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authorbrittanibee's review
I also enjoyed how the author split the three perspectives not only in what POV she wrote them in (1st for Altha and 3rd for Violet + Kate), but also by the tense in which each was written. I have read books in the past where the tense an POV were the same across all the characters and that sometimes made it difficult to separate each perspective a bit.
Now on to the parts I didn't enjoy and why I inevitably DNF'd this book.
The largest reason I put these stories down was because of the lack of trigger warnings. When I read the story blurb, there was little indication (outside of Kate having an abusive partner) that so much violence was going to be witnessed against these women. Even with regards to Kate, the blurb felt much more lofty than what she divulges within her own storyline. Things are not brushed over (which I understand -- trauma is not something that gets easily swept under the rug in real life) and are gone into heavy detail, which is fine if you are OK with reading that sort of thing AND if there is ample warning ahead of time. For Kate, I had no warning aside from knowing she had an abusive partner from the very brief blurb mention and felt affronted by the things she described her partner having done to her.
I then read a few reviews and found out that so much more happens to the other characters, but there is no warning anywhere on the book that suggests such violence would occur. Seeing as I have trouble reading stories about women and children who are violated, this book wouldn't have been one for me to purchase had I known all of these issues going in. I stopped reading shortly after
Outside of the issues with trigger warnings, I also found that I could kind of guess as to the ending of each of the stories as well as what was happening next. And personally, I have come to realize that I don't much enjoy the splitting of multiple timelines into one narrative. I prefer stories that really follow a main character's journey through a longer period of time. Honestly, Altha's story was the most intriguing for me and I found myself wanting to know more about her and her mother's life prior to the trial the narrative opens up on. I could have read an entire book revolving around that and would have loved it!
Finally, although this book depicts witches and magic, I felt that both were somewhat lacking. After getting halfway through the narrative, there was still this very slow trickle of information regarding the characters uncanny connection with the natural world and what that meant for them. It felt very frustrating.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
meg_elyse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Abortion
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Vomit, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
fozzybookmouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
amtaylor's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
reads_eats_explores's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
In the course of this beautiful, emotive debut novel, we follow three generations of women as they struggle against the binds of the patriarchy.
Down the centuries, the Weyward women of Crows Beck in Cumbria have shared a gift: the ability to connect deeply with and seemingly communicate with nature at all levels. They are at one with mother nature, but this gift could also be considered a curse considering its implications on their lives.
These women are also victimised and controlled by men in various ways. In 1619, healer Altha is put on trial for witchcraft after having been seen near a field where a farmer is trampled by his cows and because she and her mother are suspected of being witches for their role in helping treat people in the village of varying ailments, plus they dare to live without a man.
Moving on to the early 1940s and Violet Ayres doesn't want to submit to the heavy-handed scrutiny and control of her father, so she struggles to learn more about her mother, Elizabeth Weyward, who died under mysterious circumstances when Violet was young.
In the present day, Kate Ayres has fled her abusive boyfriend before he can discover that she’s pregnant, taking refuge in her great-aunt Violet’s cottage as she attempts to rebuild her life and protect herself and her baby.
The story of these three strong women is told in an interweaving tale rather than a chronological order. This works well in getting the reader more invested in each character and their interconnectedness.
Weyward is a gripping novel. The twists of the story are not all that surprising, but that doesn't detract from the excellent character development. It is nonetheless an engaging novel that captures the ways patriarchy has sought to limit women for all of history and the ways women have found to carve out freedom for themselves. But, of course, not all men are wicked and to be feared; thankfully, here we met some kind hearted souls, too, like Graham and the butcher's son.
Though rather harrowing to read at times, this novel is a unique and spectacular blend of historical fiction, magical realism modern feminism. A delight to immerse yourself in 4.5⭐
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
dkaps's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol