THE NO. 1 BESTSELLING, LIFE-CHANGING PHENOMENON – SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER''A beautiful, gentle exploration of the dark season of life and the light of spring that eventually follows'' RAYNOR WINN''My favourite book of the last five years'' CAITLIN MORANWintering is a poignant and comforting meditation on the fallow periods of life, times when we must retreat to care for and repair ourselves. Katherine May thoughtfully shows us how to come through these times with the wisdom of knowing that, like the seasons, our winters and summers are the ebb and flow of life.A moving personal narrative interwoven 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.''Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself'' ELIZABETH GILBERT''Absolutely beautiful'' CHERYL STRAYED