And so we slowly catch up on what has happened in this house throughout the decades, the tragic events happening to several individuals of three generations until the conclusion. One of my favourite things about Wakenhyrst is that it uses a distinctive medieval European depiction of nature, in this instance, the Suffolk Fens. The Fens are presented to us as this wild, unromantic, untamed space that transcends social boundaries (see Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or Marie de France’s Lanval). Even Wakes End’s patriarch, Edmund Sterne, with all the power that his status and gender affords, is at the mercy of the marsh. Only in this space can Maud be her true self, unrestricted by the social expectations of a landowner’s daughter. Only here can she pursue a romance with the working-class under-gardener, only amongst the mud and reeds can she exist without being sexualised or undermined for being a woman. The Suffolk Fens are to Wakenhyrst what the Yorkshire moors are to Wuthering Heights, the feral beauty of the marsh is to Maud Sterne what the unbridled heathland is to Catherine Earnshaw.

Paver definitely seems to be the go to author during the spooky season as this gothic Edwardian mystery is just as compelling as her ghost stories. As in Dark Matter, Paver manages the balance between outright supernaturalism and the suggestion that the horrors are psychological in origin with great skill. It is more difficult to pull this off at novel-length than in a short story, and harder now than it was 100 years ago, but she succeeds. Revisiting M R James territory with a modern feminist sensibility, Wakenhyrst is weirdly compelling.”

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It was not me who discovered Michelle Paver about five years ago, but my daughter when she pulled “The Wolf Brothers” off the shelf at our local library and then read all six books of the “Chronicles of Ancient Darkness” in short succession. So you may forgive me, that I had Michelle Paver down as a middle grade author until I saw Wakenhyrst on the shelf at the same library but this time in the adult section of “new and notable releases”. The magpie on the cover sealed the deal, because I adore the birds for their chatter and cheekiness. The novel is perhaps misnamed: it focuses on the house Wake’s End set beside the local fen, some three miles from the village of Wakenhyrst; and, like its protagonist, Maud Stearne, the narrative rarely leaves that house which creates a deliciously taut atmosphere. And as to the relationship of the house and the fen, it carries echoes of the conflict between the human and the natural, the rational and the fairytale, as the fen abounded with “ferishes and hobby-lanterns” which “ull hook you in to a miry death” if you don’t take care. And like any taboo forbidden place, it was immediately appealing to the child Maud. My only qualm with Maud was her rivalry with Ivy, a young and pretty maid in her household. However, this is rectified in Maud’s epilogue when she declares that the friction between them was pointless; Ivy simply tried to change her lot with what she could, as a working-class woman. Maud’s wealth afforded her some amount of foundational respect, yet she used her intelligence to achieve her goals. Ivy was not afforded that same respect as a maid, so had to use her looks and sexuality to get what she wanted. Maud doesn’t blame Ivy for resenting her, she was born into wealth – and as much as she had to fight because she is a woman, she realises that Ivy has had to fight not only because she is a woman, but also because she is poor. Maud understands her privilege, making the decision to financially support Ivy long after the main events in the story take place, and despite her contempt for the girl. A demonic presence lurks in the fens in this tale about murder, loneliness and an abusive relationship' The Times, The Best Books of 2019.

Part of the novel is about some slats of wood with painted images, found behind the church. Throughout the story Maud’s father becomes more and more obsessed by them. They are recovered and sent away to be restored and eventually returned to the church. These medieval paintings on wood are known as a doom. The Suffolk Manor and surrounding Fen really adds to tension building atmosphere creates an impending doom that awaits Maud's father. Maud’s battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old legends of her beloved fen – and the even more nightmarish demons of her father’s past. These early chapters were well written and engaging enough, but very much the preamble to the core narrative which begins when Father, now widowed and bedding the maid, Ivy, with renewed vigour, discovers a painted eye in the grass of the churchyard, from which clue a painting is discovered and dated. The Wakenhyrst Doom, a depiction of The Last Judgment with a savage lascivious demon lurking in the corner, joyfully torturing a range of sinners in the style of Hieronymous Bosch, described as

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Sub-Genre/Themes: Coming-of-age, religious oppression, patriarchy, witchcraft, estates/mansion, Edwardian Suffolk, romance, miscarriages, murder, mystery, the fens (swamp, wetlands), demonology, historical fiction I loved the whole ‘upstairs, downstairs’ aspect of the story because due to tragic (frustrating circumstances) the Lady of the house, Maud’s mother, passes away early on. So she’s raised by her patriarchal, awful Father.

Gothic thriller spanning five centuries. A woman living with her repressive father faces a battle against witchcraft and sorcery when a strange icon is discovered in a churchyard' Love It Magazine. a rich landowner and respected historian, a man of spotless reputation – until one summer’s day when he slaughtered the first person he came across in the most bizarre and horrible way… We meet Maud as a child in the repressive isolation and secrecy of Wake’s End as she grapples with the loss of her mother and struggles under her father’s commanding presence. Maud is isolated in more than just location; as the oldest of her much younger siblings, she is alone in her daily life, alone in grieving her mother, alone in her understanding of life at Wake’s End and the desire to be out from under her father’s rule. As her father’s only daughter, she is also isolated as the only female member of her family left—unimportant, incapable, and harmless as any other woman in her father’s eyes. We move through periods of Maud’s childhood as she grows into her teenage years, as she carves space for herself within Wake’s End. She grows to realize that she can grant herself little freedoms, that her own beliefs may lie somewhere outside of what everyone else in Wakenhyrst believes, that perhaps the only thing worth believing in is the one thing she holds most dearly: the fen. There’s a richness to this story that is enhanced by its unhurried pace, by the fact that readers get to sit still within Wake’s End as threads of intrigue, mystery, and building suspense are woven steadily around us as we come to know Maud, her father, and Wakenhyrst itself throughout years of her life. Months after reading it, I remain obsessed with Michelle Paver’s Wakenhyrst… Spooky, twisted and unforgettable” What You Need to Know: I’m holding this book and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, responsible for ushering me into my Gothic era. I truly believe in moods & vibes and if you’re not in your Gothic era, they won’t appeal to you the way they should. You can’t be in a rush to get to whatever it is you’re looking for in Horror. Gothic Horror is seductive and soothing. It takes its time plunging the reader into the setting & atmosphere. I don’t recommend dipping in and out of it–once you’ve found the sweet spot–stay in it.Writing Style: Intricately plotted, character-driven, authentic dialects, immersive/detailed & descriptive Your knowledge of Scripture is impressive, but you mustn’t show off. Intellectual conceit is unattractive, particularly in females.” I loved Maud, the manor, the Fen. I loved the darkness, the obsessiveness, the building sense of dread. I loved Chatterpie. I hated Maud's father, but found his journals made for excellent reading.

I adored Maud. Her forward thinking and feminist ideologies, her stubborn nature, and her ardent longing for the natural world all spoke to my heart and I was to unable to do anything but align with her cause. Her father, however, far less so, just as the story demanded of its readers.For others that are looking for a spooky October read-- this story has no chilling or scary moments! I can't understand why that is even stated in the Publisher's summary. There is nothing in this book that comes close to being spooky, it is all cruelty and unfairness in the life of an intelligent young girl. Maud spend most her time in the nursery worrying about her maman. Maman has many ‘groanings’, these ‘groanings’ occasionally resulted in a baby but most often a sheet soaked in blood. Through Edmund’s journal, his entitlement of his position in the world is clear. He can treat those in his household how he pleases, as long as he keeps up appearances to society. As Maud’s account starts, she knows her mother is constantly ill, resulting in “the groaning”. Edmund’s sexual desires take precedence over his wife’s health, who repeatedly suffers miscarriages. Young Maud makes up her own version of events until she starts to read her father’s journals. Along with the strong-willed Maud, my heart also became enamoured with the majestic wilderness that consistently surrounded her. I could not fail but to liken this to my favourite read, Wuthering Heights. Cathy Earnshaw is as much a product of the moors as she is her upbringing and the same can be said for Maud. Also, in both, the mirroring of tempestuous passions between nature and the characters traversing its plains dominate the texts. Both were about far more than nature's undisturbed beauty but that is what spoke so clearly to me, through the intricacies of the plot, and ensured both as eternally unforgettable reads.