Book Review: Weyward by Emilia Hart

Pages: 416

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: February 2, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin's

Source: Personal Copy

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

Goodreads says, "I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

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.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world."

 

 

Three generations of Weyward women all have something in common: a gift to communicate with animals and connect with nature. It's 1619 and Altha is put on trial for witchcraft. Essentially, she was blamed for the death of a farmer just for being in the proximity of his accident and the fact that Altha's mother was a known witch in the village...and by witch we mean a healer. Then there's Violet Ayers in the 1940s who lives in an overbearing household with her father and brother. Her father is pushing her into one path for her life regardless of her feelings; Violet doesn't want that life. Plus, she always thought her mother died in childbirth, but she now finds out some of the secrets about her death, which makes Violet question everything about her family. Then there's Kate Ayers who lives in the present day and is fleeing her abusive husband before he finds out she is pregnant. After her Aunt Violet died, Kate inherited a cottage, so she returned there with the hope of hiding from her husband and rebuilding her life. All three women, despite the many years separating them, have more in common than not. Mixing these three storylines together with a strong side of feminism and some light supernatural elements makes Weyward by Emilia Hart not only a great read for October but also one of my favorite books I've read this year. 

 

I absolutely love when authors can take three women separated by generations and intertwine their stories; in fact, that's one of my favorite aspects of historical fiction and Hart does it very well in Weyward. I was equally invested in all three women's stories. Altha, Violet, and Kate were all trying to gain control of their lives and break away from the controlling, and oftentimes abusive men in their lives. I love a novel featuring strong-willed women and if you do too, you won't be disappointed. Also, I did not expect Weyward to have such a feminist theme, but it did and I was pleasantly surprised. 

 

Weyward is also extremely atmospheric and it oozes with magical elements. I adored that aspect of the novel and it made for the perfect fall read to cozy up with. This is the first novel I've read by Hart, but it certainly won't be the last. 

Have you read Weyward? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.