Great Regulars: [Philip] Larkin's evocation of the icy,

claustrophobic, wartime town is heightened by flashbacks to the glowing summer when a younger, merrier Katherine stayed with the Fennels. Both seasons are vividly evoked. Katherine's eye is the poet's eye.

At the heart of the novel is a mystery which some commentators consider another aspect of its poetry. Katherine is in exile in England, but we're never told where from.

from Carol Rumens: The Guardian: Winter reads: A Girl in Winter by Philip Larkin

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