Wintering

Katherine May thoughtfully examines the emotional, spiritual, and geographical reality of the cold times, the dark days, and those periods of our lives when things are neither soft nor easy. In so doing, she offers a great and humane service to her readers: she shows us that wintering cannot be avoided, but need not be feared.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Wise, radical and comforting. It's a refreshing, original way of looking at winter, both the season and the winterings that happen in all of our lives. A thought-provoking joy to read.

Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden

Wintering is a gently unfolding delight: a memoir to savour and inspire, and a warm, witty meditation on the darkest seasons of our lives. I loved it.

Leah Hazard, author of Hard Pushed

An empowering and touching read that will inspire a survivalist spirit on even the darkest days of winter.

Town and Country Magazine

Katherine May brings a poet's eye and unexpected comedy to this enthralling celebration of our fallow season ... this beautiful book is a reading cure.

Observer

We all experience periods of 'wintering' in our lives and this book shows us how to embrace the uncertainty that can come with it. A beautiful book that can be enjoyed in both winter and summer

Lara Maiklem, author of Mudlarking

An elegant investigation into the consolations of nature and how it can be wonderfully restorative even on the bleakest of days

Sunday Express

[A] sympathetic memoir ... May recounts how she attempted to embrace rather than resist the gloom and chill of winter ... she radiates sincerity and quiet self-knowledge

TLS

A beautiful, gentle exploration of the dark season of life and the light of spring that eventually follows

Raynor Winn, bestselling author of The Salt Path

Wintering is the book equivalent of a perfectly timed hug you didn't know you needed, a warm blanket on a cold day ... it's exactly what the world needs right now

Nora McInerny, host of Terrible, Thanks for Asking

In this elegant memoir Katherine May finds beauty and transformation in a difficult period of her life ... an evocative ode to retreat that will appeal to fans of Deborah Levy's The Cost of Living

Publishers Weekly

A beautifully written mix of memoir and philosophy ... May offers much needed solace and comfort and a reminder that seasons eventually turn

Booklist

May writes beautifully... A contemplative, hopeful, consoling book

NPR

Absolutely beautiful

Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

One of those books that will stick with me ... perfect for the season

Angela Barnes

Enthralling ... [May] has a gift for unleashing unexpected comedy ... There is so much to treasure here ... Her sensual connoisseurship a joy

Guardian

An intimate meditation on solitude and transformation ... A serene evocation of a dark season

Kirkus

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

A splendid and soul-salving read

Maria Popova

A book for the soul

Caitlin Moran