Welcome to Litsy!

Maud lives under the thumb of her oppressive father, a religious zealot with sins. The manor house crumbles as his sanity does, as told through his journal-parallels only he can see mirroring a medieval manuscript. The reader can see the megalomania take him; Maud pays the price to keep her beloved fen (wild marshland) safe. I loved this book, and less than 500 words cannot do it justice!

Set in the Suffolk fens this gothic tale of the difficult relationship between maud and her troubling father. The bk opens in the 1960's when an older Maud has to confront the publicity of an act of violence yrs before in the rambling home she now maintains. We then revisit her as a child with Father Edmund, who becomes obsessed with a 16c local mystic + a diabolic wall painting unearthed nearby. Folkloric + well told I was suitably unsettled

A weak Pick for this Gothic-esque tale. It had atmosphere by the bucketful but I found it hard to get through - due mainly to the frustratingly uneven flow of the narrative i.e. the father's diary sections. This sort of exposition being common in the Gothic, I can understand why the author did this, but it didn't work for me. But I did love the character of Maud, the creepiness, the fen as liminal space, the lovely writing, the awful father!

This one next. My reading pace is picking up slightly...if only I could stay awake past 9.30pm I'd get much more done! I used to be such a night owl...

I had an urge for something “gothicky” and randomly plucked this one off my shelves.

A creepy manor house on the creepy fens with a creepy father and a lonely child. What‘s not to love? 😆

Couldn‘t sleep so finished this creepy gothic tale. I found it atmospheric and totally engrossing. A descent into madness, murder and possible ghosts are all weaved into the story although you‘re never quite sure what‘s real
Really enjoyed this one
4 ⭐️

I very much enjoyed this atmospheric And gothic style story. There is a good sense of time and place and the feeling of pervading menace is very strong. It‘s creepy and sinister as well as being quite sad in parts. It‘s beautifully written and I liked the epistolary sections. The characters really came alive for me and the descriptions of the Fens are very vivid. An engaging, eerie and engrossing read.

A quick read

I think I‘m going to go with a high so-so for this one. I enjoyed the fenland setting, and quite enjoyed the story. It definitely got bogged down in Edmund‘s sin and diaries in the middle. He really had zero redeeming features. And as a non-horror reader, I kind of wanted more creep and scariness than the pondweed provided. No, I can‘t figure that out either.

Thanks for getting me to try something different #Glastonerds!

I made it to the lull-period at about 40%. It was good up to there.

I am currently the grumpiest person in Grumpyville.

I was pinged this afternoon & have to spend a full 10 days self-isolating. Obviously (🙄) I celebrated ‘freedom day‘ (🙄) way too recklessly by leaving the house for a full 30 minutes yesterday to go to the greengrocer.

On the bright side, I might actually finish our bookclub book…

The first half of this book was a 5 star read! I stayed up late and couldn‘t put it down. Then, it dipped in the middle. Too much of the father‘s diary, it felt repetitive and I started skimming. The ending is predictable. BUT overall, a solid pick. Full of gothic atmosphere with a creeping dread. A good eerie read. 👍 😉

Sorry, finished 4 books in the last 2 days so going a bit review-crazy…!

I wasn‘t really sure if I wanted to read this, fellow #bookclubbers - it‘s just not my ‘thing‘. But I really liked it!

There wasn‘t the fantasy element that I expected so that helped, and I got a real sense of the eerieness and claustrophobia. It reminded me a bit of The Essex Serpent but, for me, a more coherent storyline that I enjoyed far more.

Audiowalking with Miss Daisy, and hoping we don't get soaked. Started this one. Anyone else started @TrishB @squirrelbrain @julesG @caroline2 @jenniferw88 @scripturient @eraderneely @youneverarrived @Susanita @Leniverse @rockpools @jhod (and apologies if I forgot someone!)

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 205
#BooksToRead #TBRPile #TBRMountain

This is a strange read. Maud is a difficult character to like at first, she's very spiky but when you consider her childhood experiences it's not surprising. Her father is one of the most loathsome characters I've ever read about. Overall I liked parts of it, but other aspects were frustrating, therefore I rate this one 3.5🌟

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

#20in4 @andrew65

Well, I feel bad admitting this but I‘m 75% in and bored. I don‘t feel like there is much mystery to keep me going. I‘m sad because I really really loved my experience with Dark Matter.

That sound is me clapping about my library hold coming in! 👏🏾

Storming through #bookspinbingo this month @TheAromaofBooks 🙌 for the holidays! This was a slow burning, atmospheric, deliciously gothic tale full of family secrets, madness, and intense hatred, and the reader is never quite sure who is gaslighting who. I loved it!

I'm so tired today even if I didn't go to work!
I did shopping and get a new beautiful bag, mum's gift!
I'm obsessed with bags 😍😍

#wakenhyrst #michellepaver #dayoff #shopping #Christmasiscoming

She is so confortable... my foot is under her and it's burning 🤣

#dog #dogofLitsy #coldnight #wakenhyrst #michellepaver #degasbookmark #bedtime #reading

Christmas is coming to town!
The first one is a Christmas from a friend of mine, the second one is a gift by myself 🤣
Hope I'll like them both!

#neverletmego #kazuoishiguro #wakenhyrst #michellepaver

A well written insidious descent into madness 😈

I realized I never reviewed this book. It was a great pick for me and I loved being immersed in the Edwardian fen with Maud. The kind of novel I love where the you see the characters ponder what is real or imagined. I wanted a little bit of a different ending, but I understand why the author chose to write it the way she did. Great October read!

A perfectly chilling Gothic tale for October. The story takes place in the fens of Suffolk during the early years of the 20th Century. Are the fens haunted? Or is Maud's cruel and controlling father the true demon?

1. Wakenhyrst and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
2. The Master and Margarita
3. Yes! Cry of the Werewolf, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Crimson Peak, and I am Lisa. I love Halloween movies as long as they aren‘t super scary. 🎃🧛‍♂️#weekendreads
@rachelsbrittain

🌞Edwardian fen reveals hidden past
🌞Coffee: It‘s invigorating and inspiring. I also need books!
🌞1601 to see Shakespeare perform in his own play,
Early 1800s to hear Paganini perform, or 1851 to see The Crystal Palace expedition.
Thank you for the tag! @rubyslippersreads #wondrouswednesday would you like to share?
@La_Cori @Mishu94 @BiblioLitten

Excited to start this book. I love October. 🎃🖤

3.5 🌟
A must read for gothic victorian lover out there. Wakenhyrst begins with discovery of some devil paintings from a lunatic called Edmund Stearne. The public begins to take notice of the discovery since Edmund is the owner of Wakenhyrst, an secluded gothic manor with mysterious fen and tangled garden. He is admitted to an asylum for killing.
The book goes back from 1966 to 1906 to tell it all.

@ImperfectCJ I'm impressed with your new technique on bookmarks. Thank you 🧡💚💗💛

I can't bring myself to steal the Kobo from my daughter again just to get a photo of the cover, so here's a cool shell I saw at the beach recently.

Wakenhyrst is an interesting, complex gothic story that gets a little convoluted at times. Paver does a very good job with setting and mood and with illustrating Maud's isolation, and there's a decent amount of creepiness, too. Good, not awesome, but still a "pick".

1. A pashmina I found at the thrift store. Got a lot more wear in Massachusetts than it does in SoCal.
2. I think I've visited all the major desert regions in the western US, and I lived in the Great Basin. I ❤️ the desert.
3. Tagged plus Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and a bunch of history books for homeschool. I'm having trouble getting into anything right now. Sigh.
#ThoughtfulThursday @MoonWitch94

From prologue: "Like a witch's lair in a fairytale the ancient manor house crouches in its tangled garden."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Progress on my book isn't going so well but vitamin D synthesis is taking off. I haven't sunbathed since high school so it only takes about ten minutes before I have to hit the shade, even with the filtering effect of my leg hair.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

I'm going to have to move Voltaire towards the top of my reading list, I think. Might help me understand where we are and where we're headed (which I suppose is the general purpose of philosophy).

About half way through, different to Dark Matter and Thin Ice but very good draws you in slowly..... such a lot of detail...... spanning five centuries there‘s a lot of folklore and the fens and waterways around the house are very much a part of this book ... so far I like it a lot!!

I loved reading this book once I got into it understood what was happening. Gorgeous and imaginative. Read full review here: https://thecuriousmagpie2018.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/book-review-wakenhyrst-by-...

Despite my lack of concentration recently, when I did pick up this book I couldn‘t put it down! A great gothic horror set in an old house next to an English Fen which explores the story of a murder that has been talked about for many years. Maud, the main female lead finally tells her story, or some of it...
I found switching between the two points of view, Maud and her fathers diary, kept things flowing. Highly recommended to fans of the genre!!

I don't want this to end!!!
Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a corner of the fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds hold dark secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without her mother, ruled by her repressive father. When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened. Maid's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft....

A little bit of reading time while I wait for my Sister to arrive for lunch 😊

Thanks for the tag @DaveGreen7777 😊

1. I am drawn to books for their covers but will read anything if it sounds good.

2. Tagged!

3. I tend to stick to the BBC

4. Snooze, snooze, snooze!

5. I tag anyone who hasn‘t yet played!

#friYAYintro

The reeds stood tall and dead: I had the oddest feeling they wanted me gone. The light was failing. I caught a swampy smell of decay. Behind me something rustled and I saw the reeds part for some unseen creature. I thought: No wonder Maud‘s mad. All her life in a place like this?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An Edwardian Gothic speculative tale, that gave me chills, I found some of the descriptions very similar to M.R. James fabulous ghost stories. An evil has been let loose in the Suffolk Fens; can Maud survive her fathers growing madness and the superstitions of the country to gain the freedom she desires.

Reading with Coco and Pablo #PetsOfLitsy #DogsOfLitsy

@TheAromaofBooks I‘m starting my #BookSpin #DoubleSpin book today. It‘s been on my shelf for a few months now, thank you for helping me tackle #MountTBR

Michelle Paver is a master at creating atmosphere. I had listened to her previous book Dark Matter and was transported into an Arctic ghost story. Wakenhyrst is very firmly set in turn of the century England. It is claustrophobic, compelling, and delightfully creepy. I love my edition. It has gorgeous endpapers and an attached ribbon bookmark. Adore!

I realised I hadn‘t posted a picture of my #XmasHaul yet, so here it is in all its beauty! There‘s the Illustrated Edition of The Goblet Of Fire, SE of Crooked Kingdom, CE of A Court Of Thorns & Roses, CE of A Conjuring Of Light, SE of And Then There Were None, the Slytherin & Ravenclaw editions of Prisoner Of Azkaban, a signed copy of Darkness For Light, Me by Elton John, Acid For The Children, The Maker Of Swans, Oryx & Crake, Wakenhyrst 👇👇👇

This is a really great read, a gothic thriller. It had me gripped to the end! #books