My Review of Wild Spinning Girls by Carol Lovekin #TuesdayBookBlog

I gave Wild Spinning Girls 5*out of 5*


Book Description:

Ida Llewellyn loses her job and her parents in the space of a few weeks and, thrown completely off course, she sets off to Wales to the house her father has left her. But Heather, the young woman still in her teens whose home it was, keeps the house as a shrine to her late mother and is determined to scare Ida away. The two girls battle with suspicion and fear before discovering that the secrets harboured by their thoughtless parents have grown rotten with time, and that any ghosts Ty'r Cwmwl harbours are of their own making. Their broken hearts will only mend once they cast off the house and its history, and let go of the keepsakes that they treasure like childhood dreams

My Review:

Wild Spinning Girls is told in poetic prose; sentences and clauses to be savoured. To be read again and again. The images they evoke create the mysterious and ephemeral sense of place that the author strives for. It works. Having lived for most of my younger life on the moors I understood the uncertainty, the lack of direction, the danger that is shown in many of the passages where Ida is alone in the desolation, the isolation.  The author creates an ominous, almost menacing atmosphere in her descriptions of the house, its previous occupant, and the surrounding landscape, which contrasts with the narrative of the village and the inquisitive inhabitants.

A great setting for the plot that evolves.

And it’s an interesting story, showing the relationship between the protagonist, Ida, a city girl, grieving for too many losses in her life, and inheritor of Ty’r Cwmwl, (Cloud House), and the girl  who lived in the house before her, Heather. Also grieving. The tenuous connection grows slowly, from resentment and hostility on both sides, to a slow and cautious understanding. One wants her surroundings to stay as they are, one wants the changes she craves for, even though she is not quite sure what they are or what she can do about it. The secret they unwittingly share is gradually revealed, the mistrust slowly dissolves in the realisation of that revelation. It is a thread beautifully woven throughout.

I particularly liked the metaphor of the birds being seen differently: portrayed to the reader by one character, Ida, as the symbol of danger and threat; by Heather; that they represent guardianship and belonging.

I admit I would have liked to have known more about the minor characters. We had a glimpse of Ida’s relationship with her mother; the legacy of guilt underlies much of the story. I even wanted Liz to have more input (though I realise she is really a symbol for the life that Ida has left behind – well, that’s my interpretation, anyway and takes nothing from the plot). I certainly wanted to know more about Roni’s background; such an intriguing character (deserving of her own story…hmm?).  And I wanted to know where the relationship with Lowri will go. ( I think this says more about me than the narrative – I love learning about characters, which is probably why it was as much the relationship between Ida and Heather and the realisation of where they fit into one another’s lives that intrigued me and ultimately satisfied a niggling realisation) as anything. Does that make sense? And, yes, I know that would have made the book far too long and cumbersome – and, more importantly, taken away from the style it is written in.

A word about the dialogue; something I am always aware of in books. I liked the contrast of the dialogue to the narrative. Straight forward, moving the story on and showing a lot about each character’s personalities. Each has their own nuances, quirks of speech; it’s easy to pick up who is speaking even without dialogue tags.  And I liked the unconscious way the two main characters’ dialogue ‘danced’ around one another. (A reflection of the ballet theme? Another metaphor? I don’t know but it worked for me). And then the direct speech of the gossiping villagers, Roni, Liz and Lowri. So good.

It’s an uncomplicated story that moves slowly but steadily towards a satisfying end. I started this review by saying it‘s written in poetic prose with sentences and clauses to be savoured; to be read again, and I will reiterate that. Wild Spinning Girls is a novel I would recommend to any reader who appreciates this writing style, a story that shows the strength that women can give to one another and results in a satisfying denouement.

Lovely words encompassed in a beautiful cover; love the cover.

About the author:

Carol says...My name is Carol Lovekin. I’m a writer of stories, a feminist & a flâneuse. I’m published by Honno the Welsh Women’s Press.

My stories touch on the Welsh Gothic & its most powerful motif: the ghost. They concern the nature of magic & how it threads through the fabric of our lives. I explore possibilities: the fine line between the everyday & the time-shifting world of enchantment. My books are also firmly rooted in reality. I write about family relationships: how people, women in particular, respond to loss & how they survive. I set my stories in Wales, where I’ve lived for several decades: a place whose legends & landscapes inform my writing

Find Carol:
On her website: https://carollovekinauthor.com/
On Facebook: http://bit.ly/2SVpYaR
On Twitter: http://bit.ly/37S8i47



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My latest book: The Memory - to be released on March 19, 2020...

Over the course of 24 hours their moving and tragic story is revealed – a story of love and duty, betrayal and loss – as Irene rediscovers the past and finds hope for the future https://amzn.to/3bHKFOE