A review by bookwormmelissa
Winterland by Rae Meadows

3.0

Thanks to Henry Holt and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I heard about this book on a podcast episode that recommended books to watch this fall and winter. When I heard there was a book about gymnastics coming out in November, I was so grateful to discover it on Netgalley! I grew up a huge fan of Nadia Comeneci and other gymnasts at around the same era and after - my friends and I used to pretend we were those gymnasts. Many of the characters in Meadows' book were famous Russian gymnasts, and the author takes us deep into Russian gymnastics philosophy and coaching midst a harsh political and social background. We follow main character Anya as she is chosen to be a Russian gymnast at a young age, as well as her family and neighbors, with the story spanning decades forward and back as each character's backstory informs the present. It's a bleak book, and everything is not tied up nicely as we see the impact of communism. I appreciated the deep dive into Russian gymnastics and the greater political surroundings of the time, but I felt the pacing dragged in places. The author's in-depth research really shows, and I am glad I read it.