Robert Ashcom

Set just after WW11 in Virginia, in a seemingly idyllic rural world that will come to an end, Winter Run follows the escapades of young Charlie from the age of eight through to fourteen. At a time when Blacks and Whites accepted their segregation, yet had respect, the fair skinned blond haired son of a Scandinavian mother Charlie spends much of his time with the Blacks of the community, learning the ways of the countryside. He is adventurous, sometimes to his own endangerment, he has a love of animals and rural life, and from the age of eight would ride his pony alone and unhindered across the farmland.

Winter Run is not a continuous story, but a series of episode in Charlie's life, sometimes told by Charlie, but more often by other observers. The result is a wonderful account of a time now lost, a time not perfect, but a time of innocence and of close community. It makes a most rewarding and leisurely read, at times funny, often touching, but never mawkish.… (meer)