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Blackberry Winter: A Novel Paperback – September 25, 2012

by Sarah Jio (Author)

4.3 1,306 ratings

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***THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER***

From the New York Times bestselling author of Always and The Violets of March comes an emotional story of a dreadful storm, a missing child cold case, and a determined reporter who just may have a stronger connection with the past than she realizes.

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son goodnight and departs to work the night shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying facedown on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks—or the perpetrator’s.

Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 “blackberry winter” storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways.

Sarah Jio burst onto the fiction scene with two sensational novels—The Violets of March and The Bungalow. With Blackberry Winter—taking its title from a late-season, cold-weather phenomenon—Jio continues her rich exploration of the ways personal connections can transcend the boundaries of time.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sarah Jio's writing is exquisite and engrossing."--Elin Hilderbrand, bestselling author of Silver Girl

"A Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2012" ... "This novel will enchant Jio's fans and make them clamor for her next offering."--Kirkus

"Terrific ... compelling ... An intoxicating blend of mystery, history and romance, this book is hard to put down."--REAL SIMPLE

"Engaging ... enticing ... [A] fascinating exploration of love, loss, scandal, and redemption."--Publisher's Weekly

Praise for Blackberry Water

“Terrific...compelling...an intoxicating blend of mystery, history and romance.”—Real Simple

"A fascinating exploration of love, loss, scandal, and redemption."—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Sarah Jio and her novels:

“Jio has become one of the most-read women in America.”—Woman’s World (on Morning Glory)

“Delightful and uplifting.”—Historical Novel Society (on Goodnight June)

“Linger[s] long after the last page.”—Romantic Times (on The Last Camellia)

“Eminently readable...a tribute to family and forgiveness.”—Booklist (on Goodnight June)

From the Author

Dear Reader,

One morning, while in the car with my husband and our young sons, an intriguing song came on the radio. I had never heard it before, but I was instantly transfixed by the melody, and the singer's haunting voice. I turned to my husband, who was driving: "This is a beautiful song!" I exclaimed. "Do you know it?" He shook his head. I glanced at the radio, and the screen read, "Blackberry Winter by Hilary Kole." The title made my heart flutter. As a lifelong Northwesterner, blackberries are special to me. I get nostalgic when I think about the after-dinner walks I took with my parents and siblings during the summers of my childhood. We'd all take bowls and tromp through the woods near our home, scouting for blackberries. My sister and I would eat the majority of them, and the rest would find their way into one of mom's famous pies or cobblers. Summer just wasn't summer without berry-stained fingers.

That day in the car, I pulled out my phone (which, ahem, happens to be a Blackberry), and emailed myself the name of the song and its artist. I wanted to read the lyrics, but mostly, I wanted to know the origins of the title. What is a blackberry winter? Later, at home, I sat down at my desk to do some research. I learned that the term is old-fashioned weather jargon for a late-season cold snap--think of plunging temperatures and snowfall in May, just when the delicate white flowers are beginning to appear on the blackberry vines.

I couldn't get the words "blackberry winter" out of my head, and that night, I began to sketch out the concept for this novel. The story came to me quickly and vividly: Vera and Daniel and the little apartment they shared in the 1930s; his beloved teddy bear, lying face-down in the cold snow; Claire and her curious reporter's mind and her own deep pain and grief; snowflakes falling on the spring cherry blossoms.

For the next many months, I lived and breathed Blackberry Winter. At the heart of this story, for me, were the raw emotions of motherhood. I began writing the novel when I was pregnant with my third son, and I channeled Vera and Claire's pain and often-heartbreaking experiences. I thought a lot about how it would feel to lose a child, and what I would do.

Then, in a heartbreaking turn of events, shortly before I finished the book, one of my dearest friends, Wendi Parriera, lost her two-year-old son to a rare form of brain cancer. It broke my heart to watch her say goodbye to her precious boy, and I wept with her on the phone as she held her son against her chest in the final hours of his life. But, I also saw her strength, and the light in her eye--the one that told me how thankful she is to have been the mother of this beautiful child, and how excited she is to know, with certainty, that she'll be seeing him again, in heaven. Wendi reminds me, always, that motherhood--life--no matter how short, is a gift.

While my characters' challenges are great and their stories tragic, like my dear friend, I like to think that they found their own sense of peace and truth--swirling in a late-season snowstorm and hidden amongst the protective thorns of the blackberry vines.

Thank you for reading. I hope this novel touches your heart in the same way it touched mine.

Sarah Jio

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Publishing Group; Original edition (September 25, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0452298385
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0452298385
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.73 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #251,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,402 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #5,136 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #16,464 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
4.3 1,306 ratings

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Sarah Jio

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Sarah Jio is the #1 international, New York Times bestselling author of ALWAYS, in addition to THE VIOLETS OF MARCH (a Library Journal Best Book of 2011 and a USA Today bestseller), THE BUNGALOW, BLACKBERRY WINTER (an instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller, as well as an international bestseller), THE LAST CAMELLIA (a Kirkus Books Most Anticipated Book of 2012), MORNING GLORY, and GOODNIGHT JUNE (to be published in June 2014). To date, Sarah's novels are published in more than 30 countries, including Italy, France, Brazil, Turkey, Slovenia, Russia, China, Norway, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, and many others.

A magazine writer and the former founding health and fitness blogger for Glamour magazine, Sarah has contributed to The New York Times, Redbook, O, The Oprah Magazine, Cooking Light, Glamour, SELF, Real Simple, Fitness, Marie Claire, Hallmark magazine, Seventeen, BRIDES, Health, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, The Seattle Times, Parents, Woman's Day, Parenting, and many others. She has also appeared as a commentator on NPR's Morning Edition.

Sarah lives in Seattle and is the mother of three young sons.

The slightly more informal bio:

1978-1983: The blissful childhood years. Pigtails. French braids. Bunny rabbits. Warm, chocolate chip cookies. Blackberry picking. Saltwater sandals. Magical Christmases. Trips to Disneyland. Dress up. Swingsets. Bossing around younger siblings. Slip 'n Slides and kiddie pools. Shenanigans.

1983-1988: The jelly bracelet and Keds years. Wrote first book, titled "A Tug Boat's Dream." Leggings with long sweaters and belts. Hypercolor T-shirts. Pink boom boxes. Monarch butterflies. Norwegian dancing. Sleepovers. Cabbage Patch dolls. Lisa Frank stickers. Rollerskating at the rink. Little House on the Prairie. Experimental hairstyles, including feathered bangs and the poodle perm. Best friend moves away. Wishing on stars. First crushes. All details recorded in diary, read by little brother.

1988-1993: The hair-flipping years. Boys. Gap sale rack. Junior high angst. Rollerblading. Tennis. More bad hair. Survive California earthquake. Find a message in a bottle. Ate a lot of fettuccine alfredo. Move into new house. Babysitters Club. Italian sodas at the mall.

1993-1996: The band groupie years. Mohawked boyfriend. Broken heart. Cut hair to a short pixie and dye platinum blond. Church camps. Boys. Private school. Grounded. Tennis. Mexico. Debate team. Green 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. Grounded. Nancy Drew. Safeway. Banana Boat suntan lotion. Starbucks. Daydreaming.

1996-2000: The college years. Journalism. Character-building. Deadlines. Expeditions to Canada. Three part-time jobs. Date football player, Calvin Klein underwear model. Summers in Alaska. First apartment in Seattle. IKEA. Stan Getz. Soul searching.

2000-2005: The busy years. Get married (finish a magazine deadline the night before wedding). Honeymoon in Tahiti. Buy house. Remodel house. Become fanatical about gardening. Become doggie mama to Paisley the golden retriever who digs up prized garden. Go to a cooking class in Provence and spend two nights solo in Paris. Write a zillion magazine articles. Open a bottle of champagne when I see my name in O, The Oprah Magazine. Write first book. Do not sell first book (blessing in disguise). Beloved grandfather dies. Baby fever. Nesting.

2005-and beyond: The babies and books years. Buy another house. Remodel kitchen. Wash dishes in bathtub. Became a regular contributor to Glamour. First baby born. Colic. No sleep. Crying. Organic baby food. Balance. Magazines deadlines. Second baby arrives. Write new novel. Beloved grandma dies. Sign with literary agent. Sell novel at auction in U.S., and later in 14 countries. Sell second novel. Third baby arrives. Level of chaos in home explodes. Sign with film agent. Interview Gwyneth Paltrow (on the phone, while nursing a baby), Maya Angelou, and others. Sell third and fourth novels. Go on book tour. With a baby. Three boys under the age of six. Drink a lot of coffee, and sometimes wine. Buy new house. Dream of huge refrigerator and office with doors that lock. Write fifth novel, sixth and seventh. Take boys to Disneyland. Long runs. Big dreams. Health. New chapters. Grateful.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

1,306 global ratings

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Nicole

Eloquent, compelling and very real

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

Let me just start by saying that I could not put this book down! The plot was fresh and extremely well-written although some aspects are somewhat far fetched . I found that by telling the story from different points of view in the past and the present, an element of 'realness' was added. I did not see the ending coming although I was right about who the kidnapper was and was able to guess the details of Claire's personal tragedy fairly quickly. I highly recommend this book to young adults and the older set alike (younger people will enjoy the mystery and older people might get more out of the complex character relationships). It is geared towards a more feminine audience but is not so sappy that men would find it distasteful. Since I have finished Blackberry Winter, I now plan to read additional Sarah Jio books and hope that they are page turners as well.

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Jordan Renee

Beautifully written, enjoyable read that touches the heart

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2012

Verified Purchase

Blackberry Winter is a beautiful story of love and loss, hope and redemption. The past is intricately woven with the present to discover the mystery of the missing boy, Daniel Ray, from 1933's blackberry winter. I think the book description provides a great synopsis so I will not go too in-depth describing the story and just start with my experience...

I really enjoyed Jio's writing style and her ability to create a connection with the characters. Not to mention, I absolutely love Seattle and enjoy reading stories set in the area. Some of the Amazon reviewers claim that the story is too predictable, which I somewhat disagree. I felt as though many of the aspects of the story that came to light were easily predicted because I speculate the author wanted the reader to know. Also, some reviewers claim it was too easy for Claire to find all the clues to the mystery. I agree with their criticism of this aspect of the book and felt the author could have made it more believable to the reader (maybe by having one of the main characters secretly give Claire the story initially). I realize that my review may seem a little vague but I do not want to provide too much detail that would spoil the story for others. Overall I felt it was a lovely story and very enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more of Jio's books, potentially Violets of March next.

2 people found this helpful

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H Y.

my favorite book

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

I love this book and every book Sarah Jio’ s has written so far. There is a story taking place in the past and there is another story taking place in the present. How those two stories meet. Thank you Sarah for your writing this wonderful book.

One person found this helpful

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Margie Read

A very good and well written novel

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2012

Verified Purchase

This is a fine book, well written, characters well developed and a good story line, but for some reason it did not get me as excited as I had hoped it would. Maybe it is because I don't like cold weather and the snow storm was a big "character". The mystery of the lost boy is handled well and concluded with satisfaction though it is somewhat predictable. I will read some more of Sarah Jio as she does write well.

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Laurel-Rain Snow

PAST CONNECTIONS REVEALED

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2012

Verified Purchase

Seattle is the setting for Blackberry Winter: A Novel , the story of two women, living many years apart, linked by an event. A late winter snow storm in May 1933 and again on the same date nearly eighty years later.

We open with Vera Ray's story on a night she has to go to work, leaving her three-year-old son Daniel alone. And then we feel her pain and loss when she returns after her shift to find her son missing, on that day of the memorable snow storm.

Flash forward to present day Seattle and a young reporter named Claire Aldridge, who must write a feature story on the storm and the amazing coincidental event that occurred in 1933.

But Claire's life has been unraveling since the previous year when her child was stillborn after a tragic accident. Her marriage to Evan Kensington, from one of the richest families in Seattle, seems to be falling apart, too. She isn't too keen on this story, but suddenly, as she begins to research the events and as the threads start coming together, she is definitely invested in it.

Narrated by the two women, we gradually see their stories unfold. Slowly, with a remarkably intense pace, we come to wonder about the strange connections between them that are gradually revealed. What happened to little Daniel Ray, and who has tried to bury the evidence? What happened to Vera so inexplicably, and why was that story also buried? Will Claire finally unearth the secrets of the past and find resolution for her own story?

Sarah Jio has the uncanny ability for drawing the reader into the characters' worlds and making the reader care deeply for what is happening to them. We become invested in their stories, even as our minds leap ahead to conjure up our own hopes for them. Another winning tale from a talented storyteller, I give this one five stars and recommend it for all Jio fans, as well as anyone who enjoys a good suspense tale.

2 people found this helpful

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