#Emilia Hart

[tealeavesand-roses]

Status: read Rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

Simply in awe. Weyward by Emilia Hart has stolen my heart and is easily my favorite read of the year. Weyward is a beautiful historical fiction tale with themes of witchcraft, nature, womanhood, and gothic horror, this story delves into the lives of three women throughout scattered periods of time. Altha's story takes place in 1619, Violet's takes place in 1942, and Kate's takes place in 2019. Each woman's story is as captivating as the next.

As I was finishing Violet's chapter regarding her mother and her family's history, I began to tear up, I flipped the page to the next chapter and I stumbled upon a beautiful white feather. I began to sob. My boyfriend had gotten me this book from a second-hand online shop and the previous owner must have left it in there. I felt like the feather was fantastically symbolic of what I was feeling and I felt so connected in that moment to myself, to nature, and spiritually to those in my life who have passed.

Could not recommend this book enough 🪶🌿🪲🐦‍⬛

[theblurbwitchproject]

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Published: February 2, 2023 Publisher: HarperCollins

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. She 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. Weyward is her debut novel. She lives in London.

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The Story

In Weyward, the narrative intertwines the lives of three women spanning five centuries. In 2019, Kate seeks solace in Weyward Cottage, escaping from London and her abusive partner. She slowly unravels a mystery hidden within the cottage's history, hinting at secrets from her great aunt's past and the 17th-century witch hunts. In 1619, Altha faces trial for a murder she didn't commit, relying on her unconventional nature magic to defend herself against accusations of witchcraft. Meanwhile, in 1942, Violet feels trapped by societal constraints and the prison of her family's estate, yearning for freedom and the memory of her mother, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only remnants of her mother's existence are a locket marked with a mysterious "W" and the word "weyward" etched into the bedroom's baseboard. This novel masterfully weaves these women's tales together, revealing a compelling narrative of strength across generations and the transformative influence of the natural world.

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The Vibe: family lineage, nature magic, self discovery, witch trials, feminine strength, betrayal, forging your own path

The Style: historical fiction, magical realism, multiple povs, part epistolary, part narration, emotive

Trigger Warnings: imprisonment, domestic abuse, spousal rape, car accident death, entrapment by pregnancy, emotional abuse, suidical ideation, mention of stillbirth, “hysteria”, hysterectomy, abortion, misogyny

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The Review

I picked Weyward up on a whim and am so pleased that I did. Historical fiction mixed with magical realism and a dash of incredibly rich writing made it a real pleasure to read. The narrative weaves between three women across five centuries, deftly showcasing the myriad ways in which women demonstrate resilience and bravery under difficult circumstances.

Being totally honest, I often struggle with split narrative timelines in novels. I can’t be the only one who has found themselves bored with one section of a book, willing the boring chapters to end in order to get back to the characters I am invested in… right? Thankfully, Weyward’s leading ladies are all so fabulous and their stories so engaging, that I was invested in each timeline equally. This actually sped up my reading as the story progressed, as I wanted to find out how each character was doing in their timeline more and more desperately. If you want to read a moving story with wonderful characters that emphasizes the transformative power of nature, please pick this up!

Witch. The word slithers from the mouth like a serpent, drips from the tongue as thick and black as tar. We never thought of ourselves as witches, my mother and I. For this was a word invented by men, a word that brings power to those who speak it, not those it describes. A word that builds gallows and pyres, turns breathing women into corpses.

One thing I will say before really digging in to the review, is that there are a lot of trigger warnings for this novel (see above for a summary). Reading through the list, it may seem that this is a tome of sheer doom and gloom, but it actually didn’t feel that way to me. Obviously, a lot of the trigger warnings may be Hard Nos for some people, and that’s totally fair, however I found this story so engaging and the characters so strong, that the TWs didn’t beat me down as much as they could have. Being set across five centuries, this book explores a number of methods by which patriarchal societies abuse women.  From the outright cruelties of the 17th Century to the more insidious offences of modern society, there is a lot of violence and misogyny at work here. It can get difficult in parts, but I found myself uplifted by the women’s strength in the end.

Now, I’ve discussed how strong the characters are; let me properly introduce them to you! Kate, living in her 2019 timeline, wants to escape a violent partner and discover the truth about her family. Violet, in 1942 and the midst of the Second World War, wants to escape the societal confines and expectations of femininity and live a life she chooses. Altha in 1619 just wants to survive. I loved them all. I cared about them all. I may have even shed a tear or two over them (and books don’t make me cry super often). I particularly loved Violet and her sheer determination to live her own life. I really appreciated seeing her as a teen from her own perspective, as well as from Kate’s perspective looking back at Violet as an old woman. (I want grow up to be an eccentric old lady with the witchiest house in the world just like her!) The interlacing of their stories is so well conceived, it really feels like you’re seeing a cohesive timeline rather than random sections plonked together.

Perhaps one day, she said, there would be a safer time. When women could walk the earth, shining bright with power, and yet live.

There is so much witchcraft detail in this book, dropped in so sneakily and creatively, I just loved it! All the leading ladies have Witch Marks (which definitely need to be used in witchy stories more frequently), but they’re not overly emphasized… they’re just there and mentioned in passing in various subtle ways. The way the Familiars work is also super cool; not every animal can be a familiar, and they aren’t necessarily easily controlled, but they provide emotional support and do their witches’ bidding when needed. I especially loved the constant presence of the crows, which at first seem wild and dangerous, but eventually become as important to the plot as the leading characters as symbols of power. And I love, love, love how the magic stems so much from the witches’ connection to the natural world. It just felt so right to me.

One notable factor in Weyward for me was how deftly Emilia Hart wove historical facts into the narrative. From the Lancashire Assizes to the Pendle Witch Trials and King James I and his obsession with Witch Hunts, Altha’s timeline felt so based in history as to be almost visceral. This sort of thing really happened to living women. I was especially impressed by the use of the Great Comet of 1618; Hart definitely did her research in order to place her story firmly in the real world, with an additional magical touch.

There was something about us – the Weyward women – that bonded us more tightly with the natural world. We can feel it, she said, the same way we feel rage, sorrow or joy. The animals, the birds, the plants – they let us in, recognising us as one of their own. That is why roots and leaves yield so easily under our fingers, to form tonics that bring comfort and healing. That is why animals welcome our embrace. Why the crows – the ones who carry the sign – watch over us and do our bidding, why their touch brings our abilities into sharpest relief.

Weyward has become one of my favourite reads for 2024, and has 100% got a solid seat in my Top Ten of the Year. It is endlessly impressive to me that is was Emilia Hart’s DEBUT NOVEL. Seriously, my hat is off to her for creating a story that felt so real and so magical at the same time. I will definitely be reading more of her work as it is published. If my recommendation isn’t enough, Weyward also won Goodreads’ Best Historical Fiction title in 2023. And if you buy a physical copy of the book, you get a neat little flip book of a crow flying in the page corners. If all that doesn’t sell it to you, I don’t know what will.

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

[anolis3]

"Weyward", by Emilia Hart.

"The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.", from Adrienne Rich.

"The Weyward Sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go, about, about, Thrice to thine, thrice to mone, And thrice again to make up nine. Peace, the charm's wound up.", from Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.

[shxpeshifterr]

[manamanabadi]

Anyone read this beauty? Any thoughts on it? My book club chose this for our next meeting and I am looking forward to discussing it with mostly over 40yo, more into non-fantasy people :)

[literaryspinster]

Fancasting Weyward by Emilia Hart

Kate- Georgina Campbell (made her biracial, if I were going to pick a white actress I’d pick Ella Hunt or a British accented Victoria Pedretti)

Altha- Jodie Comer

Violet- Ever Anderson

Grace- Rose Leslie

Frederick- Kit Connor

Simon- Ben Wiggins

Violet’s father- Dominic Cooper

Emily- Adjoa Andoh

Graham- British accented Jacob Tremblay

[taintedarabesque]

just started reading this book it is so good I love anything to do with witches and girls who are the black sheep

[viewoneverything]

— Weyward, by Emilia Hart

[silkiemae]

Weyward by Emilia Hart

For a debut novel, Weyward is incredibly good. It focuses on the journey of three women spread throughout time. There's Altha in the 1600s, who's just been tried by a witch; Violet from the 1940s, who's having to conform to her stifling father's standards; and then Kate, who's running from an abusive boyfriend while pregnant. I felt so bad for each of these women in different ways. Altha just trying to live her life and tend to her herbs while following in her mother's footsteps and healing others but naturally men won't let her be, because if you're an unusual woman then you must be a witch. Violet's story, imo, made me the saddest. She's sixteen years old and just wants to learn about insects and flowers but her dad is constantly being the biggest garbage pail in the world by telling her how unnatural she is. He refuses to tell her about her mom and when you find out the truth about what happened it just made me so mad. While I'm glad in the end Violet stood up to him I almost wish she would've confronted him for what he did. I would've loved to see that reaction. I hated Frederic from the moment he started calling his parents 'mummy and daddy'. It's never a good sign when a grown ass man talks like that. I'm glad that Violet gets her revenge on him in the end but that was another situation where I wish he would've suffered more. Violet's whole arc just made me so mad on her behalf. I really wish that she could've just ripped into these dudes. Graham is the only decent man. And then Kate of course, trying to forge a better life for her daughter while dealing with the PTSD from her boyfriend's abuse. I really liked Kate. I liked imagining her in her wacky little hedge witch outfits, living out in her cabin in the woods with her pregnant belly. The only thing that would've made the image better is if she had bought a SHOTGUN. Seriously, I don't know why none of these women ever got one. Altha? okay fine, I get why she doesn't have one. But why didn't Violet ever get one to stash in that cabin. Imagine if Kate had a shotgun when Simon showed back up. She never would've had to hide in the attic, she could've just threatened to shoot his ass. But then there never would've been that final scene I suppose. Either way, really enjoyed this. 4/5 cw. miscarriage, domestic abuse, sexual assault against a minor. while not graphic in text, some may still find it upsetting.

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

Stoked to get lost in a book this weekend 📖 what are you currently reading?

[eli-is-reading]

alright, time to try talking about weyward cus i finished it like a we k ago.

SPOILERS ABOUND!!

weyward for anyone who isn't aware is a novel about three generations of witches from the weyward lineage.

altha weyward- a witch on trial in 1619 for the accusation of murdering a man by way of making his cows go insane

violet ayres - the daughter of a viscount, growing up in the midst of the second world war, and her struggle with an abusive father, a younger brother fighting to get their father's affection, and her cousin, a manipulative creepy british army soldier, on temporary leave from libya.

kate ayres - violet's great niece, a young woman who escaped her abusive boyfriend's house in London to her late great aunt's small ancestral cabin in the countryside, named weyward cottage.

these women navigate through their complicated lives in a patriarchal society full of abusive men who try to hurt them as they slowly discover their powers and as we slowly find out about the history of the weyward family along with them.

now, the things I've loved about weyward:

-a LOT

so the word weyward is in reference to the original name for the three witch sisters in macbeth, and the references to their theater origin SHOWS.

the story takes place in and nearby the old town of crow's beck. a lot of the people living there have roots in the town going back to at LEAST the 17th century. that part makes it so that even when we go through different times, we hear the same family names, making a callback to theatrical plays where there is usually a small cast of actors playing multiple characters and joining the chorhses at certain points. it is even mentioned in the book: when kate goes to the village cemetery, she finds the graves have all the same names and thinks of them as a cast of players in a show.

this makes me REALLY want to watch a play based on this book, and i hope as it's getting pretty big online it might actually happen!!

- i loved their concepts of witches and the way they are women from the beginning of humanity with abilities tied to nature and understanding of medicine that help humanity survive. i especially love their connection to insects and the way they even use their connection to animals for sometimes nefarious means that are honestly always pretty well deserved, and creepy in the best sense.

i honestly loved so many things about this book that I can't say everything right now but these two things were some of my faves.

things i would've changed or wish to have seen more of:

- there are motifs of crows all over the book (i mean, the town is literally called crow's beck) and there is even am idea that the family have been raising crows for years and each woman has a specific crow with white specks that is connected to them and follows them around; think familiars - although that name is mentioned as a negative view made by the patriarchy, that's actually also about the name witches and the idea of a "witch's mark" as a symbol of evil.

i really wish they were to talk more about these crows, the idea was super cool and I'd love to have it expanded and the relationship between the weywards and crows to be further examined.

- i honestly have no idea right now of what else I'd change. it was really a great book

final thoughts:

weyward is a lovely book about female empowerment, nature, the problems with the patriarchy, and the way women with strength are treated by a society and men that wish to see themselves at the top of the food chain. it is a book worth reading till the end, because even when it seems everything is painful and bad, it has a fantastic conclusion and a gratifying power take-back for every woman there.

I'm excited to see what emilia hart comes up with next and it is obvious how great of a writer she is, her prose is absolutely beautiful and feels easy to read even when it waxes into poetic.

10 crow feathers out of 10.

[delightful-to-be-read]

Weyward - Emilia Hart

Three women, one in the 1600s, one the 1940s and one contemporary, in the same family with the family name of Weyward.

TW: domestic abuse, rape

Things to like

The characters are likeable and while there’s a thread of believable naïveté in the two more recent, they don’t tip over into being annoying and certainly not helpless. There’s a Recovery storyline that’s warm without being saccharine.

Animals, animals everywhere. Pro-spider!

The prose is easy to read, but not bland. I’d been too tired to do anything but re-read for a while - tiredness affects my ability to engage massively but I could engage with this.

Things I noticed

It’s never really occurred to me before that a novel about women being mistreated by men isn’t necessarily a feminist novel. Of course, to other people, it might be a feminist novel but to me, it was more like how a book about animals being mistreated is against the mistreatment of animals, but isn’t necessarily pro-vegetarian. I’ve always, without really thinking about it, had two categories - ‘feminist’ and ‘women-centric’ (the latter doesn’t include romance).

The witchcraft is very lightly handled.

This is another casualty of me watching Between the Covers and I sniggered as some man - I think maybe Nigel Havers, weirdly - had a moan about how all the men were bad guys and why did they all have to be bad guys. But, I mean, they really are, unless they’re dead or minor characters. This isn’t a complaint - I’m more than happy for the way women have been historically treated in literature to have some rebound and I think it’s eminently plausible that a high enough percentage of men treat women like shit that that would be the main experience of three women. But they really are.

[caribeandthebooks]

February 2024 Reading Wrap Up

I read 3 books and got 2 kindle challenge achievements this month!

Now let's look at the breakdown :)

Reading Challenge Progress: I committed to reading 30 books in 2024 so currently I'm ahead by 2 books!

Top Genre read in February 2024: Historical

My first read for February and 5th read for the year was Dance Jamaica: Renewal and Continuity, The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica. Rating: 3/5

This book was gifted to me by the current Artistic Director of the NDTC. Personally non-fiction books are easier to digest when they're topics that interest you/impact your life AND when you can recognise the people mentioned in the book. Was a good read, a bit wordy but that's to be expected given the author.

Book #6 was Weyward by Emilia Hart. Rating: 2.5/5

I'm not surprised at the rating since I generally don't like books that have women suffering for no other reason that it's a thing that happens. This book won Best Historical Fiction for 2023 so that placed it on my radar. Definitely take the content warnings into account for this one.

Thanks to Weyward being a kindle read, I earned the New Year Kindle Challenge Achievements: Happily Ever After & Groundhog Day while reading this book. A win is a win!

Book #7 was The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna. Rating: 2.5/5

The Eternal Ones is the last book in the Deathless Trilogy. The book wrapped up the series as expected. As annoying as the characters were sometimes it wasn't out of context. I am looking forward to more from this author in the future!

And that's it!

See you next month but in the meantime, what have you been reading?

[andreabadgley]

We never thought of ourselves as witches, my mother and I. For this was a word invented by men, a word that brings power to those who speak it, not those it describes. A word that builds gallows and pyres, turns breathing women into corpses.

- Emilia Hart, Weyward

[ohgoodshesreading]

What did they know of souls, these men who sat on bolsters all day, clothed in finery, and saw fit to condemn a woman to death? I do not profess to know much of souls, myself. I am not a learned woman, other than in the ways my mother handed down to me, as her mother handed down to her. But I know goodness, evil, light, and dark.

Weyward by Emilia Hart