An interesting and beautiful story. I wish it was longer but I still liked listening to it. I loved how great it was spoken, especially with the music,

I was over the moon to discover the audiobook was narrated by the author herself, Susanna Clarke. I always find the audiobook experience to be elevated when the person behind the prose gets to perform their words exactly how they envisioned it. This was a beautiful, masterfully crafted wintery short story that explores how interwoven humanity and nature are. The narrative is interlaced with magic and wonder, and I’m so glad I got to listen to it during the festive period. I am now even more excited to delve into Clarke’s other works, especially after discovering this short story is set in the same universe as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

Thank you to Bloomsbury UK Audio and NetGalley for the Audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

It was wonderful but it was over before I knew it - I didn't get the point of publishing a story 10 pages long if I am honest. I would have loved this to be a bit longer.

This short story, from the author of Piranesi, is still in my mind. it has been weeks that i listened to this and it has ghibli movies vibes. Ghibli movies you also watch and in the end you are confused and thinking: what just happened. her writing is beautiful and she explains her thoughtprocess afterwards. it was quite the experience.

A beautiful short novel read by the author herself.
Merowdis is a very sweet young woman, she supposed to be 19 but I kept thinking she was younger, for her sweet almost naïve demeanor.
The animals are gorgeously written, each have their own personality and I liked that a lot.
Additionally with this audiobook you even get background noises and ambiance music which definitely set the mood.

Gorgeous, lush, and way too short, this was a lovely short story that could have gone on for forever and I would have gladly listened.

Susanna Clarke has a lovely, soft, lyrical voice that lulls you into the world that she is creating and makes you wish you were there and never had to leave.

I am really looking forward to getting the book to see what everyone says are amazing illustrations as I am sure they will enhance the story further.

If one is in need of an escape from reality, this fantastic short story will always do the trick. I highly recommend this!! Gorgeous!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Susanna Clarke, and Bloomsbury UK Audio/Bloomsbury Circus for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE WOOD AT MIDWINTER is a very short tale of a girl who converses with animals and wants a child - only to be promised a bear cub. It's a very abstract tale full of magic that is both tangibly wintry and hard to grasp at once. It's a little vignette, a glimpse of a girl who no one understands, walking in a world others can't see.

Susanna Clark narrates her own tale, which is always nice as it lets the author put their own emphasis in. The tale also has a musical background of bells that adds to the festive feel of it.

About a third of the book is the afterword, an explanation of inspirations behind her other works and how it leads to this one. It was interesting to see how this tale came together, particularly as this tale is so abstract.

Loved listening to this short audiobook narrated by the author. Very atmospheric with the descriptions of the woods, the background sounds and the music, but would have preferred a little more story at the end. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review.

I feel like this could have been so much longer. The audiobook is 34 mins long, 10 of which are afterwords and not part of the story itself.

This story would have been well suited as a part of a collection of short stories, or added on to another novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early listen

I’m afraid this was a dnf for me as I found the narrator’s voice unbearable. I think it was a mistake to let the author read this audio book. I got a friend to listen and she felt the same. I would like to gI’ve the book another try as a written version.

Thank you NetGalley, Bloomsbury UK Audio and the author for this ALC in exchange for an honest review

This was a nice a cosy read. Very fitting for the holiday season.

Ms Clarke’s magic works again and I was lost in her voice, the story, and brought to a different world. I was expecting the King Raven but he was present in the background
I think
Live it
Many thanks for this audio book

Misunderstood by the people around her Merowdis is only truly happy when she is walking in the woods with her animals. One afternoon they meet a blackbird and a fox, and as darkness falls a strange figure joins them and in doing so changes Merowdis’s life forever. A brief fairytale, set in the same world as Jonathan Strange, beautifully written and narrated.

This is beautiful and magical. Read by the author, I loved the accompanying music in the audiobook, and the note at the end about stories influencing stories. Truly wonderful.

I loved both of Susanna Clarke's novels, and would highly recommend them, and I was really excited about this short audiobook which I saved to listen to on Christmas Eve. I probably had built up too high expectations, and as a result was disappointed. Of course, it's not possible to build a story of the sort of complexity and originality as seen in 'Piranesi' or 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' in a short story. But the 35 minute running time led me to think the story would be longer. In fact, the 'afterword' is almost as long as the story itself (or at least I perceived it to be).

What we get is a neat little fairy-tale like yarn about a young woman who prefers the company of animals and nature to conventional human life, and ultimately decides to go and live in the woods. That is the entire plot. It's not exciting, or suspenseful, or funny, or even atmospheric. Clarke can certainly write all those things, but she doesn't have time here.

The audiobook is read by the author, and she reads adequately, but it does make you realise what you get extra from a professional voice narrator. There's definitely more to it than just being able to read out loud. The music, written especially for this audiobook, is nice but there's not much of it.

There's nothing terrible about any of this, but I don't think it's worth spending money on.

The Wood at Midwinter was a beautiful, intense novella by Susanna Clarke. She captures the beauty and complexity of the forest and draws inspiration from her obsession with Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow album, as well as the connections between neurodivergence, intense attachment, witches and sainthood.

The story is set at Yule and follows Merowdis into the forest - I listened to the audio version which I believe is a recording of the BBC Radio 4 adaptation from Christmas 2022. The accompanying music is beautiful and definitely adds to the atmospheric prose.

The novella itself is tantalisingly short - read by Clarke herself with an afterword that talks about her inspirations behind the story and characters. A lovely seasonal listen - thank you to @bloomsburypublishing audio for a copy in return for an unbiased review. The Wood at Midwinter is available to download now!

I will post on my instagram @charlottereadshistory tomorrow.

This is a very (very) short little tale that's half fantasy story and half author's note. I was intrigued by the tale itself but really would have liked more of it, as we barely know who's who before it's over. It's certainly a strange one and I did enjoy hearing more of the background to it from the author in the note but ultimately, I did need more from it. That being said, if you are looking to read it then the audiobook is as good a format as any - it was well narrated and I enjoyed it overall.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

After reading Piranessi, a book that became a magical favourite of mine, I was very curious to explore this short story. I’m developing this hypothesis that everything that Susanna Clarke writes is, in fact, magical.

This was a really short story, so incredibly short but beautiful and full of depth and meaning added by the narrative and the soundscapes. Every single detail matches perfectly and it paints a picture of the woods, of the different animals and characters. It’s strange but in the most perfect mystical way that makes sense for cold days before Christmas, by the fire, surrounded by your loved ones.

Thank you so much Bloomsbury Circus and NetGallery for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a quaint magical story! Truly enjoyed listening to Susanna narrate the audiobook. Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC!

The most perfect story for a dark winter solstice. As in her other books, in this short audio feature Clarke interweaves literary inspirations - in this case the inspiration comes from the lyrics of Kate Bush - with familiar literary narratives to create an entirely new story full of magic and an almost child-like "sense of wonder"; the forest that is not a setting but a character, the animals that speak their own language and are still understood, the girl, who has always been interested in things that others do not find interesting and creates her very own lore. The writing style - superb. I cried because it was so beautiful.
I am sure I will find new litte thematic bits and references in this story upon re-reads. The audiobook is nicely produced, the music fitting - all in all, it puts you in a contemplative mood, perfect for this time of the year.