Winter Garden

Meredith Whitson Cooper is the 40-year-old daughter of Evan and Anya Whitson and one of the main protagonists. She is tall and broad-shouldered and has big feet, an oval face, a large mouth, brown eyes, and thick hair. Meredith marries Jeff, her childhood sweetheart, and they have two daughters, Jillian and Maddy, who are 19 and 18, respectively. Meredith and Jeff live a quarter mile uphill from Belye Nochi in an old farmhouse. Meredith helps her father run the orchard, something she doesn’t want to do but does out of obligation and respect for her father. Meredith’s greatest passion is the gift shop she opened in conjunction with the orchard. Once Meredith finally heals from the grief of her father’s death and returns from the Alaskan cruise with her mother and sister, she opens more gift shops and finds lasting happiness in running them.

Throughout the novel, Meredith experiences extensive conflict. First, Meredith questions her purpose and identity because her daughters are both at college. She devoted herself to being a good mother to make up for Anya’s lack of nurturing, yet feels lost now that her girls are gone. Her marriage with Jeff struggles throughout the novel because Meredith doesn’t know how to communicate her feelings effectively and doesn’t know what she wants from life. Meredith also has a rocky relationship with Nina, who went to travel the world, leaving Meredith to stay with their parents and make more family-oriented choices. Meredith’s greatest conflict occurs with her mother, Anya. The experience described in the Prologue demonstrates why Meredith refuses to engage emotionally with Anya. She has been hurt multiple times by Anya’s coldness, so Meredith distances herself as much as possible. Despite this effort to remain distant, Meredith still struggles to understand why her mother doesn’t love her, feeling as if she’s done something wrong to make Anya so uncaring toward her.

While Meredith experiences a lot of conflict, she is a dynamic character who changes and overcomes this conflict. Most of Meredith’s struggles occur because she refuses to show emotion, thinking her life will fall apart if she lets go of control. This prevents her from opening up to her husband, allowing others to help her run the orchard, or openly grieving for her father. Once Meredith finally lets go of this strict control, she realizes that she needs her husband and that the orchard will continue in someone else’s hands.

Likewise, Meredith learns that communicating openly with Nina and Anya is the greatest way to understand the truth behind their relationships. For example, when Meredith confesses to Nina that Jeff left her, she strengthens their connection by being honest. Likewise, when Meredith truly listens to Anya’s story, she realizes that her mother is grieving the loss of her first family. This realization softens Meredith’s heart and allows her to see Anya from a new, sympathetic perspective. Meredith can then express emotion to her husband, thus healing their relationship. In learning how to heal and connect with others, Meredith saves her most important relationships.