Winter Garden

Two estranged sisters reunite at their family's Oregon apple orchard when their father's health fails, drawn back into the orbit of a mother who has always kept them at arm's length. Anya, cold and remote since her daughters' childhoods, holds a single connection to them: a Russian fairy tale she told only in fragments. When their dying father asks that the story finally be told in full, what emerges is a devastating account of survival in World War II Leningrad that reframes everything the sisters thought they knew about their family, and themselves. Kristin Hannah weaves intimate family drama with sweeping historical tragedy to powerful effect.

Susan Ericksen's narration is a natural fit for this emotionally layered story. Her measured, unhurried delivery gives weight to the quieter domestic scenes while shifting seamlessly into the harrowing wartime sequences. Ericksen handles the generational contrast between timelines with distinct vocal textures, keeping the parallel narratives clear across the nearly fifteen-hour runtime. The result is an audiobook experience that deepens the novel's emotional resonance rather than simply delivering it.