Weyward
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4.4 • 103 Ratings
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- £0.99
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- £0.99
Publisher Description
*As seen on BBC’s BETWEEN THE COVERS
* A #2 Times bestseller
* A New York Times bestseller
‘Humming with a sly, exhilarating magic’ BRIDGET COLLINS
‘A much-heralded epic’ OBSERVER
‘Empowering’ GLAMOUR
Three women, five centuries, one spellbinding story
In the present day, Kate flees a traumatic relationship to the Cumbrian cottage she inherited from her great-aunt; but the cottage hides secrets of its own.
In 1942, Violet rebels against her father’s ideas of a ‘proper young lady’ . . . until he takes matters into his own hands.
In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft, implicated in the gruesome death of a local man.
Three women they tried to cage – but Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed…
Weyward was a Times bestseller w/e 18-02-2023.
Reviews
‘Alive, vivid and gripping’ ABIGAIL DEAN
‘Humming with a sly, exhilarating magic’ BRIDGET COLLINS
‘Totally unique’ GILLIAN MCALLISTER
‘Utterly absorbing’ ABI DARÉ
‘Fierce and moving… magnificent’ ROSIE ANDREWS
‘A stunning debut’ LUCY CLARKE
‘Relevant, empowering and brilliantly written… I just love it!’ JOANNA CANNON
‘A magical read’ WOMAN & HOME
‘[A] bold witchy debut’ RED
‘It seems to be the year of the witch book – and this is the best I’ve read so far’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘An absolute beauty… a riveting page turner for wild women everywhere’ JULIE OWEN MOYLAN, author of That Green Eyed Girl
‘Beautifully written and intricate as a spider's web’ SUNYI DEAN, author of The Book Eaters
‘A brave and original debut – spellbinding’ SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary
‘Beguiling, absorbing and exquisitely-rendered’ LIZZIE POOK, author of Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter
‘A fabulous debut’ PRIMA
‘An entertaining read’ THE TIMES
‘Leave[s] you keen to turn the page and find out more’ INDEPENDENT
‘A beautifully powerful debut’ LOVE READING
‘An empowering read that will keep you glued to the final word… Buy this book’ GLAMOUR
‘An outstanding debut’ FABULOUS magazine
‘2023 is set to be the year of witchy reads, and Weyward is one of the most exciting new titles’ COSMOPOLITAN
About the author
Emilia Hart is a British-Australian writer. She was born in Sydney and studied English Literature and Law at the University of New South Wales before working as a lawyer in Sydney and London. Emilia is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s Three Month Online Novel Writing Course and was Highly Commended in the 2021 Caledonia Novel Award. Her short fiction has been published in Australia and the UK. She lives in London.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Taking her cue from Macbeth’s weird sisters—the original wayward women—Emilia Hart’s novel reimagines the lives of three witches, scattering them individually through the centuries but connecting them through a bloodline. Narratives of historically misunderstood and persecuted women reclaiming their power are not new, but Hart makes the concept feel fresh—and realistic—by placing her Weyward women in direct contrast to a succession of violent, angry men who feel no shame or restraint in their efforts to control or destroy them utterly. Grimly but believably, their brutal tactics seem to work over the years, as first Altha, then her descendants Violet and Kate are forced into detachment or disguise, and ultimately isolation. But as the women mount their resistance it’s this very believability that keeps the fantastical elements compelling and the stakes frighteningly high, more than any magical antagonist. A deftly plotted, grippingly told, thoroughly captivating read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hart explores in her triumphant debut sexual desire, violence, and personal autonomy in the lives of three strong-willed English women from the 17th century to the present. In 1619 Lancaster, 21-year-old healer Altha Weyward stands accused of witchcraft after using powers learned from her mother to provide women with reproductive care. In 1942, 16-year-old Violet Ayres passes time by observing the creatures around her family home near the village of Crows Beck. Her widowed father keeps her confined there because she exhibits the same strange behavior as her mother, Elizabeth Weyward Ayres, who had the ability to command crows, but Violet nonetheless lusts after an army officer who visits the house. In 2019, pregnant 29-year-old Kate Ayres flees her abusive boyfriend and moves to a cottage in Crows Beck that was left to her by her great-aunt. As she settles into her new home, she finds documents about the Weyward women's powers. Hart skillfully weaves together the stories of the determined women, showing how they confronted a patriarchal society to take control of their lives. The magic harnessed by the characters feels completely real in this captivating outing.
Customer Reviews
Fabulous!
Can’t wait to read what she writes next; insightful, imaginative, touchingly emotionally intelligent.