A Spell of Winter: WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

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When closely observing the paintings of Richard Tandy, Cathy notices that “the sky was so pale, it dazzled, and behind the wood there was a heap of hills, purple as damsons’ (p. 86). Intrigued by the style, she suggests it represents a different ‘reality” and a different “language.” Why did Mr. Bullivant want Cathy to see these works? In what kind of reality does Cathy exist? Throughout the text, the reader encounters graphic descriptions of smells-numerous flowers, perspiring bodies, dry rot, lemons, the fresh sweat of a horse, and so on. What literary purpose do these all these olfactory references serve? When telling Cathy a story about their father, Rob says: "I remember...because when I came in you were sitting by the fire and room smelled of rosemary" (p. 111). Clearly, smells assist (and can trigger) memory. What else boosts memory in this story and why is it so important? She studied English at the University of York, and lived in Finland for two years (1973–75) and worked as a teacher. She lived after that in Bristol. [5] [1] Dunmore was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL). Some of Dunmore's children's books are included in reading schemes for use in schools. Comparing herself to the beautiful Livvy, a dowdier Cathy thinks: "I was too like my mother. My face made people think of the things men and women did together in the dark" (p. 66). What does she mean? What kind of face forces people into shame? Contrast this with the shame that Miss Gallagher attempts to stir up in people.

Blood seeped rustily out of me…. I thought I would never stop bleeding” (189). These are the words of Cathy after her abortion. Blood is mentioned numerous times in the text. Give more examples. Why did the author choose blood as a definitive symbol?

Shortlist announced". Walter Scott Prize. 24 March 2015. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015 . Retrieved 24 March 2015. Helen Dunmore FRSL (12 December 1952 – 5 June 2017 [1]) was a British poet, novelist, and short story and children's writer. [2] A Spell of Winter is one of those novels that pulls you in with its secrets and sense of impending doom. Cathy’s intensity, her determination and her desire for things to stay the same add tension. But then all the characters are strongly drawn often with contradictory aspects to their character – the maid, Kate, is impulsive but wise; Miss Gallagaher can be rigid about rules but is also sentimental. Dunmore’s] voice is distinctive”wild yet controlled”and its incantatory music does suggest “a spell.” . . . This is an erotic pastoral, the rhythms of the land contending with those of the body itself. . . . In the hands of an author less assured, this might be romantic melodrama or mere period piece; in Dunmore’s authoritative tell A Spell of Winter haunts.”” The Washington Post Book World Although I was expecting more plot, and more revelation, this is more a study of sadness or an exploration of family. The entire extent of their secrets never was revealed to me, and my nose for scandal was never fully rewarded. The scandal I did see, however, was enough to ensure my nose returned pointing firmly at my feet, and I’m sure my eyes and ears tried to close themselves at certain points also.

The book takes place during pre first World War Britain and focuses on two children; Cathleen and her brother Rob. When both children were young, their mother ran away, Something their father was not able to accept and it eventually leads to madness. a b c d Kellaway, Kate (5 June 2017). "Helen Dunmore obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017 . Retrieved 9 June 2017. Helen Dunmore – Literature". British Council Literature. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018 . Retrieved 6 June 2017. First and foremost, Dunmore’s prose is stunning. With her sumptuous use of words, she evokes a rich, gothic setting, and a quietly sinister and claustrophobic atmosphere that I adored. Her characters are complex, difficult to root for and yet oddly sympathetic for all their flaws. By presenting them and their often deplorable actions without judgement, she asks us to question human boundaries, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions in many instances.Helen Dunmore: facing mortality and what we leave behind". The Guardian. 4 March 2017. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017 . Retrieved 5 June 2017. Helen Dunmore 1952–2017". The Poetry Society. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018 . Retrieved 3 January 2018. Fellow writers paid tribute to Dunmore on Monday night. Historian Antony Beevor said: “I always respected her enormously, not just for her prose or her characters, but for her great intellectual honesty. She wrote novels set in the past but never broke her own rule of inventing dialogue or thoughts for real characters in history. She showed triumphantly that such short cuts were unnecessary.”