Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 7,262 ratings

Price: 13.78

Last update: 12-23-2024


About this item

A New York Times Best Seller!

As heard on NPR Morning Edition and On Being with Krista Tippett

“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)

"May writes beautifully.... A contemplative, hopeful, consoling book.” (NPR)

An intimate, revelatory book exploring 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 breakup, 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.


Top reviews from the United States

DoomKittieKhan
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, narrative nonfiction.
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020
What do you think of when you think of winter? Is it a stressful imagining or a peaceful one? Cozy? Uncomfortable? Necessary? With the inevitable approach of colder months, many of our memories or associations with the season - good or bad - are bound to be emphasized by the ongoing COVID pandemic. Author Katherine May invites us to embrace this winter with all that it has to offer. And May doesn't just mean the season, but rather the "fallow period in life when you're cut off from the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress, or cast into the role of the outsider." Sounds fairly familiar at the moment, right? We're struggling for community in ways that many of this generation could never have anticipated. In 'Wintering', May gives us a playbook and philosophy to handle our own personal winters.

Beautifully written, May was inspired to share her experiences from her own periods of winter and what she has learned from the radical act of real self-care (i.g. getting enough sleep, being restful, and generally slowing down our routines to combat the workaholic culture). May fearlessly combats the wave of toxic positivity - a newly morphed Instagramable version of bootstrap mentality - that has taken over many of the books that attempt to discuss our reactions to stress. What one can instead expect from 'Wintering' is a guide that is more akin to sharing a coffee with a friend than reading a self-help book.

'Wintering' is difficult to place into any one genre. It is the type of British narrative nonfiction I love and is reminiscent in tone and style to the introspection found in Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk. Like Macdonald, May reminds us that opting out of misery isn't an option. Instead we must embrace it and learn from it.

May doesn't just look at weathering personal winters, she turns her pen to the anthropological and the historical as she examines how other cultures and creatures prepare for winter. May seeks out the peace and solace found in nature's winter. Observing everything from the hibernating nests of dormice, wolf dens, and the survival tactics of bees, to the practice of ice swimming, the wonder of the northern lights, and the frigid cold of the Arctic Circle and how those who choose to live there embrace winter. Casting her net wide a little closer to home, May writes about different spiritual practices that welcome winter; such as attending the winter equinox celebration at Stonehenge, discussing the rituals of winter with her Finnish friends, and evaluating the experiences of those who are battling with Seasonal Affective Disorder. May even includes the literary aspect of wintering by weighing the importance of snow in fairy tales, meditating on John Donne's poem "A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy's Day" and Sylvia Plath's "Wintering". May concludes that to welcome winter is to survive it. It is a hopeful and philosophical approach that I found deeply comforting.

In a lovely bit of writing, May reveals that in times of distress she likes to travel north. That the cold air feels clean and uncluttered and that she can think straight. I adhere to May's belief that the cold has healing properties. As she writes, "you apply ice to a joint after an awkward fall. Why not do the same to life?" There will always be winters. There will always be periods of sadness and solitude. Therefore, we must prepare for them as best we can. What does this look like in practice? Baking? Soup making? Reading my candlelight in cozy socks? Yes and no. Those things certainly aren't going to hurt your mentality when dealing with winters. However, it is more about recognizing when you need to coil into yourself. Protect yourself. Sleep. Slow down. Grow. Anticipate spring. Feel the turning of the year with gratitude.

I was initially drawn to pick up 'Wintering' because winter is my favorite season. Reading May's book was like finally being clued in to the operating tenets of a fan club. May and I speak the same language in our love of winter. She eloquently expresses her appreciation of the season on every page. The solitude of the cold dark. The cleansing power of breathing in the scent of snow. The ritual of lighting a home fire or candles in the long evenings. Of hygge. She is also realistic, blunt, and deeply practical, clearly defining band-aids for confronting winter and actual solutions.

If, as you have grown, find that you are sinking into workaholic tendencies, that the highlights of the year (like holidays) pass with little joy and too much stress, if you missing feeling the different seasons and instead seem surprised upon their arrival - this book is for you.

If you enjoy cultural studies and nonlinear narrative histories - this book is for you.

If you like observant and engaging authors who are honest and not prone to navel-gazing - this book is for you.

If you enjoy guided meditations - this book is for you.

I would recommend this book to just about everyone. Based on the variety of topics within, the likability of the author, and the intriguing chapter layout, 'Wintering' makes for an engaging read that I already want to reread and buy more copies to giveaway.
Melanie A Malone
4.0 out of 5 stars Commiseration at its best
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2024
To be succinct, this is the best book I’ve read in years. There were passages that had me crying with familiarity and just the right dose of reality. I got a little lost at Stonehenge, and some of May’s stories went on a little too scientifically. But, to that end, she would bring it back home to a concrete truth- life is ever changing, largely crummy, and it’s ok to spend time working it out. In fact, this book showed me I don’t have to dread “winter”. It can be a delicious time of reconnection and rest. Highly recommend.
Dr. Susan Petro
5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtakingly beautiful.
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2024
I devoured this book in hours. May's writing flows, her prose undulating like her favorite murmurations of starlings. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Lois
5.0 out of 5 stars This book resonates over and over.
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024
After the first few pages, I set aside my list for the day and immersed myself on this book. And found myself saying, “Yes, this exactly.” Aloud. To have a book resonate so deeply rarely happens. Thank you, Katherine May, for this gift of a book.
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Lois
5.0 out of 5 stars This book resonates over and over.
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024
After the first few pages, I set aside my list for the day and immersed myself on this book. And found myself saying, “Yes, this exactly.” Aloud. To have a book resonate so deeply rarely happens. Thank you, Katherine May, for this gift of a book.
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Customer image
TxGG
3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful but not powerful.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2024
Helpful but not powerful. Maybe I expected too much.
Sierra Laricchiuti
5.0 out of 5 stars This book really is a good seasonal depression support
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
I read this book because I thought it might help my perspective during the colder seasons living in a colder climate with more elevation. It was so encouraging and really helpful!
Kindle Customer Charlie 82
4.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2023
So many good examples of beautiful writing by Katherine May to calm the mind make this book worthwhile. Wintering reminds us of the cycle of life on earth and in our bodies. Honoring the rituals established hundreds of years ago will allow us time for leisure we need in our lives today.

The Folkstone Beach near the English Channel
seems an interesting place to celebrate the dark half of the year and light a fire on the beach. Iceland offers the purity of absolute coldness to soothe your mind. Go to the place the Druids celebrated the darkest day of the year, the Winter Solstice and Stonehenge. Just enjoy her book.
jeanius
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed!
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024
Perfect book for the winter season! What I loved was the beautiful exploration of metaphorical “winters”, the inevitable points in life where you exit the rat race, slow down, was mixed with interesting facts about the literal winters in northern locations, other countries, and discussions on winter symbolism in our culture. It was a lovely journey. The book is a journey. Don’t expect it to be a point A to point B with a beginning, middle, and end. Slow down and enjoy. That being said I loved the first half of the book more than the second half, as she had more personal insight in the first half. Some of that was lost in the second half. But otherwise, as someone with a chronic illness, this book validated what I’ve felt for years , and the enjoyable acceptance I’ve found in my many “winters” with this illness.

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