Infused with a touch of magical realism, this is a suspenseful novel about three resilient women struggling against the cruelty of some very bad men. The mysterious story is shrouded in long-kept secrets, betrayal, and violence, as well as the power of nature.
Written by Emilia Hart, this is the story of three women from the Weyward family, who live different times: • It’s 1619 in Crows Beck, a small village in Cumbria in northwest England. Altha Weyward, whose first name means “healer,” has been accused of being a witch, specifically causing the death of a dairy farmer when his otherwise placid cows stampeded over him on a cold winter’s day. She has been transported to the dungeon in Lancaster where she will be tried for the crime.
• It’s 1942, and Violet Ayres, the sheltered and despised daughter of a viscount, is rarely allowed to leave the grounds of Orton Hall, the viscount’s historic estate. She has learned to never ask questions about her mother, who died under mysterious circumstances when Violet was only two years old. One day, Violet finds a strange marking scratched into the woodwork of her bedroom: Weyward. What does that mean? After 16-year-old Violet is raped by a visiting cousin, she is sent away to a mysterious cottage in Crows Beck.
• It’s 2019 in London, and Kate Ayres is tremulous with fear, as her live-in boyfriend, Simon, a wealthy businessman comes home from work. Simon controls Kate’s every move, tracking her on her phone among other things. And when he gets angry, which is often, he hurts her—scalding her, punching her, bruising her. He has closed her off from her family and friends. Kate is all alone in this living hell, until one day—newly pregnant and desperate to keep her unborn child safe—she gets up the courage she needs and flees to remote Crows Beck where her late great-aunt Violet has left Kate Weyward Cottage in her will.
All three women have a gift they share: They are able to commune with nature—from spiders to crows.
Each story alternates every third chapter, and while this may seem like it could be disconcerting or confusing, it’s not. Instead, it is powerful, ingenious, and captivating. Of course, the three stories eventually connect, but meanwhile the cliffhanger endings of each chapter kept me riveted and avidly reading.
Bonus: Be sure to read the first two paragraphs of the author’s acknowledgements at the end of the book—especially if you’re a teacher.
