Wait, Lea. Wintering Well. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2004. 186 pgs. Hardcover 0-689-85646-6. $16.95 US.

Reviewed by Nancy Obermueller, Kirkwood Community College

In Lea Wait's young adult novel, "winter well" means weathering both the harsh winter season and the hardship of a physical disability. Wintering Well tells the story of an accident that changes the lives of everyone in the Ames family in the Maine District of Massachusetts during 1819-20. Wait reminds us life can take a drastic turn in a moment, yet hope and choices still exist.

Middle son, Will, severely cuts his leg while chopping wood when his younger sister, Cassie, startles him. The Ames farm is half a day's ride from town and a proper doctor, so initially they make do with home remedies. But Will's leg becomes dangerously infected, so Cassie, who attended Will constantly, persuades her parents to let her go to town. She rides horseback to Wiscasset, where her married sister, Alice, lives.

Dr. Theobold recommends that Will's leg be removed. Pa Ames feels resigned, that this is God's will and they should let nature take its course, even if that means Will's death. A cripple would not be useful around the farm. Ma urges taking the chance to try to save Will through this risky operation, and we assume, to give him a chance for more of a life, although she has no idea what that might be.

The doctor brings more than medical knowledge and better treatment. He knows from war veterans' experiences that amputees can live satisfying and productive lives. Dr. Theobold suggests that Will can walk again with a wooden leg, which necessitates an extended stay in town to get the leg and a leather harness fitted and constructed, and time to adjust to the new contraption and to learn to walk.

In town, we see both Will and Cassie grow in knowledge and self-confidence, developing different skills. Even perspective changed. Their family previously took most life events as unchangeable. Here personal responsibility and choice are new possibilities. "At home no one had mentioned his future or his lack of a leg except in terms of what he could not do. Here his lack of a leg was treated as a problem to be resolved...." (p. 73).

Encouraged by Dr. Theobold, Will considers becoming a surgeon, but begins to realize that there may be other choices. He has always loved woodcarving, and admires the work of the cabinet-maker who also made the wooden leg. Will's hometown pals, Sam and Mike, came to Wiscasset earlier to be apprentices, one to the silversmith and clockmaker, one in the Wiscasset shipyards. Will meets a ship captain who plans to build a new ship and wants to hire local craftsmen, giving Will an idea for a livelihood–carving the larger-than-life figurehead for the front of the ship.

Along with increasing skills, Will experiences the familiar comfort of family and long-time friends and makes a special new friend. Paul, being tutored in several subjects, is preparing for college, another possibility Will had never dreamed of. Paul also accepts Will unconditionally; not bothered by the disability, he helps when needed. Will and his friends take on two ornery boys who represent those who mock and heckle disabled people through taunting, name-calling and pranks.

This is completely new territory--physical, geographical, intellectual, and emotional, but Will is newly confident, recovering.

All the characters represent different responses to a disability. We clearly see Will's growth from pain and fear of the unknown. Pa is resigned and hopeless. He doesn't have enough knowledge to realize that there might be other resources, not only to save Will's life, but to help him become a "useful" person. Ma doesn't know much more, but she is instinctively sure that something should be tried. Cassie, who had nurtured Will for so long, watches her role change as Will becomes more mobile and independent.

The characters of Wintering Well also show us the roles of men, women and children of this era. Cassie, Ma, and Alice, caretakers of the house and family, have limited options. The Ames men continue their farming destiny. But everyone is learning to live in an ever-changing, enlarging world. Cassie later admits she wishes she could be a doctor. City life allows, even necessitates, differences. Towns offer stores with supplies already preserved, modern medical treatments and medicines, and many more activities and livelihoods.

Wintering Well focuses on a family whose daily life and expectations are upset by a physical disability. But a momentary accident is life-changing, affects everyone involved, and offers unimagined new opportunities. In Wintering Well we see various responses and adjustments.

Will Ames does indeed "winter well." Lea Wait has written an engaging story, full of historical details and warm relations, clearly illustrating the possibilities for satisfying life and work and hope through all life's challenges. It is a well written, instructional, and inspirational read for anyone.