The Dead of Winter is a non fiction book that explains about all those dark traditions and fold tales surrounding the darkest parts of our year, the winter. I found reading this book fascinating and insightful as it takes us on a journey through the centuries and all over the world. From Krampus to those mid winter traditi0ns and Christian Martyrs, it will leave you shivering and not from the cold!

Antonia Beamish who narrated the audio version has a wonderful storytelling voice, which is both lulling and interesting,

Thank you Netgalley, Granta publishers and W. F. Howes Ltd ( audio version ) for the arc of this compelling book


5 stars

Absolutely loved the idea of the book - super entertaining, albeit maybe not the most academic of researches. But that is also far from what the author sets out to do, and dshe definitely succeeds in her intentions: entertain, spook, and shed light onto the deliciously dark nature of Christmas's origin.

It’s not even Hallowe’en yet and here I am reviewing a book centred around Christmas. This book, however, is not your typical Christmas book.

The Dead of Winter is the perfect book for people who think that Christmas has become too sweet and are looking for something a little bit creepier. Clegg goes around Europe looking at the less bright and cheerful Christmas traditions. They are dark, they are creepy and they are wonderfully interesting to read about.

Clegg is very engaging as a writer. I never found myself bored at any point and she really managed to bring all of these Christmas traditions to life. The book is structured well, grouping the traditions into themes. This works well because you can see the similarities and differences between traditions in various European countries.

The Dead of Winter is perfect if you like dark, creepy stories. As a history book, I didn’t get creeped out at all, which is a good thing given that I am a massive wuss and I don’t really like horror. The book has a wonderfully spooky feel to it that works well for Hallowe’en and it’ll be perfect for Christmas as well.

I am very interested in traditional festive customs and traditions and try to learn about those from other cultures and countries at every opportunity so title was an absolute must for me. I love that the author describes the less warm and tinselly elements of the Yuletide period but from a peculiarly intimate perspective. Thank you to the publisher for granting me digital review copy in return for my unbiased opinions, I will be purchasing further hard copies both for myself and to gift.

A look at the darker side of Christmas in Europe including: Krampus, Santa's alter-ego St Nicholas, & how Christmas carolling from door-to-door could have developed from the originally much more sinister practice of guising (visiting people's homes & refusing to leave until rewarded with food or gifts).

This subject is potentially a huge area & the author has obviously completed a lot of research. They write well with a few pithy asides now & then. I particularly enjoyed reading about their experience at the 'Venetian Carnival'' & the section on guising. I've always thought that the words to 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' were a little bit sinister - demanding figgy pudding & refusing to leave until they received it - & if it did originate with guising then no wonder.

Although the author did explain why the book wasn't laid out in date order, I found the jumping about from month to month a little frustrating. I also thought that for such a wide-ranging subject , it was quite a short book & certain things could have been expanded on. For example, the walk on Christmas Eve before sunrise where legend has it that you could see ghostly re-enactments of the future burials that would take place during the next year - I'm from the UK & never heard of this. Where did it come from? Is it a regional thing? I think the whole ghost side of things could have featured more.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Granta Publications, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I really got quite engrossed in this book it certainly shows a different side of the festive period. The range of tales ,in terms of different countries and customs, is expansive and fascination. This will make me look at our Christmas activities in quite a different light.

“The Dead of Winter” by Sarah Clegg is a masterfully written non-fiction book that delves into the traditions, myths, and mysterious creatures that lurk and threaten the idyll of the winter months. What I loved most about this book is how it presents factual information in a way that feels like reading a collection of short stories. Clegg’s writing style is engaging and makes the book both easy to read and incredibly captivating.

This book is a perfect blend of history and folklore, making it a fascinating read about the dark winter, its history, and the legends that have been passed down through generations. Having read several books on this topic, I can confidently say that “The Dead of Winter” deserves a top spot among the best in its genre. It’s an excellent choice for a Christmas gift for readers who enjoy exploring the mysteries of winter.

This was an interesting exploration of midwinter/Christmas traditions around the world. Some of them I thought were relatively well know but others were completely new to me. This is a lovely book to sit down with with the family on a cold winter evening.

This was a very informative read full of a darker side of Christmas. It was really interesting to learn more about these dark traditions, especially the Mari Llwyds.

I loved this book and will 100% be rereading closer to Christmas! With personal touches it’s a fabulous mix of folk stories and history!
Not much more I can say other than it’s well worth the read!
I loved it so much I bought a ticket to see the author give a talk in Bath and a copy for a friend!
Thank you netgalley!

This was an interesting book about various Christmas traditions, some of which are still observed, particularly in Europe. I think that everyone who goes on about the 'War on Christmas', and how we have always celebrated Christmas this way should be made to read this, and hopefully they would understand that what they consider 'Traditional' is only a few hundred years old.

Unsure if it was a misunderstanding on my part but I am not the targeted audience for this book.. I am still confused about what I read.. I had extremely high expectations.. the tales seemed thrilling and interesting.. only this just felt to me like a very long Wikipedia.. a book was unnecessary..
The writing was alright.. the pictures and illustrations were eye catching.

This book surprised me so much, you will learn a lot!

I’m not much of a festive person, I love the season for edible reasons only. This author creates a great immersive atmosphere incorporating folklore, myth and monsters. It’s dark but fun!

Highly recommend if you’re looking for an atmospheric read that’s unique and interesting.

The Dead of Winter is a delightfully dark and frightfully festive read that is incredibly atmospheric. I can’t wait to re-read closer to December and loved Sarah’s take on folklore. I love learning more about various traditions but understand they have been warped and reshaped over time and Sarah was able to discuss this beautifully.

“Never mistake folklore for something ancient and unvarying - it is creative and dynamic, ever changing”

I would definitely recommend this to lovers of folklore with an extra side of horror. What an excellent collection of various folk tales and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sarah’s journey across Europe to experience these festive traditions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Granta for the arc.

This is a solid and accessible work looking at the darker folk customs associated with winter generally and Christmas specifically. Sarah Clegg has a readable (if at times judgemental) writing style and I appreciated the fact that the book goes beyond British customs and covered a number of European traditions such as Krampus, the Wild Hunt and St Lucy as well. I think the author may have been a little over-ambitious in what they have tried to do with this work however. It seems to be trying to be both academic-lite and a first-person account of what it feels like to witness or participate in some of these customs; to cover multiple types of tradition; to trace the origins and development of customs; to cover traditions that span several months and key calendar dates (midwinter, solstice, Christmas, New Year etc) and a geographical area so diverse that multiple volumes would be necessary. The result is a slightly chaotic and frustrating read.
I would definitely recommend this as an introduction to some of the themes associated with winter calendar customs and a glimpse into the folklore that underpins them and then would suggest using the excellent list of references at the end of the book to explore the topic in more depth.

Let me start off by saying that I love this book! It's informative and fun--once I started it, I was all in and could not put it down. The author states her intention at the beginning:

'This is my account of a winter spent with monsters, but it's also an effort to understand their history, where and when they originated, and why they take the forms they do.It is an attempt as well to understand why we are so drawn to horrors at Christmastime.' (p 9)

She accomplishes her goals and more. Clegg takes readers with her as she visits various midwinter festivals, even as she begins with Carnival, just before Lent, since as she says, this is what Christmas used to be like when Saturnalia was still celebrated. She also attends the Mummer's Play on December 26th in the Cotswolds, The Chipstow (Wales) Wassail in on January 20th, The Salzburg Krampus Run on December 5th, Lucy's Night in Finland on December 13th, and solstice at Stonehenge on December 22nd.

In each place, she participates, observes, and digs deeper to discover how each particular festival evolved, what came before it, and how each fits into a larger context. This is a slim volume, but it's packed full of fascinating history. Perhaps surprisingly for a book that's about the darker side of Christmas, it's also funny. I found myself laughing more than once. Clegg has a very dry humor, which I love and it comes through in her excellent writing. This is particularly true in the footnotes. I usually don't care much for footnotes, but in this case they added so much to the book that I was glad they were there.

I'll end where I began--I love this book and I highly recommend it!

4.5 I’m a human who finds the whole forced merriment and family-centricity of Christmas quite tedious; so, I was thrilled to discover and totally here for this spooky subversion!

I had a great time with this festive read!

What worked for me:
❄️ For a small book, this packs a punch. I was intending to read this over a few days but once I started reading, I struggled to put it down. The way the sections are constructed, the tight and purposeful writing, the conversational tone, and the flow made this a compelling read!
❄️ We cover a wide array of spooky Christmas characters from all across Europe (including how cultures borrow and take inspiration from each other to enhance and develop folklore)
❄️ I loved the footnotes, particularly the ones with Clegg’s commentary and opinions
❄️ The atmosphere was excellent, particularly in the sections where Clegg is globetrotting to immerse herself in the festival’s, rituals, and celebrations. The writing was so rich, I felt like I was there! The sections where Clegg is experiencing Carnival and Krampusnacht were personal highlights!
❄️ The cover is just awesome!
❄️ I felt so seen by this quote:
Some of this modern embrace of the darker side of Christmas may be a pushback against the saccharine nature of our celebrations - an antidote to the cloyingly twee commercialisation that so many feel the festivities now represent.


Ideas that might enhance the book further:
➕ I’d love to have seen more pictures, particularly some of the images of different Maris that Clegg was describing and some of the Krampus tat in the Christmas Museum (that cookie tin sounds terrifying!). Clegg did a reasonable job at describing them but more pictures might have enhanced the book overall.
➕ This reader would have valued a pronunciation guide beside some of the words (while I can spell Mari Lwyd, I’m not sure how to say it and I’m sure I’ve got some of the Germanic words all wrong)

I recommend this especially to my fellow spooky enthusiasts, but it’s an interesting read that will appeal to a diverse range of readers. If you want to learn about the spookier side of Christmas while exploring folklore in Europe, pick up this book out when it hits the shelves in October (but read it in December!)

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thank you so much, Granta Publications! Talk about Christmas in July! 🎅🏻

The Dead of Winter is a very atmospheric read, written almost like a travelogue, Sarah Glegg's format surrounds the discussion of her immersion into several practices across Europe that deal with the more slightly spookier side to the often-seen jolly Christmas time. It's accessible to read, yet I wish it was a bit more streamlined. More photos perhaps would've spruced up the overall package and a couple of times I felt myself drifting. I think sometimes we lingered for too long on a subject, even though the book is relatively short. However there's a lot in here that is not common knowledge. You will learn a lot, be surprised, and absolutely fall for Sarah Clegg's footnotes.

This was informative and entertaining while also being a nice short length which made it accessible and easy to read
The only criticism I would have is that I would have liked more photos for reference
This would make a great gift for anyone who’s interested in the darker side of Christmas

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

The Dead of Winter is Sarah Clegg’s detailed and engaging survey of Christmas traditions across Europe.
As she travels and gives us accountings of the old and dark Christmas lore and how these change(d) over time, she invites us to have a closer look at these practices.
Thanks to Clegg’s engaging craft, you feel like a participant, observer or a witness depending on the chapter and festive practice.
Despite its relatively small size, The Dead of Winter cover a wide ground: Krampus, Swedish and Finnish Christmas traditions, Venice Carnival, old witches, gods, Stonehenge.
This book is highly informative and inspiring. There were several details that I have not read elsewhere. It was fascinating to learn about the Ashdown Mummers. I particularly enjoyed being immersed in the Venice Carnival, and the chapters on the year walk, the witches and the old gods.