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Egykor farkasok éltek ezen a tájon
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100 copies available
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Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fiction (2021)Inti Flynn egy nemzetközi biológuscsapat vezetőjeként tizennégy farkast telepít vissza a Skót-felföldre, amely már évszázadok óta nem látott farkasokat.
A csúcsragadozók visszatérése a remények szerint új életet lehelhet a haldokló földbe, és begyógyíthatja a klímaváltozás és az emberi tevékenység által ejtett sebeket. Inti azonban szintén sebeket hurcol magával: az általa látott és átélt erőszak megváltoztatta őt és ikertestvérét, úgy érzi, semmi sem maradt benne a dühön és a gyűlöleten kívül. Egy sorstársával való találkozás új reményt ad neki, ám épp a reményt és a bizalmat engedheti meg magának a legkevésbé a skót kisvárosban, ahol a megélhetésüket féltő helyi gazdák a farkasok életére törnek. Amikor egy éjjel vérbe fagyva talál egy gazdára, azonnal tudja, hogy a helyiek a farkasokat fogják hibáztatni, és csak egyetlen választása maradt: mindenáron megvédeni saját és fogadott családja életét. Charlotte McConaghy, az óriási sikerű Az utolsó vándorlás szerzőjének új regénye felkavaró és lenyűgöző olvasmány a bennünk rejlő vadságról, az életünket megfertőző erőszakról és a gyógyulás törékeny esélyéről.
A csúcsragadozók visszatérése a remények szerint új életet lehelhet a haldokló földbe, és begyógyíthatja a klímaváltozás és az emberi tevékenység által ejtett sebeket. Inti azonban szintén sebeket hurcol magával: az általa látott és átélt erőszak megváltoztatta őt és ikertestvérét, úgy érzi, semmi sem maradt benne a dühön és a gyűlöleten kívül. Egy sorstársával való találkozás új reményt ad neki, ám épp a reményt és a bizalmat engedheti meg magának a legkevésbé a skót kisvárosban, ahol a megélhetésüket féltő helyi gazdák a farkasok életére törnek. Amikor egy éjjel vérbe fagyva talál egy gazdára, azonnal tudja, hogy a helyiek a farkasokat fogják hibáztatni, és csak egyetlen választása maradt: mindenáron megvédeni saját és fogadott családja életét. Charlotte McConaghy, az óriási sikerű Az utolsó vándorlás szerzőjének új regénye felkavaró és lenyűgöző olvasmány a bennünk rejlő vadságról, az életünket megfertőző erőszakról és a gyógyulás törékeny esélyéről.
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2021
About the author
Charlotte McConaghy
23 books4,585 followersCharlotte McConaghy is the author of the international bestseller MIGRATIONS, a TIME Magazine Best Book of the Year and the Amazon.com Best Fiction Book of the Year for 2020, which is being translated into over twenty languages and adapted for film, and the New York Times Bestseller ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES.
She has both a Graduate Degree in Screenwriting and a Masters Degree in Screen Arts, and lives in Sydney, Australia.
She started her writing career writing SF/F for young adults; Migrations was her first foray into the adult literary world.
Her new novel, WILD DARK SHORE, is her third adult novel, a romantic mystery, coming March 2025.
She has both a Graduate Degree in Screenwriting and a Masters Degree in Screen Arts, and lives in Sydney, Australia.
She started her writing career writing SF/F for young adults; Migrations was her first foray into the adult literary world.
Her new novel, WILD DARK SHORE, is her third adult novel, a romantic mystery, coming March 2025.
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December 20, 2023
I had always known there was something different about me, but that was the day I first recognized it to be dangerous. It was also the day, as I stumbled out of the shed into a long violet dusk, that I looked to the trees’ edge and saw my first wolf, and it saw me.--------------------------------------
They’re more dangerous than we are.”Inti Flynn had always had a feel for nature. Her father had been a woodsman, first working for a lumber company, then, later, living a mostly solo subsistence life, in Canada, trying his best not to contribute to the global demise. He taught Inti and her twin, Aggie, about how to live in and with the wild. Their mother, a detective in Australia, was more concerned with teaching them how to contend with the wild in civilization. There is a lot in here about parents (and a little about wolves) teaching children (or pups) how to cope in the world, how to defend against predators. The human sorts offer different approaches, some counseling firm defenses, others advising understanding, and some resorting to extreme kinetic measures. There are plenty of parents teaching questionable lessons.
“Are they?” I ask. “They are wilder, certainly.”
“Isn’t it the same?”
“I don’t think so. I think it’s civilization makes us violent. We infect each other.”
Charlotte McConoughy - image from If.com.au
Dad used to tell me that my greatest gift was that I could get inside the skin of another human. That I could feel what nobody else could, the life of another, really feel it and roll around in it. That the body knows a great deal and I have the miraculous ability to know more than one body. The astonishing cleverness of nature. He also taught us that compassion was the most important thing we could learn. If someone hurt us, we needed only empathy, and forgiveness would be easy.Inti’s gift is not metaphorical. Her ability to experience what others feel, gives her a unique advantage in understanding both wildlife and people. It also makes her very vulnerable.
I am unlike most people. I move through life in a different way, with an entirely unique understanding of touch. Before I knew its name I knew this. To make sense of it, it is called a neurological condition. Mirror-touch synesthesia. My brain re-creates the sensory experiences of living creatures, of all people and even sometimes animals; if I see it I feel it, and for just a moment I am them, we are one and their pain or pleasure is my own. It can seem like magic and for a long time I thought it was, but really it’s not so far removed from how other brains behave: the physiological response to witnessing someone’s pain is a cringe, a recoil, a wince. We are hardwired for empathy. Once upon a time I took delight in feeling what others felt. Now the constant stream of sensory information exhausts me. Now I’d give anything to be cut free.McConaghy’s prior novel, Migrations, looked at the demise of wildlife (birds in particular, and even more particularly terns) in a slightly future world. In this one, she continues her interest in the impact of people on the natural environment. Officially, the last wolf in Scotland was killed in 1680. There are reports of wolves being seen as late as 1888, but Scotland has been essentially wolf-free for well over three centuries. Sadly for Scottish woodlands, it has not been farmer, sheep, or climate-change-free. Part of the problem is that the local deer population tends to linger in place long enough to lay waste to new shoots. A great way to keep them moving is to reintroduce wolves. Good for the goal of restoring natural forest, re-wilding at least part of Scotland is good for the health of the deer population as well. Thus, Inti’s presence. She is leading a team charged with re-introducing a small population of wolves to a remote part of Scotland, near the Cairngorms, a mountainous area in the highlands.
The Cairngorms - Image from The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
As one might imagine, there is considerable resistance among farmers concerned about the potential loss of livestock. The minimal-to-non-existent actual danger to humans is played up by those opposed to the reintroduction. Battle lines are drawn. The program has official sanction, but the locals have guns, and itchy fingers. And then someone goes missing. Inti’s primary concern is with the danger to the program, as she expects her wolves to be blamed.
The mystery for us is why, and how this person vanished. After a meet-cute early in the book, Inti and the local sheriff, Duncan MacTavish, team up, in a way, to try figuring out what happened. There are other mysteries as well, albeit of a different sort. What happened to Inti’s sister that had left her so damaged? Is Duncan trustworthy? The book alternates between the present and looking back at two periods in Inti’s and Aggie’s lives, with their father in British Columbia, where they learned how to live off the land, and as adults, when Inti was working on a wolf project in Alaska.
Red deer are Scotland’s largest surviving, native, wild land mammal. It’s estimated that there are 400,000 of them in the Scottish Highlands - image and text from Good Nature Travel
Inti struggles with her desire to protect her wolves, and her need to engage with the locals as something other than as a know-it-all outsider. The complexity of the town’s social relations is quite fascinating. Duncan is our eyes on this, and a big help to Inti, knowing so well the people in the community in which he had grown up, understanding motivations, relationships, and local history much better than any outsider could.
Abuse is a central issue, in both the Old and the New World, whether at the hands of the distraught, the damaged, or the downright evil. Multiple characters in Scotland come from homes in which there was violence, whether against spouses, children, or both. It is clear that one of the locals has beaten his wife. Other instances of family violence are important to the story. The abuse that does take place is mostly done off-screen, reported, but not seen first-hand. Inti’s attempt at restoring the Scottish landscape, of giving new opportunities to a much-reviled species mirrors her attempt to heal, to restore the vitality of her own family.
A wealthy landowner in Scotland is hoping to bring wolves from Sweden to the Scottish Highlands to thin the herd of red deer. - image and text from Good Nature Travel
One can probably make too much of it (I am sure I did), but I found it fun to look at the wolves for indications of comparison to the human characters. Was Inti like Six (the wolves are given numbers not names, for the most part). Who might be lone wolves? Who is fiercest in protecting their pack/family? Who are the alphas?
There is much resonance with Migrations. Both leads are working far from home. Both are trying to do something to help in a world that seems set against accepting any. Although she has her sister with her in Wolves, Inti is primarily a solo actor. She finds a family of a sort with charming, and not-so-charming locals, in the way that Franny Stone in Migrations teamed up with the fishing boat crew. Like Franny, Inti bears the burden of deep, traumatic family secrets. Like Franny, she is trying to find her true home, whether that be in Scotland, Canada, Australia, or maybe wherever the wolves are. Inti has a near-magical power of sensitivity. Franny had special abilities in the water. Like Franny, Inti teams up with a guy in a position of some power. In Migrations it was Ennis Malone, captain of a fishing boat. Here it is Duncan McTavish, the local sheriff. In both novels McConaghy shows the concerns of those imperiled by the front lines of attempts to correct a bad ecological situation. Of the two, this novel struck me as a bit more optimistic about the possibilities of making meaningful change.
In the real world, wolves have not been officially introduced back into Scotland, but there is one wealthy individual who is looking at doing so in a limited way. Who knows? Maybe the re-wilding of Scotland is not entirely a pipe dream.
Once There Were Wolves offers a close look at the issues involved in programs of this sort. The locals are accorded plenty of respect for and insight into their legitimate concerns, as we get to see past the rejectionist veneer. Very hard choices must be made, and the decision-making is very adult. Inti is a tough young woman with a challenging responsibility. It is easy to care about what happens to her. McConaghy keeps the action flowing, so there is no danger of losing interest. The main mystery is very intriguing and the final explanation is twisty and wonderful, with Inti finding her inner Miss Marple to sleuth her way to the truth. Once you sink your canines into this one, you will not want to let go. There are hankie moments as well. Tears will be shed. Set in a wintry place, it seems an ideal book to cool off with in the hot summer months. (Of course, if you read this in cooler months, it is distinctly possible that you will be wearing some wool, and thus will be reading a book about wolves while in sheep’s clothing. Just sayin’.) It seems appropriate to keep a modest supply of whiskey near to hand, just for ambience, of course. Or for those of the teetotaler persuasion, maybe some Irn-Bru. As for the best place in which to read this book, and read it you should, that should be obvious, in a den.
There is violence in me, in my hands, which vibrate with the need to exert some kind of control, some defiance, and if it is revenge for the things that have been taken from me then fine, I will have that too. I am done with falling prey. I will be predator, at last. I will forget the walls and the self-protection and I will become the thing I hunt and feel it all.
Review first posted – July 9, 2021
Publication dates
----------Hard cover - August 3, 2021
----------Trade paperback - May 3, 2022
I received an E-ARE of OTWW in return for a fair review. Thanks to Amelia at Flatiron, to NetGalley for hosting the book and to MC for facilitating.
The review has been cross-posted at my site, Coot's Reviews
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Instagram, Twitter and FB pages
Interviews
Interviews with CM re this book have been as tough to find as Scottish wolves, but I did unearth an oldie, from 2014. I am sure after the book is released there will be more interviews available. There are several interview links in my review of Migrations
-----AusRom Today - AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Charlotte McConaghy - from 2014 – this relates to her very early, romantic fantasy writing
My review of McConaghy’s previous book
-----2020 - Migrations
Items of Interest
-----Sea Wolves - Panthalassa.Org - mentioned in Chapter 8
-----Good Nature Travel - Bringing Wolves Back to Scotland by Candace Gaukel Andrews
-----The Guardian - Stories to save the world: the new wave of climate fiction by Claire Armitstead
-----Wiki on mirror touch synesthesia - yes, this is a real thing
-----Travel Medium - Why Are There No Trees in Scotland? by Paul McDougal – this is a wonderful overview of how Scotland lost so much of its woodlands over the last 6,000 years
-----Public Domain Review - Werner's Nomenclature of Colours - Inti’s father kept a copy for use in his work - Chapter 3
-----The Guardian - Rewilding: should we bring the lynx back to Britain? by Phoebe Weston - 8/16/21 - One proposed re-wilding site is the same one used in this book
-----December 18, 2023 - AP - Colorado releases first 5 wolves in reintroduction plan approved by voters to chagrin of ranchers - by JESSE BEDAYN
March 10, 2022
this story is all kinds of messed up and definitely more gruesome than i had anticipated, but wow. i found it so interesting.
i think if you can handle animal violence and death, then this is a book you will want to pick up. it took me awhile to get into the writing style - i found it very pretentious to begin with - but as i got further into it, i became so invested in the characters, the plot, and the overall darkness of the story.
but what i found most compelling is the psychological aspect of the story. it does a great job at showing how humans are capable of being brutal animals themselves, which is sooo important to the story. it provides the much needed contrast to the actual animals that are being vilified by the humans.
a very intriguing mystery. again, if you can get past the dark and gruesome nature of the story, i think this is one that will grip you.
↠ 4 stars
i think if you can handle animal violence and death, then this is a book you will want to pick up. it took me awhile to get into the writing style - i found it very pretentious to begin with - but as i got further into it, i became so invested in the characters, the plot, and the overall darkness of the story.
but what i found most compelling is the psychological aspect of the story. it does a great job at showing how humans are capable of being brutal animals themselves, which is sooo important to the story. it provides the much needed contrast to the actual animals that are being vilified by the humans.
a very intriguing mystery. again, if you can get past the dark and gruesome nature of the story, i think this is one that will grip you.
↠ 4 stars
August 28, 2021
A story that is a combination of literary fiction and murder mystery, Inti is the leader of a team with the goal of reintroducing wolves into the Scottish Highlands. The wolf is a natural predator that keeps the ecosystem in balance, and they died out in Scotland in the 18th century. Inti arrives with fourteen gray wolves and her traumatized twin sister, Aggie, who she hopes will heal in her new environment.
Inti has a condition called mirror touch synesthesia, where she literally feels the pain of others, and the reader is given all the grisly details of what that means. The details of her and her twin sister’s past emotional traumas slowly unfolds for the reader as the story alternates between past and present.
The twins’ father was a naturalist who taught them to respect and appreciate nature, while their mother was a detective who taught them that humans are the real predators they should fear. We see both of those themes played out in these pages.
I enjoyed the sections about the wolves. We discover what it is like to spend months tracking them through births and deaths, and the local resident’s distrust and fear of the wolves. But Inti’s work to gain the villager’s support is an uphill battle, especially after a brutal death they attribute to a wolf attack.
While I appreciated the focus on the environment, even if heavy-handed, I didn’t care as much for the subplots. I thought the story would have stood well enough on its own without the murder mystery or romance. The angst and backstory of the twins was depressing, and I didn’t buy the fact that nearly every single man in Inti’s and Aggie’s orbit was abusive – what are the chances? There were too many topics introduced when a focus on the environmental concerns and the wolves would have been enough. Although I understood what the author was attempting to highlight, I was more invested in the plight of the wolves than the humans.
So, for me, this was a very mixed bag. On the positive side, I spent quite a bit of time looking the subject up online, as there really is a movement to reintroduce the wolves into Scotland.
The author has produced a highly atmospheric tale with some important themes but there’s something about her style that just doesn’t resonate with me as much as it does with other readers. There are plenty of glowing reviews, so do check them out.
*Sensitive readers should be aware there are disturbing scenes of violence, both human and animal
• I received a digital audio copy of this book via NetGalley. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did an outstanding job.
Inti has a condition called mirror touch synesthesia, where she literally feels the pain of others, and the reader is given all the grisly details of what that means. The details of her and her twin sister’s past emotional traumas slowly unfolds for the reader as the story alternates between past and present.
The twins’ father was a naturalist who taught them to respect and appreciate nature, while their mother was a detective who taught them that humans are the real predators they should fear. We see both of those themes played out in these pages.
I enjoyed the sections about the wolves. We discover what it is like to spend months tracking them through births and deaths, and the local resident’s distrust and fear of the wolves. But Inti’s work to gain the villager’s support is an uphill battle, especially after a brutal death they attribute to a wolf attack.
While I appreciated the focus on the environment, even if heavy-handed, I didn’t care as much for the subplots. I thought the story would have stood well enough on its own without the murder mystery or romance. The angst and backstory of the twins was depressing, and I didn’t buy the fact that nearly every single man in Inti’s and Aggie’s orbit was abusive – what are the chances? There were too many topics introduced when a focus on the environmental concerns and the wolves would have been enough. Although I understood what the author was attempting to highlight, I was more invested in the plight of the wolves than the humans.
So, for me, this was a very mixed bag. On the positive side, I spent quite a bit of time looking the subject up online, as there really is a movement to reintroduce the wolves into Scotland.
The author has produced a highly atmospheric tale with some important themes but there’s something about her style that just doesn’t resonate with me as much as it does with other readers. There are plenty of glowing reviews, so do check them out.
*Sensitive readers should be aware there are disturbing scenes of violence, both human and animal
• I received a digital audio copy of this book via NetGalley. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did an outstanding job.
May 16, 2023
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
This is an incredible novel!! It touches upon so many important issues including, rape, physical and verbal abuse of women, toxic relationships and sisterhood. Climate change is discussed along with man’s increasing interference with the cycle of life and ecosystems of our planet.
Inti is a young biologist and the novel is told from her POV. She has a twin sister, Aggie and the girls grew up living sometimes with their dad in the forest and other times with their mother in Australia. Inti has a condition called mirror-touch synesthesia. When she is close to someone she can, literally, feel their pain if they are injured or hurt. It’s not an easy thing to live with.
Their dad lives a simple life in the forests of Canada. He once worked for a lumber company and now lives an almost solo existence in the forest, hunts, fishes and grows his food. He has taught the girls all he knows.
Their mother is a detective in Australia. She sees the terrible crimes that people commit and is always cautioning the girls not to trust anyone. She teaches them to be cautious and prepared should they be attacked, they learn self defense.
Now a young biologist, Inti has come to the Scottish Highlands for a project to reintroduce the wolf into the ecosystem. She is the head researcher coordinating a small group of biologists. The wolves were hunted to extinction with much negative impact on the environment. Deer have over-populated the area and eat the shoots of young plants and trees so that the Highlands are now devoid of some of the native trees, etc. It is used mostly for sheep farming.
As was expected, there is much anxiety among the farmers who are afraid that the wolves will attack their livestock.
Inti and Aggie live together, Aggie has some mental problems. This is all a bit hazy but is explained later in the book.
The novel moves between the present, their lives growing up, and Alaska, the last place where Inti worked, but then chose to leave. The reasons for the move are revealed later in the novel.
We are led through months of careful observation and sometimes intervention with their group of wolves. It’s thrilling when the wolves start to mate and form packs. They are collared and released into the wild.
There are a host of other interesting characters, some you will like, some you will loathe. There is even a romance to add to the mix, but totally believable!!
There is some very graphic violence in this novel, both upon animals and humans.
At one point I felt as Inti did when she states “I SINK BACK ONTO THE FLOOR SO I WON’T SEE WHAT HAPPENS . . . .I HAVE TRULY HAD ENOUGH VIOLENCE FOR A THOUSAND LIFETIMES”.
The descriptions of the forests and Highlands are exquisite!! This novel had me glued to the web looking for articles on wolves, Scottish Highlands, mirror-touch synesthesia, etc.
Note: I listened to the audiobook for a large part of the novel but when my anxiety was getting high I switched to the physical ARC to finish the book. The violence can be hard to read about and even harder to listen to the narration.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. I received the audiobook from MacMillan audio through NetGalley. I highly recommend both!
This novel is set to publish on August 3, 2021
This is an incredible novel!! It touches upon so many important issues including, rape, physical and verbal abuse of women, toxic relationships and sisterhood. Climate change is discussed along with man’s increasing interference with the cycle of life and ecosystems of our planet.
Inti is a young biologist and the novel is told from her POV. She has a twin sister, Aggie and the girls grew up living sometimes with their dad in the forest and other times with their mother in Australia. Inti has a condition called mirror-touch synesthesia. When she is close to someone she can, literally, feel their pain if they are injured or hurt. It’s not an easy thing to live with.
Their dad lives a simple life in the forests of Canada. He once worked for a lumber company and now lives an almost solo existence in the forest, hunts, fishes and grows his food. He has taught the girls all he knows.
Their mother is a detective in Australia. She sees the terrible crimes that people commit and is always cautioning the girls not to trust anyone. She teaches them to be cautious and prepared should they be attacked, they learn self defense.
Now a young biologist, Inti has come to the Scottish Highlands for a project to reintroduce the wolf into the ecosystem. She is the head researcher coordinating a small group of biologists. The wolves were hunted to extinction with much negative impact on the environment. Deer have over-populated the area and eat the shoots of young plants and trees so that the Highlands are now devoid of some of the native trees, etc. It is used mostly for sheep farming.
As was expected, there is much anxiety among the farmers who are afraid that the wolves will attack their livestock.
Inti and Aggie live together, Aggie has some mental problems. This is all a bit hazy but is explained later in the book.
The novel moves between the present, their lives growing up, and Alaska, the last place where Inti worked, but then chose to leave. The reasons for the move are revealed later in the novel.
We are led through months of careful observation and sometimes intervention with their group of wolves. It’s thrilling when the wolves start to mate and form packs. They are collared and released into the wild.
There are a host of other interesting characters, some you will like, some you will loathe. There is even a romance to add to the mix, but totally believable!!
There is some very graphic violence in this novel, both upon animals and humans.
At one point I felt as Inti did when she states “I SINK BACK ONTO THE FLOOR SO I WON’T SEE WHAT HAPPENS . . . .I HAVE TRULY HAD ENOUGH VIOLENCE FOR A THOUSAND LIFETIMES”.
The descriptions of the forests and Highlands are exquisite!! This novel had me glued to the web looking for articles on wolves, Scottish Highlands, mirror-touch synesthesia, etc.
Note: I listened to the audiobook for a large part of the novel but when my anxiety was getting high I switched to the physical ARC to finish the book. The violence can be hard to read about and even harder to listen to the narration.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. I received the audiobook from MacMillan audio through NetGalley. I highly recommend both!
This novel is set to publish on August 3, 2021
August 2, 2021
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
Inti Flynn is the leader of a team of biologists reintroducing wolves to the Highlands of Scotland. The hope is that by bringing these predators back to the area that nature can achieve the balance it needs for the land to heal itself and grow in the way that it needs to grow for centuries to come. Inty brings her broken sister, Aggie, hoping she can heal her, too.
I was so angry with Inti, despite all the good she is attempting to do, because I could feel the stress and frustration she was bringing with her, to the lives of people whose livelihoods she was threatening. Inti could have used some diplomatic skills but she suffers her own traumas from the past and she is as mistrustful of humans as her wolves. Regardless of laws or rules, she does what she wants, releases the wolves behind the backs of those she is supposed to notify, takes the law in her own hands to punish those she wants to punish, tramples on life for her own reasons, without thinking or caring that she is hurting humans and animals. I know my thoughts towards her are harsh but I could feel the damage she was doing, in the name of her goals, fine and honorable goals that will be more attainable with a softer approach to the people and way of life that she is threatening.
The writing is beautiful and we are in the head of Inty. We can see that even she is of two minds, torn in so many ways, not always knowing what is best but also knowing that some of what she does hurts both people and animals. Inty is hurt, angry, confused, and she feels powerless to change the past and to fix the future. I am so impressed with how the author brings about Inty's awareness that she went about things in manner that was not helpful and that she knows she needs to find a better way. The very people that she demonized as being in her way of making the earth a better place, once she stops to really get to know them, are people that are willing to work with her, if she would only talk to them. I loved this aspect of the book, that it addressed the very things that were bothering me about Inty.
The audio version of the book is lovely. I was able to switch between the audio version and the digital version which was helpful to me during the most violent passages of this story. This is not a peaceful book, violence plays a key part in the story, and it was hard for me to see/hear those parts of the book.
Publication: August 3rd
Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.
Inti Flynn is the leader of a team of biologists reintroducing wolves to the Highlands of Scotland. The hope is that by bringing these predators back to the area that nature can achieve the balance it needs for the land to heal itself and grow in the way that it needs to grow for centuries to come. Inty brings her broken sister, Aggie, hoping she can heal her, too.
I was so angry with Inti, despite all the good she is attempting to do, because I could feel the stress and frustration she was bringing with her, to the lives of people whose livelihoods she was threatening. Inti could have used some diplomatic skills but she suffers her own traumas from the past and she is as mistrustful of humans as her wolves. Regardless of laws or rules, she does what she wants, releases the wolves behind the backs of those she is supposed to notify, takes the law in her own hands to punish those she wants to punish, tramples on life for her own reasons, without thinking or caring that she is hurting humans and animals. I know my thoughts towards her are harsh but I could feel the damage she was doing, in the name of her goals, fine and honorable goals that will be more attainable with a softer approach to the people and way of life that she is threatening.
The writing is beautiful and we are in the head of Inty. We can see that even she is of two minds, torn in so many ways, not always knowing what is best but also knowing that some of what she does hurts both people and animals. Inty is hurt, angry, confused, and she feels powerless to change the past and to fix the future. I am so impressed with how the author brings about Inty's awareness that she went about things in manner that was not helpful and that she knows she needs to find a better way. The very people that she demonized as being in her way of making the earth a better place, once she stops to really get to know them, are people that are willing to work with her, if she would only talk to them. I loved this aspect of the book, that it addressed the very things that were bothering me about Inty.
The audio version of the book is lovely. I was able to switch between the audio version and the digital version which was helpful to me during the most violent passages of this story. This is not a peaceful book, violence plays a key part in the story, and it was hard for me to see/hear those parts of the book.
Publication: August 3rd
Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.
February 23, 2023
I was excited about this one. I love Scotland, which is the book's setting, and am passionate about the rewilding of our natural spaces, which is its focus. Sadly, though, this focus was incredibly heavy-handed, and diluted by a number of unnecessary and irritatingly contrived subplots. Why bring murder and romance into the fold? Why the troubled twin sister and the traumatic backstory? Why include a pregnancy, and why is nearly every man who appears in the story so entirely toxic? I suppose we might have found out if the book had run to another two- or three-hundred pages. But as things are, we're left with more questions than answers, and a rather confusing mess of a story. A missed opportunity.
August 2, 2021
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
Inti Flynn is the leader of a team of biologists reintroducing wolves to the Highlands of Scotland. The hope is that by bringing these predators back to the area that nature can achieve the balance it needs for the land to heal itself and grow in the way that it needs to grow for centuries to come. Inty brings her broken sister, Aggie, hoping she can heal her, too.
I was so angry with Inti, despite all the good she is attempting to do, because I could feel the stress and frustration she was bringing with her, to the lives of people whose livelihoods she was threatening. Inti could have used some diplomatic skills but she suffers her own traumas from the past and she is as mistrustful of humans as her wolves. Regardless of laws or rules, she does what she wants, releases the wolves behind the backs of those she is supposed to notify, takes the law in her own hands to punish those she wants to punish, tramples on life for her own reasons, without thinking or caring that she is hurting humans and animals. I know my thoughts towards her are harsh but I could feel the damage she was doing, in the name of her goals, fine and honorable goals that will be more attainable with a softer approach to the people and way of life that she is threatening.
The writing is beautiful and we are in the head of Inty. We can see that even she is of two minds, torn in so many ways, not always knowing what is best but also knowing that some of what she does hurts both people and animals. Inty is hurt, angry, confused, and she feels powerless to change the past and to fix the future. I am so impressed with how the author brings about Inty's awareness that she went about things in manner that was not helpful and that she knows she needs to find a better way. The very people that she demonized as being in her way of making the earth a better place, once she stops to really get to know them, are people that are willing to work with her, if she would only talk to them. I loved this aspect of the book, that it addressed the very things that were bothering me about Inty.
The audio version of the book is lovely. I was able to switch between the audio version and the digital version which was helpful to me during the most violent passages of this story. This is not a peaceful book, violence plays a key part in the story, and it was hard for me to see/hear those parts of the book.
Publication: August 3rd 2021
Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.
Inti Flynn is the leader of a team of biologists reintroducing wolves to the Highlands of Scotland. The hope is that by bringing these predators back to the area that nature can achieve the balance it needs for the land to heal itself and grow in the way that it needs to grow for centuries to come. Inty brings her broken sister, Aggie, hoping she can heal her, too.
I was so angry with Inti, despite all the good she is attempting to do, because I could feel the stress and frustration she was bringing with her, to the lives of people whose livelihoods she was threatening. Inti could have used some diplomatic skills but she suffers her own traumas from the past and she is as mistrustful of humans as her wolves. Regardless of laws or rules, she does what she wants, releases the wolves behind the backs of those she is supposed to notify, takes the law in her own hands to punish those she wants to punish, tramples on life for her own reasons, without thinking or caring that she is hurting humans and animals. I know my thoughts towards her are harsh but I could feel the damage she was doing, in the name of her goals, fine and honorable goals that will be more attainable with a softer approach to the people and way of life that she is threatening.
The writing is beautiful and we are in the head of Inty. We can see that even she is of two minds, torn in so many ways, not always knowing what is best but also knowing that some of what she does hurts both people and animals. Inty is hurt, angry, confused, and she feels powerless to change the past and to fix the future. I am so impressed with how the author brings about Inty's awareness that she went about things in manner that was not helpful and that she knows she needs to find a better way. The very people that she demonized as being in her way of making the earth a better place, once she stops to really get to know them, are people that are willing to work with her, if she would only talk to them. I loved this aspect of the book, that it addressed the very things that were bothering me about Inty.
The audio version of the book is lovely. I was able to switch between the audio version and the digital version which was helpful to me during the most violent passages of this story. This is not a peaceful book, violence plays a key part in the story, and it was hard for me to see/hear those parts of the book.
Publication: August 3rd 2021
Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.
October 22, 2021
I DNF'ed this author's Migrations and have often wondered if I should pick it up again. Maybe my initial feelings and thoughts about it would change, and I'd see what everyone else loves about it.
Now, after plowing my way through this piece of Tragedy Porn, I know I not only made the right decision DNF'ing it, I should have DNF'ed this one as well.
My god, how many different kinds of disasters can an author fit in a book?! We've got:
•An abused woman
•A man who killed his abusive father
•Animals killed by wolves
•Wolves killed by people
•A man killed by who knows what
•Another abused woman who is so traumatized by her ordeal she can't speak or leave her home.
•A protagonist with mirror touch synesthesia who feels everything she sees happening to other people so every bad thing that happens to someone has double descriptions.
And so much freaking drama! I cannot stand when an author tries to manipulate me into maximum feeling. Just tell the damn story.
But no, as if all the tragedy isn't enough, we also have to have a dumb love story with too much drama as well. It was obvious from the beginning where this book was gonna go but I thought, no, so many people love it, surely I'm wrong.
I wasn't.
This sort of stuff is not for me.
July 20, 2021
The writing is as beautiful as I found in Migrations, as is the sense of urgency to save the environment, for the characters to salvage their lives. This is a vivid depiction that doesn’t feel like preaching; the imperative message is blended with the fictional story of a compelling character as it was in McConaghy’s previous novel. Inti Flynn (what a fabulous name! ) is a wolf biologist who has come to Scotland with a team of scientists to rewild the wolf. My understanding of the importance of wolves to the environment, to the ecosystem, to climate change was pretty much nil and I learned a lot. I also learned something about a condition known as Mirror-touch synesthesia, a condition that Inti has, which makes a person with it feel the same sensations of touch as the person they are looking at. Of course, I spent some time reading more about these things and found them both fascinating.
This is a multi layered novel. There are the present day challenges that Inti confronts in her work with the wolves and trying to convince the people in the area who farm and raise livestock and are fearful of the wolves, that reentry is a good thing. She also cares for her twin sister, who has suffered a trauma that isn’t immediately revealed. We get a glimpse of the past, their childhood where they alternated time between her pragmatic police detective mother in Australia and their father, a former logger, a recluse, a “nearly mad” environmentalist in Canada . There’s a murder mystery (not my genre). There are romantic involvements and heavy themes such as physical and sexual abuse. There’s quite a bit of violence, which always disturbs me.
However, I was so invested in Inti and her sister Aggie. I wanted to know more about what happened to them in their past and what would happen to them moving forward. I wanted to know what would happen to the wolves. In spite of the murder mystery and the violence, I couldn’t put this down. The strength for me in this novel is the writing, the clear and beautiful descriptions of the forest, of the emotions, both the sinister and the beautiful. Charlotte McConaghy is such a talented writer and while I loved Migrations more, I will continue to watch for what else she writes.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Flatiron Books through Edelweiss.
This is a multi layered novel. There are the present day challenges that Inti confronts in her work with the wolves and trying to convince the people in the area who farm and raise livestock and are fearful of the wolves, that reentry is a good thing. She also cares for her twin sister, who has suffered a trauma that isn’t immediately revealed. We get a glimpse of the past, their childhood where they alternated time between her pragmatic police detective mother in Australia and their father, a former logger, a recluse, a “nearly mad” environmentalist in Canada . There’s a murder mystery (not my genre). There are romantic involvements and heavy themes such as physical and sexual abuse. There’s quite a bit of violence, which always disturbs me.
However, I was so invested in Inti and her sister Aggie. I wanted to know more about what happened to them in their past and what would happen to them moving forward. I wanted to know what would happen to the wolves. In spite of the murder mystery and the violence, I couldn’t put this down. The strength for me in this novel is the writing, the clear and beautiful descriptions of the forest, of the emotions, both the sinister and the beautiful. Charlotte McConaghy is such a talented writer and while I loved Migrations more, I will continue to watch for what else she writes.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Flatiron Books through Edelweiss.
May 31, 2021
“Once There We’re Wolves”,
was equally and as beautifully written as “Migrations”.
Inti Flynn works with other biologists to rehabilitate the Gray Wolf into the Scottish Highlands with the intention and hope to renew the ecosystem which had been significantly altered with the loss of wolves.
“Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with one goal: reintroduce wolves into the remote Highlands, where they haven’t stepped foot in hundreds of years. She is fiercely determined that nothing will distract her from her work, but when she returns each night to her cottage, where her traumatized twin sister Aggie barely leaves her bed, Inti can’t help but remember the painful secrets that drove them out at Alaska and into this new life”.
Her fragile piece is shattered when a farmer is mauled to death. Inti doesn’t believe the wolves did it but she doesn’t know who killed the farmer and will they strike again?
A story of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves— if she isn’t consumed by a wild that was once her refuge.
“When we were eight, Dad Cut me open from throat to stomach”.
“In a forest in the wilds of British Columbia sat his workshop, dusty and reeking of blood. He had skins hanging to dry and they brushed our foreheads as we crept through them. Hi shivered, even then, Aggie grinned devilishly ahead of me, bolder than me by far. After summers spent wishing to know what happened in this shed I was suddenly desperate to be gone from it”.
“We hunt only what we need and we give back to the
ecosystem, we grow food, too, we live as self-sufficiently as we can”
“I would like to explain that if a wolf had killed a person, we would know. We would have found remains. Wolves don’t eat the stomachs at their kills. They crush bones but only to get to the marrow inside, which leaves shards. I can assure you, there would be something left for us to find. At the very least, blood, and a great deal of it”.
“There is cruelty to survive, to fight against, but there is gentleness more than anything, our roots deep and entangled. That is what we hold inside, what we take with us, the way we look after each other”.
Like with “Migrations”, readers feel the urgency to address the damage done to our planet ….
Charlotte McConaghy’s storytelling is intimate. We come to know her characters well, while experiencing a powerful draw to protect and create balance in nature.
Once again…this very passionate, one-of-a-kind, author: Charlotte McConaghy gives us a visceral, haunting, emotional story that allows us to deepen our understanding of the complexities between humans, (destruction humans cause), animals, and the natural world we share together.
Intimate….with struggles, losses, triumphs…..
“Once There Were Wolves” was poignant, brutal, beautiful, heartbreaking and hopeful!
Basically….
OUTSTANDING!
If you loved, “Migrations”, … you can’t go wrong with this book either.
was equally and as beautifully written as “Migrations”.
Inti Flynn works with other biologists to rehabilitate the Gray Wolf into the Scottish Highlands with the intention and hope to renew the ecosystem which had been significantly altered with the loss of wolves.
“Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with one goal: reintroduce wolves into the remote Highlands, where they haven’t stepped foot in hundreds of years. She is fiercely determined that nothing will distract her from her work, but when she returns each night to her cottage, where her traumatized twin sister Aggie barely leaves her bed, Inti can’t help but remember the painful secrets that drove them out at Alaska and into this new life”.
Her fragile piece is shattered when a farmer is mauled to death. Inti doesn’t believe the wolves did it but she doesn’t know who killed the farmer and will they strike again?
A story of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves— if she isn’t consumed by a wild that was once her refuge.
“When we were eight, Dad Cut me open from throat to stomach”.
“In a forest in the wilds of British Columbia sat his workshop, dusty and reeking of blood. He had skins hanging to dry and they brushed our foreheads as we crept through them. Hi shivered, even then, Aggie grinned devilishly ahead of me, bolder than me by far. After summers spent wishing to know what happened in this shed I was suddenly desperate to be gone from it”.
“We hunt only what we need and we give back to the
ecosystem, we grow food, too, we live as self-sufficiently as we can”
“I would like to explain that if a wolf had killed a person, we would know. We would have found remains. Wolves don’t eat the stomachs at their kills. They crush bones but only to get to the marrow inside, which leaves shards. I can assure you, there would be something left for us to find. At the very least, blood, and a great deal of it”.
“There is cruelty to survive, to fight against, but there is gentleness more than anything, our roots deep and entangled. That is what we hold inside, what we take with us, the way we look after each other”.
Like with “Migrations”, readers feel the urgency to address the damage done to our planet ….
Charlotte McConaghy’s storytelling is intimate. We come to know her characters well, while experiencing a powerful draw to protect and create balance in nature.
Once again…this very passionate, one-of-a-kind, author: Charlotte McConaghy gives us a visceral, haunting, emotional story that allows us to deepen our understanding of the complexities between humans, (destruction humans cause), animals, and the natural world we share together.
Intimate….with struggles, losses, triumphs…..
“Once There Were Wolves” was poignant, brutal, beautiful, heartbreaking and hopeful!
Basically….
OUTSTANDING!
If you loved, “Migrations”, … you can’t go wrong with this book either.
November 19, 2021
Be sure to visit Bantering Books to read all my latest reviews.
Migrations is a tough act to follow. Especially in my eyes, what with it being the book I most treasure.
But I am happy to report that Charlotte McConaghy’s latest novel, Once There Were Wolves, does not disappoint.
Delete that. Yes, it does.
No, it doesn’t.
Yes, it does.
No, it doesn’t.
Yes, it does.
No, it –
Clearly, I’m conflicted. Because Wolves truly is another gorgeously written, complex work of literary fiction. Not only that, but, like Migrations, it’s also an enthralling, page-turning mystery, an achingly beautiful love story, and a heartfelt ode to our natural world.
This time around, McConaghy turns her attention to wolves and to Inti Flynn. Inti and her twin sister, Aggie, have recently arrived in the Scottish Highlands so that Inti can lead a team of biologists tasked with the reintroduction of 14 gray wolves. Scotland’s ecosystem is in crisis, and she hopes the wolves’ return will allow the land to organically rewild and prosper. But when a farmer is found dead and blame is placed upon the wolves, Inti must decide the lengths she will go to protect them.
Much like her wolves, Inti is an unforgettable force of nature. She is a haunted, troubled woman, and an angry fire burns within her, kindled by her traumatic past. To add to her interest, she possesses a neurological condition called mirror-touch synesthesia, meaning her brain recreates the sensory experience of others. Simply put, she feels what she sees.
Just as I felt all that I saw in Wolves.
I don’t know what it is about McConaghy’s writing, but she makes me feel. Every tear of Inti’s. Her pain, her anger, her fear, her love. The cold wind of the Highlands. The coarseness of the wolves’ coats. Very few writers affect me in this way.
So, why the disappointment?
The ending. It veers a little too close to thriller territory, and it’s shaded in unbelievability and melodrama. It doesn’t entirely suit the story.
But it’s no matter. I still loved Once There Were Wolves, and I will still read anything and everything McConaghy writes.
Her words are a gift.
This was a great buddy read with my Goodreads friend, Melissa Crytzer Fry. Be sure to check out her fantastic review, too.
Bantering Books
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Migrations is a tough act to follow. Especially in my eyes, what with it being the book I most treasure.
But I am happy to report that Charlotte McConaghy’s latest novel, Once There Were Wolves, does not disappoint.
Delete that. Yes, it does.
No, it doesn’t.
Yes, it does.
No, it doesn’t.
Yes, it does.
No, it –
Clearly, I’m conflicted. Because Wolves truly is another gorgeously written, complex work of literary fiction. Not only that, but, like Migrations, it’s also an enthralling, page-turning mystery, an achingly beautiful love story, and a heartfelt ode to our natural world.
This time around, McConaghy turns her attention to wolves and to Inti Flynn. Inti and her twin sister, Aggie, have recently arrived in the Scottish Highlands so that Inti can lead a team of biologists tasked with the reintroduction of 14 gray wolves. Scotland’s ecosystem is in crisis, and she hopes the wolves’ return will allow the land to organically rewild and prosper. But when a farmer is found dead and blame is placed upon the wolves, Inti must decide the lengths she will go to protect them.
Much like her wolves, Inti is an unforgettable force of nature. She is a haunted, troubled woman, and an angry fire burns within her, kindled by her traumatic past. To add to her interest, she possesses a neurological condition called mirror-touch synesthesia, meaning her brain recreates the sensory experience of others. Simply put, she feels what she sees.
Just as I felt all that I saw in Wolves.
I don’t know what it is about McConaghy’s writing, but she makes me feel. Every tear of Inti’s. Her pain, her anger, her fear, her love. The cold wind of the Highlands. The coarseness of the wolves’ coats. Very few writers affect me in this way.
So, why the disappointment?
The ending. It veers a little too close to thriller territory, and it’s shaded in unbelievability and melodrama. It doesn’t entirely suit the story.
But it’s no matter. I still loved Once There Were Wolves, and I will still read anything and everything McConaghy writes.
Her words are a gift.
This was a great buddy read with my Goodreads friend, Melissa Crytzer Fry. Be sure to check out her fantastic review, too.
Bantering Books
June 24, 2021
Once There Were Wolves is an homage to nature. McConaghy’s lush descriptions of the forests and wildlife were magical. I was quickly drawn into this atmospheric story.
The book details an effort to bring back wolves to the Scottish Highlands. Needless to say, the local farmers are not in favor. A wolf is quickly killed. Battle lines are drawn and Inti makes a decision to protect her wolves which might entail allowing someone to get away with murder.
Inti Flynn is one of the most unique main characters I’ve ever met. She has a condition called mirror touch synesthesia, which means she literally feels what others experience. If you cut yourself, she would feel your pain. And her parents were so different and imparted such different lessons to her, it’s amazing she doesn’t have a split personality.
The story flips back and forth between present day and Inti’s earlier life. Inti’s twin sister Aggie suffered from some event that has left her damaged and unable to speak. Often I find these split stories have a stronger half and a weaker half. Not here. I was equally engaged by both.
I enjoyed McConaghy’s prior book, Migrations, but I loved this one. I found this a much tauter, more suspenseful story. Once again, she tackles climate change and the damage man has done to the planet. But she brings it down to a very individual level; one small effort to repair that damage. Her writing is lush, it was easy to see every scene play out.
Saskia Maarleveld is the narrator and I was very impressed with her emotions and her ability to distinguish between the various accents.
The book details an effort to bring back wolves to the Scottish Highlands. Needless to say, the local farmers are not in favor. A wolf is quickly killed. Battle lines are drawn and Inti makes a decision to protect her wolves which might entail allowing someone to get away with murder.
Inti Flynn is one of the most unique main characters I’ve ever met. She has a condition called mirror touch synesthesia, which means she literally feels what others experience. If you cut yourself, she would feel your pain. And her parents were so different and imparted such different lessons to her, it’s amazing she doesn’t have a split personality.
The story flips back and forth between present day and Inti’s earlier life. Inti’s twin sister Aggie suffered from some event that has left her damaged and unable to speak. Often I find these split stories have a stronger half and a weaker half. Not here. I was equally engaged by both.
I enjoyed McConaghy’s prior book, Migrations, but I loved this one. I found this a much tauter, more suspenseful story. Once again, she tackles climate change and the damage man has done to the planet. But she brings it down to a very individual level; one small effort to repair that damage. Her writing is lush, it was easy to see every scene play out.
Saskia Maarleveld is the narrator and I was very impressed with her emotions and her ability to distinguish between the various accents.
November 6, 2021
Charlotte McConaghy echoes many of the themes of The Last Migration here and there are similiarities in the character of Franny Stone with that of Inti Flynn in this raw, profoundly moving, atmospheric and powerful novel. Inti is a biologist who is spearheading the reintroduction of 14 grey wolves in a rewilding project in the Scottish Highlands in an effort to balance the degraded ecosystems from the overpopulation of deer. There haven't been wolves in Scotland for centuries, Inti believes the environment needs predators for the environment to be in balance and to thrive. She and her damaged twin sister Aggie have arrived from Alaska, and Inti hopes that her sister, with whom she is so closely bonded, and the environment will heal, Aggie has serious mental health issues and difficulties when it comes to communication. The narrative goes back and forth in time, revealing Inti's childhood, the secrets, and her past, going on to reveal the horrors of what happened in Alaska.
The twins have spent time with their father in the wilds of the forests of British Columbia, learning subsistence living and how to co-exist with nature. At the other end of the scale, they have been immersed in urban living in Sydney, Australia where their mother is a detective who has seen the darker side of humanity, she has taught them to be more cautious, learning to distrust people and the importance of self defence. Inti has the special gift of mirror touch synesthesia, both a blessing and a curse, allowing her to experience the pain of others. As might be expected, many locals, including farmers, worried about their livestock, are hostile and apprehensive about the introduction of wolves and the battlelines are drawn. Inti will do whatever it takes to protect Aggie and the wolves, and when a death occurs, she makes some questionable decisions, getting drawn into the mystery amidst rising tensions. With a relationship developing between Inti and Sheriff Duncan MacTavish, can she trust him?
In this emotionally gripping, haunting, and well researched story of violence, loss, abuse, trauma, fear, survival and conservation, McConaghy gives us stellar characterisation and provides rich and vivid descriptions of the Scottish location, the challenges that the endangered wolves face, and the differing characteristics of the wolves. This is a multilayered, outstanding and hopeful novel, unforgettable, dwelling on the complexities of human nature, our flawed humanity that damages the environment and its ecosystems to such dangerous levels, and focusing on a specific rewilding project intended to address some of this harm. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
The twins have spent time with their father in the wilds of the forests of British Columbia, learning subsistence living and how to co-exist with nature. At the other end of the scale, they have been immersed in urban living in Sydney, Australia where their mother is a detective who has seen the darker side of humanity, she has taught them to be more cautious, learning to distrust people and the importance of self defence. Inti has the special gift of mirror touch synesthesia, both a blessing and a curse, allowing her to experience the pain of others. As might be expected, many locals, including farmers, worried about their livestock, are hostile and apprehensive about the introduction of wolves and the battlelines are drawn. Inti will do whatever it takes to protect Aggie and the wolves, and when a death occurs, she makes some questionable decisions, getting drawn into the mystery amidst rising tensions. With a relationship developing between Inti and Sheriff Duncan MacTavish, can she trust him?
In this emotionally gripping, haunting, and well researched story of violence, loss, abuse, trauma, fear, survival and conservation, McConaghy gives us stellar characterisation and provides rich and vivid descriptions of the Scottish location, the challenges that the endangered wolves face, and the differing characteristics of the wolves. This is a multilayered, outstanding and hopeful novel, unforgettable, dwelling on the complexities of human nature, our flawed humanity that damages the environment and its ecosystems to such dangerous levels, and focusing on a specific rewilding project intended to address some of this harm. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
July 12, 2022
Book club choice for July
Wow, what a book. So many things that deeply relate to how animals and humans are similar, but also to how we are different. Nature is harsh, but it's also a reflection of life.
This book is both brutal and real, heartwarming and heartbreaking. Just like life. All at once. It's graphic and difficult to read, but I think it needs to be read and talked about and dissected. Humanity IS brutal, it IS heartbreaking, but you must sacrifice and risk to truly live.
I think this is a book that will resonate with so many people. I listened to part of this as an audiobook, the narrator did a stellar job giving Inti a voice. But I switched to the print so I could write down the quotes and really take the time to reflect, especially when it got close to the end.
Wow, what a book. So many things that deeply relate to how animals and humans are similar, but also to how we are different. Nature is harsh, but it's also a reflection of life.
This book is both brutal and real, heartwarming and heartbreaking. Just like life. All at once. It's graphic and difficult to read, but I think it needs to be read and talked about and dissected. Humanity IS brutal, it IS heartbreaking, but you must sacrifice and risk to truly live.
I think this is a book that will resonate with so many people. I listened to part of this as an audiobook, the narrator did a stellar job giving Inti a voice. But I switched to the print so I could write down the quotes and really take the time to reflect, especially when it got close to the end.
March 24, 2023
I treasured my audio book by Charlotte McConaghy, “Migrations”. I wanted to read her new one, “Once There Were Wolves”. I loved listening to her literary style. I’m a visual learner (audio novels are pushing my ability to compute audibly). I wanted to read her words, and I was not disappointed.
As with “Migrations”, McConaghy uses another fearless and damaged protagonist, Inti Flynn. Inti is attempting to repopulate the wolf populace in Scotland. The deer are eating the woodlands and depleting the ecosystem. Bringing in wolves, who hunt deer, will allow the country to become lush again. Wolf scat is also important in the environmental makeover. Inti is traveling with a group of wolf experts whose job is to reintroduce the wolves to the wild of Scotland. Part of the beauty of the story is learning about wolves, their importance to the earth.
As one can imagine, the local sheep farmers are NOT pleased. Adding to Inti’s struggles is her twin sister Aggie. Something tragic happened to Aggie, and McConaghy divvies out the clues beautifully. The whole story is nuanced in dark and depressed sentiment. Inti is fighting a difficult crowd, with the trigger-happy farmers itching to kill the wolves.
Inti is also plagued with “mirror-touch synesthesia” which is a neurological condition in which she endures the same sensory experiences of a living creature. I think of them as “empaths”. She first learned of this condition when she was viewing her father gutting an animal. She fainted from the pain and shock, and it was only Aggie who can bring her back to herself.
As livestock are killed, along with a missing person (presumed to be eaten by a wolf) the events build farmer angst. The pressure mounts, and Inti reflects on her past, what brought her to this place. In that reflection, we learn of her crusading mother, her desperate father, and her twin who was once the life of the party and now a shut-in only communicating by sign language.
Violence grows in the townsfolk, and the wolf experts still cannot identify which wolf is causing the issues, or where all the wolves are.
This is an environmental story, but it’s also a story about the cruelties of humans. Wolves are cruel to survive. People are cruel for a variety of reasons, and McConaghy shines at authentically creating the details of trauma.
5 glowing stars!!
As with “Migrations”, McConaghy uses another fearless and damaged protagonist, Inti Flynn. Inti is attempting to repopulate the wolf populace in Scotland. The deer are eating the woodlands and depleting the ecosystem. Bringing in wolves, who hunt deer, will allow the country to become lush again. Wolf scat is also important in the environmental makeover. Inti is traveling with a group of wolf experts whose job is to reintroduce the wolves to the wild of Scotland. Part of the beauty of the story is learning about wolves, their importance to the earth.
As one can imagine, the local sheep farmers are NOT pleased. Adding to Inti’s struggles is her twin sister Aggie. Something tragic happened to Aggie, and McConaghy divvies out the clues beautifully. The whole story is nuanced in dark and depressed sentiment. Inti is fighting a difficult crowd, with the trigger-happy farmers itching to kill the wolves.
Inti is also plagued with “mirror-touch synesthesia” which is a neurological condition in which she endures the same sensory experiences of a living creature. I think of them as “empaths”. She first learned of this condition when she was viewing her father gutting an animal. She fainted from the pain and shock, and it was only Aggie who can bring her back to herself.
As livestock are killed, along with a missing person (presumed to be eaten by a wolf) the events build farmer angst. The pressure mounts, and Inti reflects on her past, what brought her to this place. In that reflection, we learn of her crusading mother, her desperate father, and her twin who was once the life of the party and now a shut-in only communicating by sign language.
Violence grows in the townsfolk, and the wolf experts still cannot identify which wolf is causing the issues, or where all the wolves are.
This is an environmental story, but it’s also a story about the cruelties of humans. Wolves are cruel to survive. People are cruel for a variety of reasons, and McConaghy shines at authentically creating the details of trauma.
5 glowing stars!!
September 13, 2021
I’ve read some polarizing reviews but I thought this was undeniably intense. And fascinating.
Inti and her sister have arrived in Scotland running away from Alaska. We know it was traumatic as it has caused her sister to be almost mute.
Inti is reintroducing wolves to this remote area in Scotland. But it isn’t welcomed by the farmers and a farmer is found dead. And so a mystery begins swaddled in the forests of the highlands.
McConaghy has an knack for weaving nature through her descriptive style. I was transported with these beautiful creatures of awe.
A nice tribute to the conservationists who work tirelessly and diligently to reintroduce wolves to our ecosystem.
4.25⭐️
Inti and her sister have arrived in Scotland running away from Alaska. We know it was traumatic as it has caused her sister to be almost mute.
Inti is reintroducing wolves to this remote area in Scotland. But it isn’t welcomed by the farmers and a farmer is found dead. And so a mystery begins swaddled in the forests of the highlands.
McConaghy has an knack for weaving nature through her descriptive style. I was transported with these beautiful creatures of awe.
A nice tribute to the conservationists who work tirelessly and diligently to reintroduce wolves to our ecosystem.
4.25⭐️
August 4, 2021
"Never assume anything with a wolf, she will always surprise you."
If you have read the author’s previous book, Migrations, you know that her books focus on the environment and our impact on the environment. Her writing is eloquent, beautiful and awe inspiring.
Inti Flynn is a wolf biologist who has arrived in Scotland with her team of biologists and fourteen grey wolves they are introducing to the Scottish Highlands. In doing so, she hopes to heal the dying landscape. Along with her team and the wolves, she has also brought her twin sisters, Aggie. They have left Alaska after something terrible happened which resulted in Aggie not speaking or caring for herself properly.
Inti is an interesting character as she has Mirror-touch synesthesia. Her brain re-creates the sensory experiences of living creatures – people and sometimes animals. If she can see it, she can feel it. She can feel their pain, their pleasure and everything in between.
"You don't hunt wolves. You hunt their prey."
Inti knows what she will be up against, and she is right. The locals do not take kindly to wolves being introduced. They have made it abundantly clear where they stand. They will shoot to kill any wolves that threaten their livestock. Inti hopes that she and her wolves can change their minds. Wolves have been shown to save environments. She informs them that predators are critical for healthy ecosystems. They keep other species in check thus guaranteeing that a great variety of species survive.
"The world is hard on wolves; if they don't die by illness or starvation, if they are not killed in fights with other packs or in some disastrous accident, they are shot by humans."
Inti meets the local sheriff; Duncan MacTavish and they begin to spend time together. Their attraction is palpable. As the wolves begin to flourish, mate and bear young, Inti makes a rash decision after she makes a startling discovery – a dead body. Could the wolves be responsible? She knows the farmers will jump to this conclusion. If the wolves did not kill the man, then who and why? Could the murderer be someone she has growing feelings for?
"You must know monsters well, wolf girl."
This book has a lot going on and yet, it is never confusing and the subp0lots do not bog down this amazing book. The book takes place in the present time and gives glimpses into the past. In the past, we see Inti and Aggie being raised quite differently by their mother and father. Their mother is a dedicated police officer in Australia and their father lives in the forest in Canada. He engrains in them to take care of the environment, to take only what you need, not to make waste, and to care for the land. Their mother teaches them about hard work, how to survive in the world and tells Inti she needs to be tough. We are witness to the close bond of the sisters, their childhood and what occurred which resulted in them leaving Alaska.
"All creatures know love."
The descriptions in this book are lush and vivid. There are some difficult scenes including both humans and wolves. There are also some very beautiful scenes. The forest and wolf scenes have an atmospheric feel to them. I loved reading about the beauty of the land and the wolves flourishing, mating, and forming packs. The humans were a little bit of a mess. The humans were flawed, tough, endearing, some likeable, some very unlikeable. But it took all of them to make this truly beautiful book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Migrations, but this book knocked my socks off! I was blown away by the McConaghy’s beautiful writing, vivid descriptions and her chosen setting. As I mentioned at the beginning of my review, her books focus on the environment, but I never feel as if she is beating me over the head with her viewpoints.
This book is so many things – it’s a mystery, it’s a romance, its about survival, it’s about the environment and resiliency. It's moving, thought provoking and such a rewarding read!
If you have not read Charlotte McConaghy before, I highly recommend her books especially this one!
Beautifully written, atmospheric and thought provoking!
A MUST READ!
Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
If you have read the author’s previous book, Migrations, you know that her books focus on the environment and our impact on the environment. Her writing is eloquent, beautiful and awe inspiring.
Inti Flynn is a wolf biologist who has arrived in Scotland with her team of biologists and fourteen grey wolves they are introducing to the Scottish Highlands. In doing so, she hopes to heal the dying landscape. Along with her team and the wolves, she has also brought her twin sisters, Aggie. They have left Alaska after something terrible happened which resulted in Aggie not speaking or caring for herself properly.
Inti is an interesting character as she has Mirror-touch synesthesia. Her brain re-creates the sensory experiences of living creatures – people and sometimes animals. If she can see it, she can feel it. She can feel their pain, their pleasure and everything in between.
"You don't hunt wolves. You hunt their prey."
Inti knows what she will be up against, and she is right. The locals do not take kindly to wolves being introduced. They have made it abundantly clear where they stand. They will shoot to kill any wolves that threaten their livestock. Inti hopes that she and her wolves can change their minds. Wolves have been shown to save environments. She informs them that predators are critical for healthy ecosystems. They keep other species in check thus guaranteeing that a great variety of species survive.
"The world is hard on wolves; if they don't die by illness or starvation, if they are not killed in fights with other packs or in some disastrous accident, they are shot by humans."
Inti meets the local sheriff; Duncan MacTavish and they begin to spend time together. Their attraction is palpable. As the wolves begin to flourish, mate and bear young, Inti makes a rash decision after she makes a startling discovery – a dead body. Could the wolves be responsible? She knows the farmers will jump to this conclusion. If the wolves did not kill the man, then who and why? Could the murderer be someone she has growing feelings for?
"You must know monsters well, wolf girl."
This book has a lot going on and yet, it is never confusing and the subp0lots do not bog down this amazing book. The book takes place in the present time and gives glimpses into the past. In the past, we see Inti and Aggie being raised quite differently by their mother and father. Their mother is a dedicated police officer in Australia and their father lives in the forest in Canada. He engrains in them to take care of the environment, to take only what you need, not to make waste, and to care for the land. Their mother teaches them about hard work, how to survive in the world and tells Inti she needs to be tough. We are witness to the close bond of the sisters, their childhood and what occurred which resulted in them leaving Alaska.
"All creatures know love."
The descriptions in this book are lush and vivid. There are some difficult scenes including both humans and wolves. There are also some very beautiful scenes. The forest and wolf scenes have an atmospheric feel to them. I loved reading about the beauty of the land and the wolves flourishing, mating, and forming packs. The humans were a little bit of a mess. The humans were flawed, tough, endearing, some likeable, some very unlikeable. But it took all of them to make this truly beautiful book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Migrations, but this book knocked my socks off! I was blown away by the McConaghy’s beautiful writing, vivid descriptions and her chosen setting. As I mentioned at the beginning of my review, her books focus on the environment, but I never feel as if she is beating me over the head with her viewpoints.
This book is so many things – it’s a mystery, it’s a romance, its about survival, it’s about the environment and resiliency. It's moving, thought provoking and such a rewarding read!
If you have not read Charlotte McConaghy before, I highly recommend her books especially this one!
Beautifully written, atmospheric and thought provoking!
A MUST READ!
Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
January 29, 2022
“..the world turned wrong when we started separating ourselves from the wild, when we stopped being one with the rest of nature, and sat apart.”
With patches of forest, long sloping mountains, bleak moors and shapes and colours that treat the eye to nature in all its splendour, is the setting of ‘Once there were Wolves’ an idyllic tapestry of nature until a murder sends a community against the wolves that Flynn is trying to rewild in Scotland, and we are left speculating if the predator is man or wolf.
Inti Flynn a Biologist takes on a mission in the Abernethy Forest, one of the last remnants of the ancient Caledonian Forest that arrived after the Ice Age. Trees that belong to an unbroken evolutionary chain, the beating heart of the forest and within it Inti wants to settle multiple wolf packs.
However, after the disappearance and death of a man, the community turns on Flynn as some of the wolves are shot dead for allegedly trespassing on farmland and branded killers of Stuart, a local man, aggressive and unlikeable. However, there is an enemy worse than Stuart and they are Inti’s wolves. We also have Inti’s twin sister whose past and present play an important part to the story as she is struggling to live again after suffering dreadful domestic violence at the hands of a controlling and abusive husband.
Review and Comments
This was a great story of two halves, in the opening chapters I was taken on a sensory trip of nature and introduced to the infinite mystery of wolves, their astonishing cleverness of nature and into the beating forest of Abernethy. A story I would savour, enjoy, and learn from as I was introduced to the eco-system created by wolves.
Then I went for a coffee, and it felt like someone switched my books when I was away because the elegant prose and sensory descriptions was replaced by gritty detective work and stories of domestic abuse, and the only connection to the wolves was the possible motive. I wanted the nature element, the vivid descriptions, and the journey of these wolves to continue and play a much bigger role in the whole book, and more importantly join up.
So, two very credible themes and threads to the story. However, had the author integrated them better then I would have had no hesitation is giving this book 5 wild stars. Nevertheless this is a very enjoyable book as it still stands at a very credible 3/4 star read.
With patches of forest, long sloping mountains, bleak moors and shapes and colours that treat the eye to nature in all its splendour, is the setting of ‘Once there were Wolves’ an idyllic tapestry of nature until a murder sends a community against the wolves that Flynn is trying to rewild in Scotland, and we are left speculating if the predator is man or wolf.
Inti Flynn a Biologist takes on a mission in the Abernethy Forest, one of the last remnants of the ancient Caledonian Forest that arrived after the Ice Age. Trees that belong to an unbroken evolutionary chain, the beating heart of the forest and within it Inti wants to settle multiple wolf packs.
However, after the disappearance and death of a man, the community turns on Flynn as some of the wolves are shot dead for allegedly trespassing on farmland and branded killers of Stuart, a local man, aggressive and unlikeable. However, there is an enemy worse than Stuart and they are Inti’s wolves. We also have Inti’s twin sister whose past and present play an important part to the story as she is struggling to live again after suffering dreadful domestic violence at the hands of a controlling and abusive husband.
Review and Comments
This was a great story of two halves, in the opening chapters I was taken on a sensory trip of nature and introduced to the infinite mystery of wolves, their astonishing cleverness of nature and into the beating forest of Abernethy. A story I would savour, enjoy, and learn from as I was introduced to the eco-system created by wolves.
Then I went for a coffee, and it felt like someone switched my books when I was away because the elegant prose and sensory descriptions was replaced by gritty detective work and stories of domestic abuse, and the only connection to the wolves was the possible motive. I wanted the nature element, the vivid descriptions, and the journey of these wolves to continue and play a much bigger role in the whole book, and more importantly join up.
So, two very credible themes and threads to the story. However, had the author integrated them better then I would have had no hesitation is giving this book 5 wild stars. Nevertheless this is a very enjoyable book as it still stands at a very credible 3/4 star read.
September 15, 2023
READ THIS BOOK. THATS IT.
it’ll pull you out of your comfort zone. make you feel every emotion. make you understand humanity and animals and our ecosystem and how everything is connected. the characters are everything and more.
I LOVED IT.
this is a 6-star book guys 🙌🏼 if you’re looking for a unique story, fall and atmospheric vibes, a shocking ending and amazing MC… then this is it.
👇🏼 if you need more convincing… here are some quick hits:
🤎 one of the most unique and original storylines
🌟 i gave it 6 stars out of 5. it was my favorite book of 2021
🍂 has moody, atmospheric fall vibes
📖 it’s under 260 pages
🐺 did i mention the freaking wolves?! 🥹
🙌🏼 follows one of my fave MCs ever, Inti. she’s confident, badass, flawed, amazing, inspiring, smart and strong
🤎 the sister relationship is top tier
🍂 the writing style and how much the author researched and taught me through a fiction novel is WOW
🤯 the perfect build up, pacing and ending 🤌🏼
✨ this quote: “you must know monsters well, wolf girl.” “i’ve never met one in the wild. they don’t live there.”
👇🏼 and here’s the quick synopsis:
ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES follows a group of biologists and vets that reintroduce wolves to ecosystems to help restore them. the MC is leading a new project in Scotland. when some livestock and a town farmer are found dead, she knows where everyone will place the blame… 🐺🥹 so in an effort to protect them, she makes a reckless decision that leads her—and everyone else—to investigate and wonder, who really did kill them? was it the wolves or something else? the resolution will leave you like 😱
read it this fall and come back and tell me how much you loved it!!! 🤎🙌🏼🍂🐺🖤📖
thank you to Flatiron Books for my gifted copy 🤎
it’ll pull you out of your comfort zone. make you feel every emotion. make you understand humanity and animals and our ecosystem and how everything is connected. the characters are everything and more.
I LOVED IT.
this is a 6-star book guys 🙌🏼 if you’re looking for a unique story, fall and atmospheric vibes, a shocking ending and amazing MC… then this is it.
👇🏼 if you need more convincing… here are some quick hits:
🤎 one of the most unique and original storylines
🌟 i gave it 6 stars out of 5. it was my favorite book of 2021
🍂 has moody, atmospheric fall vibes
📖 it’s under 260 pages
🐺 did i mention the freaking wolves?! 🥹
🙌🏼 follows one of my fave MCs ever, Inti. she’s confident, badass, flawed, amazing, inspiring, smart and strong
🤎 the sister relationship is top tier
🍂 the writing style and how much the author researched and taught me through a fiction novel is WOW
🤯 the perfect build up, pacing and ending 🤌🏼
✨ this quote: “you must know monsters well, wolf girl.” “i’ve never met one in the wild. they don’t live there.”
👇🏼 and here’s the quick synopsis:
ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES follows a group of biologists and vets that reintroduce wolves to ecosystems to help restore them. the MC is leading a new project in Scotland. when some livestock and a town farmer are found dead, she knows where everyone will place the blame… 🐺🥹 so in an effort to protect them, she makes a reckless decision that leads her—and everyone else—to investigate and wonder, who really did kill them? was it the wolves or something else? the resolution will leave you like 😱
read it this fall and come back and tell me how much you loved it!!! 🤎🙌🏼🍂🐺🖤📖
thank you to Flatiron Books for my gifted copy 🤎
June 3, 2021
“When we were eight, Dad cut me open from throat to stomach.”
How’s that for a crazy opening line? It stopped me in my tracks, like it was supposed to. We soon learn that Inti, the person telling the story, has a medical condition called mirror-touch synesthesia, which means that if she is watching another person or animal, she literally, and simultaneously, feels what they are feeling. Her dad had just killed a rabbit and she was watching. (All of us proud empathizers who say “I feel your pain” are sort of full of it. Only Inti can say it and mean it, lol.)
Despite that wild opener, I went into this book with the breaks on, trying not to get my hopes up. The author’s book, Migrations, is an all-time favorite. It’s an impossible act to follow; it has that special magic that comes only once in a long while. What will be the verdict for this book?
Well, I will say that I didn’t love it quite as much as Migrations, but it’s still, undeniably, a 5-star read. I can’t stop thinking about it! Wolves fill my mind! And it brought back a memory of when our family was at a wildlife refuge, looking at gorgeous wolves. My youngest was maybe 7, and she smiled away at a gray wolf who we all projected was smiling back. Ah, so cute, maybe they could be friends someday (joking, of course, but we were certainly in a mutual-admiration situation, we thought). Suddenly the docent says, “He wants to eat you for lunch.” Well, THAT sure bummed us out—broke my daughter’s heart; all of our hearts, in fact. No self-respecting mom wants to think of her little darling as wolf chow! The docent should have kept her mouth shut. How did she know the wolf wanted to eat my baby? Don’t they feed the wolves enough at that joint?
Oops, back to business: The reason I loved the book a little less is that there is a fair amount of animal violence and death. None of it is gratuitous, but I wish there hadn’t been so much. I just get too upset when an animal is injured or killed. Does me in. Hell, I still have PTSD from watching Old Yeller six decades ago. So the animal violence made me enjoy the book less, I can’t help it. There were numerous scenes that made me squirm (not in a good way) and made me fret and even cry. Although McConaghy doesn’t let us get too attached to the individual wolves, like I did to Old Yeller, we do get to know them a little because the scientists give them numbers as names. (I’ll remember Number Ten, I just will.) The tracking and observation of the wolves, and tales of their life, habits, and devotion to each other, captivated me, as it will any animal lover. One thing that blew my mind was learning that wolves pass down memories. Isn’t that the wildest thing you’ve ever heard?
Inti is the lead researcher in a group of scientists who have just reintroduced wolves into the remote forests of Scotland, in the hopes of helping the ecology and saving the species. Inti is passionate about conservation and animals, and her love is contagious. (Could I go to Scotland and study wolves when I grow up, please?) The locals who run sheep farms of course aren’t happy about it, and conflict ensues.
Like the main character in Migrations, the main character here is one strong woman. She is intense, flawed, introspective, and kind, and she never gives up. I like how she always wonders whether she has done the right thing or whether she has made matters worse. She doesn’t cut herself much slack. She has to make really hard decisions, and you feel her distress over what’s the right thing to do. Some of the choices are ones that no one wants to have to make. She faces the problems and acts heroically. (I’d want to run and hide under the covers.)
McConaghy knows how to create a complex character, one that you’ll grow to love. I will say that the main character in Migrations and the one in this book seem like the same person. This bothers me; would have been more impressive if they hadn’t been so similar. Is McConaghy a one-character wonder? Because I loved both books and the main characters so much, I’m giving her a pass.
Inti has an identical twin, Aggie, who has some problems. It’s all very mysterious at first—are the problems just mental or are they physical as well? Inti takes care of Aggie, and their sister-love is touching. We gradually learn about the traumatic events that caused Aggie to be the way she is. McConaghy weaves in the past story seamlessly, never sacrificing the perfect pace that she set up in the present-day story.
This book seems to have everything. It’s full of action, which kept the tension going (and made it a fast read). It’s atmospheric as hell, and it has great language and characters. There are tales of abuse, and there’s a mystery and even romance. Sadness abounds but so does hope. An added bonus is that we get to learn about that beautiful creature, the wolf. Oh, and let’s not forget the giant, heart-wrenching surprise at the end; I can’t imagine anyone could see it coming. Even though the book is jam-packed with all the aspects of great storytelling, it never feels like it’s overdone or crowded. It’s a story you get immersed in and one where you are so rooting for the good guys, including the wolves.
I loved this book and won’t forget it anytime soon. I know a book is great when I find myself heading to Google. I HAD to look up author interviews, wolves, mirror-touch synesthesia, and the hours of the wildlife refuge I visited decades ago. Hopefully, by now, the mouthy docent will be gone.
Needless to say, I’ll follow McConaghy anywhere.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy.
How’s that for a crazy opening line? It stopped me in my tracks, like it was supposed to. We soon learn that Inti, the person telling the story, has a medical condition called mirror-touch synesthesia, which means that if she is watching another person or animal, she literally, and simultaneously, feels what they are feeling. Her dad had just killed a rabbit and she was watching. (All of us proud empathizers who say “I feel your pain” are sort of full of it. Only Inti can say it and mean it, lol.)
Despite that wild opener, I went into this book with the breaks on, trying not to get my hopes up. The author’s book, Migrations, is an all-time favorite. It’s an impossible act to follow; it has that special magic that comes only once in a long while. What will be the verdict for this book?
Well, I will say that I didn’t love it quite as much as Migrations, but it’s still, undeniably, a 5-star read. I can’t stop thinking about it! Wolves fill my mind! And it brought back a memory of when our family was at a wildlife refuge, looking at gorgeous wolves. My youngest was maybe 7, and she smiled away at a gray wolf who we all projected was smiling back. Ah, so cute, maybe they could be friends someday (joking, of course, but we were certainly in a mutual-admiration situation, we thought). Suddenly the docent says, “He wants to eat you for lunch.” Well, THAT sure bummed us out—broke my daughter’s heart; all of our hearts, in fact. No self-respecting mom wants to think of her little darling as wolf chow! The docent should have kept her mouth shut. How did she know the wolf wanted to eat my baby? Don’t they feed the wolves enough at that joint?
Oops, back to business: The reason I loved the book a little less is that there is a fair amount of animal violence and death. None of it is gratuitous, but I wish there hadn’t been so much. I just get too upset when an animal is injured or killed. Does me in. Hell, I still have PTSD from watching Old Yeller six decades ago. So the animal violence made me enjoy the book less, I can’t help it. There were numerous scenes that made me squirm (not in a good way) and made me fret and even cry. Although McConaghy doesn’t let us get too attached to the individual wolves, like I did to Old Yeller, we do get to know them a little because the scientists give them numbers as names. (I’ll remember Number Ten, I just will.) The tracking and observation of the wolves, and tales of their life, habits, and devotion to each other, captivated me, as it will any animal lover. One thing that blew my mind was learning that wolves pass down memories. Isn’t that the wildest thing you’ve ever heard?
Inti is the lead researcher in a group of scientists who have just reintroduced wolves into the remote forests of Scotland, in the hopes of helping the ecology and saving the species. Inti is passionate about conservation and animals, and her love is contagious. (Could I go to Scotland and study wolves when I grow up, please?) The locals who run sheep farms of course aren’t happy about it, and conflict ensues.
Like the main character in Migrations, the main character here is one strong woman. She is intense, flawed, introspective, and kind, and she never gives up. I like how she always wonders whether she has done the right thing or whether she has made matters worse. She doesn’t cut herself much slack. She has to make really hard decisions, and you feel her distress over what’s the right thing to do. Some of the choices are ones that no one wants to have to make. She faces the problems and acts heroically. (I’d want to run and hide under the covers.)
McConaghy knows how to create a complex character, one that you’ll grow to love. I will say that the main character in Migrations and the one in this book seem like the same person. This bothers me; would have been more impressive if they hadn’t been so similar. Is McConaghy a one-character wonder? Because I loved both books and the main characters so much, I’m giving her a pass.
Inti has an identical twin, Aggie, who has some problems. It’s all very mysterious at first—are the problems just mental or are they physical as well? Inti takes care of Aggie, and their sister-love is touching. We gradually learn about the traumatic events that caused Aggie to be the way she is. McConaghy weaves in the past story seamlessly, never sacrificing the perfect pace that she set up in the present-day story.
This book seems to have everything. It’s full of action, which kept the tension going (and made it a fast read). It’s atmospheric as hell, and it has great language and characters. There are tales of abuse, and there’s a mystery and even romance. Sadness abounds but so does hope. An added bonus is that we get to learn about that beautiful creature, the wolf. Oh, and let’s not forget the giant, heart-wrenching surprise at the end; I can’t imagine anyone could see it coming. Even though the book is jam-packed with all the aspects of great storytelling, it never feels like it’s overdone or crowded. It’s a story you get immersed in and one where you are so rooting for the good guys, including the wolves.
I loved this book and won’t forget it anytime soon. I know a book is great when I find myself heading to Google. I HAD to look up author interviews, wolves, mirror-touch synesthesia, and the hours of the wildlife refuge I visited decades ago. Hopefully, by now, the mouthy docent will be gone.
Needless to say, I’ll follow McConaghy anywhere.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy.
December 15, 2021
[Cross-posted to Sinclair Scribes]
It's been a long, long time since I wrote a rant review. But here we go...
It's been a long, long time since I wrote a rant review. But here we go...
August 18, 2021
So good!
Just as in Migrations, the writing is beautiful.
This time the setting is the Scottish Highlands..
Inti Flynn, a biologist, is traveling there with her twin sister Aggie, and a team of colleagues to work on reintroducing wolves to the ecosystem.which will promote reforestation after the lumber industry has cleared out the forests.
It’s a gripping tale, with a mystery too.. great characters!
I enjoyed both the story of the wolves , but also the background and current story of the twin sisters.
I also very much enjoyed being in the Highlands for awhile.
Just as in Migrations, the writing is beautiful.
This time the setting is the Scottish Highlands..
Inti Flynn, a biologist, is traveling there with her twin sister Aggie, and a team of colleagues to work on reintroducing wolves to the ecosystem.which will promote reforestation after the lumber industry has cleared out the forests.
It’s a gripping tale, with a mystery too.. great characters!
I enjoyed both the story of the wolves , but also the background and current story of the twin sisters.
I also very much enjoyed being in the Highlands for awhile.
Read
October 29, 2021i ADORE animals. i HATE books about animals (especially when they're science experiments). dnf at like 2%
October 6, 2021
Surprise surprise...! I didn't know this would be a gripping thriller. Once There Were Wolves is a reflection of man and nature. A harrowing and dark journey to restore the balance and at what cost? I absolutely love the backdrop of this book, nature and wildlife in magnificent detail. Trees and wolves, a winner. The most atmospheric novel I've read so far this year.
I can't imagine a better ending for one of the twin sisters that I had to listen to that part twice. Loved it!
TW1: What I wasn't expecting were domestic abuse, mental health, and rape as a part of the story. This stir emotions at the same time took away from parts I love.
TW2: death of animals
I can't imagine a better ending for one of the twin sisters that I had to listen to that part twice. Loved it!
TW1: What I wasn't expecting were domestic abuse, mental health, and rape as a part of the story. This stir emotions at the same time took away from parts I love.
TW2: death of animals
August 3, 2021
**PUBLICATION DAY**
As a logger-turned-forest-dwelling-naturalist, Inti and Aggie Flynn's father taught his twin daughters to hunt only what was needed for subsistence living, to grow their own food, to use every part of an animal after paying their respects and the importance of giving back to the ecosystem. He taught them the signs animals left; their prints and behavior patterns. Such excitement! Inti saw her first wolf! "You can't track wolves. You leave them be. They are cleverer than we are. So instead you track its prey." Such was life with father in British Columbia.
Mum was "a city-bound-gritty-crime-detective in Sidney. Mum took the girls to her court cases "to witness the absolute worst in people...that people were for the most part, irredeemable." According to Mum, worrying about trees was not a good way to spend one's energy. Mum didn't know the whole truth about what happened in Alaska...why Aggie had bouts of silence...had turned inward. "[Inti] had become brash, defiant, fierce...Aggie and [Inti] must have switched places and forgotten to switch back...[Aggie] was always meant to be the stronger of us."
Inti Flynn was now a biologist leading a team set to re-introduce wolves to the remote Scottish Highlands. To Inti, "the forest has a beating heart we can't see...trees speak with and care for each other...They whisper to each other through their roots. They warn of danger and they share sustenance." Wolves roamed the Scottish Highlands centuries ago. It was hoped that the re-introduction of these predators could cull the deer population and allow for the natural growth of plants and vegetation.
Cairngorms National Park became home to fourteen gray wolves housed in three acclimation pens. Yellowstone National Park had launched a seemingly successful experimental project. "If there is any one thing I know best about wolves...it's that they adapt." "The chance of a person getting attacked by a wolf is almost nonexistent...This is a shy, family-oriented, gentle creature." Rewilding presented a threat to the local farmers and landowners who determined that their livelihood would be impacted and their way of life would change. "If one of those wolves takes a bite out of a single one of my sheep...I won't stop until I have hunted down every last one of them." Duncan McTavish, police chief, was treated to an audio file of an ecosystem in balance...the sounds of wolves whispering-two separate packs speaking to each other...something shifted in the space between [Duncan and Inti]".
Inti felt deeply. "I am unlike most people...with an entirely unique understanding of touch-a neurological condition-mirror-touch synthesis...if I see it, I feel it...". I inhabit the body of the wolf or the human, feel what they are feeling. Mysteries abound....a dead body...a dead wolf...what caused Inti's sister to be silent and homebound?
"Once There Were Wolves" by Charlotte McConaghy is a work of historical fiction that addresses a multitude of issues which include reforestation, emotional and physical abuse and the plight of endangered species. Seen through Inti's eyes, perhaps acts of kindness like that of the white wolf's pack will create a gentler world. Highly recommended.
Thank you Flatiron Books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a logger-turned-forest-dwelling-naturalist, Inti and Aggie Flynn's father taught his twin daughters to hunt only what was needed for subsistence living, to grow their own food, to use every part of an animal after paying their respects and the importance of giving back to the ecosystem. He taught them the signs animals left; their prints and behavior patterns. Such excitement! Inti saw her first wolf! "You can't track wolves. You leave them be. They are cleverer than we are. So instead you track its prey." Such was life with father in British Columbia.
Mum was "a city-bound-gritty-crime-detective in Sidney. Mum took the girls to her court cases "to witness the absolute worst in people...that people were for the most part, irredeemable." According to Mum, worrying about trees was not a good way to spend one's energy. Mum didn't know the whole truth about what happened in Alaska...why Aggie had bouts of silence...had turned inward. "[Inti] had become brash, defiant, fierce...Aggie and [Inti] must have switched places and forgotten to switch back...[Aggie] was always meant to be the stronger of us."
Inti Flynn was now a biologist leading a team set to re-introduce wolves to the remote Scottish Highlands. To Inti, "the forest has a beating heart we can't see...trees speak with and care for each other...They whisper to each other through their roots. They warn of danger and they share sustenance." Wolves roamed the Scottish Highlands centuries ago. It was hoped that the re-introduction of these predators could cull the deer population and allow for the natural growth of plants and vegetation.
Cairngorms National Park became home to fourteen gray wolves housed in three acclimation pens. Yellowstone National Park had launched a seemingly successful experimental project. "If there is any one thing I know best about wolves...it's that they adapt." "The chance of a person getting attacked by a wolf is almost nonexistent...This is a shy, family-oriented, gentle creature." Rewilding presented a threat to the local farmers and landowners who determined that their livelihood would be impacted and their way of life would change. "If one of those wolves takes a bite out of a single one of my sheep...I won't stop until I have hunted down every last one of them." Duncan McTavish, police chief, was treated to an audio file of an ecosystem in balance...the sounds of wolves whispering-two separate packs speaking to each other...something shifted in the space between [Duncan and Inti]".
Inti felt deeply. "I am unlike most people...with an entirely unique understanding of touch-a neurological condition-mirror-touch synthesis...if I see it, I feel it...". I inhabit the body of the wolf or the human, feel what they are feeling. Mysteries abound....a dead body...a dead wolf...what caused Inti's sister to be silent and homebound?
"Once There Were Wolves" by Charlotte McConaghy is a work of historical fiction that addresses a multitude of issues which include reforestation, emotional and physical abuse and the plight of endangered species. Seen through Inti's eyes, perhaps acts of kindness like that of the white wolf's pack will create a gentler world. Highly recommended.
Thank you Flatiron Books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 6, 2021
Inti Flynn is in Scotland as head of a programme to reintroduce the grey wolf to the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands. Accompanying her is twin sister Aggie who is traumatised and as Inti has a condition called ‘mirror touch synaesthesia’ which means she feels the pain of others there’s hope the new environment will heal them both. When a sequence of unexpected events occur it forces Inti to act.
The start of the book feels disjointed to me, it’s muddling and confusing and initially hard to get into but then ….... I feel myself being pulled into the storytelling principally because there are some profoundly beautiful descriptions especially of Scotland and I can’t resist the lure. Without doubt the book has atmosphere in abundance from beginning to end. The author writes so passionately about environmental issues and that too is hard to resist. The dilemma between the ecological benefits of the reintroduction of the wolf to Scotland and the need for an apex predator is strongly presented but the author achieves balance by examining through several characters the economic concerns of farmers and their fears for their precious livestock making it very thought provoking. The mirror touch synaesthesia is a fascinating plot element and is well described and must be a tough condition to live with. The characterisation is extremely good, Inti is very complex, she’s not easy to like as she’s full of rage, she pokes bears and you find yourself shaking your head with exasperation at some of her actions yet conversely she’s also loyal, brave and full of love for Aggie and overwhelming protectiveness for the wolves. The mystery elements are intriguing and as the ending approaches the pace, tension and suspense magnify with good plot changes of direction too. The most important part of the book concern the wolves and those sections are some of the best in the book though it’s often an emotional rollercoaster.
However, there’s so much going on in the plot from domestic abuse to mental health issues, there’s an on off romance as well as conflict with locals. Too much??? Maybe. Some scenes are unquestionably disturbing with some characters harbouring depths of violence and this is a repetitive theme.
Overall it’s a very intense read, there are stunning descriptions to greatly admire and the plot themes are emotional with survival at its core. It is harrowing in places, it’s raw but the wolves, the beautiful wolves win me over. The author definitely gives the reader much food for thought.
With thanks to Netgalley and especially to Random House U.K., Vintage, Chatto and Windus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
The start of the book feels disjointed to me, it’s muddling and confusing and initially hard to get into but then ….... I feel myself being pulled into the storytelling principally because there are some profoundly beautiful descriptions especially of Scotland and I can’t resist the lure. Without doubt the book has atmosphere in abundance from beginning to end. The author writes so passionately about environmental issues and that too is hard to resist. The dilemma between the ecological benefits of the reintroduction of the wolf to Scotland and the need for an apex predator is strongly presented but the author achieves balance by examining through several characters the economic concerns of farmers and their fears for their precious livestock making it very thought provoking. The mirror touch synaesthesia is a fascinating plot element and is well described and must be a tough condition to live with. The characterisation is extremely good, Inti is very complex, she’s not easy to like as she’s full of rage, she pokes bears and you find yourself shaking your head with exasperation at some of her actions yet conversely she’s also loyal, brave and full of love for Aggie and overwhelming protectiveness for the wolves. The mystery elements are intriguing and as the ending approaches the pace, tension and suspense magnify with good plot changes of direction too. The most important part of the book concern the wolves and those sections are some of the best in the book though it’s often an emotional rollercoaster.
However, there’s so much going on in the plot from domestic abuse to mental health issues, there’s an on off romance as well as conflict with locals. Too much??? Maybe. Some scenes are unquestionably disturbing with some characters harbouring depths of violence and this is a repetitive theme.
Overall it’s a very intense read, there are stunning descriptions to greatly admire and the plot themes are emotional with survival at its core. It is harrowing in places, it’s raw but the wolves, the beautiful wolves win me over. The author definitely gives the reader much food for thought.
With thanks to Netgalley and especially to Random House U.K., Vintage, Chatto and Windus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
June 27, 2021
Wolves don't wander. They move with purpose.
Charlotte McConaghy creates a brilliant novel that, in definite contrast, leans into the perplexing attitude of humans......creatures who meander through life tasting aimlessly from proffered cups. And when the eventual flame is finally sparked, humans will pursue their wishes and desires relentlessly forcing naysayers aside at all costs.
McConaghy introduces us to Inti Flynn and her twin sister, Aggie, born in Australia and raised in the forests of British Columbia. The twins spent most of their time with their father in the forests following his rule of subsistence: Hunt only what you need and then give back to the ecosystem in return. Inti later became a biologist while Aggie excelled in languages.
Inti's latest assignment is the rewilding of wolves in the remote Highlands of Scotland where the animals had not existed for hundreds of years. Even Mary Queen of Scots had hunted wolves for sport. The world has been hard on wolves eradicating their numbers due to starvation, illness, fights, and mostly being hunted down by humans.
Aggie accompanies Inti to Scotland as well. McConaghy hints at a severe situation that caused Inti and Aggie to leave their prior assignment in Alaska under some questionable circumstances. As readers, we sense something heavy took place, but McConaghy isn't about to show her cards yet.
As Inti and her team members of Wolf Trust settle into the Highlands, they are met with resistance from the local farmers and sheep herders. Even though a prior project was successful in Yellowstone National Park in America, the landowners are highly skeptical and Inti feels their threats and accusations. When a local man goes missing, the town fears the worse. Inti starts to have doubts herself about which direction this experiment is going. But she stands firmly with the 14 grey wolves brought onto this land. Determination...... like a lit match.
Charlotte McConaghy gifted us with her prior novel, Migrations, which still stands as one of my favorite reads. Once There Were Wolves crosses back and forth into the gray areas of tolerance and acceptance in both the animal and in the human world. McConaghy does a superb job of keeping her finger on the pulse of what drives us to persevere under the most dire of circumstances. Just how far will we go to protect me and mine? Raw, graphic at times, and brutally honest, Once There Were Wolves speaks to a truth that we sometimes deny to even our own selves. Simply outstanding.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Flatiron Books and to the talented Charlotte McConaghy for the opportunity.
Charlotte McConaghy creates a brilliant novel that, in definite contrast, leans into the perplexing attitude of humans......creatures who meander through life tasting aimlessly from proffered cups. And when the eventual flame is finally sparked, humans will pursue their wishes and desires relentlessly forcing naysayers aside at all costs.
McConaghy introduces us to Inti Flynn and her twin sister, Aggie, born in Australia and raised in the forests of British Columbia. The twins spent most of their time with their father in the forests following his rule of subsistence: Hunt only what you need and then give back to the ecosystem in return. Inti later became a biologist while Aggie excelled in languages.
Inti's latest assignment is the rewilding of wolves in the remote Highlands of Scotland where the animals had not existed for hundreds of years. Even Mary Queen of Scots had hunted wolves for sport. The world has been hard on wolves eradicating their numbers due to starvation, illness, fights, and mostly being hunted down by humans.
Aggie accompanies Inti to Scotland as well. McConaghy hints at a severe situation that caused Inti and Aggie to leave their prior assignment in Alaska under some questionable circumstances. As readers, we sense something heavy took place, but McConaghy isn't about to show her cards yet.
As Inti and her team members of Wolf Trust settle into the Highlands, they are met with resistance from the local farmers and sheep herders. Even though a prior project was successful in Yellowstone National Park in America, the landowners are highly skeptical and Inti feels their threats and accusations. When a local man goes missing, the town fears the worse. Inti starts to have doubts herself about which direction this experiment is going. But she stands firmly with the 14 grey wolves brought onto this land. Determination...... like a lit match.
Charlotte McConaghy gifted us with her prior novel, Migrations, which still stands as one of my favorite reads. Once There Were Wolves crosses back and forth into the gray areas of tolerance and acceptance in both the animal and in the human world. McConaghy does a superb job of keeping her finger on the pulse of what drives us to persevere under the most dire of circumstances. Just how far will we go to protect me and mine? Raw, graphic at times, and brutally honest, Once There Were Wolves speaks to a truth that we sometimes deny to even our own selves. Simply outstanding.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Flatiron Books and to the talented Charlotte McConaghy for the opportunity.
September 24, 2021
Straight to my favorites shelf. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This is a first, or the first in a long while. I select books from Book of the Month every single month, and I actually started reading this book the month I bought it. The reason? I’m usually a delayed gratification reader. That said, I read Migrations in July, and it’s probably my book of the year. Once There Were Wolves is a very close second.
I love the way Charlotte McConaghey writes. It’s precise with perfect flow. She builds an atmosphere with ease. Each story starts out with tension and a mystery that builds better than any traditional psychological thriller. But even more than all of that, and that is, even though my dad would say this is a horrible word choice I’m going to use it any way 😂, A LOT, I adore the issues she writes about. Animal advocacy and the environment are critical to her stories. As if it couldn’t get any better, her complex characterization is the icing on the cake for me. Both books have featured strong female main characters with pasts filled with secrets. Each is vulnerable, fierce, and filled with goodness, making it easy to care about them, even if they aren’t perfect people.
Once There Were Wolves is the factionalized account of a project to reintroduce wolves to Scotland. I WISH this happened in real life, but sadly, it has not. It has happened in at least one other location, Yellowstone Park in the US. I’ve been to Denali National Park in Alaska to view wildlife and the lush landscape, and there’s a list of the animals you most want to see. The most elusive sighting is the gray wolf. We viewed our share of wildlife, but sadly, no wolf. As it turns out, and what I learned from this book, is that wolves are a critical part of the chain needed for many ecosystems to thrive and work how they are supposed to. But yet, here in my state of North Carolina, the gray wolf has been “gone” for over 100 years. (We do have the only population in the world of nearly extinct red wolves, though.) As is the case with many books, this sparked my interest in learning more about wolf conservation efforts, especially those more local to me involving the red wolves.
Like I said, though, wolves and whether the Scotland project is successful, isn’t all that this book is about. It’s also about Inti and her sister, their special bond, about healing from past trauma, hiding secrets, and there’s a love story that slowly develops in the background. It’s also about solving the mystery of who killed a man.
I loved this book so much. Thank you to Beth for buddy reading it with me. I hope McConaghey has many, many more stories to share.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
This is a first, or the first in a long while. I select books from Book of the Month every single month, and I actually started reading this book the month I bought it. The reason? I’m usually a delayed gratification reader. That said, I read Migrations in July, and it’s probably my book of the year. Once There Were Wolves is a very close second.
I love the way Charlotte McConaghey writes. It’s precise with perfect flow. She builds an atmosphere with ease. Each story starts out with tension and a mystery that builds better than any traditional psychological thriller. But even more than all of that, and that is, even though my dad would say this is a horrible word choice I’m going to use it any way 😂, A LOT, I adore the issues she writes about. Animal advocacy and the environment are critical to her stories. As if it couldn’t get any better, her complex characterization is the icing on the cake for me. Both books have featured strong female main characters with pasts filled with secrets. Each is vulnerable, fierce, and filled with goodness, making it easy to care about them, even if they aren’t perfect people.
Once There Were Wolves is the factionalized account of a project to reintroduce wolves to Scotland. I WISH this happened in real life, but sadly, it has not. It has happened in at least one other location, Yellowstone Park in the US. I’ve been to Denali National Park in Alaska to view wildlife and the lush landscape, and there’s a list of the animals you most want to see. The most elusive sighting is the gray wolf. We viewed our share of wildlife, but sadly, no wolf. As it turns out, and what I learned from this book, is that wolves are a critical part of the chain needed for many ecosystems to thrive and work how they are supposed to. But yet, here in my state of North Carolina, the gray wolf has been “gone” for over 100 years. (We do have the only population in the world of nearly extinct red wolves, though.) As is the case with many books, this sparked my interest in learning more about wolf conservation efforts, especially those more local to me involving the red wolves.
Like I said, though, wolves and whether the Scotland project is successful, isn’t all that this book is about. It’s also about Inti and her sister, their special bond, about healing from past trauma, hiding secrets, and there’s a love story that slowly develops in the background. It’s also about solving the mystery of who killed a man.
I loved this book so much. Thank you to Beth for buddy reading it with me. I hope McConaghey has many, many more stories to share.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
July 13, 2021
Inti Flynn and her twin sister Aggie grew up living one life and lifestyle with their father, a life surrounded by nature, and lessons to be shared about the beauty, and hazards, found within. When they were with their mother, it was a completely different life, and the lessons learned were darker ones about the hazards of life, and the darker nature of man. When she was too young to really understand, her mother explained that she needed to be more careful than most, as she suffers from mirror-touch synesthesia, which causes her to feel the sensations of another being touched. Or hurt.
These lessons would serve her well in their new life, as Inti and Aggie have left Alaska and arrived in Scotland, where Inti will be working with a group of biologists. Their goal is to reintroduce gray wolves into the outlying Highlands in order to bring back the necessary combination of wildlife which will improve the ecology of the land. Land which has suffered under man’s abuse.
Inti has been taught about the nature of man to abuse, her mother worked with victims of abuse, and shared some of her wisdom on the topic. She’s also seen enough to be cautious of the nature of humans, their desire to destroy the world around them without regard for the repercussions, as well as their need to dominate. In this area largely dominated by farms and farmers, there are many members who aren’t happy, worried about their sheep, their farms, their livelihood. Meetings in town let her know that she and the wolves aren’t welcome.
And then, she witnesses a miracle, a pair of the wolves have mated. The first in hundreds of years in Scotland. Hope fills her, and she begins to allow herself to open up and have hope, believe in herself and this journey she is on.
I fell into this story all over again, listening to audiobook version of Charlotte McConaghy's Once There Were Wolves, perfectly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, added another element to the story for me. Listening to her share this story really brought it to life for me in the best way.
As in her Migrations, the writing is gorgeous, the setting atmospheric, the story is one that will haunt you - enchanting at times, gripping at others. It will undoubtedly tug at your emotions, and ultimately leave you wishing you could stay inside these pages just a little longer.
Pub Date: 03 Aug 2021
Many thanks for the Audio ARC provided by Macmillan Audio
Want to read
May 21, 2021this woman made me love a book about birds. i cannot wait to see what she does with WOLVES!!
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