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The Wood at Midwinter

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Wood at Midwinter, written and read by Susanna Clarke.

Nominated for Best Audiobook: Fiction at The Speakies (The British Audio Awards)

Experience the magic of The Wood at Midwinter, a captivating Christmas short story written and read by Susanna Clarke, internationally bestselling author of Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Immerse yourself in this haunting tale, accompanied by exquisite music composed by Rusty Bradshaw.

‘A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They’re the same thing really.’

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scot is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst—and the path of her life is changed forever.

Featuring an afterword by Susanna Clarke explaining how she came to write it, this is a mesmerizing, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's library.

Critics Review

Clarke’s imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humor in the service of majesty.
The New York Times
Nobody writes about magic the way Clarke does . . . She writes about magic as if she’s actually worked it.
TIME Magazine
[Clarke is] one of the greatest novelists writing today.
Vox
There are traces of the Grimm Brothers’ eerie atmosphere and A.A. Milne’s ironic humor.
Ron Charles, Washington Post
Susanna Clarke's spellbinding performance of this enhanced audiobook brings out the alluring beauty of this mystical tale.
AudioFile Magazine
This is an amuse-bouche of a short story, the perfect bite of everything Clarke does best, wrapped in gorgeous illustrations by Victoria Sawdon . . . Glorious.
Reactor Magazine
A lovely fable . . . the narrative voice echoes the storytelling cadences of writers from Andrew Lang to C.S. Lewis . . . Charming.
Locus Magazine
Highly atmospheric, this winter tale is set in a wood and navigates the line between a Grimms’ fairy tale and a feminist manifesto . . . Clarke’s many fans will not be disappointed.
Library Journal
Hugo Award winner Clarke enchants with this bite-size Christmassy fairy tale . . . The juxtaposition of thoughtful and sometimes unsettling atmospherics with quirky enjoyment delights. This is an ideal stocking stuffer.
Publishers Weekly
A made-for-gifting book.
Kirkus Reviews
As beloved fantasy writer Clarke's atmospheric and gently funny fable about the holiness of nature, so gracefully illustrated by Victoria Sawdon, unfurls, Merowdis experiences a transformative encounter.
Booklist
This beautiful illustrated short story by the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a meditation on nature, magic, and the strange liminal spaces of childhood. It’s a perfect book to read as the seasons change and would make a gorgeous holiday gift. Recommended for fans of Over the Garden Wall, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, and anyone who just can’t get enough of Clarke’s ethereal writing.
Electric Literature
Beloved fantasy author Susanna Clarke welcomes the darkening season and its festivities with . . . a bewitching fairy tale . . . This kindhearted legend features lavish illustrations by Victoria Sawdon and comes bound in rich violet cover art inlaid with gold foil detail.
Shelf Awareness
Author Susanna Clarke
Narrator Susanna Clarke
Duration 35 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781639734733
Format Audiobook
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre Speculative fiction
Availability US

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