Publisher: 2nd February 2023 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: women’s fiction, historical fiction, magical realism
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Synopsis:
KATE, 2019
Kate flees London – abandoning everything – for Cumbria and Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great-aunt. There, a secret lurks in the bones of the house, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
VIOLET, 1942
Violet is more interested in collecting insects and climbing trees than in becoming a proper young lady. Until a chain of shocking events changes her life forever.
ALTHA, 1619
Altha is on trial for witchcraft, accused of killing a local man. Known for her uncanny connection with nature and animals, she is a threat that must be eliminated.
But Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed…
Weaving together the stories of three women across five centuries, Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.
My Thoughts
Weyward is a wonderful tale of the three Weyward women spanning across the decades. This is a slow build character driven tale with an alternating timeline detailing the story of Altha, Violet and Kate. This is a book that perfectly brings together the genres of women’s fiction and historical fiction with magical realism woven throughout. I loved this - not strict witchcraft per se - but a more gentle and intuitive undertaking, the magic of the natural world and how women throughout the centuries often have a gift for tuning into it.
‘The valley was always at its most beautiful in the morning. I remember thinking that it was as if it had been made so on purpose, to remind us to keep living.’
I loved the writing style and with such a rich inclusion from nature it made the connections so strong. The cottage in Cumbria is the link between all three women as this unique tale unfolds with its atmospheric vibe. I found all three timelines to be wonderfully interwoven that made for a riveting tale. A tale of many raw and confronting emotions especially with a view to the treatment of women - whether it be of a time long past where many women were viewed as witches or the more contemporary tale of a violent relationship. At times this book presents traumatic experiences (warning of domestic violence) that are confronting but well handled. Still, trigger warnings for many readers.
‘For I had begun to suspect that nature, to us, was as much a life force as the very air we breathed. Without it, I feared my mother would die.’
To like all three narratives is to be applauded in and of itself - an often rare occurrence. This is an intergenerational tale of love and loss, of sorrow and strength. Three women connected over time through heritage and a lasting, ongoing legacy - the interconnectedness of family, females and nature. It celebrates feminine strength to break free and embrace your birthright.
‘She had thought, for a while, that she’d lost the magic of it: the ability to immerse herself in another time, another place. It had felt like forgetting to breathe.
But she needn’t have worried. Now, worlds, characters, even sentences linger – burning like beacons in her brain. Reminding her that she’s not alone.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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