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A review by charlottereadshistory
Black Wood Women by Michael Stewart
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Black Wood Women is a story set in 1649 Yorkshire, and follows Irish immigrant Caragh as she struggles to survive after her parents are killed. Running parallel to this, we see a similar struggle to survive through the eyes of the last wolf in England, pregnant with pups.
The book explores several interesting themes, but central to the story was the religious persecution of Catholics and the political upheaval of Oliver Cromwell’s republic, and how the lawlessness of that period could provide opportunities or serious threat depending on your social position.
What I also found was well explored was the impact of an erosion of the human connection to nature and how that was inexorably linked to the patriarchal world view - one that was dismissive but also threatened by women’s knowledge and folklore.
I would have loved to have seen more development of some of the characters. We meet the Black Wood Women but don’t ever understand them properly- especially their leader Annie, to the extent where I felt like it was a missed opportunity for such an enigmatic character.
I really enjoyed the chapters from the she-wolf’s perspective. Stewart has a beautifully poetic way of writing about the sensory experiences of the fens and the forest which really came alive for me - a vivid gothic read for a cold autumn evening.
Thank you to @HQStories and the author for an advanced copy for review.
The book explores several interesting themes, but central to the story was the religious persecution of Catholics and the political upheaval of Oliver Cromwell’s republic, and how the lawlessness of that period could provide opportunities or serious threat depending on your social position.
What I also found was well explored was the impact of an erosion of the human connection to nature and how that was inexorably linked to the patriarchal world view - one that was dismissive but also threatened by women’s knowledge and folklore.
I would have loved to have seen more development of some of the characters. We meet the Black Wood Women but don’t ever understand them properly- especially their leader Annie, to the extent where I felt like it was a missed opportunity for such an enigmatic character.
I really enjoyed the chapters from the she-wolf’s perspective. Stewart has a beautifully poetic way of writing about the sensory experiences of the fens and the forest which really came alive for me - a vivid gothic read for a cold autumn evening.
Thank you to @HQStories and the author for an advanced copy for review.