Review by symphonyofstars -- Midwinter Turns to Spring
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symphonyofstars
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- Latest Review: Midwinter Turns to Spring by Maria Veloso
Review by symphonyofstars -- Midwinter Turns to Spring
[Following is a volunteer review of "Midwinter Turns to Spring" by Maria Veloso.]
4 out of 4 stars
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‘When midwinter turns to spring I remember all the things I never said to you’
This book predominantly takes place in the vibrant settings of San Francisco, Mendocino and Southern Spain, with the basic premise of the book being how Alfonso Madrigál, a young musician from Malaga, falls in love with an accomplished art expert, who is later revealed to have amnesia. They meet as Alfonso is forced to sell his possibly priceless painting, and chooses Savannah to help confirm that it is indeed a Picasso. The plot then goes on to how Savannah, the aforementioned art expert is an avid volunteer who devotes her life to making people feel whole, accepted and loved. She is presented to have a deeply troubling past, where she was forced to achieve unattainable levels of perfection in order to receive any amount of attention from her father. This carries into her adult life, with her throwing away any artworks that she deems to be even slightly subpar and longing for a real love she sacrifices for the promises of safety and security. They are both engaged, though that love seems commercialised and altogether very business like- something diametrically opposed to the free flowing romance they later have together. They are also strikingly similar, both introspective and worldly-with extroverted friends. The book takes place over the course of both their lives, and glides through the various leaps in time, seamlessly connecting the different events and generations, making this altogether a very enjoyable read.
Veloso‘s writing is delightfully lush, with the prose being descriptive but not overdone to the point of being the dense convoluted purple prose that makes every reader want to put the book down. The sentences are distinctly poetic and at times quite profound- for instance i found the line, ‘The person they don’t like isn’t the person you are’ to be particularly hard hitting. I liked the fact how letters and diaries have a huge importance in this book:it is not only through their thoughts but through letters where the characters’ hopes, fears and passions are divulged- yet another creative idea that Veloso used.
Midwinter Turns To Spring serves as a reminder for us to believe in the value of familial connection, and seeing the world not with the nihilistic view that stems from sleep deprived weekdays and the looming giant that is a 9 to 5 corporate job, but with a childlike wonder- portrayed through the character of Cristina- Alfonso’s child. This book reminds us to not give up- Savannah and Alfonso face many challenges and sacrifices, but the book brings the hope that even if paths diverge and people seem to be lost forever, what is meant to be will always come back to you, which I thought was a beautiful addition. This book also tackles complex but nevertheless universal themes like the loss of childhood innocence and the power of music to move hearts and heal souls. I had never before thought that a guitar could weep or that love was not in fact a feeling but a choice and commitment, but as with stirring up many different emotions, this book opened my eyes up to a new, and I should hope improved, world.
The feeling of art is omnipresent within the novel, whether it be through the many references to Picasso, or just the many nights spent at the club where Alfonso plays flamenco guitar. I loved the following phrase about it: ‘Anyone can be trained to learn the mechanics of creating art, even a monkey or a robot, but the result would also be mechanical- lacking soul, lacking heart.’ Art, makes up the very core of the book, and that’s partly why it’s so spellbinding. There were also many words substituted in for the Spanish equivalent, and, contrary to my prior prejudices, really added to the world building within the book and evoked a strange sense of belonging within the sun speckled world that Veloso created. This book is also immensely sad- especially in relation to love-with phrases such as: ‘The capacity to love and be loved doesn’t disappear when our brain cells die and our memories are gone- love clings to you because it’s who you are.’
Overall, I highly recommend this book to romance readers, people who appreciate a touch of philosophy or just want a much needed reprieve from the cliché ridden love stories that haunt libraries and book stores everywhere. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to the soundtrack that goes with the book, but it is an innovative and creative idea that I’m surprised hasn’t been done before. Midwinter Turns To Spring is altogether a compelling read, though at times it could get a bit confusing about who the characters were- they were mostly introduced very well, but there were just a few that weren’t perhaps as clear. It was generally incredibly well written- and there were no errors that I could find- no profanity used either- and I’m very pleased to give it 4 out of 4 stars, as I didn’t dislike anything about the book.
******
Midwinter Turns to Spring
View: on Bookshelves
4 out of 4 stars
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‘When midwinter turns to spring I remember all the things I never said to you’
This book predominantly takes place in the vibrant settings of San Francisco, Mendocino and Southern Spain, with the basic premise of the book being how Alfonso Madrigál, a young musician from Malaga, falls in love with an accomplished art expert, who is later revealed to have amnesia. They meet as Alfonso is forced to sell his possibly priceless painting, and chooses Savannah to help confirm that it is indeed a Picasso. The plot then goes on to how Savannah, the aforementioned art expert is an avid volunteer who devotes her life to making people feel whole, accepted and loved. She is presented to have a deeply troubling past, where she was forced to achieve unattainable levels of perfection in order to receive any amount of attention from her father. This carries into her adult life, with her throwing away any artworks that she deems to be even slightly subpar and longing for a real love she sacrifices for the promises of safety and security. They are both engaged, though that love seems commercialised and altogether very business like- something diametrically opposed to the free flowing romance they later have together. They are also strikingly similar, both introspective and worldly-with extroverted friends. The book takes place over the course of both their lives, and glides through the various leaps in time, seamlessly connecting the different events and generations, making this altogether a very enjoyable read.
Veloso‘s writing is delightfully lush, with the prose being descriptive but not overdone to the point of being the dense convoluted purple prose that makes every reader want to put the book down. The sentences are distinctly poetic and at times quite profound- for instance i found the line, ‘The person they don’t like isn’t the person you are’ to be particularly hard hitting. I liked the fact how letters and diaries have a huge importance in this book:it is not only through their thoughts but through letters where the characters’ hopes, fears and passions are divulged- yet another creative idea that Veloso used.
Midwinter Turns To Spring serves as a reminder for us to believe in the value of familial connection, and seeing the world not with the nihilistic view that stems from sleep deprived weekdays and the looming giant that is a 9 to 5 corporate job, but with a childlike wonder- portrayed through the character of Cristina- Alfonso’s child. This book reminds us to not give up- Savannah and Alfonso face many challenges and sacrifices, but the book brings the hope that even if paths diverge and people seem to be lost forever, what is meant to be will always come back to you, which I thought was a beautiful addition. This book also tackles complex but nevertheless universal themes like the loss of childhood innocence and the power of music to move hearts and heal souls. I had never before thought that a guitar could weep or that love was not in fact a feeling but a choice and commitment, but as with stirring up many different emotions, this book opened my eyes up to a new, and I should hope improved, world.
The feeling of art is omnipresent within the novel, whether it be through the many references to Picasso, or just the many nights spent at the club where Alfonso plays flamenco guitar. I loved the following phrase about it: ‘Anyone can be trained to learn the mechanics of creating art, even a monkey or a robot, but the result would also be mechanical- lacking soul, lacking heart.’ Art, makes up the very core of the book, and that’s partly why it’s so spellbinding. There were also many words substituted in for the Spanish equivalent, and, contrary to my prior prejudices, really added to the world building within the book and evoked a strange sense of belonging within the sun speckled world that Veloso created. This book is also immensely sad- especially in relation to love-with phrases such as: ‘The capacity to love and be loved doesn’t disappear when our brain cells die and our memories are gone- love clings to you because it’s who you are.’
Overall, I highly recommend this book to romance readers, people who appreciate a touch of philosophy or just want a much needed reprieve from the cliché ridden love stories that haunt libraries and book stores everywhere. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to the soundtrack that goes with the book, but it is an innovative and creative idea that I’m surprised hasn’t been done before. Midwinter Turns To Spring is altogether a compelling read, though at times it could get a bit confusing about who the characters were- they were mostly introduced very well, but there were just a few that weren’t perhaps as clear. It was generally incredibly well written- and there were no errors that I could find- no profanity used either- and I’m very pleased to give it 4 out of 4 stars, as I didn’t dislike anything about the book.
******
Midwinter Turns to Spring
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Midwinter Turns to Spring by Maria Veloso
