A Wildness of the Heart by Madison Scott-Clary Review by Casimir Laski Madison Scott-Clary’s A Wildness of the Heart is a collection of short stories bookending a single novella, Jonathan Edward Durham, born near Philadelphia, has been a voracious reader in his youth. He received a degree in neuroscience from William & Mary. Still, it didn’t take him long to realise he was better suited for more artistic endeavours.

Growing up, I sought out and consumed a steady diet of ‘dark-fantastical.’ Movies that had those fantasy elements, but also the hero’s quest, of trying to overcome the longest of odds to survive and defeat evil. I also loved reading the fairy tale stories, but also the anthropomorphised tales. I grew up during the perfect time period where there was a lot of this to watch and read. Think ‘Watership Down,’‘Chronicles of Narnia,’‘Legend,’‘Labyrinth,’‘The Dark Crystal,’‘The Last Unicorn,’‘Winnie the Pooh,’‘The Wind In The Willows,’‘Willow,’ and so, so many more. The first two movies I ever saw in theatres was a double feature; ‘The Land Before Time’ and ‘The Great Land of Small.’ And noted all the things he wished to fix up for the feast I think we’ll have a pastry, yes, of peas and onions, sage and cress I think we’ll have an egg soufflé or tartlet at the least I think we’ll have a roast of squash, full of flavor, nothing posh I think we’ll have a soup of greens with warm and toasty bread A meal of oats to warm the heart, I think would make a lovely start And jugs of wine with berries spiced the prefect shade of red”I pretty much just finished this book due to the extreme hate I was feeling towards the writing. I hate read this book! Words like: maw and pike became super repetitive. Characters were all sounding alike when it was their view. This novel needed massive editing. Durham was writing in prose and making his vocabulary "floofy and pretty" but in the end it was unnecessary and I found myself trying to skim through the long paragraphs of unnecessary data. I bet the author loves to hear himself talk. was true gratitude flowing from every guest amid the shuffle of serving trays and jugs of this and that—gratitude not only for their hosts and the meal they were being served, but gratitude for the book that had brought them all together as well. It was as if the love that each of them felt for Addington’s timeless collection of verse had been validated in the most searing manner, and it buoyed every one of their spirits and made them all feel a little less miscreated. They”

The initial opening scenes where Eamon and Caroline discover that Runny the Rabbit and Finn the Fox are real living creatures was pure delight. I would imagine it would be the same feeling as a five-year-old meeting a Disney character at the theme park. The relationship between rabbit and frog was stellar, stellar and their banter was one of the absolute highlights of the book for me. Their story arc was tragic and beautiful and at the end made me cry my eyes out. The final scene that Jonathan dedicated to their characters was so perfect that I wish I could describe it for you, but instead, I’ll beg you to read this book just for that moment alone. For me, personally, the hardest part of writing any review of a book is when that piece of fiction moves you in ways that you never expected and you try and do the book justice. To tell people reading this why you absolutely loved something so much, that they need to drop everything and read it immediately, while also remaining as spoiler-free as possible. W Winterset Hollow is as thrilling as it is terrifying and as smart as it is surprising. A uniquely original story filled with properly unexpected twists and turns, Winterset Hollow delivers complex, indelible characters and pulse- pounding action as it storms toward an unforgettable climax that will leave you reeling. How do you celebrate Barley Day? You run, friend. You run.

Numbered Edition

Jonathan Edward Durham has truly crafted a classic story, a fresh offering that connected me to my youth while also speaking to where I am currently as a reader and I can’t thank him enough. This book gets the highest recommendation from myself to you, if you’re reading this and honestly, I hope this book finds a home on your shelf so that you can enjoy this for years and years to come. Stories and journal notes by an extraordinary young woman—adventurer and traveler, Arabic scholar, Sufi mystic and adept of the Djillala cult. Guess that’s that,” Mark said, spinning on his heels again only to be forcibly turned around by Caroline. The one piece that I continually return to, time and time again, is ‘The Neverending Story.’ Both the movie and the book hold special places for me, to the extent that my son is named after the amulet within the story – Auryn.

Mark held his finger aloft in such a singular manner that it stopped him mid-sentence, and he wasted no time in turning his attention to the one who resembled Eamon as if to say, you . . . you may speak. “Yeah, man, we’re just waiting to get over to the isle,” said the redhead as the rest of the motley gathering confirmed as much by nodding and waving their own free passes in the salty September air. “It’s been almost an hour now.” The animal characters were perfect. They were so detailed with a sadness and a darkness that pulled at my heart strings and My heart genuinely aches for them. timeless, inimitable books that was simple and pure and patently entertaining on the surface, but so much more underneath. It spoke about life and loss and struggle, fear and bravery and sacrifice in a way that was so approachable it was almost easy to miss, and it immediately wormed its way under Eamon’s skin and stayed there like good, strong ink from the day he first opened the cover.”The novel shows how often things are not the way they appear and that you shouldn’t always take things at face value. Even though, at first, it seems as if the animals had a good life, the ugly truth is soon revealed. Winterset Hollow is a complex novel playing out on two alternating levels. It tells the story of the animals of Winterset Hollow. And the author’s fans who visit the mansion yearly on Barley Day. Caroline grabbed one of the menus and took a moment to look at the drawing on the cover—a perfectly fine charcoal sketch of a hare hiding among some tall grass, his fur covered by a plaid overcoat and his head topped with a gray flat-cap. “I mean, it does look like him,” she said. “With no one near to shed a tear for the rabbit in the rye.” Jonathan Edward Durham was born near Philadelphia in one of many rust-belt communities where he read voraciously throughout his youth. After attending the College of William & Mary, where he received a degree in neuroscience, Jonathan waded into the professional world before deciding he was better suited for more artistic pursuits.