What do readers think of The Gifts by Liz Hyder? Write your own review.

Set in Victorian England, this is a fable about females and the abuse they suffer at the hands of men - be it intentional or not. The plot is set in motion when a fisherman rescues an angel who has fallen into the Thames. We are then introduced to four female characters whose lives become entwined with both the angel, and a surgeon who is a religious zealot. His greedy ambition is his downfall, leading to the suffering of his wife and other women. I appreciated the nods to the importance and beauty of nature, but the mystical happenings left me cold. The chapters are brief; told by the varying women. I found this device to make the novel seem disjointed, creating a lack of flow of the story. I was ultimately disappointed in this brutal tale. Thank you to Source Books for the ARC.