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beccarobinson's review
4.0
This was such a sweet story.
Where Butterflies Wander explored a number of themes throughout - money, family, loss, grief, and love, to name a few. Davina, the ‘witch’, was the most compelling character in the book for me. I was so drawn in with her ties to folk medicine and unconventional way of living.
The story is slow moving, at times felt a little meandering, but I enjoyed this as it made me feel like I was floating along the river with Davina too!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc
Where Butterflies Wander explored a number of themes throughout - money, family, loss, grief, and love, to name a few. Davina, the ‘witch’, was the most compelling character in the book for me. I was so drawn in with her ties to folk medicine and unconventional way of living.
The story is slow moving, at times felt a little meandering, but I enjoyed this as it made me feel like I was floating along the river with Davina too!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc
sosel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
life_full_ofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Suzanne Redfearn is still a new to me author. I have read three of her books in the past; one I loved, one I liked, and the last one I found to be meh. When I heard about this one, I jumped at the chance to read it because it sounded fantastic. I actually listened to it and was delighted to hear it’s narrated by a full cast, which always makes audiobooks more immersive.
The Egide family- parents Marie and Leon, and children Hannah (15), Brendon (12), & Pen (8)- are grappling with the grief of a tragic accident and Marie decides to move the family to her family’s compound in New Hampshire that her grandfather left to her in his will. Her plan is to sell it and to use the proceeds to move to a new area away from the memories of the past. When she discovers Davina, a self proclaimed river witch, has been living in a cabin on the property for the last twenty years she pours all of her energy into doing what she can to have Davina removed from the property. Meanwhile, Davina ends up helping the three children in ways no one ever imagined and Leon is stuck between wanting to support his wife and wanting to continue to see his kids discover life again.
This family drama is one of the best to which I’ve listened. Told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of each character we are given an incredibly moving and beautiful story of loss, grief, and learning to live again after the greatest tragedy one can face.
I’m not too fond of her other books, but Ms. Redfearn’s family dramas always seem to hit the mark!
The Egide family- parents Marie and Leon, and children Hannah (15), Brendon (12), & Pen (8)- are grappling with the grief of a tragic accident and Marie decides to move the family to her family’s compound in New Hampshire that her grandfather left to her in his will. Her plan is to sell it and to use the proceeds to move to a new area away from the memories of the past. When she discovers Davina, a self proclaimed river witch, has been living in a cabin on the property for the last twenty years she pours all of her energy into doing what she can to have Davina removed from the property. Meanwhile, Davina ends up helping the three children in ways no one ever imagined and Leon is stuck between wanting to support his wife and wanting to continue to see his kids discover life again.
This family drama is one of the best to which I’ve listened. Told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of each character we are given an incredibly moving and beautiful story of loss, grief, and learning to live again after the greatest tragedy one can face.
I’m not too fond of her other books, but Ms. Redfearn’s family dramas always seem to hit the mark!
catherineamerica's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
sharebear431's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
alovelikethis's review
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
presleymarie85's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Suzanne Redfearn has created another character rich, family drama with her new novel Where Butterflies Wander. This is the second Suzanne Redfearn book I have read, the first being In an Instant, which is also a character rich family drama. Suzanne really writes her characters so richly, that they come alive across the pages and are able to stir up emotions in the reader.
After a family tragedy leads to the death of their youngest child, Marie, Leo and their remaining children, Hannah, Brendan, and Penelope move into Marie's family home in hopes of flipping it to sell and move into a new home that is tragedy free. Once there, they realize they are not alone on the family property and that the local "River Witch" Davina has occupied a small run down cabin on the property and she claims she has granted the cabin from Marie's grandfather. Despite Davina making impacts on Leo, Pen, and Hannah, Marie and Brendan are less then thrilled with Davina and want her to leave immediately. This decision will leave Brendan and Marie at a crossroads where their choices going forward will shape who they will become in the future.
I really loved how Suzanne wrote the characters of Davina and Penelope. These two really carry the book, where the secondary characters Leo and Hannah are written to really help with the tension throughout the book. I really hated Marie and Brendan's characters. Not sure if this was the goal that Suzanne wanted, but I loathed Marie entirely. I tried being sympathetic, I can't imagine the pain of losing a child and one that is part of a twin paring. But there really was no redeeming qualities of Marie that made me think "she's going through hell, she will come out of it changed and be better going forward." Marie is spiteful, petty, and just plain mean to her core. It isn't until the very end of the book that she has a chance to make her wrongs right and be a better person going forward. But as the reader, I was not optimistic that she was changed, and that she was only doing this one particular thing to clear he conscience or to make the score even. It was just a very shallow attempt at redeeming herself. The same could be said for Brendan. But at least at the end you read that he is actively trying to change and be better not only for himself but for his family as well.
I still would recommend Where Butterflies Wander to anyone who enjoys reading stories rich with characters and plot. I would advise that if you are a reader who has trouble reading about a Childs death or you personally have experience with this, take caution when reading. where Butterflies Wander doesn't go into descriptive details in the death, but it is the theme of this novel.
After a family tragedy leads to the death of their youngest child, Marie, Leo and their remaining children, Hannah, Brendan, and Penelope move into Marie's family home in hopes of flipping it to sell and move into a new home that is tragedy free. Once there, they realize they are not alone on the family property and that the local "River Witch" Davina has occupied a small run down cabin on the property and she claims she has granted the cabin from Marie's grandfather. Despite Davina making impacts on Leo, Pen, and Hannah, Marie and Brendan are less then thrilled with Davina and want her to leave immediately. This decision will leave Brendan and Marie at a crossroads where their choices going forward will shape who they will become in the future.
I really loved how Suzanne wrote the characters of Davina and Penelope. These two really carry the book, where the secondary characters Leo and Hannah are written to really help with the tension throughout the book. I really hated Marie and Brendan's characters. Not sure if this was the goal that Suzanne wanted, but I loathed Marie entirely. I tried being sympathetic, I can't imagine the pain of losing a child and one that is part of a twin paring. But there really was no redeeming qualities of Marie that made me think "she's going through hell, she will come out of it changed and be better going forward." Marie is spiteful, petty, and just plain mean to her core. It isn't until the very end of the book that she has a chance to make her wrongs right and be a better person going forward. But as the reader, I was not optimistic that she was changed, and that she was only doing this one particular thing to clear he conscience or to make the score even. It was just a very shallow attempt at redeeming herself. The same could be said for Brendan. But at least at the end you read that he is actively trying to change and be better not only for himself but for his family as well.
I still would recommend Where Butterflies Wander to anyone who enjoys reading stories rich with characters and plot. I would advise that if you are a reader who has trouble reading about a Childs death or you personally have experience with this, take caution when reading. where Butterflies Wander doesn't go into descriptive details in the death, but it is the theme of this novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
shelleys_book_nook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really wanted to like this book but I had a tough time connecting to the characters and I found too many unbelievable things throughout. Let’s start with the characters. The first thing that irked me was how mature the children seemed. They are eight, twelve and fifteen and they spoke and thought like adults. I can accept that a twelve-year-old and fifteen-year-old are “adult-like” in some ways but when I read the first inner thoughts of eight-year-old Pen the book lost me. Below you will find an example…
I hear the river through the trees and know it’s close. It sounds wide and lazy, not concerned in the least, as truly powerful things often are. As I walk, I collect leaves and berries to show Dad. I’ve also found what I think is a mushroom. It’s the size of my hand and was growing from the side of one of the trees. It’s not pretty like the sort of mushrooms we buy in the store with round umbrella tops and stems, but rather malformed and dark, like a chunk of burned charcoal. It smells a little like wet dirt, but I’m hoping it’s actually something wonderful that Dad, Hannah, and I can cook with.
Malformed? An eight-year-old calls a mushroom malformed? I am sorry but that was the first straw. Now, if that was the only case of this little girl talking and/or thinking like that I could let it pass but it went on and on that way throughout the book. Please do not come at me, I know the kids went through a lot and had to grow up pretty fast because of their circumstances but I have lots of experience with children, one of which has a genius IQ and the other is borderline. My boys were both smarter than me growing up but never ever would they have used the word malformed, at eight years old or otherwise. (Rant over)
I get why this has such a high rating, it’s gut-punchingly emotional, the writing style is easy to read and the story is interesting and unique. I just couldn’t take chapter after chapter of children sounding like adults. It ruined the enjoyment of the book for me because when reading emotional family dramas like this the first thing I expect as a reader is realistic, especially when it comes to internal thoughts and dialogue. I get that writing children is hard, that’s why I appreciate so much when it is done right.
The other character issue I had with the story was the mother, Marie. She is going through the worse thing a parent could possibly imagine and she was a total bitch. I felt no sympathy for her whatsoever. And the son, Brendon was such a spoilt brat I wanted to throat-punch him. He talked like an adult but acted like an infant. The father was a weakling, plain and simple. I mean grow a pair, man! (I guess the rant wasn’t over)
The drama involving Davina felt drawn out and repetitive. And her saviour coming to her rescue didn’t fly with me. Even if I buy that someone would do that the simplicity of her getting into it so fast without paperwork or anything was a joke. I am purposely being vague so as not to spoil it for other readers. I don’t like having my emotions played with, just because a book is sad doesn’t mean I am going to automatically like it.
jimmiekay's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
monika_reads's review
4.5
I was unprepared for how engrossing this book would be! I liked that each chapter changed to a different character’s perspective and we got to see everyone’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, and assumptions. This story is rife with heartache but also carried a lot of hope and love. Definitely add this to your TBR, but save it for a time when you are ready for an emotional read to suck you in completely.