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kalanadi's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
cloudslikethis's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, that was quite an interesting story. It kept going down pathways I wasn't expecting but it all remained grounded with the protagonist Shirley who felt very relatable. This is why I love science fiction, it can be whatever you imagine and some people have very powerful imaginations. On a semi-related note, all of Unsung Stories books look amazing and I need them all now.
katetownsend's review
4.0
Aliya Whiteley’s The Arrival of Missives is a historical fantasy novella that is absolutely not to be missed. The prose has lyrical beauty that sweeps the reader along and weaves a truly unforgettable story.
The tale begins in a small village at the end of World War I. Shirley is nineteen, at the end of her schooling, and dreams of more than the preset plan expected of her. She isn’t interested in marrying a boy from town who will take over her father’s farm one day. Shirley has her eye on going to college, becoming a teacher, and marrying her 24-year-odl schoolmaster Mr. Tiller. But Mr. Tiller was grievously wounded in the war in an accident he shouldn’t have walked away from, and brings with him something that’s either prophecy or warning. Either way, it’s interfering with Shirley’s plans.
The story is told in first person from Shirley’s point of view in utterly beautiful, lyrical prose. It is the sort of writing that sweeps the reader away, written in a voice appropriate for the time period. Shirley’s heart and soul are poured into this firsthand account, something felt from the very first page.
It is easy to feel Shirley’s longing for more. The village feels cloistered from the rest of the world. It’s small, almost claustrophobic feeling. Shirley is quite bright as well, with a vast well of untapped potential. The push and pull of her following her own desires versus doing what is expected of her and what is appropriate for the time period were very believable. She is a fantastic character and one whose point of view I truly enjoyed reading from.
Things aren’t all quite as they seem in this sleepy village. How, exactly, I will remain silent on; I don’t want to spoil the mystery. Needless to say, things do not go quite as Shirley has planned. Her resourcefulness, nerve, loyalties, and inner strength are put to the test.
Various characters weave in and out of the pages – Shirley’s schoolmates, the boy everyone expects her to settle down with, her parents, and her teacher. These characters all feel very alive. They are fully formed, their motivations and personalities very real and believable.
The effects of war are felt her, most notably through the character of Mr. Tiller. Though the war is over it’s echoes are still felt in very real ways. This is blending with the fantastical and science fictional in some fascinating ways. As I stated before, I don’t want to get too involved here as it is the main conflict of the story. Going in blind is truly best here. But don’t worry, though the book may feel like a historical fiction novel upon the opening pages, it certainly broadens in genre and scope as the story goes on.
I would highly recommend picking up a copy of The Arrival of Missives by Aliya Whiteley. It is a wonderful blend of speculative fiction and historical fiction. This is not a story you want to miss.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally published on Looking Glass Reads.
The tale begins in a small village at the end of World War I. Shirley is nineteen, at the end of her schooling, and dreams of more than the preset plan expected of her. She isn’t interested in marrying a boy from town who will take over her father’s farm one day. Shirley has her eye on going to college, becoming a teacher, and marrying her 24-year-odl schoolmaster Mr. Tiller. But Mr. Tiller was grievously wounded in the war in an accident he shouldn’t have walked away from, and brings with him something that’s either prophecy or warning. Either way, it’s interfering with Shirley’s plans.
The story is told in first person from Shirley’s point of view in utterly beautiful, lyrical prose. It is the sort of writing that sweeps the reader away, written in a voice appropriate for the time period. Shirley’s heart and soul are poured into this firsthand account, something felt from the very first page.
It is easy to feel Shirley’s longing for more. The village feels cloistered from the rest of the world. It’s small, almost claustrophobic feeling. Shirley is quite bright as well, with a vast well of untapped potential. The push and pull of her following her own desires versus doing what is expected of her and what is appropriate for the time period were very believable. She is a fantastic character and one whose point of view I truly enjoyed reading from.
Things aren’t all quite as they seem in this sleepy village. How, exactly, I will remain silent on; I don’t want to spoil the mystery. Needless to say, things do not go quite as Shirley has planned. Her resourcefulness, nerve, loyalties, and inner strength are put to the test.
Various characters weave in and out of the pages – Shirley’s schoolmates, the boy everyone expects her to settle down with, her parents, and her teacher. These characters all feel very alive. They are fully formed, their motivations and personalities very real and believable.
The effects of war are felt her, most notably through the character of Mr. Tiller. Though the war is over it’s echoes are still felt in very real ways. This is blending with the fantastical and science fictional in some fascinating ways. As I stated before, I don’t want to get too involved here as it is the main conflict of the story. Going in blind is truly best here. But don’t worry, though the book may feel like a historical fiction novel upon the opening pages, it certainly broadens in genre and scope as the story goes on.
I would highly recommend picking up a copy of The Arrival of Missives by Aliya Whiteley. It is a wonderful blend of speculative fiction and historical fiction. This is not a story you want to miss.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally published on Looking Glass Reads.
kittyg's review
4.0
* I was sent this for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review *
This is a 120pg novella which is quite peculiar, yet quite charming too. We follow a young imaginative girl called Shirley who lives in a very small village and is filled with fanciful ideas about escaping her life. Shirley has a passion and an infatuation with the new man in town, Mr. Tiller, who also happens to be her school teacher. She's bright and she's filled with life, but as she learns more about Mr. Tiller and the peculiarities he carries with him, her life starts to change...
Aliya Whitely is clearly a good writer and I definitely want to check out her other book now. I had heard that this was odd and surprising before starting the book, but I didn't realise quite how interesting parts of this novella would be. The end section of this in particular was described so wonderfully it carried my own imagination to a surreal world and moment. Definitely a good little part magical realism, part sci-fi story! 4*s I would certainly recommend this :)
This is a 120pg novella which is quite peculiar, yet quite charming too. We follow a young imaginative girl called Shirley who lives in a very small village and is filled with fanciful ideas about escaping her life. Shirley has a passion and an infatuation with the new man in town, Mr. Tiller, who also happens to be her school teacher. She's bright and she's filled with life, but as she learns more about Mr. Tiller and the peculiarities he carries with him, her life starts to change...
Aliya Whitely is clearly a good writer and I definitely want to check out her other book now. I had heard that this was odd and surprising before starting the book, but I didn't realise quite how interesting parts of this novella would be. The end section of this in particular was described so wonderfully it carried my own imagination to a surreal world and moment. Definitely a good little part magical realism, part sci-fi story! 4*s I would certainly recommend this :)
allaboutthembrains's review
5.0
After reading both The Beauty and The Arrival of Missives I can call myself a fan of Aliya Whitely. This was outside my scope of imagination and it was incredible to be so surprised by a story. It's weird and dark and special and beautiful.
jackielaw's review
5.0
The Arrival of Missives, by Aliya Whiteley, is set in a small West of England village in the aftermath of the Great War. The families of the village have lived here for generations, each taking an interest in their neighbours’ lives and playing the role expected of them in occupation and village life.
The protagoinist, Shirley Fearn, is the only child of an increasingly successful, landowning farmer. She has been raised to be of interest to someone who would be willing and able to take over the family farm. Shirley has other ideas. She believes herself in love with the village schoolteacher, Mr Tiller, a badly injured veteran of the war. Her ambition is to gain her own teacher’s certificate from the nearby training college in Taunton, to marry Mr Tiller and then teach by his side.
When Mr Tiller learns of her plans he shares a secret that she must never divulge. He believes that Shirley can avert a catastrophe, but to do so she must trust him and do exactly as he asks. Shirley finds herself caught up in a personal conflict between helping her idol and following her own desires.
All her life Shirley has been expected to comply with the wishes of others. Her parents will contemplate no other future for her than that of the wife of a farmer on the family land. Shirley is headstrong and articulate, yet finds her voice ignored as the men of the village make decisions regarding her future. She receives little support from her mother who has learned to cope by hiding how she feels and pandering to her husband:
“He is an enormous tyrant baby to whom she will be forever bound.”
Shirley is a fascinating character, a young woman with opinions and desires who wishes to wrest control of her life from those who are convinced they know best. She observes that men’s plans rarely consider women, yet all men are born of a woman and therefore their participation over time is required.
The village May Day celebrations bring matters to a head as Shirley exercises the small power she has been granted. In the aftermath she comes to realise that her destiny is still being controlled. She acts to thwart the plans of the men intent on dictating the course of her life. She is unwilling to submit to village expectations, to comply with their skewed demands.
I enjoyed unpicking the surreal aspects of the story which came clear by the end. The denouement is intensely satisfying.
This is just the sort of book that I enjoy reading with its complex, recognisable characters whose well intentioned prejudices still resonate. I am grateful that, through the ages, there have been women like Shirley willing to step out of line.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Unsung Stories.
The protagoinist, Shirley Fearn, is the only child of an increasingly successful, landowning farmer. She has been raised to be of interest to someone who would be willing and able to take over the family farm. Shirley has other ideas. She believes herself in love with the village schoolteacher, Mr Tiller, a badly injured veteran of the war. Her ambition is to gain her own teacher’s certificate from the nearby training college in Taunton, to marry Mr Tiller and then teach by his side.
When Mr Tiller learns of her plans he shares a secret that she must never divulge. He believes that Shirley can avert a catastrophe, but to do so she must trust him and do exactly as he asks. Shirley finds herself caught up in a personal conflict between helping her idol and following her own desires.
All her life Shirley has been expected to comply with the wishes of others. Her parents will contemplate no other future for her than that of the wife of a farmer on the family land. Shirley is headstrong and articulate, yet finds her voice ignored as the men of the village make decisions regarding her future. She receives little support from her mother who has learned to cope by hiding how she feels and pandering to her husband:
“He is an enormous tyrant baby to whom she will be forever bound.”
Shirley is a fascinating character, a young woman with opinions and desires who wishes to wrest control of her life from those who are convinced they know best. She observes that men’s plans rarely consider women, yet all men are born of a woman and therefore their participation over time is required.
The village May Day celebrations bring matters to a head as Shirley exercises the small power she has been granted. In the aftermath she comes to realise that her destiny is still being controlled. She acts to thwart the plans of the men intent on dictating the course of her life. She is unwilling to submit to village expectations, to comply with their skewed demands.
I enjoyed unpicking the surreal aspects of the story which came clear by the end. The denouement is intensely satisfying.
This is just the sort of book that I enjoy reading with its complex, recognisable characters whose well intentioned prejudices still resonate. I am grateful that, through the ages, there have been women like Shirley willing to step out of line.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Unsung Stories.
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