The Winter Rose

by Melanie Dobson

Friend's copy paperback 346 pages plus author's note (and preview of Curator's Daughter)

Published: 2022

Genre: Christian historical fiction

 

Grace and Roland are Quakers helping to rescue Jewish children from France during WWII. Several decades later, Abby is trying to find a bone marrow match for Charlie, her "adoptive" father / grandfather figure. These two story lines are clearly going to merge, but the reader needs to patiently follow each story until the pieces click into place. Book club is discussing this tonight!

 

Page 19 - "She closed her eyes, praying for Elias and Suzel and each child by name. Praying that someone would rescue them like God had rescued her. That they would each experience His boundless love."

 

It's hard for me to think about the many adults who either turned a blind eye to what the Nazis were doing or even actually helped turn in Jewish children. I get that fear is powerful, but I love the people who did what they could to serve and save.

Page 58 - ". . . her mother never allowed her to step into a church to find out. Her mother was one of the most devout believers in God she'd ever known. Except God, she'd decided, was the enemy."

The wording really caught my attention! It made me think about the Scripture that says that even devils believe in God (James 2:19). It also made me think about people who grow up not going to church, not hearing or reading Scripture, and not knowing that God loves them. Addie was able to get a chance to change that experience by going to the home Charlie and Emma had started for troubled girls.

Page 75 - "It would take months, years even, for these children to recover body, mind, and soul." 

Even though this is referring to the effects of the war horrors, it makes me think of children experiencing other kinds of trauma. And some people seem to be more deeply affected by experiences while others seem to be more naturally resilient.

Page 83 - "Addie understood well why the family wouldn't want to speak with a reporter about the loss of a loved one. Today it was difficult to suppress such news, but then, it seemed, people were more respectful of privacy. Audiences didn't lay claim to knowing all the details about their favorite celebrities."

Yes! Even before Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars recently, I would skip over headlines with his name. I like his acting, but I do NOT need or want to know about his sex life, marital details, etc. It's hard to ignore things that are splashed across the news. And Princess Diana's death - so unnecessary and so awful. Paparazzi horrify me.

Page 132 - "'A winter rose,' Grace said. Like the ones her grandmother had cultivated at home. Hearty, that's what Grams called them. Simple and strong and radiating beauty long after the other flowers had succumbed to the winter months."

 

I enjoy seeing where the book's title comes from. I think the winter rose refers to both Grace and Addie. The children see the rose as they're crossing the mountains from France to Spain.

 

Page 189-190 - Charlie brings Addie a gift. It's a bag of stones. She wonders if he's mocking her. He calls it a "bag of wrongs." / "We can collect them . . . and carry them around for the rest of our lives. With the weight of this, we wouldn't be able to go far in life, but whenever we'd like, we can take out a wrong and mull over it until we're ready for a fight."

This whole scene is referenced a few times throughout the book. After heaving a bunch of rocks into the river, Addie feels lighter, freer. I love this scene!

Page 293 - "The shapes and swirls in Marguerite's head, all the emotion stored inside her, spilled out in her rivers and gardens and the children who reminded her of all those who'd been lost during the war."

The descriptions of Marguerite's painting made me wish I could actually see them! Her synesthesia made it seem even more incredible.

Page 301 - "'Living, I think, defies the loss. Loving well defies it too.'"

Addie asks elderly Marguerite how she manages to live with the loss. I wish we knew even more of Addie's back story before she ever met Charlie and Emma.

Page 302 - "The Camino de Santiago?"

Yay! Another reference to the Way of St. James! One day, maybe I'll walk that trail . . . 

Page 310 - ". . . while Charlie may have saved your life, he can't save your soul."

Caleb and Addie are having a deep heart to heart conversation. I love this whole scene. None of us are in the position of needing / being able to save another's soul. That's God's job.

Page 315 - "Freedom was what he'd always wanted. Freedom, now, from this failing body. Freedom to be with Christ. Freedom to live forever without guilt or shame."

Charlie in a hospital bed, failing . . . learning that his sister is still alive. This was another powerful scene and made me think of people on their death bed, wanting to be free on many levels.

Page 359 (Author's note) - "This story stirred inside me as I rode the tumultuous wave of 2020. Then it poured out near the end of the year as a prayer of sorts, a deep desire for the balm of God's redemption in our broken world."

The story read almost like a poured out prayer. I loved how Grace had Scriptures on her tongue and how encouragements and repeated phrases impacted characters.

This was a lovely book and I'm glad I got the chance to read it before discussion tonight!