This is a very quiet emotional novel. I loved the setting. The characterisation is very good. It is very atmospheric

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This story details the lives and thoughts of 3 so!itary characters who live close to each other by the sea. Their backgrounds and fami!y histories are revealed slowly as we read about the way they spend each day, the minutiae i!luminating but also sorrowful. The book is well-written but I found it very slow and extremely depressing, I hadn't reached 1 uplifting sentence by 60% through and stopped reading. It wasn't for me but I recognise that it appeals to a lot of readers so have given it a medium rating for the quality of the writing.

Winter People is a stunning work that delves into themes of loss, grief, and identity. Murphy does a wonderful job of creating an evocative sense of location, portraying the bleak beauty of winter in Ireland. The characters are well-drawn, giving us insights into them and their lives, and it is hard not to get swept up in the emotional aspects of their stories. Her use of language really highlights the melancholic mood and ambiance.

A slow-paced, but thoughtful novel that stays with you long after you've finished reading it.

Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with the characters the way I would have liked. While I felt for the little old lady, her love for her dog, her animals, her farm and the view and prepping for the worst, I found no real connection and it took me a long time to get into the book, stopping and starting because it felt a little disjointed,

A beautiful, subtle novel…a little like the cover illustration with many shades but all very understated. The story doesn’t have a beginning or an end but is a snapshot of a period of time in a life, much the way at any turning point of life we assess our own turning points. How did we get to this place and where are we going next? The characters portrayed are all written so well that any of them could have their story written, the main character could have a beginning, middle and end story but this is not the way of this novel…it is merely a reflective point in time. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC..

Three strangers.
One question: who are we without the people who love us?
Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all!

A tender, insightful and introspective book about the bleakness of life and loneliness and the power of the sea, with gorgeous imagery of the wild Atlantic to boot. My first Grainne Murphy read but it won’t be the last. I’ve already bought this as a Christmas present for my sister.

A beautifully written, tender and insightful novel about grief, love, guilt and loss, a totally immersive read that never falters in its characterisation, its pacing or its plotting. Two isolated women are unlikely neighbours in a small town along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Elderly Sis is about to lose her home due to her recently deceased husband’s financial mismanagement whilst Lydia has retreated to try to come to terms with the guilt caused by an accident she was responsible for. They never meet but watch each other through the windows that separate them. The narrative circles around and around just as their thoughts do, slowly revealing more and more of their backstories whilst we as readers get more and or drawn into their lives. A small masterpiece.

Very slow paced but the best is the descriptions, incredible and makes you feel as though you’re right there by the sea. Wish I could say more about it but although I was very much into reading it, at times I felt as though I was falling asleep.
Beautifully written and very emotive.

This is a quiet story, an emotional and introspective one… and I loved it, worried on it, mostly I worried about Sis, the aged lady, a widow, who is about to lose her home at the sea.
This is a home she grew up in herself and then married and raised her own three children there.
There are two other adult characters with painful scenarios and past..the writing is more sparse on their backgrounds but it is equally sad.
I absolutely loved the setting… I love the sea!
Very atmospheric and deeply moving!

Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for the ARC!

I’ve enjoyed other books by the author so expected to enjoy Winter People. I liked this book a lot. This is different from the usual books I read as it’s quiet, slow paced and introspective, focusing on mostly the internal world of the characters and their connections rather than a book filled with action and drama. I felt like I really got to know the three characters. I really enjoyed this book.

4+ stars
This is a quiet, introspective story, and it’s such an emotional one. I found the burdens that these characters carried difficult to read about at times . The aging Sis, whose character and story of the three told here was my favorite, lives by the beach in this small Irish town in the house she lived in with her husband and three children. Her husband has died and her children live away and are all but estranged from her. Sis finds herself alone at a time of need and I was heartbroken for her knowing what was in store for her in the coming days. Her neighbor Lydia, from an affluent family, lives as a recluse in the big blue house harboring her demons of the past that she can’t forgive herself for. Her loneliness is as palatable as is Sis’s and she eases her pain with pills and alcohol. Peter, the sheriff, is unable to deal with the impending loses he faces, and his back story itself has enough sadness so it is understandable why he chooses at first to keep away from the people he loves.

There is much reflection on the past for these three characters but I was anxious to know what would happen to them now and how their lives might touch. It’s a short book and to say more about would give the story away. It’s beautifully written and I felt I knew the characters, would have wanted to help them get through these hard times if I really did know them. I’ll just leave it with what I said at the beginning. This is a quiet, introspective story, and it’s such an emotional one, but I’ll add that it’s my kind of story.

I received a copy of this book from Legend Press through NetGalley.

I loved the Wild Atlantic Way setting, almost a character in the book itself. Slow paced and introspective winter people's struggles and daily lives.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Legend Press for my copy of Winter People by Gráinne Murphy in exchange for an honest review. It publishes October 12, 2022.
Wow, this book! The prose had me transfixed, I lost sleep over this book, I couldn't put it down, or stop thinking about it. I was so haunted by the lyrical way this book was written. I loved how the stories were entwined, and I loved that none of my predictions were right. I will carry this book with me for a long time, and recommend it to a lot of my friends and followers.

A beautifully evocative slow burner of a novel set along Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. Sis Cotter who has spent her lifetime in her cottage by the sea has to move on but not by choice. A family reared within her cottage's four walls have now fled their memories of Sis and her late husband Frank. Alone with her faithful four legged companion she reflects on a lifetime of love, loss and betrayal. Watching Sis from the newly renovated 'Blue House" next door is lonely Lydia, not a stranger but neither a friend. Peter is a lonely man with a difficult past who's path will eventually converge with Sis. Lyrically and visually. Winter People is an artistic triumph

The book was very well written and flowed well. The plot was great. Everything I thought it would be from the description

Winter People is a unique and emotional novel. From the first page, I did not want to put it down. The three main characters, Sis, Lydia, and Peter, for the most part, are mostly strangers. Their stories are told in alternating chapters, each telling of their struggles and the good and bad aspects of life. This is the first book by this author I have read, but I will be watching for more to come. Thanks to the publisher Legend Press and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is certainly not a "feel good" book, but the author is supremely talented and brought the stories of the three main characters to life in ways that I rarely have experienced when reading novels. The book somehow manages to be both cozy and tragic simultaneously, and I'm sure any reader would find connections to the various threads throughout. I'm very thankful for the chance to read this and would recommend it to friends and family.

Thank you to Legend Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to access this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

I found this style of writing different than what I am used to but really got into it. Incredibly power and well written, develops very well and strong central characters.

This is a story that is intriguing…a protagonist who is an enigma…different script…talented author…surprises…details…reads like a memoir…even the title is intriguing. This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…thanks to the publisher for the electronic review…it does move slowly at times, but I enjoyed .