary gothic set in turn-of-the-century England....Dunmore's keen, close writing is deserving of Britain's prestigious Orange Prize, which the novel won when it was first published in the U.K. in 1995, and most will enjoy the book as a finely crafted, if disturbing, literary page-turner. " Publishers Weekly

"A lyrical exploration of the meaning of love and the possibilities of life." Library Journal

The inaugural winner of England's prestigious Orange Prize, A Spell of Winter is a compelling turn-of-the-century tale of innocence corrupted by secrecy, and the grace of second chances. Cathy and her brother, Rob, have forged a passionate refuge against the terror of loneliness and family secrets, but their sibling love becomes fraught with danger. As Catherine fights free of her dark present and haunting past, the spell of winter that has held her in its grasp begins to break. "Dunmore touches everything: skin, bone, frozen earth." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review "[A] literary page-turner." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] modern Gothic." -- Library Journal