Book Review: Weyward, by Emilia Hart
A Weyward-vibes vignette. Because, yes. I did have all of this stuff laying around my house.
“Weyward, they called us, when we would not submit, would not bend to their will. But we learned to wear the name with pride.”
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Weyward, by Emilia Hart, was my March book club selection. I chose it knowing zilzch about the plot--I just needed a book with a green cover. Boy did I win big with this one! The prose was as beautiful, and the content was devastatingly poignant today as it was in 1619 when the book opens. Told from three female characters in the same family during different times in history gave rich context in voice, and illustrated how very much and little has changed in 400 years.
It's smart, compelling, feminist, conservationist, and deeply concerned with self-determination and what it means to live freely outside the bondage of societal constructs. With bits of magical realism, witchy vibes, and humor at just the right spots, it will break, warm, and encourage your heart all at once. 4.5 stars, or Mac and Cheese, if you’re using the Metcalf family Menu book review system.
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(Note on the picture above: instead of the 'W' referenced so many times in the book, I personalized it with my own 'J'. The round enamel button perched on the vintage science books reads, "We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn.")
““A great many things look different from a distance. Truth is like ugliness: you need to be close to see it.””
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Adult fiction. Historical fiction, magical realism, feminist fiction. Upmarket. Book Club.
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Female resilience, connection to the natural world, and survival against male dominance.
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It was published in Feb 2023 by Griffin. It’s 392 pages and is available in audiobook (11 hours) and ebook formats. Winner of two Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Debut Novel and Best Historical Fiction (2023).
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Yes.
Domestic and sexual violence, rape, religious abuse.
