From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

In the Midst of Winter

Isabel Allende

Start date: November 8, 2017

Finish date: November 17, 2017

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Jan 09, 2021 Jessica Haider rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, immigrant-experience, hazy-shade-of-winter, reading-women-2021, latinx

The lives of the 3 characters in this book all intersect during a 2016 snow storm in Brooklyn, NY. Richard is a stressed out academic. He dashes out in his car to run an errand and accidentally rear ends a Lexus driven by a nervous young woman name Evelyn. She doesn't talk to him and doesn't want to exchange info but he gives her his business card anyway. Later she shows up at his residence. Since she seems to speak Spanish he asks his tenant Lucia, who is originally from Chile to come help out. ...more

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Jan 23, 2018 Mary rated it liked it

Shelves: format-audio

3.5 stars. Well-written characters and interesting back stories set in Central and South America ... but a current-day plot that seemed more like Elmore Leonard (think crazy crime with larger than life bad guys) than Allende. Still, I'm glad I read it. ...more

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Aug 16, 2025 Talia rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, adult-fiction

This is actually my first Isabel Allende book, but it won't be my last! What a storyteller! The background stories of Richard, Evelyn, and Lucia were very emotional and gut-wrenching, but the "today" storyline didn't seem to work in tandem with the backstories, and I finished the book a little confused about the ending. ...more

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