In the county of Wiltshire, there are thirteen white horses carved on the chalk uplands.

Book blurb

In Her Winter Song we find ourselves transported to a Wiltshire long past, surrounded by a host of characters that are firmly interwoven into the tapestry of the land, their storylines cutting through time.

A beautifully written, lyrical work, Her Winter Song is a folkloric fable about white horses, shadows, possession and terrible deeds in the Wiltshire uplands that gives a firm nod to the classic ghost-story writer M.R. James, and, with the help of the gorgeous illustrations by Maya Chessman, breathes new life into winters yet to come.

My thoughts

The Narrator has moved to Stowton on sabbatical to where a former colleague in the archaeology department of Cambridge University, Professor Richard Stourbridge, had left the university and his life behind to excavate in the area and whose papers the Narrator had read.

It is nearing the winter solstice as the Narrator begins to tell of meeting The Man and his story – of his wife Grace, the work he did as a carpenter in Stowton, his infidelity and the Woman on whose kitchen he worked.

We read of the Narrator exploring, dreaming, surveying the area around the white horse for his book, meeting The Man listening to his story of his encounters with the Woman and taking Grace to meet her and what transpired.

This is just a good yarn from a troubled man, and I told myself to remember that

The Narrator, Her Winter Song

In this intriguing and beautifully written story there is a subtle undercurrent, a tension of something dreadful lurking. The Man’s story hints at something which has the Narrator hooked but will not be revealed by The Man.

This story is told like a folk tale, a tale that you know will scare but not too much. You can image sitting around a fire on a wintry night telling each other spooky stories. It’s almost cosy. Yet what happens in the final pages of this story takes you way beyond a ghostly, spooky or scary tale towards the darkest realms.

I was glad that I had read almost all of this story before the terrible deeds of what happened to The Man, to Professor Stourbridge and ultimately to the Narrator are revealed because missing out on this captivating story would have been a great shame indeed.

Her Winters Song is as beautifully produced by Renard Press as it is crafted by the author and with some gorgeous illustrations is a pocket sized piece that serves up a terrific story.

Book: Purchased – book subscription from Renard Press

NovNov24

Check out our hosts for this years NovNov24 for all the information you will need to get involved. If you join in I hope you’ll have a great time as this is such an enjoyable challenge.

Host – Cathy @ 746books | Host – Rebecca @ bookishbeck

Where to add your links – introduction and review links for NovNov24.

Information

Publishers: Renard Press | ISBN: 9781804471272 | Flapped paperback • 60pp • £10 | 16 October 2024

Buy: Renard Press | Bookshop.org (affiliate link) – all available books otherwise see below | Your local bookshop |Your local library

Subscription: to Renard Press books

Author

Anna Vaught is an English teacher, Creative Writing teacher, mentor, editor and author of several books, including Saving Lucia, Famished, Ravished and These Envoys of Beauty. Her short creative works and features have been widely published, and she has written for the national press and has had a column with The Bookseller and Mslexia. In 2022 Anna launched The Curae, a new literary prize for carers. Anna is also a guest university lecturer, a tutor for Jericho Writers, and volunteers with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. She is the mother of three sons, comes from a large Welsh family and lives in Wiltshire. Her Winter Song is her tenth book.

Website | @BookwormVaught

Books

Saving Lucia | Famished | Ravished | Killing Hapless Ally | The Life of Almost | These Envoys of Beauty | Hinterland: Spring 10 – essays | *The Zebra and Lord Jones (Buy) | The Alchemy to be followed by The Elixir (2025) | To Melt The Stars | Her Winter Song

Links above are to the publishers or bookshop.org where possible

*The main link is to my thoughts