Winterland

In the Soviet Union in 1973 Anya was just a little girl with a dream. At eight years old they finally knocked on her door. Would it be ballet or gymnastics? With the help of her father she prepares and is selected for the local sports school to become a gymnast. Anya is a determined little girl. Their family lives in a remote mining village called Norilsk in Siberia. She wants to be the best to represent her country and help her family. Their grim and grueling life has many hardships. Food is scarce, the weather is bitter and her mother, a once famous ballerina,  mysteriously disappeared three years ago. The only teeny tiny bit of light in Anya’s life is her neighbor Vera. An old wizened woman who spent many years in the Gulag offers Anya the warmth and love she is so desperate to win. Her competitive nature comes from within and throughout her gymnastics journey she never stops reaching for more. The reader can feel the biting wind and below Arctic temperatures along with the physical stamina and unimaginable training both mentally and physically that these young women must endure. This novel takes the reader vividly back to some of the most infamous years of gymnastics and life in the U.S.S.R. Mesmerizing detail and a wonderful array of characters. This superb story is a must read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️