02531cam a2200301 i 450000100190000000500170001900700030003600800410003902000310008002000310011103500790014203500240022104001860024504100080043105000260043910000940046524500790055926400510063830000390068952013140072865000250204265000280206765000320209565000170212765000210214465500210216570000430218699110741524290619620250612134919.0ta241018t20242024enka          000 1 eng d  a9781639734481q(hardcover)  a9781526675217q(paperback)  a(OCoLC)1461837775z(OCoLC)1419441093z(OCoLC)1460686306z(OCoLC)1464121500  a(OCoLC)on1461837775  aGCmBTbengerdaerdacJQRdJQRdIK2dOCLCOdOCLCQdWC4dMTGdOCLCOdJTHdYU6dWZWdOCLCOdFTBdYDXdBDXdGK8dLMJdSDGdIG#dSDDdDEERPdMWDdAUNTLdJNAdVAJdSINLBdMNXdIBIdCaOTV0 aeng14aPR6103.L375bW66 2024  aClarke, Susanna,eauthor.1https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJj8MBwVBRFcktKgDtkqwC14aThe wood at midwinter c/ Susanna Clarke ; illustrated by Victoria Sawdon. 1aLondon ;aNew York :bBloomsbury Circus,c2024  a60 pages :billustrations ;c21 cm  aThe Wood at Midwinter is a haunting, fable-like novella set in the days approaching Christmas. It centres on Merowdis Scott, a peculiar and saintly 19-year‑old who possesses an uncanny ability to converse with animals and trees.

One wintry afternoon, Merowdis takes her dogs—Pretty and Amandier—and her pig, Apple, for a walk in the woods. There, she encounters both a blackbird and a fox, and as dusk gathers, a mysterious presence emerges from the forest, forever altering her path 
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Through her communion with the woodland—described almost as a cathedral—Merowdis expresses her longing for a child born in midwinter, who might bring light amid darkness. The forest reveals to her a vision: she cradles a bear cub, rather than a baby, understanding that a true saint must face sacrifice. The fox cryptically remarks that Merowdis now “belongs to the wood”.

Her sister Ysolde returns and notices Merowdis’ disappearance and the abandoned bonnet. Merowdis eventually emerges, proclaiming that her child will come in a time of “cold and pain,” bringing joy. Yet, as she steps into the trees once more, Ysolde is left uncertain and frightened.

The tale closes with a church painting depicting Merowdis in black, bearing a bear cub—a symbol of her sacrifice and holiness. 0aYoung womenvFiction 0aComing of agevFiction. 0aHuman-animal relationships. 0aOutdoor life 0a MagicvFiction. 0aFantasy fiction.  aSawdon, Victoria,d1972-eillustrator.