About The Book:
The Gifts
A young woman staggers through the woods. Something is happening deep inside and as she’s thrown to her knees in agony, the world around her stops. When she comes to, she is astonished at the sight of her shadow – it has wings.
Meanwhile when rumours of ‘fallen angels’ cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune will find himself in the grip of a dangerous obsession, and 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 several female voices and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the knife-edge roles of women in society and the dark danger of ambition.
My Thoughts:
This is my first read by this author but it wont be my last. This book was a delight to read and the story will have you turning the pages furiously.
This book is told from five viewpoints; four of which are women and the fact they dare to question their place in society and the other is an ambitious surgeon, who in his quest for fame and glory forgets the oath he took to serve mankind and instead serves his own ambition. This has disastrous consequences or him and others in his orbit.
This book is set in the 1840’s and sets the tone of the period and draws on folklore and legends; one being The Angel of the Thames a legend which persists in the present day. This could also be classed as a feminist novel but this does not stand in the way of a well written story.
For me a well written and well crafted story with quality writing that wraps the parcel up nicely. Highly recommended.
The Author:
Author Bio – Liz Hyder has been making up stories for as long she can remember. She has a BA
in drama from the University of Bristol and, 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 chosen as the Children’s Book of the Year by The
Times. Originally from London, she now lives in South Shropshire. The Gifts is her debut adult novel.Social Media Links – Twitter: @LondonBessie (https://twitter.com/LondonBessie )Website: https://www.lizhyder.co.uk/
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