Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Cornelia Blackwood is trying to live her life as best as she can but people look at her and talk behind her back. She seems like a broken woman. She has a loving husband but he has his own secrets and their marriage is perhaps not quite as solid as she thought it was.
I started reading The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood early one afternoon and I lost myself in its pages. The next thing I knew it was early evening and I was turning the last page. The writing in this book is stunning and the way the story of Cornelia gradually unfolds is so brilliantly done.
We meet Cornelia as her husband is about to go off on a work trip. She feels very unsettled about him leaving and she hates waiting for him to go. It’s clear that she is an anxious person but initially you don’t know why. The novel then moves in time between this point and a few months later. There is also a slow reveal of what has happened in the past. I had no idea what was coming in this novel so I’m going to keep this review short and a little vague as I don’t want to risk any spoilers.
I will say that I felt a real connection to Cornelia. She is such an unhappy woman and clearly has issues that she’s not coping very well with. I couldn’t envisage that she could have ever done anything terrible but her behaviour throughout the book can be seen as somewhat questionable. At the same time I just felt so sorry for her. I love it when books leave me unsure of a character’s motives but at the same time make me want them to be okay.
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is disturbing at times, and it’s such an emotional read, but it’s so beautifully and sensitively written that it felt impossible for me to put it down. I’m in awe of this book and it’s one that I keep thinking about. This was my first Susan Elliot Wright novel but I will absolutely definitely seeking out everything she has ever written.
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
I started reading The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood early one afternoon and I lost myself in its pages. The next thing I knew it was early evening and I was turning the last page. The writing in this book is stunning and the way the story of Cornelia gradually unfolds is so brilliantly done.
We meet Cornelia as her husband is about to go off on a work trip. She feels very unsettled about him leaving and she hates waiting for him to go. It’s clear that she is an anxious person but initially you don’t know why. The novel then moves in time between this point and a few months later. There is also a slow reveal of what has happened in the past. I had no idea what was coming in this novel so I’m going to keep this review short and a little vague as I don’t want to risk any spoilers.
I will say that I felt a real connection to Cornelia. She is such an unhappy woman and clearly has issues that she’s not coping very well with. I couldn’t envisage that she could have ever done anything terrible but her behaviour throughout the book can be seen as somewhat questionable. At the same time I just felt so sorry for her. I love it when books leave me unsure of a character’s motives but at the same time make me want them to be okay.
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is disturbing at times, and it’s such an emotional read, but it’s so beautifully and sensitively written that it felt impossible for me to put it down. I’m in awe of this book and it’s one that I keep thinking about. This was my first Susan Elliot Wright novel but I will absolutely definitely seeking out everything she has ever written.
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood opens with a scene where a crow walks into a kitchen. It happens in an instant, the back door having been opened to let the smoke from burnt toast dissipate. It’s enough to rattle the woman whose kitchen it is, and suggest that, even without being superstitious, things are off-kilter here.
When we meet forty-year-old Cornelia, she’s about to wave her husband off to a conference. She’s also gearing up to go back to work part-time after an unknown incident left her in severe pain, yet still able to manage without a walking stick unless she overdoes it. Life seems to have dealt her a hard blow and we spend the book discovering just how much of one, and what further loss and shock can do to someone in an already fragile state of mind.
By switching between two timelines labelled only as Now and Then in the chapter headings, Susan Elliot Wright’s novel illustrates not only how quickly someone’s life can turn but also how difficult it can be for people to know what others are going through as a result of those changes, or how to reach out and help them in the way they need. Something made all the more challenging when dealing with someone as intelligent and private a person as Cornelia. She becomes well-practised at hiding what she’s doing and being secretive, something facilitated by her current situation and how much time she spends on her own.
Cornelia shares characteristics with the crows which are a recurring motif in the book. Intelligent and independent, crows mate for life, and can be quiet and secretive when close to home. I’d argue that although not outwardly raucous as the birds are, Cornelia’s mind is far from quiet: her thoughts crash around and run out of control, clinging to the most fragile support and building a real sense of there being no escape for her. With each further misstep and unsaid truth, this claustrophobic feeling builds until she’s entangled like a bird in netting and you wonder how she will ever break free.
When she does, it is both poignant and distressing in its inevitability yet absolutely right for the story.
In writing so incredibly well about the loss and loneliness Cornelia experiences, Susan Elliot Wright takes us to a darker and rarely discussed aspect of motherhood and mental illness. She handles her subject with great skill and sensitivity, making The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood a truly moving and powerful book.
When we meet forty-year-old Cornelia, she’s about to wave her husband off to a conference. She’s also gearing up to go back to work part-time after an unknown incident left her in severe pain, yet still able to manage without a walking stick unless she overdoes it. Life seems to have dealt her a hard blow and we spend the book discovering just how much of one, and what further loss and shock can do to someone in an already fragile state of mind.
By switching between two timelines labelled only as Now and Then in the chapter headings, Susan Elliot Wright’s novel illustrates not only how quickly someone’s life can turn but also how difficult it can be for people to know what others are going through as a result of those changes, or how to reach out and help them in the way they need. Something made all the more challenging when dealing with someone as intelligent and private a person as Cornelia. She becomes well-practised at hiding what she’s doing and being secretive, something facilitated by her current situation and how much time she spends on her own.
Cornelia shares characteristics with the crows which are a recurring motif in the book. Intelligent and independent, crows mate for life, and can be quiet and secretive when close to home. I’d argue that although not outwardly raucous as the birds are, Cornelia’s mind is far from quiet: her thoughts crash around and run out of control, clinging to the most fragile support and building a real sense of there being no escape for her. With each further misstep and unsaid truth, this claustrophobic feeling builds until she’s entangled like a bird in netting and you wonder how she will ever break free.
When she does, it is both poignant and distressing in its inevitability yet absolutely right for the story.
In writing so incredibly well about the loss and loneliness Cornelia experiences, Susan Elliot Wright takes us to a darker and rarely discussed aspect of motherhood and mental illness. She handles her subject with great skill and sensitivity, making The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood a truly moving and powerful book.
To say too much about The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood would be to totally spoil the book - this is a novel that needs to be experienced with no prior knowledge of the plot in order to fully appreciate the raw emotional punch that it packs - but I can tell you how much I appreciated the book and the important story that it has to tell.
Susan Elliot Wright has crafted a superb novel here. It's not an easy read by any means but this is a story of motherhood that handles a very emotive subject with great sensitivity and skill. Dealing with issues of mental health, new motherhood, grief and loneliness, this is a stunningly emotive read written with raw tenderness. Cornelia is a woman who is unravelling at the seams but I just felt so much for her and her situation - she makes some very poor choices but Wright made me understand them and empathise with her every step of the way.
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is a really important novel. Not being a mother myself - or even desiring to be one - I wasn't sure how much a novel so centred on motherhood would say to me. But this book is a powerful testimony of the trials that women, whether mothers or not, face when it comes to societal expectations and mental health. It's trigger warning central and not for the faint-hearted, however, in its treatment of its difficult subject matter, it's a sensitively written and deeply emotional read and one that I would highly recommend.
This is an edited version of a review that appeared on my blog, The Shelf of Unread Books, at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest an unbiased review.
Susan Elliot Wright has crafted a superb novel here. It's not an easy read by any means but this is a story of motherhood that handles a very emotive subject with great sensitivity and skill. Dealing with issues of mental health, new motherhood, grief and loneliness, this is a stunningly emotive read written with raw tenderness. Cornelia is a woman who is unravelling at the seams but I just felt so much for her and her situation - she makes some very poor choices but Wright made me understand them and empathise with her every step of the way.
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is a really important novel. Not being a mother myself - or even desiring to be one - I wasn't sure how much a novel so centred on motherhood would say to me. But this book is a powerful testimony of the trials that women, whether mothers or not, face when it comes to societal expectations and mental health. It's trigger warning central and not for the faint-hearted, however, in its treatment of its difficult subject matter, it's a sensitively written and deeply emotional read and one that I would highly recommend.
This is an edited version of a review that appeared on my blog, The Shelf of Unread Books, at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest an unbiased review.
“The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood” is written by Susan Elliot Wright and is a very powerful novel based on motherhood, tragedy, grief and loneliness.
The blurb - What has happened to Cornelia Blackwood? She has a loving marriage. But she has no friends. Everyone knows her name. But no one will speak to her now. Cornelia Blackwood has unravelled once before. Can she stop it from happening again?
After the come down from a very gritty thriller it was a pleasure to read a novel that had been written so tenderly and with such compassion from the author. So many raw emotions are covered in this one story, with viewpoints from both the male and female perspective. Considering what Cornelia or Leah, as she’s more affectionately known, has had to deal with in her life, it’s totally understandable how she begins to unravel. Especially after she discovers something so shocking when a further tragedy occurs. The general storyline of extreme ‘postpartum psychosis’ is unrealistic but not unheard of, though the author herself admits, it suited her character in her story to behave the way she did.
Written in alternating chapters between now and then, we are privy to the events that have caused Leah’s emotions to spiral out of control. Her current situation is truly heartbreaking and I instantly felt for her. The ending was very apt and although like I’ve said, not really true to life, I could totally understand how damaged Leah was which resulted in her final decision.
A story what will stay with me a long time and a book so beautiful it will adorn my bookshelves forever, I’m so pleased to have read this aptly named story and I’d happily read more by this author again.
5 stars
The blurb - What has happened to Cornelia Blackwood? She has a loving marriage. But she has no friends. Everyone knows her name. But no one will speak to her now. Cornelia Blackwood has unravelled once before. Can she stop it from happening again?
After the come down from a very gritty thriller it was a pleasure to read a novel that had been written so tenderly and with such compassion from the author. So many raw emotions are covered in this one story, with viewpoints from both the male and female perspective. Considering what Cornelia or Leah, as she’s more affectionately known, has had to deal with in her life, it’s totally understandable how she begins to unravel. Especially after she discovers something so shocking when a further tragedy occurs. The general storyline of extreme ‘postpartum psychosis’ is unrealistic but not unheard of, though the author herself admits, it suited her character in her story to behave the way she did.
Written in alternating chapters between now and then, we are privy to the events that have caused Leah’s emotions to spiral out of control. Her current situation is truly heartbreaking and I instantly felt for her. The ending was very apt and although like I’ve said, not really true to life, I could totally understand how damaged Leah was which resulted in her final decision.
A story what will stay with me a long time and a book so beautiful it will adorn my bookshelves forever, I’m so pleased to have read this aptly named story and I’d happily read more by this author again.
5 stars
The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood opens with a scene where a crow walks into a kitchen. It happens in an instant, the back door having been opened to let the smoke from burnt toast dissipate. It’s enough to rattle the woman whose kitchen it is, and suggest that, even without being superstitious, things are off-kilter here.
When we meet forty-year-old Cornelia, she’s about to wave her husband off to a conference. She’s also gearing up to go back to work part-time after an unknown incident left her in severe pain, yet still able to manage without a walking stick unless she overdoes it. Life seems to have dealt her a hard blow and we spend the book discovering just how much of one, and what further loss and shock can do to someone in an already fragile state of mind.
By switching between two timelines labelled only as Now and Then in the chapter headings, Susan Elliot Wright’s novel illustrates not only how quickly someone’s life can turn but also how difficult it can be for people to know what others are going through as a result of those changes, or how to reach out and help them in the way they need. Something made all the more challenging when dealing with someone as intelligent and private a person as Cornelia. She becomes well-practised at hiding what she’s doing and being secretive, something facilitated by her current situation and how much time she spends on her own.
Cornelia shares characteristics with the crows which are a recurring motif in the book. Intelligent and independent, crows mate for life, and can be quiet and secretive when close to home. I’d argue that although not outwardly raucous as the birds are, Cornelia’s mind is far from quiet: her thoughts crash around and run out of control, clinging to the most fragile support and building a real sense of there being no escape for her. With each further misstep and unsaid truth, this claustrophobic feeling builds until she’s entangled like a bird in netting and you wonder how she will ever break free.
When she does, it is both poignant and distressing in its inevitability yet absolutely right for the story.
In writing so incredibly well about the loss and loneliness Cornelia experiences, Susan Elliot Wright takes us to a darker and rarely discussed aspect of motherhood and mental illness. She handles her subject with great skill and sensitivity, making The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood a truly moving and powerful book.
When we meet forty-year-old Cornelia, she’s about to wave her husband off to a conference. She’s also gearing up to go back to work part-time after an unknown incident left her in severe pain, yet still able to manage without a walking stick unless she overdoes it. Life seems to have dealt her a hard blow and we spend the book discovering just how much of one, and what further loss and shock can do to someone in an already fragile state of mind.
By switching between two timelines labelled only as Now and Then in the chapter headings, Susan Elliot Wright’s novel illustrates not only how quickly someone’s life can turn but also how difficult it can be for people to know what others are going through as a result of those changes, or how to reach out and help them in the way they need. Something made all the more challenging when dealing with someone as intelligent and private a person as Cornelia. She becomes well-practised at hiding what she’s doing and being secretive, something facilitated by her current situation and how much time she spends on her own.
Cornelia shares characteristics with the crows which are a recurring motif in the book. Intelligent and independent, crows mate for life, and can be quiet and secretive when close to home. I’d argue that although not outwardly raucous as the birds are, Cornelia’s mind is far from quiet: her thoughts crash around and run out of control, clinging to the most fragile support and building a real sense of there being no escape for her. With each further misstep and unsaid truth, this claustrophobic feeling builds until she’s entangled like a bird in netting and you wonder how she will ever break free.
When she does, it is both poignant and distressing in its inevitability yet absolutely right for the story.
In writing so incredibly well about the loss and loneliness Cornelia experiences, Susan Elliot Wright takes us to a darker and rarely discussed aspect of motherhood and mental illness. She handles her subject with great skill and sensitivity, making The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood a truly moving and powerful book.
After reading the description on Netgalley, this novel is a very different novel than what I expected.
Leah is widowed very early on in the novel. She has to dealing with pain and loss, but seems to be ostracised from her neighbours, and has no friends. She is an alcoholic and chain smoker, trying to get back to work after an accident that has left her physically and mentally debilitated.
Leah comes across a puzzling email in her husband’s email account. She sets about investigating the puzzle which sets her off on a very different road than what I thought. Leah turns into a psycho. She befriends Cass and her son Ollie, but as good psycho books go the friendship doesn’t go as Leah hoped it would, which de-stabilises her.
I found this book thoughtful, I really felt for Leah with her accident, and grief of losing her husband, and trying to find normality afterwards when everyone expects you to ‘get on with it’.
As I said its nothing like the description on the cover, but this didn’t stop my enjoying it.
Leah is widowed very early on in the novel. She has to dealing with pain and loss, but seems to be ostracised from her neighbours, and has no friends. She is an alcoholic and chain smoker, trying to get back to work after an accident that has left her physically and mentally debilitated.
Leah comes across a puzzling email in her husband’s email account. She sets about investigating the puzzle which sets her off on a very different road than what I thought. Leah turns into a psycho. She befriends Cass and her son Ollie, but as good psycho books go the friendship doesn’t go as Leah hoped it would, which de-stabilises her.
I found this book thoughtful, I really felt for Leah with her accident, and grief of losing her husband, and trying to find normality afterwards when everyone expects you to ‘get on with it’.
As I said its nothing like the description on the cover, but this didn’t stop my enjoying it.
I knew very little about this when I read it and I think it made it all the better!
Now: Cornelia (Leah) Blackwood is in constant pain. Something happened which means no one speaks to her and she has no friends, but she is starting to rebuild her life and is hoping to return to her job as a University lecturer. And then her loving husband Adrian dies in a car crash. She is devastated but soon discovers Adrian has a secret child with another woman. Leah is furious but also wants to know more about the other woman, Cass and her son Oliver. She starts dropping into a café where Cass works and soon gets to know both her and Oliver, keeping her connection to the pair a secret.
Then: We learn how Leah and Adrian met and fell in love. The problems they have trying for a family. We find out she has desperately ill at some point.
This was such a powerful book. Leah has obviously has something terrible happen to her. She is not a happy woman at the start of the book and when I found out the reasons, I felt so desperately sorry for her. Despite some of her decisions and choices with Cass and Oliver not being the best, I still felt sympathy for her.
This book delves into postnatal depression and postpartum psychosis. I think any mother will find it difficult to read - having suffered with postnatal depression, it did bring those feelings back. Luckily, it was 17 years ago when I suffered with it after the birth of my first son so enough time has passed but it still made for an unsettling read.
I read this very quickly, I quickly found myself engaged with Leah's life. It is written with compassion and although it is the second book to make me cry this year, I thought it was stunning.
Now: Cornelia (Leah) Blackwood is in constant pain. Something happened which means no one speaks to her and she has no friends, but she is starting to rebuild her life and is hoping to return to her job as a University lecturer. And then her loving husband Adrian dies in a car crash. She is devastated but soon discovers Adrian has a secret child with another woman. Leah is furious but also wants to know more about the other woman, Cass and her son Oliver. She starts dropping into a café where Cass works and soon gets to know both her and Oliver, keeping her connection to the pair a secret.
Then: We learn how Leah and Adrian met and fell in love. The problems they have trying for a family. We find out she has desperately ill at some point.
This was such a powerful book. Leah has obviously has something terrible happen to her. She is not a happy woman at the start of the book and when I found out the reasons, I felt so desperately sorry for her. Despite some of her decisions and choices with Cass and Oliver not being the best, I still felt sympathy for her.
This book delves into postnatal depression and postpartum psychosis. I think any mother will find it difficult to read - having suffered with postnatal depression, it did bring those feelings back. Luckily, it was 17 years ago when I suffered with it after the birth of my first son so enough time has passed but it still made for an unsettling read.
I read this very quickly, I quickly found myself engaged with Leah's life. It is written with compassion and although it is the second book to make me cry this year, I thought it was stunning.
The author note at the beginning gives you a sense of dread that never leaves, right up to the last page. Leah is a sympathetic character and the author’s skill is in making sure that her character changes imperceptibly throughout, so you notice her increasingly odd behaviour but know there is a reason behind it. The crow imagery is startling and again, nicely done so that you don’t see the significance until much later on.
An excellent study of grief and mental illness.
An excellent study of grief and mental illness.
Sometimes you just know, after only a couple of sentences, that you are reading something special that’s going to stay with you a long time. The Flight Of Cornelia Blackwood was one such book, and by the end of the first page I was in love with Susan Elliot Wright’s writing and emotionally entangled in the life of it’s lead character, Leah (Cornelia)
It begins with a scene of a broken woman, shunned by neighbours and her local community and struggling with obvious physical health complaints and hints at a deeper psychological trauma. It then shifts to a few years previous where Leah’s life is very different – she’s young, in love and about to embark on creating the family she and her soulmate husband so desire. I was immediately drawn in – what had happened to Leah to make her the person she was now and what had she done to ostracise herself from the people around her? As chapters switch from Then and Now, we learn the tragic story of Leah’s recent past while watching her car crash present lead to unavoidable catastrophe.
This is a dark tale, and Leah is a tragic character whose story is truely heartbreaking. Yet the compassion and empathy she is written with is so acute, that the reader is with her every step of the way, sympathising and understanding her, crying for her and hoping for her. Even when her choices are bad and clearly doomed, I got it. Leah really did get right under my skin.
Postpartum psychosis is a topic that isn’t really talked about. I’ve had two children myself, yet can’t remember ever hearing about it during anti or pre-natal care. In The Flight Of Cornelia Blackwood, the author tackles the subject with sensitivity and care, while drawing attention to a little discussed condition that could effect any woman who gives birth. The same level of care and dignity is afforded to Leah’s tragic losses and grief. This is an incredibly emotional and moving book, I defy anyone not to be moved to tears.
Yet there are some outstandingly beautiful and uplifting moments in this book – in Leah’s early days with her husband, in her love for a small child she befriends. it’s pure and tender and written so eloquently, I could feel Leah’s joy at those moments. This is a book that will make you feel many, many emotions. I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it and once I’d finished it stayed in my mind for days after. It is, without doubt, up there among one of the best books I’ve read in the last few years and I’ll be reading more from this author very soon. I can’t recommend this book enough.