The Wilderwomen

A Novel

By: Ruth Emmie Lang

Narrated by: Anna Caputo

"Narrator Anna Caputo draws listeners into Lang's novel immediately, suggesting that this story has more depth than the plot at first might lead one to believe."- AudioFile

"Exquisitely drawn characters imbue Lang’s unconventional plot with verisimilitude and heart, inspiring readers to ponder whether the world is stranger and more beautiful than it appears. Effervescent, ethereal, and suffused with wonder." — Kirkus (starred review)

"Lang’s melancholy, atmospheric writing sets the perfect tone as the Wilder sisters unravel the mystery. The result is a cozy supernatural outing perfect for an autumn night." —Publisher's Weekly

Ohioana Book Award finalist Ruth Emmie Lang returns with a new cast of ordinary characters with extraordinary abilities in The Wilderwomen.

Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared. The older of her two daughters, Zadie, should have seen it coming, because she can literally see things coming. But not even her psychic abilities were able to prevent their mother from vanishing one morning.

Zadie’s estranged younger sister, Finn, can’t see into the future, but she has an uncannily good memory, so good that she remembers not only her own memories, but the echoes of memories other people have left behind. On the afternoon of her graduation party, Finn is seized by an “echo” more powerful than anything she’s experienced before: a woman singing a song she recognizes, a song about a bird…

When Finn wakes up alone in an aviary with no idea of how she got there, she realizes who the memory belongs to: Nora.

Now, it’s up to Finn to convince her sister that not only is their mom still out there, but that she wants to be found. Against Zadie’s better judgement, she and Finn hit the highway, using Finn’s echoes to retrace Nora’s footsteps and uncover the answer to the question that has been haunting them for years: Why did she leave?

But the more time Finn spends in their mother’s past, the harder it is for her to return to the present, to return to herself. As Zadie feels her sister start to slip away, she will have to decide what lengths she is willing to go to find their mother, knowing that if she chooses wrong, she could lose them both for good.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2022 Ruth Emmie Lang (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Exquisitely drawn characters imbue Lang’s unconventional plot with verisimilitude and heart, inspiring readers to ponder whether the world is stranger and more beautiful than it appears. Effervescent, ethereal, and suffused with wonder." — Kirkus (starred review)

"Lang’s melancholy, atmospheric writing sets the perfect tone as the Wilder sisters unravel the mystery. The result is a cozy supernatural outing perfect for an autumn night." —Publisher's Weekly

"Lang focuses the main characters’ journey toward finding and cherishing family and friendship under challenging circumstances." —Library Journal

Not at all as typical as I was expecting

Good suspense! Happy ending! I would recommend this one to friends who are like-minded when it comes to books. Definitely worth a listen

Loved it

I really enjoyed this book. Laid out well and all the flashbacks were well explained.

Easy read, rushed ending

I had to read this for a book club. I thought it was fine. I am not an avid reader as I have a hard time concentrating, which is why having the audiobook playing while I’m reading the physical book was so helpful! When I was reading it, I was captivated each time. I do agree with another reviewer that the ending felt rushed. The whole book was about the journey, I suppose. And we got like 20 pages of the journey’s completion.

Good, not great

I found that I was looking forward to the book ending so I could move on to another one. I did enjoy the book and it was enjoyable enough to make it to the end. But it had confusing parts and boring parts. The narration was good. I'm glad I heard the book and it was worth my time, but not fantastic!

Sincerely Captivating

The magic that this author has been able to imbed within written words has always left me awestruck. Wilder Women is an absolutely beautiful story with intrinsically familiar fondness that has you both rooting for these characters as well as grief-stricken when journeying through their memories. Compellingly written from varying views and a narration point I’ve never experienced before…
Simply stunning and I can’t wait to re-read(listen).

Loved it

As with her 1st book, I loved every word.
I also loved the narrator and her gift of sharing the story in such a captivating way.

Thank you to both.

Oh and ps, please hurry with book 3!

Magical, inventive, powerful

I am such a fan of Ruth Emmie Lang’s writing. If you like magical realism and a story about a journey, you will delightfully devour this book!

Just good

It was a good book, let me just say that. I don’t think anyone would hate the story. However, I found the narration hard to keep up with in parts because the characters POV flowed together and I couldn’t tell who was doing what. Given the story line that may have been intentional but I found it confusing. Also, the end felt anti climatic and maybe a little rushed. I felt like it was a big build up to a “meh” ending. I’m not disappointed! I listened and I love the dynamics that shape the relationships in this book and the story overall.

I LOVE THIS BOOK

I love this book I’ve listened to it and then re-listened to it 2 or 3 times

From one extreme to the other

I wanted to like this book better… but the character of Finn was so incorrect. They talked about a 12 and 13- year old girl as if she were 7… playing Legos after supper, reading bed time stories until she fell asleep… but at the same time acting as though a 17 and 18 year old was a wise old adult… it just bothered me… but it was okay. It just kind of ended though… like a big long build up to be wrapped up in a pretty bow in one shorter chapter…