The Wood at Midwinter

Short, sweet, and magical. Subtly emotional. This book feels like it has no beginning or end.

An appendix to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell of sorts, the story is paced and illustrated as a child's story, but with a dark grey undertone that suggests that it's more of a whimsy for adults.

Some children that are not prone to fearful reactions to the unknown, and the most mild of suggestions of death would also like it, especially for its connection to Christmas, however tangential it might be. As an amply illustrated short story, it is a quick read, but satisfying nonetheless.

Susanna Clarke lends her wonderfully delicate and insightful touch to a short story about Merowdis Scot, who lives in the world of “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.” “JS&MN” I remember as wonderfully fantastic and I liked the more recent release, “Piranesi” enough to keep watching out for more books by Clarke. Who can help but pick up this book with one of the most beautiful covers I've seen in recent memory.

The short story inside is beautifully illustrated by Victoria Sawdon and followed by an Afterword providing Clarke's inspiration for the story.

Truly, “The Wood at Midwinter” is a tasty winter treat for an evening by the fire, best accompanied by a cup of hot tea and a cozy blanket. The only true downfall of “TWAM” is that it is too short and makes me greedy for more of Susanna Clarke's writing.

The writing style is always beautiful, draws you in and captivates you. But with that said... The story felt a bit incomplete. I loved the whimsical fantastical world that's written but I would have loved to know more about her choice and what happened after/ now it led up to it, etc.

I reserved this online at the library and was so surprised when I received it - it's TINY! I read it in 16 minutes, with time included for perusing the beautiful illustrations. It isn't bad at all, but given that the book costs as much as a novel on amazon, I feel that the cost-benefit scale doesn't favour a higher rating for it. I may just not be in the know about the lore around Susanna Clarke's fantasy universe, but I found this to be only a very small story, without much content.

The entirety of the story can be summed up as: girl goes to the woods and adopts a bear cub selflessly, knowing she faces death. With fantastical elements.

My expectation was too high for what I actually got out. The illustrations saved it.

A super cozy short story set in a weird magical world. Surprisingly immersive for the short 48 page length. The illustrations were also gorgeous and entrancing.

Just so you know going in, this is a very short book. Having said that, it is quite good. It seems inspired by a fable or fairytale, although Susanna Clarke mentions a different inspiration at the end. In fact the explanation for the story's inspiration is longer than the story itself. I would say that's its biggest detractor. The atmosphere it invokes and the story itself is still worth a read.