Womens Prize For Fiction Winner
A Spell of Winter
by Helen Dunmore
Summary
Catherine and her brother grow up isolated in a decaying country house, abandoned by their parents and bound to each other by a love that crosses every boundary. Dunmore writes the English landscape with sensual, almost gothic intensity, letting the long winter mirror the secrets the siblings bury. The novel announced a major poetic voice in fiction and set a high bar for the prize in its opening year.
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Historical Context & Significance
The very first winner of the prize, then called the Orange Prize for Fiction, established to celebrate fiction written by women.