LoveReading Says
Oh my word, this debut has speared my soul, it is beautifully smart and emotional and fantastical, yet also fiercely provocative. Esta has been brought up by her grandmother to believe in the sanctity of her island home ruled by the Minister and his Keepers, yet she dreams of the sea and the freedom it offers. Within a few sentences I found myself deeply immersed in Esta’s insular life. Author Chloe Timms writes with such a beautifully assured hand, I didn’t question, didn’t even stop to think as I stepped onto the island. This is a story that sits within reflections of the traditional fairytale, at times it overwhelms with dread and yet a hope remains, no matter how small. Esta carries with her a strength that I found myself supporting and encouraging, I was so completely invested in her story that she will forever stay in my thoughts. Not only is this a tale that sits on the edge of the unknown, it also links with and tears through any preconceptions to allow you to question and challenge. This novel fully deserves to sit within our LoveReading Star Books category and we welcome it there with open arms. The Seawomen is the most beautifully tender yet ferocious tale, and one that we wholeheartedly recommend.
Liz Robinson
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The Seawomen Synopsis
Everyone on this island has a story. This is mine.
Esta has known nothing but Eden's Isle her whole life. After a fire left her orphaned and badly scarred, Esta was raised by her grandmother in a deeply religious society who cut itself off from the mainland in the name of salvation. Here, fear rules: fear of damnation, fear of the outside world and fear of what lurks beneath the water - a corrupting evil the islanders call the Seawomen.
But Esta wants more than a life where touching the water risks corruption, where her every move is watched and women are controlled in every aspect of their lives. Married off, the women of the island must conceive a child within their appointed motheryear or be marked as cursed and cast into the sea as a sacrifice in an act called the Untethering.
When Esta witnesses a woman Untethered she sees a future to fear. Her fate awaits, a loveless marriage, her motheryear declared. And after a brief taste of freedom, the insular world Esta knows begins to unravel...
The Seawomen is a fiercely written and timely feminist novel, at once gothic, fantastical and truly unforgettable, for fans of Naomi Alderman, Margaret Atwood and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781529369601 |
| Publication date: |
16th May 2023 |
| Author: |
Chloe Timms |
| Publisher: |
Hodder Paperback an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
320 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Romance / Relationship Stories
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Chloe Timms Press Reviews
Beautifully written ... a great concept, brilliantly executed, and it is essential reading for dystopian fiction fans -- Sunday Business Post
If you're looking for your next Handmaid's Tale-esque fix, this is it -- Belfast Telegraph
Timms unmasks organised religion as a gleaming facade for misogynistic cults, and explores how easily whispered rumours can spiral into mass hysteria. Bonus points for her shockingly nasty villain, Father Jessop - SFX
An unsettling and lushly-written reimagining of witch trials, exploring fertility, control and how what we believe can save us - or destroy us. The Handmaid's Tale meets The Shape of Water -- Kirsty Logan
A gripping tale of love and bravery; The Seawomen immerses you in its watery world. -- Sophie Ward
This book sucked me under and held me in its gorgeous, terrifying embrace. It's a rare treat to read a story so gripping told in such beautiful prose. Dive in and don't look back. -- Zoe Gilbert
Richly atmospheric, powerful and provocative. A raw and beautiful coming of age story. -- Caroline Lea
I read this beautiful novel in a fever dream, its sweeping prose carrying me away like a boat out at sea. Chloe Timms has written an extraordinary tale of one woman's desire for freedom, for love. Mesmerising and moving, I couldn't put it down. -- Susannah Wise
A powerful, enchanting novel, with prose so vivid you can taste the salt in the air on your tongue -- Anna Bailey
Timms' writing is at once lyrical and measured, bold and tender. The lens she offers us to look through is an unusual and passionate love story, which renders The Seawomen as gripping as it is haunting. -- The Swansea Bay
