Weyward Summary

Weyward Overview

In the novel Weyward by Emilia Hart, Kate Ayers, an abused woman, finds the strength to escape and then stand up to her abusive husband when she learns the stories of the strong women who are her ancestors. When Kate discovers she is pregnant, she leaves her husband and goes into hiding in the cottage that her Great-Aunt Violet, whom she barely knew, left to her. There, Kate learns the injustices done to the her three female ancestors: Altha Weyward, who was charged with witchcraft; Elizabeth Weyward Ayers, who was forced by her husband to commit murder and then locked up to keep her quiet; and Violet Ayers, who was raped and then almost forced to marry the man who raped her. Themes in the novel include the relationships between women, the attempts by men to control women, and the right to choose. Women's relationships with nature serve as a motif.