Spoiler-Free Review
If you’re looking for a fall read that’s witchy without the spookiness, Weyward will make an excellent choice. In this novel, witchcraft is not about cauldrons and brimstone and contracts with the devil, but about connection with nature.
Click here for trigger warnings.
What’s Weyward about?
This story follows three distantly related women across five centuries who must take their destinies into their own hands, and find freedom and comfort in Weyward Cottage.
- 1619: Altha, who is accused of witchcraft and murder
- 1942: Violet, who is locked inside her home by her domineering father
- 2019: Kate, who is on the run from her abusive partner
This story uses the concept of witchcraft to explore feminist themes.
Each of our three main characters present a different vignette on the treatment of women.
Altha’s story explores the relationship between feminism and religiosity. The witch trials of that time are well-known, but this novel uses the idea of witchcraft to position the ways in which men feared women’s independence, and how they might have used conservative religion and the “witch” moniker to exert control.
“We never thought of ourselves as witches, my mother and I. For this was a word invented by men, a word that brings power to those that speak it, not those that it describes.”
In a similar way, Violet’s story explores the relationship between feminism and mental health, and how “eccentric” women who defied social norms were mistreated, especially by male relatives and doctors.
“She had thought, for a while, that she’d lost the magic of it: the ability to immerse herself in another time, another place. It had felt like forgetting to breathe. But she needn’t have worried. Now, worlds, characters, even sentences linger—burning like beacons in her brain. Reminding her that she’s not alone.”
Kate’s story explores feminism and domestic abuse. While these themes are also present in Altha’s and Violet’s stories, Kate’s really shows how a controlling partner can isolate and suffocate a person, and what it takes to reclaim power.
“The panic is rising. Except it isn’t panic, Kate knows now. It never was. The feeling of something trying to get out. Rage, hot and bright in her chest. Not panic. Power.”
All three were about taking back control of their fates from the men who sought to keep them down. It was as heartbreaking as it was empowering. Each also explored themes of pregnancy, loss, abortion, birth, and motherhood, with each unfolding in their own unique way, with different outcomes.
There are many stories about generational trauma, but this was a story about generational strength. Each of the main characters relied on the history of their foremothers to inform their own decisions, creating a sense of connectedness to the past and hope for the future. It was beautiful.
“Perhaps one day…there will be a safer time, when women could walk the Earth, shining bright with power, and yet live.”
I will say that I did feel frustrated with the pacing at times. We flipped between the POVs so frequently, and sometimes I forgot where we left a character when I returned to them. It’s a slow novel overall, but I don’t feel that lessens its impact.
Should you read Weyward?
I recommend if you like slow-paced, character-driven novels that explore heavy themes. You will also like it if you enjoy magical realism, historical fiction, and multi-POV stories that take place across time. If you like stories about justice and women reclaiming themselves, this should absolutely be on your list.
It may not be for you if you prefer a lot of action, or enjoy a faster pace in general. The plot here is mostly about how these women grow and change – the external plot only serves as a catalyst for their internal struggles. You should also know that while there is some witchcraft, it’s not about witchcraft. So this won’t be like Practical Magic.
Please review the trigger warnings before diving in if you think you might be sensitive to any themes around sexual assault, pregnancy or abortion, or abuse.
If you liked this review, please consider subscribing! I don’t yet have a newsletter or anything fancy (I’m a one-woman show and I do this for fun), but if you subscribe you’ll get an automated email notification like this on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:30am Central time when I post a new blog:
I would love to have you around! Subscribe below.
