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Book Review
Aug. 1st, 2023 09:26 pmWeyward
by Emilia Hart
This slightly gothic, slightly magical realist novel intertwines three stories of women who have lived in a cottage in the small English village of Crows Beck. Each of them has a mystical connection to nature that gives them an affinity for small creatures and for herbal healing. Altha, ancestress of the other two, is a 17th century woman who stands accused of witchcraft. Violet, Altha's descendent, is a teenager growing up in a manor house near Crows Beck. She longs for a serious education in the natural sciences, but her gender stands in the way. In the present day, Kate, Violet's great-niece, comes to Crows Beck and the cottage Violet left her to escape an abusive boyfriend.
The stories parallel each other in ways both obvious and subtle. There aren't a lot of true surprises in the narrative turns, but the execution is quite good. My favorite moment is Kate's pivotal scene. It was pretty easy to figure out what was going to happen, but I enjoyed how it unfolded. Each of the three women must deal with mistreatment at the hands of men, and each of them must gain an understanding of their mystical power and how to bring it bear on their lives. Each of the women has a strong core that can be muted or muffled but never really destroyed. I liked how their different journeys resonated across the years and the way things echoed but didn't just recur.
by Emilia Hart
This slightly gothic, slightly magical realist novel intertwines three stories of women who have lived in a cottage in the small English village of Crows Beck. Each of them has a mystical connection to nature that gives them an affinity for small creatures and for herbal healing. Altha, ancestress of the other two, is a 17th century woman who stands accused of witchcraft. Violet, Altha's descendent, is a teenager growing up in a manor house near Crows Beck. She longs for a serious education in the natural sciences, but her gender stands in the way. In the present day, Kate, Violet's great-niece, comes to Crows Beck and the cottage Violet left her to escape an abusive boyfriend.
The stories parallel each other in ways both obvious and subtle. There aren't a lot of true surprises in the narrative turns, but the execution is quite good. My favorite moment is Kate's pivotal scene. It was pretty easy to figure out what was going to happen, but I enjoyed how it unfolded. Each of the three women must deal with mistreatment at the hands of men, and each of them must gain an understanding of their mystical power and how to bring it bear on their lives. Each of the women has a strong core that can be muted or muffled but never really destroyed. I liked how their different journeys resonated across the years and the way things echoed but didn't just recur.
