adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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⭐

Content Warnings