Winter's End

by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

Book Overview

In a gripping dystopian novel, four teenagers risk impossible odds to fight against tyranny in a world of dangerous choices -- and reemerging hope.

Escape. Milena, Bartolomeo, Helen, and Milos have left their prison-like boarding schools far behind, but their futures remain in peril. Fleeing across icy mountains from a terrifying pack of dog-men sent to hunt them down, they are determined to take up the fight against the despotic government...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763644501
• ISBN13: 9780763644505
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.9" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Four students - Helen, Milena, Milos, and Bart - have run away from their respective prison-like boarding schools. Each of the four have something in common; their parents were all murdered fifteen years ago, which is why they are in these schools to begin with. But only three of the teens make it to Jahn's restaurant, the headquarters of the Phalange resistance movement. The fourth is captured and forced into playing a barbaric game. If he doesn't play, he'll die. Can one voice stir a change of the brutal ways of the government? This novel was brilliant. I loved every moment of it. There was never a dull moment. This book was fast-paced and kept me wanting more until there was no more left to read. My only disappointment was the Epilogue, but only because it didn't explain much about Helen, so I was somewhat confused after reading it. Various parts of the novel seemed awful. Not bad awful, just awful. I couldn't believe how adults could be so rude to teens, just because of their parents! All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot. It wasn't the type of story I normally read, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Reviewed by: Ashley B

An Instense Story That Will Draw You In

Winter's End is a young adult novel by Jean-Claude Mourlevat of France. The dramatic intricate story line follows the life of four teenage students (Helen, Milena, Milos and Bart) who have been forced into prison-like orphanages by the controlling Phalange. The Phalange keeps a tight rein on the students, allowing them only three short visits a year to a `consoler', someone who acts as a parent, to give the students a tiny glimmer of hope in order to control them further. The four conspire to run away. First Milena and Bart leave, with Helen and Milos following within days. Throughout the story the Phalange struggles to maintain their weakening hold over the country, but the Resistance is gaining in strength, numbers and spirit. Milena and Bart learn of their parents and the leading roles they played with the Resistance in an earlier rebellion against the Phalange, which we later discover is the reason the children are taken away to begin with. Inspired by their parents Bart and Milena secretly inspire the community and encourage old allies to reunite against the Phalange. Meanwhile on their journey Milos and Helen are separated and Milos is taken captive and forced to participate in the barbaric fights held tri annually. Helen meets up with Bart and Milena with the help of secret local resistance fighters and though consumed with worry over Milos she aids in the fight as well. The four are always in each other's thoughts and the three are determined to rescue Milos before he must fight to the death. The story weaves in and out of different character's lives offering brief insights here and there. The characters grow and develop, drawing the reader in so that you find yourself worrying and cheering for them. Winter's End is a slow, deliberate, intense building novel that I would recommend to other readers.

A Unique Experience

The particularly interesting thing about this book is that it's a translation of a French young adult novel. The wording is richly descriptive - nothing could be called cliche. Winter's End centers its plot around a dystopian society that lies in the grip of the dictorial Phalange. Four young students (Helen, Milena, Bartolomeo and Milos) escape their prison-like schools and work their way into igniting a revolt that bears odd resemblance to a mysterious revolution that happened in the past. While three of the young people are successful in their escape, the sacrificial actions of Milos - a fun-loving boy with curly brown hair - results in his imprisonment as a gladiator forced to kill his fellow prisoners for the amusement of the Phalange. While Milos holds on to the hope of being rescued, the other three are desperately searching for a chink in the Phalange armor. Pros: It's a pretty big thing to encopampass the movements of a revolution, but Jean-Claude Mourlevat manages brilliantly. The characters are well-developed; especially Milos. The heat of the fighting spirit, the speed of capture, the horrors of a brutally bloody death, the insanity that is born of denial...all are described in rich detail that will make the scenes leap off the pages. The touch of fantasy in the characters is nicely incorporated, blending the surreal with stark reality. Altogether, it's a gripping read! Now for the Cons: The relationships between characters were hastily formed in some passages. There are two couples in particular who seem thrown together without any real depth added to the relationship other than a chance meeting on a hilly road. Helen - the character who starts out the book - unfortunately takes the back seat after a couple chapters. I had hoped she would be a stronger character; especially since the only strength that the other female protagonist bears is her remarkable singing voice. Despite the minor flaws, the range of colorful characters, high emotions and depth of topic make it worthy purchase!

A dystopian novel with a twist

Milena, Bartolomeo (Bart), Helen, and Milos live in a dystopian future where, after a bloody rebellion resulted in the creation of the centralized government of the Phalange, they were imprisoned as children in neighboring boarding schools. Due to this unfortunate state, the teens have never really been exposed to the opposite sex. That is until Helen and Milena happen to run into Bart and Milos on the bridge into town. The teens exchange in formation, to facilitate unauthorized letter-writing, and then move on. Only fate has other plans for Bart and Milena. All four teens manage to escape from their boarding schools and begin a whirlwind journey across mountains, running from pursuers, and making friends in unlikely places. Not everything is as well as it seems though. There is an uprising boiling just under the surface, and these teens will make all the difference in that movement. Who will remain standing when the floodgates open? A truly evocative story, Winter's End is sure to garner fans from the Hunger Games crowd. The characters feel so familiar and the story is filled with fantastical contortions of the human race. I received this book from Candlewick Press and couldn't be more happy that they graced me with this gift. While I know I seem to have a lot of glowing reviews of books, this one easily stands out among the many that I have read as a sleeper hit. With its inventive characters and plausible plot, one could almost believe that this was a true story. Almost. Give it a shot and pick it up on November 10th!

Action packed book!

Winter's End is a refreshing, action packed, emotional roller coaster ride. I enjoyed the narration and the details helped me set up a scene in my mind. The chapter opens up by describing the harsh treatment that Milena, Bartolomeo, Helen, and Milos suffer in the boarding school. It sort of reminded me of a twisted comparison between Madeline and Another Faust. I learned to care for each character and also distinguished their personalities. The book takes a surprising turn after the teens escape the school and go on a journey to look for freedom. The hardships that they face is unbelievable since the "Phalange" who is a fascist organization in power seeks to kill them. I also loved the fact that with all the running and hiding, they still managed to keep some romance. I sometimes "awwed" at the adorable comments between the first time lovers among the teens. I really liked the concept of a bunch of teens running away to succeed freedom but also causing an uproar that will aim to take down the government. However, the ending was bittersweet, I couldn't help but feel happy and sad at the same time. Overall, a nice entertaining YA book.