I thoroughly enjoyed the distinct yet connected strong female narratives as told by Altha, Violet and Kate - otherwise known as the Weyward women.

This novel is for those readers that enjoy Stacey Halls ('The Familiars). Women have been accused of witchcraft for centuries and here we see how, perhaps, the connection with nature, is something to be celebrated.

So why not five stars? Some paragraphs were quite short, when I would have liked to see a more detailed description of setting, for example.

The narratives were all three interesting but it was Violet's story that really captured all my sympathies. This novel would make for an excellent book club choice.

I will happily read anything Emilia Hart publishes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Weyward.

Weyward is the story of three women, across hundreds of years, who all share the power to heal or harm, and an affinity with nature that others can't understand. Weyward women will not be cowed or suppressed for long.

2019
Kate escapes from her abusive husband, pregnant with his child, to Cumbria and Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great-aunt.

1942
Violet loves climbing trees, reading and collecting insects. When she meets her handsome long lost cousin her life changes forever as she is expected to be a proper lady, but is he a proper gentleman?

1619
Altha is on trial for witchcraft, despite having saved numerous lives previously, locals are now wary of her powers and this is her time of reckoning.

The time hopping in this story was easy to follow and flowed quite naturally, as we learn how intertwined these women's lives are - and the ending was very clever, wrapping it all up neatly.

Wow, what a powerful book. I loved each of the three characters and loved how each chapter moved between their povs and timelines. These women were strong, amazing and resilient in their own ways. It demonstrated the persecution of women throughout the ages by men and the horror they faced by being just a little different or strong willed! There were so many omg moments and the ending let me so emotional! Highly recommend!

Weyward is a combination of historical fiction and magical realism with a strong focus on women, family, and what it means to come from a matriarchal lineage. It tells the story of three women, all dealing with their own struggles, fears and situations. Kate, escaping from an abusive relationship on discovering that she is pregnant. Violet, longing to know more of her mother’s history only to become the victim of a terrible crime with consequences she never foresaw. Altha, a young woman accused of witchcraft at a time when to be different is to be dangerous.

There were elements of this book that I enjoyed, the indomitable character of all of these very different women, how they went from victims of circumstance to having their own inner strength. In particular Altha’s story, of what it is to be othered in a society that finds power through alienation. I appreciated that the books wasn’t afraid to take on tough topics such as domestic abuse, rape, violence towards women, abortion and the choices that women have made in the dark for centuries. How the writer wrote toxic masculinity well, through the use of a variety of male characters as well as well as showing up what non-toxic masculinity could look like. There was solid character and story development throughout. I loved the generational interplay though at times found the hopping between time-lines somewhat jarring.

In terms of the downsides of this book for me, I felt that there was perhaps an unwillingness to “kill your darlings” a little bit; I was surprised that all three women had relatively good outcomes and honestly, I didn’t buy them, it left the endings of the stories feeling somewhat weak and perhaps naive for me. (I don’t believe for a second that an upper class English man would accept his daughter’s refusal to marry someone after she had been pregnant outside of wedlock so easily or that her rapist would be generous enough to give her a home…). I did feel that there was an element of shaming in the approach that the book towards some of the darker topics it was tackling, and while I appreciate that that is a necessary part of the narrative I would have liked to have seen a shame free resolution. (For example the “you will never bear another child because you aborted one, struck me as rather shame riddled, I would have appreciated a different approach).

Overall, this book is a two and a half/five stars for me. I enjoyed element of it but certain plot points just didn’t appeal to me. I recommend it but with the acknowledgement that it doesn’t always hit the right note for me (that is not to say it wouldn’t for other readers).

This is a wonderful story about three women from three different centuries, with a magical thread linking them together. The writing is beautiful and the characters are so realistic. I really loved this book and highly recommend it.

For those who don’t know, the weird sisters who appear in Shakespeare’s Macbeth were known in the original folio of the play as the “weyward sisters”. Those who do know this will twig that Emilia Hart’s debut Weyward deals with the subject of witches and witchcraft. Those who do not will be keyed in fairly quickly when the book opens in 1619 with what can only be a witch trial.
Weyward concerns itself with three strands of the same lineage. Altha, writing in 1619, Violet who is sixteen in 1942 and the daughter of a Viscount and Kate in 2017 planning to escape from an abusive relationship. The plot will circle in and around these three characters, bringing their stories slowly together until each impacts on the others. In doing so it will explore the power inherent in the Weyward line but also the way each of the three has had to deal with powerful and controlling men and issues of abuse, both physical and sexual, control and manipulation.
Weyward comes in a tradition of books which seek to reclaim witchcraft from the horror story and tradition of superstition and fear. Other recent books that take this approach include Alix Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches which places its action during the suffragist movement and Madeline Miller’s Greek retelling Circe. Hart is interested in the connection to nature and a tradition of healing and nurturing, although there is more than hint of darkness and violence.
Overall, Weyward is a compelling, page-turning debut with plenty to say about the capacity to make a stand and reclaim power in the face of abuse.

I was pleasantly surprised by this magical realism story.

Getting several points of view from the women in the Weyward family all finding themselves at different points in time with their stories being told alternately to wind up the modern day portion into a very satisfying conclusion.

There are a lot of triggering themes in this including rape and marital abuse which was rather hard to read about but it made the women finding their voices after experiencing their traumas rather more meaningful.

There's some rather beautiful poetic descriptions in this in moments of light of the women enjoying their weywardness.

This was written so well it felt so real reading it and I would read other stories by this author as this is my first experience reading a book from her.

Weyward is an absolute delight to read. This achingly deep and heartfelt story will suck you in and keep you turning pages. Told from multiple POV from three strong and relatable women across generations. With feminist undertones, this is a story of overcoming overwhelming odds, strength, and heart. I found it hard to pick a favorite character as they were all fantastic in their own way. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

I cannot believe this is a debut as the writing and stories were woven and told with such finesse and style. I would say to listen to the hype on this one as it really is a fantastic read.
The 3 interweaving stories across the really different times make for a truly engaging book and one that will move you. I love books when the narrative switches between characters and the changes in time and style for Altha, Violet and Kate’s stories makes it really engrossing. The echo’s and themes throughout the stories gave me “To Paradise” vibes - big positive for me!!

There are some potential triggers in this book so please read the trigger warnings before you read just in case

I kept hearing how good this book was, and so I prepared myself for it to just be hyper. Spoiler: It really is brilliant! Hart has managed to weave the stories together beautifully. The writing is incredibly atmospheric, the descriptions really add to the story and the setting, rather than just being a way for the author to show off how good she is at it. I was hooked from the start when a description of a dead crow made me jump - maybe that was just me?!

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher, what a fantastic book.

What a bewitching empowering and moving book, compelling to read and very satisfying to the end. It's the intertwined stories of three different women from the same bloodline - Altha from the 1600s, Violet from the 1940s and present-day Kate, who all suffer at the hands of men but who ultimately find redemption through a sense of place, family and belonging.

The writing is clear and compelling, and the stories pack some punch, from distress and despair through to hope and redemption.

The story of three strong women sat in three very different time periods – 1619, 1942, and 2019. Linked by family and their gift – healer/witch - all face adversity from the men in their times who look to control and are unable to accept these women’s differences and strength. A wonderful new writer who describes the natural world exquisitely. I really enjoyed this novel and felt part of these women stories and battles. I thoroughly recommend and look forward to more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy of this novel.

#Weyward

This blistering debut by Emilia Hart delves into the history of three Weyward women over three different time periods. Altha in 1619; Violet in 1942 and finally Kate in 2019. The narrative flits between each woman's story with glimpses back to the past and the echos the previous Weyward women leave on the next generation. An utterly spellbinding, captivating story with exceptional characters.
On a seperate note the nature writing that forms the background to these women's lives is outstanding, very similar to Barbara Kingsolver's style of writing. Hart has an evocative style that heightens the senses. I imagine this would be a brilliant audiobook.
Trigger warning - there are some scenes of domestic abuse, coercive control and rape.

I would highly recommend this exciting debut and can't wait to read more from Emilia Hart.
Thank you for letting me read this advance copy #Netgalley and #HarperCollins

Many thanks to the publisher for granting me access to this title. There's a lot about Weyward that I liked - the interwoven stories through generations of 'witches', the different time periods, some evocative passages and descriptions. I was looking for something a little more stand-out and unique, rather than what I got, which was a really well put-together story I feel I've read before.

Captivating. Empowering. Exquisite.

A brilliantly crafted story showing the power and resilience of women throughout the generations.

Three women, a family secret, abusive men, witchcraft. Beautifully written intergenerational story of Weyward women.

I was highly anticipating this book as per the tagline and the teaser trailer I saw, but this was disappointing. I was told witches, connected storylines, strong women. It didn't really deliver on any of those things. However, I did enjoy it, I found it compulsively readable, and even though it took me an unusually long length of time to read, it was an enjoyable reading experience. Triggers for sexual assault, abortion, domestic violence

What an absolutely brilliant book that enchanted and captivated me from the first, to the last word.

Three women - Altha, Violet and Kate. Connected by blood and a powerful gift. The gift of being able to commune with nature.

Altha, 1619. Arrested and being tried for a crime associated with witchcraft.

Violet, 1942. A naive and nature loving girl, whose innocence is brutally stolen.

Kate, fleeing an abusive relationship.

As we learn more about these formidable and amazing women, we see the power women have and the collective strength that has been so misunderstood and feared by men throughout history. There is an element of mystery running through this book, there is tragedy and sorrow. But boy is there also joy and redemption when the brutal men get their just desserts.

A five star read for me.

What an amazing, intricately written narrative. I have reached the end and am so taken with this book I just want to immediately go back and start from the beginning all over again. This is a dark tale of three different generations of ‘Weyward’ family women, stretching from the Witch trials of the 1600s to the present day. For me the story, and especially the character’s lives, brought me an emotional rollercoaster of lows and highs of thoughts and feelings as I was reading their life stories and discovered the connections as the story evolved. But I can definitely say I would not want to have missed a word. Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Weyward
by Emilia Hart

Three timelines, three women.
1619, Altha Weyward is on trial for witchcraft and the murder of a local farmer.
1942, Violet is not happy about the options for women and cannot understand why she does not enjoy the freedom her younger brother has,
2019, Kate is fleeing an abusive relationship and finds shelter in Weyward Cottage which was left to her by her Aunt Violet
These women are all connected, and not only by their otherness.

I love this book with it's strong women who find comfort and healing in the natural world. Hart pulls you quickly through the plot with short chapters alternating between each of the three women, instantly grounding each to her period in time and as each timeline unfolds, and the connection between them emerges I found myself becoming deeply invested in all three characters.

This gives me vibes of "The Signature of All Things" by Elizabeth Gilbert, "Magic Lessons" by Alice Hoffman, "Tidelands" by Philippa Gregory. The writing is contemporary meets literary and brings some important lessons about the patriarchy and how it has evolved over the centuries, but not necessarily for everyone. Altha, Violet and Katy are all in danger, they all are at the mercy of the whims of men who use control to serve their own purposes. While societal norms may now differ, there are still so many subtle and not so subtle ways that women are oppressed and regardless of our place in history, women still have much to fear.

I highly recommend this book. I am so excited to read such an accomplished work from a debut author. I will be keeping my eye on her for future releases.

Publication date: 2nd February 2023
Thanks to #netgalley and #harpercollinsuk