Jaffareadstoo....: Borough Press

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Tuesday, 7 February 2023

📖 Book Review~ Weyward by Emilia Hart

The Borough Press
2 February 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Three women. Five centuries. One secret.

‘I had nature in my heart, she said. Like she did, and her mother before her. There was something about us – the Weyward women – that bonded us more tightly with the natural world.

We can feel it, she said, the same way we feel rage, sorrow or joy.’

In 2019, Kate flees an abusive relationship in London for Crows Beck, a remote Cumbrian village. Her destination is Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great Aunt Violet, an eccentric entomologist.

As Kate struggles with the trauma of her past, she uncovers a secret about the women in her family. A secret dating back to 1619, when her ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft…

Weyward is a stunning debut novel about gender and control – about the long echoes of male violence through the centuries. But more than that, it is a celebration of nature, female power and breaking free.

📖 My review..

Weyward brings us the story of three very different women who, although separated by time, have a common bond, and it is this bond which links the Weyward women through five centuries. They each face a battle against ignorance and prejudice which when brought up to date with Kate's battle against abuse in the present connects her with her ancestor, Altha who was on trial for witchcraft in 17th century Lancashire. When Kate's great-aunt Violet bequeaths her Weyward Cottage, in the remote hamlet of Crows Beck in Cumbria Kate is glad of the bolt hole but once at Crows Beck she starts to sense an encroaching atmosphere and the final loosening of family secrets which have been long buried.

Deftly keeping all triple strands of the multiple narratives together, Weyward is a nicely written historical time slip novel which has poignancy, excitement and danger in a story which brings to the forefront the manipulation of women whether it be in the 1600s, the 1940s or the 21st century.The story moves along well with each of women having their own individual chapters with none of them seeking to outshine the other. There is enough historical detail to make the older elements of the story feel authentic and the modern moments are well described. Weyward is the story of three strong female characters who are linked together by both blood and strength of will.

Now out in paperback
15 February 2024

About the Author

Emilia Hart is a British-Australian writer. She was born in Sydney and studied English Language 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 dn the Uk. She lives in London.

Twitter @EmiliaHartBooks #Weyward

@BoroughPress @HarperFiction

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

📖 Book Review ~ A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon

The Borough Press
28 April 2022

My thanks to the publisher and Random Things Tours for my copy of this book

A NICE, NORMAL HOUSE

Linda has lived around here ever since she fled the dark events of her childhood in Wales. Now she sits in her kitchen, wondering if this is all there is – pushing the Hoover round and cooking fish fingers for tea is a far cry from the glamorous lifestyle she sees in the glossy catalogues coming through the door for the house’s previous occupant.

A NICE, NORMAL HUSBAND

Terry isn’t perfect – he picks his teeth, tracks dirt through the house and spends most of his time in front of the TV. But that seems fairly standard – until he starts keeping odd hours at work, at around the same time young women start to go missing in the neighbourhood.

A NICE, NORMAL LIFE

If Linda could just track down Rebecca, who lived in the house before them, maybe some of that perfection would rub off on her. But the grass isn’t always greener: you can’t change who you really are, and there’s something nasty lurking behind the net curtains on Cavendish Avenue...

📖 My Review..

Linda Hammett and her husband Terry live a mundane sort of life which Linda brightens up by reading the glossy catalogues which are being delivered to Rebecca Finch the former occupier of their house. Linda is socially awkward and finds much comfort in living her life vicariously especially when she becomes somewhat obsessed with Rebecca and wonders if there is more to life than monotonous housework and her part-time job at the charity shop. However, living this quiet suburban life is not all is seems, especially when news breaks of a serial killer who is specifically targeting young women. That there is also some ambiguity in Linda's life becomes evident as the story progresses especially as her rather troubled past is gradually revealed.

What I love about Joanna Cannon's writing is her uncanny ability to get right into the heart and soul of her characters and Linda is very much at the centre of the story. The narration throughout has a singular voice, I could hear it, very clearly, in my head, and that voice is very much Linda's, her unique perspective on what is happening around her is what makes this such a fascinating story and one I won't spoil by giving away any more details.

Cleverly written and compellingly different, with a very tidy ending which made my jaw drop, there is no doubt that A Tidy Ending is Joanna Cannon writing at her perceptive and absolute best.

🍪 Best Read with..a packet of Linda's favourite Jaffa cakes

About the Author

Joanna Cannon’s first two novels, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things about Elsie, were both Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. She is a regular panellist on radio, TV and at literary festivals across the country. Her writing has appeared in the Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail and the Guardian, amongst others. Joanna left school at fifteen with one O-level and worked her way through many different jobs before returning to school in her thirties and qualifying as a doctor in her forties. Her work as a psychiatrist and interest in people on the fringes of society continue to inspire her writing.

Twitter @JoannaCannon #ATidyEnding

@BoroughPress

@HarperCollinsUK @RandomTTtours