Synopsis
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.
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Review
This engaging story spans three different Weyward women and the trials and tribulations that they endured. These women had their share of struggles but were able to overcome everything.
The book spans several centuries, starting with the early-1600s when women were being accused of witchcraft. Altha had experienced a lot in her young life, but the crushing blow came when she was accused of killing a man, despite no evidence to support that claim. It jumps forward to the 1920s. Violet is 16 and has no idea what happened to her mother. She lives under the thumb of a controlling father but yearns for more. The last woman is Kate in the present day. She is married to an abusive man and needs to get out. It takes a lot of courage to leave, but she manages to escape. But is her battle over?
I admired all of these women for what they were put through. As we know from history, women were not treated well, and this was no different for Altha and Violet. However, they had something that helped them, faith and a connection with nature that grounded them when the situation arose. Violet is Kate’s great-aunt, and we learn later in the book what brings them together, or at least why she leaves a small cottage to Kate. This cottage is part of what saves all of these women from the cruelty that surrounds them. But it is also their strength, independence, and desire to make the world a better place for themselves and others.
Each woman’s story is told in parts, but they blend together, and it helps the reader understand the familial relationship between them. I felt for each of these women and the abuse and neglect that they encountered. Thankfully, they all rose above their situations to find a better place. Each woman finds their own path despite their surroundings and leaves a legacy for others to discover.
I enjoyed this book and was only left with one or two questions, primarily for clarification. It was hard for me to put it down because I wanted to know if they would escape their situations and move on to a better world.
We give this book 5 paws up.
About the Author
EMILIA HART grew up in Australia and studied English Literature at university before training as a lawyer. Weyward is her debut and was Highly Commended by the Caledonia First Novel Prize. Emilia lives in London.
