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.

One of the most lyrical and gorgeous books I’ve read all year, and it accomplishes all this in a 30 minute audiobook???

I adored this from the start, the story weaves gorgeously. I desperately want to walk through the setting and world that is built and the background sounds and music enhances this short audiobook to another level!! Highly recommend.

This was a suitably atmospheric winter tale from Susanna Clarke that had a lot of the same vibes as her previous works. I particularly enjoyed the afterword, in which Clarke explains her thought process behind the tale and with which I thoroughly agree that there should be more pigs in books! Overall, a fun festive listen that I would recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.