Anya lives in a Soviet factory town that spends much of the year in polar night until she gets her big break to train as a gymnast to bring glory to the motherland. Anya, her family, and friends are all compelling characters and this book exposes the dirty underbelly of state-run sport that chews up athletes and spits them out, not to mention the perils of sacrificing everything for political ideals. Great read! ( )

This book follows Anya who lives with her father in Siberia, enduring cold, endless nights, and harsh conditions. At the age of 8, Anya is selected to train as a gymnast in an elite state run program. Her love of gymnastics slowly changes to a need to become bigger and better than her competitors. Although she suffers injury, she works through the pain, muscle aches and pushes her body to the breaking point.

I enjoyed reading this book. I've never read anything about the soviet gymnastics program and thought it was fascinating. I felt for the girls, who had to sacrifice their health for the state as they pushed to constantly do more and more. The book had a sad, nostalgic feel to it, permeated by the secondary characters sadness and struggles. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. ( )

Author Rae Meadows’s Winterland effectively captures the the isolation, ambition, and brutality that lurked beneath the surface of the USSR’s state-sponsored gymnastics program in the 1970s. Under the direction of her relentless coach, gymnast Anya works through exhaustion, malnutrition, and pain to master the gravity-defying routines that bring glory and Olympic medals to her homeland. She is driven by a love of gymnastics that transcends her suffering and fears.

In a subplot, an elderly neighbor remembers what she did to survive in the Gulag.

Only a muted ending mars this otherwise compelling story of love and sacrifice. Recommended. ( )

This novel is centered around Anya, a young Soviet athlete who carries the hopes of her community. Talented at gymnastics, Anya begins training at a very young age and when she comes to the attention of a demanding coach, the sport begins to take over her life. Anya spends more time with her coach than her father, she travels far beyond the distant city within the Artic Circle that was her home, she receives injections so that she can continue to compete despite an ankle injury, and she's put on a restrictive diet that keeps her from going through puberty. At times, this makes for a difficult reading and the narrative does have a tendency to jump between perspectives. Still, I enjoyed this novel and I found the story compelling overall. Those interested in historical fiction set in the Soviet Union would likely enjoy this novel. ( )

Excellent! A great book of family history, Russian history and sports history all in one. The main character is extremely likable and I was rooting for her from the first page. Ended beautifully as well.