Book Synopsis:
In an age defined by men, it will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are . . .October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in Shropshire as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.Meanwhile, when rumours of a ‘fallen angel’ cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .THE GIFTS is the astonishing debut adult novel from the lauded author of BEARMOUTH. A gripping and ambitious book told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition.
The Gifts is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
My Review:
The Gifts is a magical, atmospheric and absorbing read which I really enjoyed. I made sure I started it when I knew I’d have lots of reading time as I knew I’d soon be lost in the story.
Firstly I absolutely loved the rich historical detail which helped to bring the story to life. It was fascinating to learn more about the era, especially the medical practices at the time some of which were very eye opening. I found myself wincing at some of the descriptions, not able to believe that that was how things used to be done. Some of the surgical scenes were very vivid and I felt I could smell the sweat and the blood sometimes as I read.
The characters were all very different creations and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. The story is told through 5 characters point of view, four women and 1 men, each one has a different symbol at the start of the chapter so once I got used the quick changes it was easy to keep track of. It was interesting to explore Victorian attitude towards women through the female characters and I loved seeing how they refused to give up their dreams despite societies expectations of them.
I especially enjoyed reading more about the changes in opinion as science advanced and the arguments between science and religion which had previously had such a firm grip on society. There are some quite poignant subjects discussed during the book which took me by surprise but I enjoyed exploring the subjects alongside the characters. I feel that this would make a great bookclub read as there would be lots to discuss.
Overall, as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book. The story gripped me from the dramatic opener to the final pages with the beautiful, haunting writing and absorbing storyline. This is a book that I’ll be recommending to everyone as it’s one of my books of the year so far!
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Bonnier for my copy of this book from Netgalley, though as you can see from the picture I was enjoying the book so much I treated myself to a beautiful special edition from Waterstones too!
About The Author:
Liz Hyder has been making up stories for as long she can remember. She has a BAin drama from the University of Bristoland, in early 2018, won the Bridge Award/Moniack Mhor Emerging Writer Award.Bearmouth, her debut young adult novel,won a Waterstones Children’s Book Prize,the Branford Boase Award and was chosenas the Children’s Book of the Year by TheTimes. Originally from London, she nowlives in South Shropshire. The Gifts is herdebut adult novel.
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