Book Review: Weyward by Emilia Hart
‘I had nature in my heart, she said. Like she did, and her mother before her. 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.’
In 2019, Kate fled an abusive relationship in London for Crows Beck, a remote Cumbrian village. Her destination is Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great Aunt Violet, an eccentric entomologist.
As Kate struggles with the trauma of her past, she uncovers a secret about the women in her family. A secret dating back to 1619, when her ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft…
Weyward is a stunning debut novel about gender and control – about the long echoes of male violence through the centuries. But more than that, it is a celebration of nature, female power, and breaking free.
I know you're not supposed to pick a book by its cover, but if you knew how often I actually did that, you’d probably be shaking your head at me. I can’t help it though, I am a very visual person and sometimes that is all it takes for me to pick a book up, like Wayward by Emila Hart, I knew I had to have it. It is so eye-catching with all the fruit and flora on the cover looking like an old-world painting, and then the crow taking the stage in the center. I love crows, ravens, grackles, and all the blackbirds.
But now the book…
Escaping an abusive relationship Kate goes to the English countryside to a cottage she inherited from her great-aunt Violet. While there she discovers a secret that goes back to 1619 when an ancestor Altha goes on trial for witchcraft.
The story spans five centuries and alternates timelines with Kate’s, Violet’s, and Altha’s POVs. I was a bit concerned that with three timelines and POVs, I would get a bit confused but the story moved effortlessly and was easy to follow, so I had worried for nothing.
I really liked how each of the three women was so well-developed and how involved I was in each of their stories. Many times I find myself really enjoying one of the timelines, for instance, I really seem to lean toward liking the “ past “ timelines better than the “ now “ ones. Emilia Hart wrote three timelines in this story that were all capable of keeping my attention, plus, the three stories were so well woven together that the ending was wrapped up neatly and perfectly.
I ended up both listening and reading Weyward. The writing is lyrical and the reading poetic and both contributed to the magical feel of the entire story. Also one of my favorite things about the book… I am a bit of a Green Witch myself and I appreciated the author's portrayal of magic. She used the powerful magic of of nature and the world that surrounds up. The real magic that gives us life, heals us and so much more. There was none of what I call Hollywood magic, pointy black hats, ugly witches with warts, or even odd spell casting.
Weyward, which as the book forward tells you, was used in the first edition of MacBeth ( MacBeth was read to me many times as a child by my father and was my first introduction to witches ), before being replaced in later versions with the word weird, is a beautifully written blend of magical realism, Historical Fiction, and Women’s Fiction and I look forward to reading what magic Hart creates in the future
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