Weyward

Goodreads Choice Award

Winner for Best Historical Fiction (2023), Winner for Best Debut Novel (2023)

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Genres

• Historical Fiction

• Fantasy

• Magical Realism

• Social Commentary

329 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2023

Trigger Warnings

Abuse, both physical and emotional

Literary awards

Book of the Month Book of the Year Award Nominee (2023)

Average Rating

Goodreads - 4.12

Amazon - 4.1

My Verdict

The author seamlessly links three women who, while living in very different time periods, all share a miraculous gift, as well as going through some of devastating experiences similar to what so many other women have shared. This novel is raw and honest. The characters are survivors of abuse and they endure tragedies that many of us have faced in the shadows of society and behind closed doors. Hart flings these doors wide open and she does not hold back.

This was a book club read for me and I cannot wait to discuss it this week with my friends. It was also a masterclass in how to write a novel in alternating points of view and bring it together for the reader without it seeming contrived. If I hadn't known this was a debut novel, I never would have guessed. It is a quietly brilliant social commentary. The Weyward women derive their strength from the natural world, and when they are denied access to it, they wilt physically and spiritually. The Weyward women’s intimate connection with nature is a stark reminder of what humanity ultimately loses when environments are threatened and destroyed by humankind’s follies. This concept plays in conjunction with the novel’s discussion about how patriarchal societies forbid women from using their talents and even dabbles with the discussion of women's reproductive rights which could not be more timely. I absolutely loved this book. There was a short period in the middle where it got a little slow for me, but I give this a very strong and enthusiastic 4.5 stars.