Black Woods, Blue Sky

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What to expect

Where there is wonder, there is love - an unforgettable story of the beauty and savagery of the Alaskan wilderness, from the author of the million-copy international bestseller, The Snow Child.

'I read with my heart in my mouth, filled with wonder' Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
'An enthralling novel about the endurance of love, the power of forgiveness and the savage, irresistible allure of wild places' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

Birdie's keeping it together, of course she is. So she's a little hungover on her shifts, and has to bring her daughter to the lodge while she waits tables, but Emaleen never goes hungry. It's a tough town to be a single mother, and Birdie just needs to get by.
And then Birdie meets Arthur, who is quieter than most men, but makes her want to listen; who is gentle with Emaleen, and understands Birdie's fascination with the mountains in whose shadow they live. When Arthur asks Birdie and Emaleen to leave the lodge and make a home, just the three of them, in his off-grid cabin, Birdie's answer, in a heartbeat, is yes.

Out in the wilderness Birdie's days are harsher and richer than she ever imagined possible. Here she will feel truly at one with nature. Here she, and Emaleen, will learn the whole, fearful truth about Arthur.

Critics Review

Black Woods, Blue Sky is an enthralling novel about the endurance of love, the power of forgiveness and the savage, irresistible allure of wild places
Paula Hawkins, author of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
Entrancing, tender, bold and beautifully strange: in Black Woods, Blue Sky, Eowyn Ivey does again what she does so brilliantly. Out of myth she weaves a beautiful contemporary story to delight the senses, and keep us turning, page by page, to the astounding end. She makes us think about the space where man becomes nature, and how we only learn when we listen to the world beyond our own. I read with my heart in my mouth and filled with wonder. This is a very special book.
Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of MRS BENSON'S BEETLE
To be in the imagination of Eowyn Ivey is to be wrapped in the exquisite pelt of the wilderness. This book is a place I will revisit, time and again.
Jackie Morris, author of THE LOST WORDS
Written with love for the Alaskan landscape, Black Woods, Blue Sky is a dazzling and moving journey into the reaches of the wilderness and the reaches of the human heart. Ivey's prose is pure and authentic, drawing you in to the richness of these characters and their lives. This one will stay with you.
Tiffany McDaniel, author of BETTY and ON THE SAVAGE SIDE
What a book - I am still enthralled and haunted. Black Woods, Blue Sky is a fable about what it is to love, a tale of longing, a call to renew our deepest bonds with the living world. It will draw you along like a fast moving stream, and you will find yourself in places you have never been
Louise Erdrich, author of THE NIGHTWATCHMAN and THE ROUND HOUSE
One of the best books you will ever read, this is an extraordinary story told by one of the very best storytellers today. Tense, atmospheric and spell-binding, it will lead you into darkness and break your heart yet, at the same time, is full of hope, love and redemption. Ivey is an absolute master in making you believe in the impossible and this is her finest work to date - unforgettable.
Liz Hyder, author of THE GIFTS and THE TWELVE
No one writes like Eowyn Ivey. Her voice is as enchanting as it is original and Black Woods, Blue Sky may be her best novel yet. A compelling story of love and forgiveness, it is also a page turner, creating a sense of foreboding in the vast Alaskan landscape that Ivey evokes with such passion and precision
Geraldine Brooks, author of YEAR OF WONDERS and HORSE
Suspenseful, laced with beauty and shot through with darkness, Black Woods, Blue Sky explores the nature of courage, the limits of love, and what happens when nature and civilization collide
Shelf Awareness
Myth and reality fuse together in the Alaskan wilderness in the potent latest from Ivey . . .The novel is alive with a sense of the natural world of Alaska, which Ivey portrays as a liminal space where the human and animal kingdoms interact, and it's buoyed by gripping suspense and moments of tenderness
Publishers Weekly
Eowyn Ivey really is the most exceptional writer, gifted at exploring flawed humanity and the occasional beauty it brings. A magical and moving story of wonder, resilience and self-discovery set in the Alaskan wilderness. A delight.
Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl
Atmospheric and deeply metaphorical, this story is a moody vehicle for conversations about motherhood, female autonomy, one's inner child and the siren-like pull we feel towards nature . . . the ending haunts me months later'
Vogue

User Reviews

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Narration 4.0
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looby1969k 08/04/2025

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