The Trial - 1798
Halifax County Court is a stage waiting for its players. The judge's place is empty, as is the dock, enclosed on all sides but one. This is where the accused will stand...
The Blurb
Nova Scotia 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her. Until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow.
Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross.
Deep among the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes's past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom - and of love...
With evocative prose and immersive storytelling, a powerful novel about love - love for the wilderness in all its unforgiving beauty, and love between two women who risk everything to be together.
My Review
I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication. Publishing today, Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer is an atmospheric and compelling book.
Set in Nova Scotia at the end of the 18th century, it is the story of Cora and Agnes. Cora is an orphan from Jamaica and Agnes is on the run and hiding in the forest. The book tells the story of how their lives come together and they find a love neither of them ever imagined.
The book is beautifully written. I wanted to slow my reading and savour every word. This wasn't a book I wanted to read speedily. This was a book to read at a gentle pace. The author immerses her reader in the time and place in which it is set and it made me want to wallow in each paragraph.
The harshness of the winter came to life on the page. It made me very grateful that I have the luxury of a centrally heated home in which to read this book. The author skilfully creates a world on the page and then drags the reader in. It was an immersive read and I absolutely loved it.
Ms. Shearer is an excellent storyteller who not only describes her characters, but inhabits them. She clearly understood their needs and desires extremely well.
The book deals with some challenging issues, particularly about the meaning of freedom, and what price we have to pay for love. It also considers the strength of the human spirit and resilience through the harsh brutality of her characters' lives.
This is a book which will remain with me for some time to come. It is a beautiful book and one which I can imagine myself reading again.
I haven't read the author's previous book, River Sing Me Home, but rest assured, I already have a copy on order. If it was half as good as this novel, then I already know that I am going to enjoy reading it.
I highly recommend this book and it is one of the best I have read in a while.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1472291462
Publisher: Headline Review
Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback
No. of Pages: 320 (hardback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
Eleanor Shearer is a mixed-race writer and the granddaughter of Windrush generation immigrants. She splits her time between London and Ramsgate. Her debut novel, River Sing Me Home, sold in 20 territories. It was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023, was a finalist for the 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize Fiction Award, shortlisted for the Grand Prix des Lectrices ELLE 2025 in France and also shortlisted for the Prix Fragonard 2025 in France. It was a Good Morning America Book Club pick, and has been optioned for TV by AL Films and BBC Films.
You can also find Eleanor at:
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(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)
(all opinions are my own)
(Bookshop.org affiliated)
