This is a truly wonderful debut novel that beautifully weaves together themes of resilience, empowerment, and the deep connections between women and the natural world. It has an intricately layered narrative over different timelines and is both an emotional journey and a celebration of feminine strength across generations. The novel follows the lives of three extraordinary women—Altha, Violet, and Kate. Spanning many centuries these women are unknowingly bound together by their shared heritage and a mysterious connection to nature. The transitions between timelines is seamless and allows each character's story to unfold in a way that feels deeply immersive. The author’s vivid descriptions of the natural world really bring the landscapes alive, and the way each of the women draws strength from nature is both poignant and empowering. The book tackles weighty topics like oppression, abuse, and the stifling constraints placed on women throughout history, but it does so with grace and hope. Altha, Violet, and Kate are all beautifully fleshed-out characters, each grappling with challenges that feel authentic and relatable, yet each finds a way to reclaim her power. Ultimately this is a tale of survival, self-discovery, and the unbreakable bonds of female solidarity. Fans of historical fiction, magical realism, and stories with strong feminist themes will find this novel utterly captivating. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait read more from this author!
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I don’t remember how I ended up with this on my Kindle but I went for a random pick as my next book and jumped in with an open mind. This book has three main characters; twenty-nine-year-old Kate Ayres in 2019, sixteen-year-old Violet Ayres in 1942 and twenty-one-year-old Altha Weyward in 1619. Kate is fleeing London to escape an abusive husband, Violet leads a suffocating life at Orton Hall with her brother and father and Altha is a healer on trial for witchcraft. The book is told from all three points of view and as the story progresses we see how the women’s paths are related. I was immediately sucked into this book. There are elements of women’s fiction, historical fiction and magical realism which seem to be effortlessly woven together from the three different threads of this story into a compelling narrative. It was interesting to see how women were treated during these three different time periods and it’s sad that despite living centuries apart each of these women had to endure instances of neglect, abuse and oppression, usually at the hands of men. All three women characters are strong and believable, I really found myself feeling for them and willing them strength. The narrative has strong feminine overtones and several of the male characters are unlikable with only one real exception. There is no male-bashing or revenge drama but we are presented with a narrative highlighting the personal growth and resilience of these women and the comfort and strength they harness from their deep connection to nature. I’m an animal lover so I really appreciated the nature scenes and connection and I enjoyed seeing how that played out. This didn’t read like a debut book to me, it is well-crafted, with beautiful writing, wonderful characters, vivid imagery, lovely pacing, and three equally-compelling storylines. I felt like each of the woman's behaviour and choices were logical and appropriate for her time, place, and historical context and that all three characters and storylines were equally compelling. Overall, a wonderful read and a great escape book that immersed me in three different timelines seamlessly. My only real niggle was that it was a bit predictable but I will definitely be looking out for more work by Emilia Hart.
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It's not often I venture away from the world of crime, but when I do it's usually for a very good reason. Weyward by Emilia Hart is most definitely a very good reason. I'll admit, I was first attracted by the cover, and the glowing reviews I'd read certainly encouraged me more. Then there is the subject matter, the links to witchcraft, always a go to subject for me when reading as a child. I used to be fascinated by tales of the unexplained, be they supernatural or otherwise. But to try to pigeon hole Weyward into any specific category like the occult, or fantasy or crime, just wouldn't really work. I'm not sure that there is a really suitable category for the book as there are certain elements of all the above in the book. But above all else, it is a story of three women, three generations of the same bloodline, and how, despite the broad span of the years, they need to find the strength to survive, and even blossom, in very male dominated worlds. This is the story of Altha, Violet and Kate, separated by the centuries but connected in ways that certainly the latter generations do not understand. Altha, of all of them, is perhaps the one with the greater understanding of the Weyward women's gift - the ability to harness the power of nature for good. Altha was brought up by a mother who fully understood the way in which the tides were turning against people with their talents - when you think of witches, think of your Pendle style witch rather than the kind with strange green skin last seen melting in a puddle in Oz (oops - spolier alert). If you were to try to categorise them it would be a bit like Dr Doolittle turned herbalism. They provide alternative treatments to those made and rather macabre methods prescribed by Doctors of their era, and yet hold an uncanny ability to commune with nature. But when we first meet Altha, she is already on trial accused of witchcraft, after the death of a neighbour, the husband of a woman she knew a long time before. Her position is stark, her treatment shocking, and yet it embodies the suspicion and contempt held towards certain women in the early seventeenth century, when superstition was far more prevalent than common sense. Violet is a young girl who leads a very sheltered life. brought up by her father following her mothers death, Violet has been home schooled, her natural tendencies towards the outside world and nature curbed by her father's tight control. Everything she loves goes against her father's wishes, and whilst a voracious reader, there is a certain naivety born of her seclusion that gives the sense that she is heading towards a very start ending. The warning signs are there, and I could feel my anger building as the author led us towards the inevitable conclusion. But as dark as her story becomes, there is a kind of peace that comes with it too, as an undeniable tragedy also becomes her salvation. As for Kate, a far more modern woman, she knows nothing of her ancestral past and has none of the natural affinity towards the outside world. There are reasons for that which become apparent as the story progresses, but caught up in an abusive relationship, all Kate seeks is peace and sanctuary, something she finally finds in the Weyward family home. In fact, it is an expression of male dominance, misogyny and abuse which unites the three women. Men seek to be the cause of their downfall and yet it is in standing against them that all three find their true power. There are moments in the book that will undoubtedly outrage you, others which will make you smile. All three women are strong, independent and capable, although it takes Kate much longer to realise this in herself. The intertwining of their stories, their distinct and yet recognisable voices, makes this a very easy, and surprisingly quick, book to read. It is not told in linear fashion - the story regularly moves between the three different time periods - and yet it was very easy to follow, and each story completely drew me in. There is a tension which flows through each thread, building to a crescendo at different moments in their story, but keeping the pace of the book just right, so much so I polished it off in two sittings. I'm not entirely sure what I expected when I started reading this book. I approached it with no small amount of trepidation, it being outside of my comfort zone, but Emilia Hart is such a talented writer that I was completely absorbed from the very first chapter. If you want to read a book about triumph of spirit over adversity, about the strength of women in a world besieged by misogyny, and about harnessing the power of the natural world, then definitely give this one a try. Beautifully emotive and exquisite writing.. I'll be keeping these ladies spirits with me for some time I think.
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I was initially hesitant about reading this book. So many novels set in multiple periods are just not compelling. However, reviews for Weyward were consistently positive and the Kirkus Review had me at “Thoughtful and at times harrowing, this novel is a successful blend of historical fiction and modern feminism.” Ultimately, I absorbed ‘Weyward’ from cover to cover. The three storylines could each be a stand-alone book. They were well written, the main and supporting characters interesting, and flawlessly developed. Kate (2019), Altha (1619) and Violet (1942) are socially isolated by suspicion, bad decisions and insecure men. Gradually, though, each will come into their power as a woman and healer while continuing to endure the mistrust of those around them. History has long revealed both men and women whose relationship with nature and the healing arts was unusual. Their skills were often branded as witchcraft, giving them a tinge of evil. The one certainty, unchanged over the centuries, is that possessing certain powers puts that person in a vulnerable position. Altha, Violet and Kate were forced to base their actions and decisions on that very vulnerability. Emilia Hart interweaves the three stories into an intelligent and heartfelt piece of fiction. The endings were devoid of the usual saccharine happy ever after but are more than satisfactory and real. This is a book to be both analysed and enjoyed.
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Una historia ligera de mujeres fuertes y su legado, con un toque mágico. Si te gustó "Prácticamente magia", lee Weyward.
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Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read it in 2 days,
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Prachtig boek. Mooie cover, mooie verhaallijn en heel goed geschreven. Een aanrader!
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"The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet." I am crying writing this review because of how powerful, poetic, haunting and empowering this story was. This is a story of women's fights, of women's rights and women's pride. I recommend this to every single woman on this planet.
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