I have been an avid fan of Barbara Erskine's novels for many years, so when her publisher, Harper Collins, generously sent me an ARC of her latest book, The Story Spinner, I was thrilled. I made reading it the priority of my free time and I finished it today. As with all of Erskine's novels, I was immediately swept into the story from the very first page.
The Story Spinner of the title is a woman called Cadi who lives in the beautiful Welsh countryside. Tucked away in her cosy Welsh cottage, Cadi works from home as a poet, weaving epic poetry books from the myths and legends of the Mabinogion. Working with her cousin, Rachel, an artist who illustrates the poems, Cadi has produced several books of poetry all related to the legends of her homeland. As she begins to write her latest book, however, suddenly the poems take on a life of their own and Cadi is transported back to Roman occupied Wales during the time of Macsen, or Magnus Maximus, as he is more commonly known in history.
As Cadi develops a spiritual connection with Macsen's wife, Elen, she begins to channel her epic story into her poetry. Elen is also a figure of myth and history, being known in pagan circles as Elen of the Ways - an antlered goddess of the Celtic pantheon, while to the Christians she became St Helen of Caernarfon. Erskine carefully weaves all these threads of Elen's mythology into one tapestry of consummate storytelling. Set in and around the area of the Snowdonia Mountains and Caernarfon Castle, which I have visited many times, this book has a deep sense of place and I felt transported in my mind, back to the ramparts and walled walkway of Caernarfon as I was reading.
This is an epic story which follows Elen's life from girlhood right through to her later years as an elder. It moves from Wales, throughout the Roman Empire and back to Wales again, taking in palaces, hill forts, Roman villas, Druid groves and worm holes! It seamlessly switches between the past and present, as Cadi uncovers how Elen's story is linked to the meadow next to her beloved cottage and to the archaeological dig that is going on there.
One of the things I loved most about the novel is that it addresses the skill of automatic writing and the concept of authors who work intuitively and channel their books into being. This is something I could really relate to as I tend to work intuitively myself when I am creating my oracle decks and books for my publisher. The novel also seemed to hint at Erskine's own writing process and perhaps it is her way of answering the questions often asked of authors, such as where they get their ideas from and how they do what they do. Reading this novel is like peering through the window, watching Barbara Erskine as she writes and I greatly appreciated that insight into her working world.
The Story Spinner is an action packed novel that swings along at a steady pace. It features a jealous ex-lover out for revenge, an adorable dog, some sexy Roman soldiers, a Druid priestess, ghostly Centurions marching through the night and the return of Meryn, one of Erskine's most beloved characters who turns up in lots of her books. Every time I read one of her Meryn novels it is like meeting up with an old friend - some part of me is always reassured that Meryn is here to help save the day in his own magical way! This book was no exception.
As Cadi spins out Elen's tale in her poetry and prose and time has little meaning in her world, its a very easy story to get caught up in. I also feel that in this tale, Barbara Erskine has written a novel about a writer for fellow writers. It is full of little creative tableaus and artistic temperament, so if you want to know what its like to work as an author and poet, this novel will be right up your street.
The Story Spinner is a wonderful novel to fall into and Barbara Erskine never disappoints! Who knows, reading this book might even inspire you to write your own stories and poems and become a bit of a story spinner yourself. You won't have to wait long to read this book as it is released on August 1st. Happy story spinning!
BB Marie x
AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Harper Collins, for the purposes of review. It is released on August 1st 2024. It is available for Pre-Order now in hardback, audio and digital formats.
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