The power of forest cooperation – a review of the book “Willa of the Wood”

Robert Beatty impresses with his style and he does it not for the first time. His novel, Willa of the Wood attracts the reader’s attention with the cover itself, but don’t be fooled … It’s much better inside!

Bestseller, why?

Beatty made his debut with a series of books about Seraphim. The four-volume series quickly impressed readers. Importantly, Beatty’s writing career began relatively recently, in 2016, but his debut remained on the New York Times bestseller list for many weeks. It is similar with the discussed Beatty’s novel – Willa of the Wood. The book was published in early 2021 and quickly became a New York Times and Amazon bestseller. In addition, she was nominated for The Green Earth Book Award for books that deal with the subject of respect for and care for nature. It is worth noting that this is a publishing proposition for young people, although – as I often emphasize – each of us deserves a good book!

My-Oni

The main character of the book is Willa, a minor girl who belongs to the Feiran clan. Unfortunately, the reality in which the heroine lives is hostile to her. To gain recognition from the clan leader – the paradana – she must steal regularly, which is an extremely dangerous occupation for her. Willa, however, has a significant advantage over her peers – she can blend in with the background and talk to animals. When reading the novel, the topic of personified animals and plants is particularly important, which allows them to be classified as important in the context of perceiving the world. After completing the reading, I recommend that you reflect on the events presented – the villa allows us to get to know nature from a different perspective, and white settlers ( light-lovingas their protagonist calls them) have similar needs as modern people. Contrary to appearances, however, the Feiran clan, living in the Great Misty Mountains, does not differ significantly from light-loving, but we learn about it over time, as the reading progresses.

A story about nature, but not only that

The author of the best-selling Serafina surprised us again – he connected the world of nature and the reality proper to man. While reading, you will surely ask yourself questions about the essence of the content presented in the novel – Are light-loving really bad? What truth did the grandmother, the forest witch, hide through Willa? And why does the clan imprison the children of the light-loving? The reader will explore the plot with the teenage heroine who, over time, will learn to listen to the heart’s whispers and become guided by intuition. The ending of the novel awakens the desire to read the continuation. We are lucky, because the premiere of the next part of the series is on January 26!

Edition

Wydawnictwo Literackie has made every effort to make the book stand out on bookstore shelves. The title character, accompanied by a faithful friend, a wolf, looks at the reader from the cover. The sticker is also consistent with the ecological concept of the publication – dark green fits the theme of Beatty’s book. The paper is thick, you can feel it under your fingers, and take my word for it – this aspect also matters while reading!