02629cam a2200325 i 4500 991107415242906196 20250612134919.0 ta 241018t20242024enka 000 1 eng d 9781639734481 (hardcover) 9781526675217 (paperback) (OCoLC)1461837775 (OCoLC)1419441093 (OCoLC)1460686306 (OCoLC)1464121500 (OCoLC)on1461837775 GCmBT eng rda rda JQR JQR IK2 OCLCO OCLCQ WC4 MTG OCLCO JTH YU6 WZW OCLCO FTB YDX BDX GK8 LMJ SDG IG# SDD DEERP MWD AUNTL JNA VAJ SINLB MNX IBI CaOTV eng PR6103.L375 W66 2024 Clarke, Susanna, author. https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJj8MBwVBRFcktKgDtkqwC 25387 The wood at midwinter / Susanna Clarke ; illustrated by Victoria Sawdon. London ; New York : Bloomsbury Circus, 2024 60 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm The 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 waterstones.com 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. Young women Fiction 24099 Coming of age Fiction. Human-animal relationships. 25176 Outdoor life 25388 Magic Fiction. 24059 Fantasy fiction. 22510 Sawdon, Victoria, 1972- illustrator. lcc 0 0 lcc 0 0 TBS TBS 2025-06-12 1 P-EN CLA B07542 2025-12-22 2025-07-17 1 2025-06-12 1 4717 4717