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Wakenhyrst

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Wakenhyrst

By: Michelle Paver
Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
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Bloomsbury presents Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver, read by Juanita McMahon.

A Times Best Book of 2019.

'Paver is one of Britain's modern greats. This sinister, gothic chiller shows why' BIG ISSUE, Books of the Year 2019.

"Something has been let loose..."

In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father.

When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened.

Maud's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old legends of her beloved fen – and the even more nightmarish demons of her father's past.

Spanning five centuries, Wakenhyrst is a darkly gothic thriller about murderous obsession and one girl's longing to fly free by the bestselling author of Dark Matter and Thin Air. Wakenhyrst is an outstanding new piece of story-telling, a tale of mystery and imagination laced with terror. It is a masterwork in the modern gothic tradition that ranges from Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker to Neil Gaiman and Sarah Perry.©2020 Michelle Paver (P)2020 Head of Zeus Genre Fiction Ghosts Gothic Horror Literary Fiction Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Haunted Scary Paranormal Fiction Exciting Suspense Mystery
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Critic reviews

[Michelle Paver's] storytelling is irresistible
It's a ghost story to put beside the classics of an earlier era... Compelling'
Original and engrossing... Paver masterfully blends together two narratives... Spanning fen devils, mystics and the lot of women in Edwardian England'
This book has been haunting me... Very gripping'
[A] superb, supernatural novel... Paver deliciously ratchets up the tension as Maud struggles for autonomy in the face of her father's deranged obsessions'
A brilliantly atmospheric read (be warned: it's also terrifying!) with a brave, forward-thinking heroine I loved
Paver is back on top form'
A spine-chilling masterpiece
This dark, gothic tale will hook you in with its atmospheric setting of a house on the edge of the Suffolk fens, and its themes of superstition, witchcraft and religion
Wakenhyrst is many things all at once – a chilling Gothic horror, a coming of age tale, a story of madness and loneliness, and most of all an account of how one girl manages to look out for herself when no-one else will. Paver successfully balances these themes as only a confident writer can. With fully realised characters and motivations, she draws you deeper and deeper into the story, even as the sense of dread grows stronger with every turn of the page
Dark, atmospheric and beautifully written
This perfectly constructed "modern Gothic" is laced with a real sense of menace – and a healthy dose of feminism
A demonic presence lurks in the fens in this tale about murder, loneliness and an abusive relationship
This is true goose-bump material' 8/10
This dark, gothic tale will hook you in with its atmospheric setting
Gothic thriller spanning five centuries. A woman living with her repressive father faces a battle against witchcraft and sorcery when a strange icon is discovered in a churchyard
There is a thick air of mystery to the story. The household is shrouded in secrets. I really liked the sinister, gothic feel I got from Wakenhyrst and I'll be looking out for more!'
Paver herself said it was the best book she's written, and you can see why: it's compulsively readable and savagely intelligent
This book is steeped in atmosphere as well as the stench and slime of the fen itself, a place barely touched by the outside world, and it is beautifully written and deliciously, gorgeously creepy
A clever, creepy Gothic tale
All stars
Most relevant
I rarely leave reviews but was moved to by Wakenhurst as I was so impressed by it. Michelle Paver skilfully weaves a haunting atmospheric tale which intertwines supernatural and psychological happenings. She really effectively maintains suspense for a novel length ghost story...an impressive feat on its own.

atmospheric, gripping & well written

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This book held me very tense throughout. I was very invested and enjoyed it. The author wrote a masterpiece in Edwardian horror. Very endearing main character.

very scary

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Great story, well narrated too. Amusing and intelligent. Definitly not hard going. Would definately recommend.

Had to keep going.

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came across the authors childrens books, which my son loved, very glad I gave this a go. wonderful writing and performance.

great story and atmosphere, beautifully read

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Evocative and well written, this is a story that is given time to grow and characters slowly develop and gain depth. It echoes the fens within which it is based where on the surface nothing appears to change, however if one looks a little deeper, everything does and with meaning. The religious and demonic mystery is both interesting and captivating and the book is well framed within outer and inner layers of truth and deception.
This book fits well with the other two stand alone ghost stories that the author has written. I await the next with interest.

Beautiful

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