The Gifts: Book summary and reviews of The Gifts by Liz Hyder

The Gifts

A Novel

by Liz Hyder

The Gifts by Liz Hyder X
The Gifts by Liz Hyder
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About this book

Book Summary

The Gifts is an astonishing novel, a spellbinding tale told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition. 

It will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are ...

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

In London, rumors of a "fallen angel" cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Fierce and touching, this extremely compelling novel follows its female protagonists through 19th century London where a surgeon struggles with the dark lure of scientific ambition while his marriage crumbles, a journalist pursues the mystery of the angel fished from the Thames and two young women find themselves inexplicably transformed in the depths of despair. Beautiful and riveting." ―Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

"I devoured The Gifts, eager to find out the fate of its wonderfully drawn characters. A wonderful, atmospheric book that immersed me in the dirty streets of nineteenth century London and swept me away to the hills of Shropshire. A real gem." ―Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City and Miss Aldridge Regrets

"Haunting, thrilling, wonderful. I loved it." ―Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars

"Impressive… A celebration of female solidarity, it's brimful of historical detail and beautifully written." ―Sunday Express Magazine

"A unique and captivating read that we truly adored." ―Cosmopolitan

"Brimming with historical detail and beautifully written, the soulful prose soars. It's an insightful mysterious read celebrating female friendship and solidarity." - Daily Express

"Liz Hyder won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for the brilliantly original Bearmouth and The Gifts is just as impressive — an imaginative extraordinary flight of fancy firmly grounded in the grim realities of Victorian England." ―Daily Mirror

"A stirring tale of female empowerment, full of vivid imagery and evocative settings... The Gifts' scope is impressive and sure to win Hyder new fans." ―The Observer

This information about The Gifts was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own review

Bonne O. (Hartwell, GA)

Women Rise Above
The Gifts was a pleasure to read. The format was ideal for gradually getting to know the aspirations and struggles of each character during the 1840 time period. Many of the books themes such as misuse of religion, deadly ambition, greed and misogyny are alive and well in today's society. Despite being hampered by social mores of the time, it was heart warming to see how cleverly the collective women used their instinctive intelligent and talents to reach a conclusion.

Gerrie B. (Carmel, IN)

Magical, riveting, empowering.
I enjoyed The Gifts, it pulled me quickly into the Victorian era and spun a story from which I could not disentangle myself. The Gifts speaks to the power of women to chart their own destiny in the face of societal norms and oppression and despite the established entitlement of men. It celebrates the intelligence and resiliency of women and the added strength we can find when women help each other. Those who enjoy historical fiction with an added touch of magic will be enthralled. I would recommend The Gift for book clubs, as there are many nuances to discuss. Those who enjoy reading books where women are not ancillary to the plot but fully developed, interesting, characters would also enjoy this book.

Lydia M. (Richland, OR)

A work of art.
Liz Hyder has painted us a vivid world with words, she is a magician, using her story to create a world you can feel, see and breathe. So absorbing, as to take over your everyday. She was purposeful in the creation of characters. There are no wasted words, no characters that are not pivotal to the story. All leading to a finale the reader does not see coming. You are rewarded with a vision that surpasses all expectations.

Diana C. (Boca Raton, FL)

A remarkable tale
As the author explains in her end of book conversation, The Gifts is a book about many things. The lush Victorian-era English backdrop is the perfect setting for a serious, heartwarming and oftentimes fantastical account of diversely gifted women navigating through the suffocating constraints of a patriarchal society. This includes a character based on the real life daughter of a freed slave and a plantation owner. It is exquisitely told and the brilliant chapter structure had me wishing this book was 1,000 pages long.

Lorraine D. (Lacey, WA)

Mystical, Tense, Capitvating
"The Gifts" by Liz Hyder is a mystical, tense, captivating glimpse into the lives of four women whose diverse paths or stories fatefully cross. The events occur in19th century England when women had few rights and male status and competition was supreme. "The Gifts" explores prejudices, the influence of religious beliefs when distorted, and the impact of manic greed and ego. The unfolding story is beautifully and sensitively presented - a page turner from start to end. Excellent read!

Laura C. (Woodworth, LA)

The Gifts
Although a major theme of The Gifts is storytelling, to me the story actually gets off to a slow, even confusing start. But the reader who sticks with it will not be disappointed! Four talented, determined, intelligent women, way ahead of their time, eventually team up in 1840s London to right a terrible wrong being perpetrated by a surgeon blinded by greed and fame. He discovers a woman with huge wings on her shoulders (a "fallen angel" perhaps) and sees only the acclaim and fortune that he will enjoy when he reveals her to the world. Character development is rich and the descriptions of nature throughout add much to the story. The ending is brilliantly constructed and immensely satisfying. The Gifts should be a big hit with book clubs. I absolutely loved it. Just have a little patience at the beginning!

...15 more reader reviews

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More Information

Liz is a writer, creative workshop leader and freelance arts PR consultant. She has been part of Writing West Midlands's Room 204 writer development program since 2016. In early 2018, she won The Bridge Award/Moniack Mhor's Emerging Writer Award. Bearmouth, her debut novel for young adults won the Branford Boase Award and the Waterstones Children's Book Award for Older Readers.

Liz's debut book for adults, The Gifts, is published by Manilla Press (UK) and Sourcebooks (USA).

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