Wintering Audiobook By Katherine May cover art

Wintering

The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

Preview

Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends January 21, 2025 at 11:59PM ET.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Wintering

By: Katherine May
Narrated by: Rebecca Lee
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends January 21, 2025 11:59PM ET. Cancel anytime.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.75

Buy for $15.75

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A New York Times Best Seller!

As heard on NPR Morning Edition and On Being with Krista Tippett

“Katherine May opens up exactly what I and so many need to hear but haven't known how to name.” (Krista Tippett, On Being)

“Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself.... This is truly a beautiful book.” (Elizabeth Gilbert)

"Proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark.... May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate - capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes." (Wall Street Journal)

"May writes beautifully.... A contemplative, hopeful, consoling book.” (NPR)

An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down.

Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a breakup, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered.

A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas.

Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.

©2020 Katherine May (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Personal Success Women Inspiring Heartfelt Difficult Memoirs
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“There is power and clarity and wisdom to be gained from accepting these difficult times. Wintering offered me empathy, acceptance and perspective that will stay with me long after the pandemic.” (New York Times)

“A beautifully written mix of memoir and philosophy...With a pandemic keeping us isolated in so many ways, May offers much-needed solace and comfort and a reminder that seasons eventually turn.” (Booklist, starred review)

“Beautiful...She is a poetic observer of the natural world, and quotable lines abound...I want to share Wintering with all my friends who experience winter blues, and keep a copy close at hand for the inevitable winterings of my own life.” (BookPage)

Featured Article: 13 Listens to Get Through the SAD-dest Time of Year


Have you ever felt stuck or lonely during winter months? This isn’t just a you problem. Something about those gray skies and short days really gets to us—and while the onset of winter brings its own challenges, these last few weeks of the season can feel interminable. Whether you hope to learn more about seasonal depression, embrace your feelings, or look for some escapism, these listens can power you through the end-of-winter blues.

What listeners say about Wintering

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,307
  • 4 Stars
    287
  • 3 Stars
    118
  • 2 Stars
    44
  • 1 Stars
    15
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,342
  • 4 Stars
    150
  • 3 Stars
    39
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    8
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,097
  • 4 Stars
    274
  • 3 Stars
    110
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    19

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Comforting Truth

This book was profoundly moving in its grounding of our human despair in the reality of nature’s cycles. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s exploration of many aspects of enduring a dark and cold season. Much appreciation from this reader!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous

A story to get lost in-in a healing, deeply felt way. Loved this book very much, and the narration is like a steady and warm lullaby. Highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely lovely

I hung on to every word, every story, every piece of vulnerable truth that was shared. This book came at a perfect time as I am learning how to better winter and appreciate the cycles of life. The voice of the narrator added to the pleasure of listening. I look forward to reading/listening to this book again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Astonishing Density of Content

I must re-listen to this book chocked full of things my spirit must unpack gradually. It’s quite everything I have felt and am feeling, and will help me understand myself more. Thank you Katherine May and Rebecca Lee!!!!!xoxoxo

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Grateful for this book

This is an amazing read, and very enjoyable to listen to. The information was invaluable, validating, and inspiring, and her personal story was relatable and interesting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Comfort and Discomfort live hand in hand

Sigh, knot up, cry, warmup, re-charge, stumble, shrink, and sit still. That’s life and it’s okay.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best book I’ve read all year

From word choice to the structure of each chapter to the reading itself, this book was delightful, poignant, and desperately-needed. I don’t often read books a second time through, but I might make an exception for this one.

I particularly resonated with the way that her brain works because mine is very similar. She draws connections between things. She is learning about life or the world around her, such as the habits of wolves, or bees, or how to practice polar swimming, as a means of treating inflammation. I am also a teacher, I also lost my voice for a period of time and was treated and found out that it was a symptom of psychology and not physiology directly. I felt like I was losing my voice in the world around me, and my voice in my own throat disappeared.

There is so much about this story, and this way of living that resonates with me and I have learned a lot, and I hope to continue sharing from my own wintering .

God bless!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The lush writing and incredible performance in reading it!

This spoke to my heart and soul in every way. I struggle every year with winter and have mostly lived in the southern US. She captures how winter is challenging, but beautiful and really a state of mind.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly delighted!!

I love the way the author discusses her suffering and all she has to share on WINTERING! Highly recommend! Especially for all those who currently hate winter and muscle through it every year like me. Read on you’ll be delighted!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The lovely voice of the narrator.

This narrator is perfect for the book. I thought that she was the author. VERY well-done. Thought provoking with ideas that stick. I re-wound and listened to many passages again. I will be listening to the full book again, which is rare for me. I will also be buying the hardcover. It has won a coveted place on my bookshelf as I move cross-country and am downsizing in 2 months. No, I can’t wait until I get there. I want it NOW!! Hopeful and interesting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!