LITERATURE
November Book Club Charlotte Griffiths cosies up with this compelling new collection of winter warmers
Solace in Winter MARY LAWSON In the isolated town of Solace, nestled deep in the Canadian North,
value of human connection, lives intrinsically woven together like the tapestry work by Jack’s wife that adorns the walls of his cabin. This is a majestic piece of work – a perfect self-contained domestic drama that plays out over a winter, but unlike the snowdrifts that keep the small cast in place, their story will never melt from your memory. Lawson’s effortless skill at conveying the emotions and thoughts of her characters is so masterful that you almost forget you’re reading a novel. This newest work is a continuation of Lawson’s Solace series but doesn’t require reading of the others to enjoy, though if your to-read pile is tottering, be warned:
getting through the long winter requires supplies, planning and a great deal of fortitude. It’s 1969: photographer Jack Gallagher lost his artist wife the year before and has been on his own since, much to the concern of the small community – so when Jack discovers an injured dog, a vet seizes on the chance to bring companionship to the widower’s cabin. Just as soon as the dog has settled in and Jack grows accustomed to her presence, the household gains another occupant. A young American draft-dodger has wrecked his car during his escape across the border into Canada and also requires lengthy rehabilitation, supported by the town’s nurse. Two accidents, two new faces and a beautiful lesson in the
you will absolutely find yourself seeking out her other books, all set in the same captivating region of Northern Ontario. A majestic piece of work, a perfect self-contained domestic drama that plays out over a winter
Snow Birds ROISIN MAGUIRE
Grace made her debut in Night Swimmers , Maguire’s first novel, which captivated so many readers and critics alike, and those who loved that book will be thrilled by the reappearance of the key players and another chance to spend time in this enchanting setting. Night Swimmers dealt with the enforced proximity of lockdown, whereas Snow Birds finds the joy in unexpected connection and what can happen when Grace looks deeper than the Duckie Divers’ goose-pimpled skin to learn the stories that have brought the women together and into the icy waters of the Irish Sea. Perhaps by working together, they can save the terns’ beach – and maybe even themselves. Ideal reading with hot tea after a chilly winter dip in the lido.
Grace Kielty is annoyed. Her quiet, rural life in the village of Ballybrady has been disrupted by dryrobe-wearing out-of-towners, who have formed the Duckie Divers Swimming Club and crashed her secret beach for gleeful, shrieking cold dips and wild swimming sessions. The seabirds that Grace so adores – the roseate terns, named for their pink feathers in breeding season – are under threat from a developer who is planning to sell the birds’ section of shoreline off for shellfish harvesting. And the village shop has become a tearoom for all the visitors. Grace does not enjoy change, yet, as we all know, change is inevitable: the only control you have is how you react to it. Will you accept it – or fight back where you can?
26 NOVEMBER 2026 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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