Weyward: A Novel

by Emilia Hart

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Three distinct women from three distinct time periods orbit a shared struggle of facing down the patriarchy. This is a refreshingly feminist tale, bold in its telling and rewarding in its followthrough.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

WINNER OF TWO GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS (Best Debut Novel & Best Historical Fiction)

An Indie Next March 2023 Pick • A LibraryReads March 2023 Pick • An Amazon "Best Books of the Year So Far" 2023 Pick

"A brave and original debut, Weyward is a spellbinding story about what may transpire when the natural world collides with a legacy of witchcraft." ––Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The London Séance Society

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 suspects 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. When Altha was a girl, her 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 of witchcraft is laid out against Altha, she knows it will take all 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 astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250842725
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/27/2024
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	651
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Emilia Hart is the author of Weyward and The Sirens. She grew up in Australia and studied English Literature at university before training as a lawyer. She now lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/09/2023

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. Agent: Felicity Blunt, Curtis Brown. (Mar.)This review has been updated to clarify a plot point. A previous version of this review also incorrectly stated the Kate character was married.

Publishers Weekly

"All three women will find solace in a powerful connection with nature, but all three will need to combat the life-changing power of some very bad men." ––New York Times Book Review

"A triumphant debut...the magic harnessed by the characters feels completely real in this captivating outing." ––Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Lovely and vivid, Emilia Hart’s voice is totally original, both gentle and fierce...A bold and bewitching debut, the big takeaway is that the power and magic found there is already in you, waiting for you to finally embrace it." ––Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Other Birds

"A thoughtful and touching debut, Weyward [is] a tour de force rendered with striking ingenuity. Hart creates this imaginative tale with insight and intensity, finely drawn characters and a wealth of clues...with arresting prose and passages that approach poetry...But what sets Weyward apart from other witchcraft-related fiction is Hart’s wise decision to also explore topics that require no belief in the dark arts: men’s fear of women and the violence it can generate, women’s affinity for their ancestors and the blessings bestowed by intimate contact with the natural world." ––The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg

"A riveting journey of family secrets, betrayal, and resilience." ––Zibby Mag

"Weyward is a bewitching historical fiction that will entrance fans of Alice Hoffman with its take on natural magic and sisterhood." ––E! Online

"A promising debut…Hart links the three stories very cleverly in this entertaining read about witchcraft, maternal ties and the power of the natural world." ––The Times (UK)

"Weyward glows and glimmers with hidden powers, thrills and danger…[and] draws readers inexorably to a glorious conclusion that celebrates connectedness and the power of women and nature...A suspenseful, magical debut." ––Shelf Awareness

"Gripping...Thoughtful and at times harrowing, this novel is a successful blend of historical fiction and modern feminism." ––Kirkus

"Tension and suspense are skillfully maintained as these women seek to extricate themselves from dire circumstances and discover secret strength. The result is a tale of magic and female empowerment and an atmospheric, gripping read." ––Booklist

"Hart’s writing is stunning. She writes with grace and control [and her] greatest strength is her ability to harness suspense…When depicted both figuratively and literally, Hart’s witches harness an inspiring feminine power." ––Chicago Review of Books

"A generational tale of female resilience." ––The Guardian

"A compelling intergenerational novel of female empowerment." ––Historical Novel Society

"It seems to be the year of the witch book, and this is the best so far. A gripping debut." ––Good Housekeeping (UK)

"In a truly impressive novel––even more so considering it’s a debut––Emilia Hart has woven the stories of three women from three very different times into a tapestry of resilience and hope." ––Mystery and Suspense

"The three timelines and the compelling stories of each of the women intertwine and are layered with the natural magic that runs through the female line of the Weyward family―magic that will help and heal. This combination of magical realism and historical fiction is perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman and Megan Giddings." ––Library Journal

"Weyward is a satisfying, well-plotted historical page turner and a welcome addition to the feminist field of 'witcherature." ––Bookpage

"Told in separate narratives that intertwine ever tighter as their stories unfold, Weyward is an epic drama of three remarkable women finding their strength and power through the words of each other and a unique common legacy." ––BookTrib

"Weyward is an intelligent, hard-hitting, mesmerizing novel marking the auspicious debut of a talented writer and storyteller." ––BookBrowse Review

"A totally unique debut that shines a light on the female experience. I loved it." ––Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time

"Weyward spans three women's lives in three different centuries, connected by blood and one very unique gift. The writing's beautiful, the women are wonderful, and each narrative is as compelling as the next. Alive, vivid, gripping. Real magic." ––Abigail Dean, New York Times bestselling author of Girl A

"A very poignant story of female endurance and hidden power, humming with a sly, exhilarating magic." ––Bridget Collins, Sunday Times bestselling author

"An utterly absorbing page turner. Emilia Hart has written a brilliant story of the strength, resilience and power of three women spanning decades, against a stunning backdrop of the frailty and beauty of nature. This is an outstanding debut and worthy of all the stars." ––Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl With the Louding Voice

"Scuttling with insects and dripping with dark magic, this book got its claws into me and simply refused to let go. An astonishingly accomplished debut, it is beguiling, absorbing and exquisitely rendered, with prose as finely-crafted as a dragonfly's wing. With Weyward, Emilia Hart bursts onto the literary scene with a howl of feminist rage." ––Lizzie Pook, author of Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter

"Beautifully written and intricate as a spider's web, Weyward weaves an intergenerational tale of sorrow, love, and strength. Though separated by decades or even centuries, these three Weyward women―Altha, Violet, and Kate―are each other's heritage and legacy, and the power they each possess pays tribute to the connections between women, nature, and family." ––Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters

From the Publisher

06/10/2024

Hart's compelling debut tells the story of three women, separated by centuries but connected by an indefinable bond and an otherworldly attachment to the natural world. In 1690, Altha faces a witch trial; in 1942, Violet leads a sheltered life that results in her exploitation; in 2019, Kate flees an abusive relationship. Despite their differing obstacles, they are all drawn to Weyward Cottage, where they discover their ancestral secrets and find a mysterious strength to overcome anything. Hart presents a powerful, provocative story of tragedy and triumph. Narrators Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow are a magical, moving trio. Their emotional and expressive performance of the parallel narratives ranges from touching and timid to tense and twisting. From Cumbrian brogue to London lilt, their voices transport listeners to the haunting, harrowing worlds of the enigmatic leading ladies. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking an atmospheric blend of historical and literary fiction with an intense and intricate plot. Recommended for fans of Laurie Lico Albanese, Jacqueline Winspear, and Sarah Penner.—Lauren Hackert

Library Journal - Audio

The lives of three women are intertwined in this debut audiobook. Altha, portrayed by Aysha Kala, is on trial for witchcraft in 1619. Kala conveys Altha's fear that she will be convicted, as well as her confidence that she did the right thing. Nell Barlow presents Violet. In 1942, she's a sheltered 16-year-old who suffers at the hands of her tyrannical father. Barlow shows Violet's resilience as she overcomes having been raped by her cousin and breaks free of her father's dominance. Helen Keeley tells the story of Kate, who in 2019 flees her abusive boyfriend. Keeley captures Kate's growing confidence as she learns to become her own person. Each narrator maintains the stories' tension and suspense and keeps the listener engaged with these characters. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

The lives of three women are intertwined in this debut audiobook. Altha, portrayed by Aysha Kala, is on trial for witchcraft in 1619. Kala conveys Altha's fear that she will be convicted, as well as her confidence that she did the right thing. Nell Barlow presents Violet. In 1942, she's a sheltered 16-year-old who suffers at the hands of her tyrannical father. Barlow shows Violet's resilience as she overcomes having been raped by her cousin and breaks free of her father's dominance. Helen Keeley tells the story of Kate, who in 2019 flees her abusive boyfriend. Keeley captures Kate's growing confidence as she learns to become her own person. Each narrator maintains the stories' tension and suspense and keeps the listener engaged with these characters. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

2022-12-24
Three generations of women struggle against the bounds of patriarchy in this debut novel.

Over the course of centuries, the Weyward women of Crows Beck in Cumbria, England, have shared a common gift: the ability to connect deeply with and seemingly communicate with nature, particularly animals. But they are also all victimized and controlled by men in a variety of ways. In 1619, healer Altha is put on trial for witchcraft after having been seen near a field where a farmer is trampled by his cows and because her own mother was suspected of being a witch due to her involvement in treating people in the village. Hundreds of years later, in the early 1940s, Violet Ayres chafes against the heavy-handed scrutiny and control of her father and struggles to learn more about her mother, Elizabeth Weyward, who died under mysterious circumstances when Violet was young. In the present day, Kate Ayres has fled her abusive live-in boyfriend before he can discover that she’s pregnant, taking refuge in her great-aunt Violet’s cottage as she attempts to rebuild her life and protect herself and her baby. Although the women's connection to nature at times feels like an unneeded dose of the supernatural in this already gripping novel, the ways in which they are subjected to the whims and cruelties of male dominance are chilling and realistic. Readers probably won't be especially surprised by some of the twists of the story, but this is nonetheless an engaging novel that captures the ways patriarchy has sought to limit women for all of history and the ways women have found to carve out freedom for themselves.

Thoughtful and at times harrowing, this novel is a successful blend of historical fiction and modern feminism.

Kirkus Reviews