Review of Midwinter Turns to Spring

[Ihuoma03]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Midwinter Turns to Spring" by Maria Veloso.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In Midwinter Turns to Spring, Maria Veloso tells the story of a Flamenco guitarist, Alfonso Madrigal, who falls in love with an American painter and Art critic, Savannah Curtis after he shows the latter a painting he inherited from his grandmother, one which turns out to be the rare work of a renowned artist, Pablo Picasso. Within twelve days, the two find themselves deeply in love with each other, their love made stronger through the Flamenco music. However, their relationship is plagued by the need to be faithful to their individual commitments; Alfonso to his wife, Isabella and his daughter, Cristina; and Savannah to her elite fiancé, Russell. Savannah decides to end her relationship with Alfonso to prevent him from abandoning his family. She packs all her belongings and leaves town, but forgets a journal that contains details of her affair with the Spanish musician. Twenty-three years later, a heartbroken Cassidy Hamilton moves into the apartment and finds the journal. Intrigued by the documented story, she embarks on a journey to reunite the two separated lovers. She finds Savannah, now with a son and also fishes out Alfonso through email. The two are reunited, but Alfonso must prove his genuine love to Savannah who is now suffering from amnesia following a car accident.

Midwinter Turns to Spring is a story that employs the elements of music and art as a foundation upon which the messages of love, self-worth and family ties are built. Maria makes her readers understand the power of music and permits them to express themselves in lyrics when ordinary words fail.

One feature that makes me give this book a thumbs-up is the outstanding wealth of cultural knowledge that is buried within its pages. Being a lover of history and culture, I found the Spanish culture very exciting to learn about through the character of Alfonso and his early childhood, even without prior knowledge of it. All this was done without having to deviate from the main storyline. The fact that the author is also able to strike a delicate balance between the American and Spanish culture, gives the book that perfect blend it needs to keep the reader's flow.

I really enjoyed the book and could not find any negative thing about it. Initially, I found the book a bit complicated and conflicting due to changes in time settings, but it all smoothed out as I progressed and realized that it was essential to the overall development of the plot. The book was also well edited as I found no errors whatsoever in it.

Having found no major negatives that could have hampered the quality of the book, I heartily rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

The book's well-woven message is suitable for anyone who loves music and art and sees both as an intricate part of human existence. It is however most suitable for mature adults as a result of some sexually explicit scenes.

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Midwinter Turns to Spring
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