What a stunner of a debut! I am so grateful to have had the chance to win a proof from the lovely Harper Reader’s Room Team. Last year was such a whirlwind that I never got round to posting my review, so I thought that paperback publication would be the perfect opportunity to redeem myself!
—Synopsis—
Three women, five centuries, one spellbinding story.
In the present day, Kate flees a traumatic relationship to the Cumbrian cottage she inherited from her great-aunt; but the cottage hides secrets of its own.
In 1942, Violet rebels against her father’s ideas of a ‘proper young lady’ . . . until he takes matters into his own hands.
In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft, implicated in the gruesome death of a local man.
Three women they tried to cage – but Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed…
—Review—
Altha 1619
Violet 1942
Kate 2019
The Weyward Women… witches? Or simply women at one with nature and the elements?
“’Sight is a funny thing,’ my mother used to say. ‘Sometimes it shows us what is before our eyes. But sometimes it shows us what has already happened, or will yet come to pass?‘”
In this incredible debut, Hart has managed to capture the animalistic nature of the bonds uniting women, especially mothers and daughters. How it is engrained in our DNA, being passed on through generations. There is no escaping it, there is something deeply magical and compelling about it.
A feminist tale, a powerful exploration of motherhood, of the fierceness of women, their determination and their protective nature, this is a novel that will stay with you for a long time.
With its cleverly woven plot and character driven story, all those secrets will keep you on the edge of your seat and ensure you devour this beauty as quickly as possible.
A truly accomplished and incredible debut which was one of my favourite books of 2023!
With Love,
AGJ
Out now with Borough Press – in Hardback, Paperback, E-format and Audio.
—My favourite excerpt-–
Below is a passage from the book that really resonated with me and that shows how beautiful and compelling the writing is.
“She hadn’t known it would be like this.
Now, in the mirror, Kate assesses herself. The strong lines of her limbs, the new spread of her hips. Her belly, with its growing curve.
Her breasts amaze her – the darkening of the nipples, the veins that glow blue and bright beneath her skin. The mole on her breastbone has darkened, too: ruby deepening to crimson. Even her skin is different – it is smoother, thicker. As if she is armoured. Armoured and ready, to protect her daughter. The force of it – this love that surges in her veins – shocks her. As does the searing clarity that she will do anything, whatever is necessary, to keep her child safe.
Unbidden, the day of the accident flashes in her mind. Her father’s hand on her shoulder, rough and desperate, pushing her out of the way of the oncoming car. Had he felt this way, too? She blinks the memory away, refocuses her gaze on the woman in the mirror. A woman she can barely recognise as herself.
She looks – and feels – powerful.”
—About the author—
Emilia Hart is a British-Australian writer. She was born in Sydney and studied English Literature and Law at the University of New South Wales before working as a lawyer in Sydney and London. Emilia is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s Three Month Online Novel Writing Course and was Highly Commended in the 2021 Caledonia Novel Award. Her short fiction has been published in Australia and the UK. She lives in London. You can follow Emilia on Twitter at @EmiliaHartBooks.
A.G-J BOOKS & GEMS 