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peachy__'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
emilylouise's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
An enjoyable but ultimately forgettable read.
darren0101's review against another edition
4.0
Mixing the folklore and religious beliefs, Michelle Paver has created a brilliant gothic story about young Maud growing up in the grand manor house of Wakenhyrst in the middle of the Fen, an area untouched by man and the centre of many beliefs and superstitions
Starting in the 1960’s we learn that Edward Stearne, a deeply religious scholar and historian has been committed to a mental asylum. During his time there he has painted 3 paintings shrouded in mystery and now receiving some notoriety following his death.
Tasked with discovering more about his murder and incarceration, Dr Bryce Hunter is invited by Maud, now a recluse of Wakenhyrst since the murder in 1913 and not always presumed to be an innocent of the events surrounding her father’s breakdown. With the rumoured notebooks of Edward Stearne at her disposal the story is told from Maud's point of view and how her father slowly unravelled whilst studying the life of Alice Pyatt, a supposedly possessed woman from the 15th century and the hellish depiction of the newly discovered painting the ‘Doom’ lead Edward Stearne to see images in the painting parallel his own life.
Wakenhyrst as a slow burner of a novel with no jump scares or shocks but a brilliant gothic novel touching on the slow descent into madness.
Starting in the 1960’s we learn that Edward Stearne, a deeply religious scholar and historian has been committed to a mental asylum. During his time there he has painted 3 paintings shrouded in mystery and now receiving some notoriety following his death.
Tasked with discovering more about his murder and incarceration, Dr Bryce Hunter is invited by Maud, now a recluse of Wakenhyrst since the murder in 1913 and not always presumed to be an innocent of the events surrounding her father’s breakdown. With the rumoured notebooks of Edward Stearne at her disposal the story is told from Maud's point of view and how her father slowly unravelled whilst studying the life of Alice Pyatt, a supposedly possessed woman from the 15th century and the hellish depiction of the newly discovered painting the ‘Doom’ lead Edward Stearne to see images in the painting parallel his own life.
Wakenhyrst as a slow burner of a novel with no jump scares or shocks but a brilliant gothic novel touching on the slow descent into madness.
kain47's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Blood
ferne's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
readbythea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
stephen_baird's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve always loved reading Michelle Paver’s work and got Wakenhyrst as soon as it came out in paperback, then it’s languished on my TBR for years, creeping up and down as the mood took me.
The Edwardian era is such a short date but so fixed in the minds, lots of societal changes, with technology, science, and religion going through a lot of huge jump.
Wakenhyrst is set in rural Suffolk and follows the obsession of Edmund Stearne and how it twists and turns through the years playing on a shocking secret from his childhood. This is all seen through the eyes of his daughter, Maud.
After the death of her mother in childbirth Maud goes through various periods of development and hate toward her father, the church, and the world. Intelligent and astute though she is her perceptions are those of an innocent child in the countryside and this is crucial to the plot development.
The intertwining of Edmund’s guilt, piety, callousness, and authoritarian trends make this a story that you’re never sure of. On as solid ground as the fens that surround the house, threads come and go throughout this story that are fun to trace down and often as ephemeral as the mists the supernatural theme floats throughout the story.
With an excellent ending this has been a wonderful read, and for those that love the gothic style of ghost stories this is a must book.
The Edwardian era is such a short date but so fixed in the minds, lots of societal changes, with technology, science, and religion going through a lot of huge jump.
Wakenhyrst is set in rural Suffolk and follows the obsession of Edmund Stearne and how it twists and turns through the years playing on a shocking secret from his childhood. This is all seen through the eyes of his daughter, Maud.
After the death of her mother in childbirth Maud goes through various periods of development and hate toward her father, the church, and the world. Intelligent and astute though she is her perceptions are those of an innocent child in the countryside and this is crucial to the plot development.
The intertwining of Edmund’s guilt, piety, callousness, and authoritarian trends make this a story that you’re never sure of. On as solid ground as the fens that surround the house, threads come and go throughout this story that are fun to trace down and often as ephemeral as the mists the supernatural theme floats throughout the story.
With an excellent ending this has been a wonderful read, and for those that love the gothic style of ghost stories this is a must book.
lizzyanwen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75