Weyward
**KATE, 2019** Kate flees London – abandoning everything – for Cumbria and Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great-aunt. There, a secret lurks in the bones of the house, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century. **VIOLET, 1942** Violet is more interested in collecting insects and climbing trees than in becoming a proper young lady. Until a chain of shocking events changes her life forever. **ALTHA, 1619** Altha is on trial for witchcraft, accused of killing a local man. Known for her uncanny connection with nature and animals, she is a threat that must be eliminated. But Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed… Weaving together the stories of three women across five centuries, Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Weyward
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Three Weyward women share a Cumbrian cottage across four hundred years. In 1619 Altha Weyward stands trial for witchcraft after a herdsman is trampled. In 1942 Violet Ayres flees an abusive father at Orton Hall to the small cottage.
Emilia Hart drew from the historical Pendle witch trials of 1612 in Lancashire. The novel weaves real history with fictional characters across three timelines.
It alternates between three time periods, but each thread is clearly marked and the structure becomes intuitive within the first few chapters.
Weyward was written by Emilia Hart, published in 2023 by Cengage Gale.
Weyward is 352 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Weyward takes most readers 5 to 8 hours to finish.
Weyward is a standalone novel by Emilia Hart, not part of a series.
Weyward is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.