Winterland by Rae Meadows

Winterland by Rae Meadows – 448 pages 

ARC from Henry Holt and Co. for an honest review

Book Blurb:

Winterland by Rae Meadows: In the Soviet Union in 1973, there is perhaps no greater honor for a young girl than to be chosen to be part of the famed USSR gymnastics program. So when eight-year-old Anya is tapped, her family is thrilled. What is left of her family, that is. Years ago her mother disappeared. Anya’s only confidant is her neighbor, an older woman who survived unspeakable horrors during her ten years in a Gulag camp—and who, unbeknownst to Anya, was also her mother’s confidant and might hold the key to her disappearance. As Anya moves up the ranks of competitive gymnastics, and as other girls move down, Anya soon comes to realize that there is very little margin of error for anyone.

My Review: 4 stars

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Winterland by Rae Meadows was a mesmerizing look into the life of a young, fictional gymnast during the height of USSR’s women’s gymnastics fervor. Growing up in the seventies, I became a huge fan of Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci and was amazed at their prowess and talent.

This book took me back in time and allowed me to understand the machine that was USSR gymnastics.

The gymnastics training was a huge part of the book. Understanding that these young girls were not doing what was best for them, but instead, what was best for the motherland was upsetting. And the cold, oh my. Meadows took me to the tundra of northern Siberia, where daylight was scarce, and eyelashes would freeze.

The alternating storyline had to do with Anya’s missing mother and Vera, the neighbor upstairs who survived years living in a Gulag work camp. Her experience was grueling. She also happened to be a confidante of Anya’s mom and often offered insights about her missing mother. Their relationship was the only link Anya had to her mother.

This is the second book I’ve read by Meadows, the first being I Will Send Rain, which I really liked too. She’s a skilled writer and good storyteller – a perfect mix.

Quotes I liked:

He would not acknowledge her as a girl. Only as a gymnast.”

“She didn’t think about what was missing. The world had shrunk to the size of the gym.”