This is the story of Meredis- an otherworldly soul who finds it hard to fully connect with people ; however she has unique skills - she can communicate with the natural world : trees and animals .

She finds a close empathy in all living beasts but one winter’s night whilst walking in the woods with Apple her pig and her dogs, she encounters a mysterious blackbird and a cautionary fox.

Meredis is drawn towards a strange pathway and is warned of communicating with the sight before her.

Susanna Clarke has created a wonderful winter fable that has shades of beauty and hunts of darkness.

The audio book read by Susanna Clarke allows the listener to enter her creativity more vividly and the afterword where she explains how she created the story and the influence of the music of Kate Bush upon her writing adds even more understanding and depth - the magical surrealism echoes storytelling of the past form many cultures

A one sit winter’s evening read or listen with a glass of wine or port and a fireside and candles to accompany.

Mesmerising and beguiling ; haunting and magical

I am having a really hard time understanding the story. Even with the afterword by the author (which I kind of enjoyed more than the story itself) there are still many unanswered questions.
I did enjoy the music accompanying the recording, it made the story feel more christmasy and helped set the atmosphere. However, the story itself felt somewhat pointless and the ending was so underwhelming. It might just be me and maybe I just did not get it. I liked the tone and the narrative style and also the different (animal) characters. It's basically just the plot that I found lacking.

A twist on the Christmas story, as it might have happened in the universe of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. This is a whimsical short story that reminds me very much of the kind of tale I might have read in a book of English fairy tales when I was little. Merowdis is an unusual woman- her sister calls her a saint - who goes into a wood with her dogs and a pig, and has a spiritual experience. The animals provide humorous commentary and advice. The audiobook has beautiful music to accompany the reading. It’s strange, unsettling, and very wintery.

Considering that this book is a fairy tale and that the paper version has illustrations, I have to say that perhaps the book would have been better than the audiobook. The music remains very beautiful however, and this tale read by the author herself certainly makes an impression. Very Christmassy.

Considerato che questo libro é una favola e che la versione cartacea ha i disegni, devo dire che forse sarebbe stato meglio il libro rispetto all'audiolibro. La musica resta molto bella comunque e questo racconto letto dalla stessa autrice fa certamente un certo effetto. Molto natalizio.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

A magical Christmas story about a girl who prefers the company of animals and nature in general to people. Beautifully written in Susanna Clarke's trademark style, there's a pinch of supernatural, naivety and humility. The audio version is read by the author which makes this a special little book, and her afterword is a perfect complement to the story.

I always love it when an author narrates their own work for an audiobook, as you know that all the nuance and depth will be correctly expressed, and such is the case with this wintry short story from Susanna Clarke, and with the added bonus of an Afterword from her, talking about her inspiration for the tale. I enjoyed Jonathan Strange some years back, and I found the cover of this book attractive, so I wanted to know more! Like other reviewers, my only complaint is that it was over too soon for me!

It's a short tale set in winter long past about a 19yr old girl, Merowdis, who is more at home in the forest with her dogs and pig than she is with her family, but what she yearns for most is a child of her own. She can speak to her animals and the trees, and her sister calls her a saint because she sees visions and sees no difference between animals, trees and people. But her parents are just bewildered by her, so her time in the forest is precious to her, and even the absence of her favourite sibling, Isolde, is a weight off for her, even as she's grateful to her sister for arranging for her visits with a small deception, for their parents would disapprove of a girl or alone, as:

"A woman alone was in danger, from all sorts of predatory creatures, bears, wolves...men." How true.

Whilst in the forest Merowdis brings her yearning for a child to the trees, and in return is granted a vision, one which her pets try to avoid her seeing, but she looks anyway, and she sees her future, and what it will cost her. But that matters not to her, and she is triumphant.

The closing of the tale describes a painting of Merowdis and her child, and I don't know if it is true that the painting exists, perhaps inspiring the author, or whether it is just another part of this magical tale. And I'm kind of reluctant to Google it, because I think it's important in the dark times in which we live, to leave a chink of space open for the possibility for wonder and belief.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This really is a short story, I felt it had only just begun and we were at the end.
A sign of good writing, that I'm wanting more.
Always good to be read by the author.
An atmospheric read, that's perfect for the colder winter months.

I found the story itself to be too onirical an experience to say whether I liked it or not. in the end I think it is very forgettable. Like many other readers, I appreciated the afterword much more than the story. I enjoyed the author's narration much more, which managed to give the story just the right feel. I also really appreciated the presence of the sounds of the animals and the forest, which created the perfect atmosphere.

3.5 stars.

Another beautiful and poetic story from Susanna Clarke. "The Wood at Midwinter" is set around Christmas time in the same universe as Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. As with everything Clarke writes, this short story is atmospheric, perfectly crafted, and incredibly beautiful. The story follows Merowdis Scott, who can speak with animals and the forest. Her love for all living things is so vividly described that it brought tears to my eyes. I love how this short story manages to tell the tale of a saint, set a midwinter atmosphere, and beautifully intertwine the spirit of Christmas all at once.

I listened to it on audiobook, and although I am not usually a fan of music and sound effects in my audiobooks, they worked wonderfully in this one, helping to set the atmosphere. The afterword by Susanna Clarke was a pleasure to listen to and helped me understand the storyline a little better. I liked everything about this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a Christmas story without any materialistic approach—just the true Christmas spirit of love, compassion, and sharing.

There is something magical about woods in winter and I was really looking forward to listening to this on a cold winter morning, after NetGalley kindly allowed me to listen to it.

I felt an affinity with Merowdis and her love for nature and her animals and I could picture the scenes easily. This is set in the same universe as Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I haven’t read, and although I originally thought this would be a fantasy story in its own right, in all honesty I’m not sure I fully understood it all and was left wanting more.

As I listened to the audio version, I didn’t get to see the illustrations that were available in the written version. I did enjoy the narration but overall it was just so short!

Interesting afterword about snow and Kate Bush, which provided another dimension to what I’d just listened to.

3.5 ⭐️

A quirky wee story

This was a fun listen, I loved the animals! I was left wondering but the afterword did help my understanding, I just wish it was longer!

The sound effects like the jingle bells made it feel Christmassy.

I loved the fact the MC is based on an autistic family member of the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced audio 🥰

I was kindly approved to listen to The Wood at Midwinter on Netgalley today and I honestly was so excited. I wish it could have been longer or as part of a series of folklore type read. I also wish I had read it as I believe it’s beautifully illustrated. It’s an extremely short listen, just over 20 minutes so I feel like the added illustration would have made a huge impact on the tale. Overall though a perfect midwinter palate cleanser!

"The Wood at Midwinter" by Susanna Clarke is a short story narrated by the author herself.
Thanks to the way in which it is recorded, this is perfect for a nighttime story.

Gorgeous.
Love Susanna Clark and this is the perfect winter bedtime story.
Sumptuous, folky and read beautiful with musical accompaniment.

I am such a big fan of Piranesi (and probably will be of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell) that the moment that I saw this book I wanted to read it. The Wood at Midwinter is a fairytale, a short story that the audiobook elevates with the sound production put into it. The vibe is so mysterious, so atmospheric, with leaves falling, animals and other things talking with Merowdis. I loved it, it is a perfect story to read near Christmas.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury for this advanced copy.

The Wood at Midwinter is a short story about a young woman who loves animals and has her life changed by a vision brought by a stranger. Given the length the description for this book tells you the whole plot just about so there’s not much more to say.

This book is a cute idea but that’s kind of where it ends. It doesn’t have the whimsy and magic of other Susanna Clarke books so I was a little disappointed by that, I just had higher expectations. It’s not a bad short story but I don’t think it’s good enough to be published on its own, I would’ve liked to see it published in a collection of short stories.

The atmosphere is great and the writing is very concise. I did really like the audiobook narration. I love when an author narrates their own books so that was a pleasant surprise.

Not quite as strange and not quite as disorientating as her other works, The Wood At Midwinter is now one of my favourite Clarke novels. I felt fully immersed in the atmosphere and felt the book delivered the perfect amount of whimsical magic needed at Christmas.
The fact that the audiobook is read by the author means that the reading feels authentic and the listener knows that the character's voices and the pace of the narrative are delivered in a way that the author envisaged.

The only thing I would change is to make the novel longer!

The Wood at Midwinter is a short story immersed in a magical winter atmosphere mixed with folklore. I just wish it were a little bit longer and the characters were more fleshed out. This is the first Susanna Clarke story I've read, so I feel it's the perfect starting point to approach her work.
I enjoyed the Afterword section a lot. I found the author's explanation of her process for creating this story very interesting. Overall, it's a nice story to listen to as winter nears.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC.

This was an interesting short story, but I enjoyed the afterword by the author more than the story itself. Audiobook narrated by the author was really good.
Thanks to netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook review copy of The Wood at Midwinter. I really enjoyed Piranesi, so I thought this would be a good read for December!

The Wood at Midwinter is a short story by Susanna Clarke. The main character, Merowdis, is able to talk to animals and trees. She loves spending time in nature, and one wintry afternoon she comes across a blackbird and a fox, as well as something mysterious.

I will note that the physical copy has illustrations, but as I listened to the audiobook, I can’t comment on those. I did see a few pictures online though and they look great! I found the afterword really interesting and it made me want to check out the stories she discussed by Jorge Luis Borges.

Like with Piranesi, I absolutely loved the writing style. The descriptions of the setting were beautiful and vivid. Clarke made all the characters come alive, especially the animals, and she really captured the winter atmosphere.

There are themes of folklore and religion, which are also very fitting for the Christmas season. This was magical with a really soothing tone. I think this could fit well as part of a larger set of stories, or even as a prequel or something. The end especially intrigued me!

This was a very short read, and unless a short story is exceptional, it’s rare that it will be a 5 star read for me. I could have read a longer story, definitely! Still, I definitely enjoyed this. If you like Susanna Clarke’s other works, or want a descriptive, short winter read, then I’d recommend this.