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nehaanna's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Infertility, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Rape, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Sexual content, Car accident, Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, and War
ihssu0624'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, and Domestic abuse
pvp_niki'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Pregnancy, Car accident, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Alcohol, Grief, Animal death, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Gaslighting, Cancer, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Vomit
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Author: Emilia Hart
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Harrowing • Atmospheric • Absorbing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.
1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives—and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Weyward was one of those historical fiction novels I held at a distance for the longest time. I finally decided to give it a try when it was selected as a featured read of the month in my book club. And I was absolutely blown away by the power and resilience of this atmospheric debut.
Following three generations of Weyward women across three different timelines, this story is filled with family secrets, all of the witchy and magical vibes, and a cottage with character. Each of the timelines was engrossing, which kept me immersed in the story. It was at times uncomfortable and heavy (check content warnings), yet what stood out to me was the resilience and strength of this women.
And then there is the lyrical writing and gothic vibes. Emilia Hart has done a fabulous time capturing the atmosphere of the times and weaving the natural world into the narrative in such a way in truly felt like its own character.
It's no surprise Weyward was the 2023 Goodreads Choice winner in the historical fiction category. I was completely surprised with how much I enjoyed this story. If you're looking for a book you can get lost in, this is the book for you. I am eagerly anticipating Emilia Hart's 2025 release and there's no doubt in my mind she has a bright future ahead of her.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• novels spanning centuries
• female resilience
• Kate Morton
⚠️ CW: domestic abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, violence, toxic relationship, misogyny, sexism, pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, infertility, blood, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, murder, death, death of parent, child death, grief, car accident, incest, child abuse, confinement, injury/injury detail, medical trauma, alcohol, stalking, gaslighting, vomit, animal death, war, alcoholism
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Nature, to us, was as much a life force as the very air we breathed."
"The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet."
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Miscarriage, Infertility, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexism
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, Incest, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Child death, and Car accident
Minor: Stalking, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Animal death, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, War, and Alcohol
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Gore, Abortion, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Infertility, and Incest
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Xenophobia, Racism, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Incest, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Violence, Physical abuse, Abortion, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Gore, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, Grief, Murder, Confinement, Vomit, and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, and Religious bigotry
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infertility, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Bullying, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Vomit, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Stalking, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Classism, and Sexism
doublel11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
A feminist, witchy book should be right up my alley. But, the characters were weaker than I expected them to be - Kate in particular. Look, just about anyone can fall victim to DV. It was her lack of planning to maintain her security after she left that drove me crazy. Girl, change your name and your email address and do all the things so he can't find you. But she was made out to be an incompetent idiot who, despite being terrified of Simon, didn't really do much to make sure he wouldn't find her. It was obvious that he would find her, and then not long until I realized she would attack him with the crows.
It was still a fairly enjoyable book overall.
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
Minor: Animal cruelty
wordswineandwitbookclub'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
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abortion, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Rape
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Incest, and Misogyny
little0reader'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? No
4.0
Moderate: Abortion, Rape, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Violence, and Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide attempt