Book Review: Weyward by Emilia Hart
My favorite quote:
“Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us.” – Emilia Hart, Weyward
Rose rating: 4
Weyward follows three women from the same family line throughout the centuries, tracking the similarities in their lives and the challenges they face. Although the novel doesn’t explicitly state that the women from the Weyward family are witches, is it explained that they have a type of power to commune with nature, heal with herbal remedies, and command animals and insects. One of them, Altha, is tried for witchcraft and her part of the story follows that saga. All three women endure abuse from men in their lives and the novel follows their path to overcome and escape these abusers.
Roses (things I liked): This novel moved. It kept me engaged and wanting to read more. While I didn’t love every character (Kate could be insufferable at times), I was fully invested in their stories and eager to follow their journey.
The setting was a work of art. From Weyward Cottage to Orton Hall, the author did a fantastic job of making me feel I was right there with the characters, and like I wanted to stay. The descriptions of nature and the landscape of Crow’s Beck were wonderful and made me feel fully immersed in the story and the setting. I ended the book wishing for my own Weyward Cottage with its garden and Sycamore tree full of crows.
The theme of family lines and traits being passed down from mother to daughter was heartening and fun. There are so many powerhouse women in this novel and they pass their wisdom and strength through space and time in a way that's awe-inspiring and magical. I was cheering for them right from the get-go, admiring their strength, and taking notes from their insights. The novel had a Practical Magic vibe, and I was completely on board with it.
Thorns (things I didn’t like): The novel builds its foundation on a hatred of men and an exaltation of all women, which is an oversimplified and simply false way to view the world. Not all men are evil and abusive, and not all women are warm, kind, and viscerally connected to the natural world. At one point, a character explains that she chose not to have another child because she thought it might be a boy and there are too many men in the world. The novel is littered with digs at men as a whole, insinuating they are all-powerful, cruel, oppressive, and have no worries. While I understand this theme served the purpose of the novel, I was annoyed at constantly being hit over the head with man-hate. I was glad that, toward the end of the novel, Kate's father is recognized as being “a good man,” which even the narrator seems to be surprised by.
The novel is broken into chapters that switch between each of the three main characters’ perspectives. Switching constantly between characters and timelines was okay, but the change in narration styles drove me nuts. Violet and Altha's stories are written in first-person, while Kate's is written in third person. It threw me way off as I was starting the novel and continued to bother me throughout.
Would I recommend this novel to a friend? Yes! It would be an especially good one to read around Halloween because of the witchcraft theme.
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