The Briarmen: A fairy-tale for adults

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When Hamish Beasly is evacuated to the quiet countryside village of Brombury he is taken in by Mrs Platts and her daughter Penny. After being strictly forbidden to go into the woods (what is more appealing than the forbidden) Hamish and penny sneak out and go exploring and meet a whole cast of interesting characters straight out of folklore small stumpy wood like creatures The Briarmen.

The Briarmen | Crescent Swan The Briarmen | Crescent Swan

The Briarmen is a story about a young boy call Hamish who is evacuated to the quiet countryside village of Brombury and taken in by Mrs. Platts and her daughter Penny. Q: The book is being described by many as ‘A fairy tale for adults’. What age group did you have in mind when writing the novel? Penny is a comparatively more proactive characters, whose choices seriously influence the novel. Sure, she’s often infuriating and profoundly flawed, often making terrible choices, but she’s also been through a lot, and the war often brings the worst out of people; the book is honest about that. She does get some significant character development later on, and overall, it felt like this was her story much more than Hamish’s. I’m not holding this against the book because I wasn’t really annoyed by Hamish. I understand that the one of the most tried ways to introduce a reader to a new world is through the eyes of a newcomer, like Hamish. I just believe the author is doing a better job writing flawed but memorable characters so this would be worth exploiting further in future works, rather than falling on the newcomer convention.

I haven't read Narnia, but from watching the film's I get the same sense of escapism from the terrors of the time - the feeling of leaving behind strife for a time while surrounded by the magical. I would love to meet the Briarmen, and can really picture them hiding out amongst the trees. All the characters are so lovable - and to be honest I'd love more of their lives after the events in this book. The writing in the second half seemed a little more developed, with the dialogue flowing better and the descriptions capturing my imagination, so I preferred the second half of the book but I did really like it all. I thought there were a couple of chapters which could have been taken out since they only seemed to be there for filler, however most of the book was really enjoyable and I feel like this book could - and should!! - be read by a variety of ages.

The Briarmen - Joseph A. Chadwick - Blogger The Forever Bookworm: The Briarmen - Joseph A. Chadwick - Blogger

I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance copy of The Briarmen from Crescent Swan Publishing in exchange for an honest review. As soon as I saw the blurb, I knew it had the potential to be right up my street. Historical fiction combined with elements of fantasy is something you don't often see, but something that I've often found works surprisingly well. As I read the first few chapters I felt like I was reading an old children’s classic with vibes of Narnia, The Railway Children and Five Children and It. The story was so magical and imaginative. The Briarmen are some of the most adorable creatures I have ever read about. The relationships between these and the children was just so wholesome and beautiful. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted advanced copy of this book to review in exchange for an honest opinion. I’m reading a couple of things at the moment: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and I recently started Cows Can’t Jump by Phillip Bowne. Wildly different but I’m enjoying them both! The story, set in wartime Britain, centres around the friendship that blossoms between Hamish, a wartime evacuee, and Penny, who he goes to live with in the sleepy village of Brombury. However, Brombury doesn’t stay sleepy for long as there are rumours of a German plane coming down in the mysterious Woods Beyond The Railway. And that’s not all that’s hiding in the woods, as Penny and Hamish discover the Briarmen. Adventures in the Woods ensue and relationships are forged between the children and the Briarmen.Still in its first year of operation, Crescent Swan is certainly one to keep an eye on. If the organisation keeps up the momentum built in its first few months of business then expect to see an exciting, insightful and powerful line up in the near future. Thank you to Crescent Swan Publishing for gifting me a review copy in exchange for an honest review. When Hamish Beasly is evacuated to the quiet countryside village of Brombury he is taken in by Mrs. Platts and her daughter Penny. At first Penny is far from happy with her new house guest, but after she and Hamish discover and befriend the Briarmen, four fantastical creatures living in the forbidden Woods Beyond The Railway, they are bound together through a shared secret. Then comes the Blitz, and with it rumours of a German plane crashing into the woods. This sparks concern from the village and puts Hamish and Penny’s secret at risk, a secret they soon find out is no longer their own… Review: At first Penny is far from happy with her new house guest, but after she and Hamish discover and befriend the Briarmen – four fantastical creatures living in the forbidden Woods Beyond The Railway – they are bound together through a shared secret. I liked the development of Penny and Hamish’s characters both separately and as friends. I felt like they grew through the novel in a very natural way, nothing felt contrived, their reactions to the things they saw and learned were real and as such I enjoyed being on this adventure with them even more.

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For those wishing to be a part of the innovative group of writers that Crescent Swan are building from the ground up, you can see here when the publishing house is open for submissions. Guidance for these submissions can also be found by following the link (though casting a wide net, they are not currently accepting submissions for poetry or children’s work). This book reminded me a bit of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Book Thief due to its historical elements, particularly the way the war influenced children’s lives. The main character, Hamish, is evacuated early in rural Brombury which is largely untouched by the war; we, therefore, don’t witness gruesome details such as bombings, starvation, and ultimately death. But the shadows of the war are looming over the protagonists’ lives and often influence their actions. Penny’s father, a pilot, has gone missing before the events of The Briarmen even begin. His disappearance and her wish to protect what she has left is a major motivation for her actions, good or bad. The Brairmen is a fairytale for those who need magic in their everyday lives. A reminder of the childhood stories of something magical hidden in the deep dark woods. When Hamish Beasly is evacuated to the quiet countryside village of Brombury he is taken in by Mrs. Platts and her daughter Penny. At first Penny is far from happy with her new house guest, but after she and Hamish discover and befriend the Briarmen, four fantastical creatures living in the forbidden Woods Beyond The Railway, they are bound together through a shared secret. Then comes the Blitz, and with it rumours of a German plane crashing into the woods. This sparks concern from the village and puts Hamish and Penny’s secret at risk, a secret they soon find out is no longer their own... This book reminded me a bit of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Book Thief due to its historical elements, particularly the way the war influenced children’s lives. The main character, Hamish, is evacuated early in the rural Brombury which is largely untouched by the war; we therefore don’t witness gruesome details such as bombings, starvation, and ultimately death. But the shadows of the war are looming over the protagonists’ lives and often influence their actions. Penny’s father, a pilot, has gone missing before the events of The Briarmen even begin. His disappearance and her wish to protect what she has left is a major motivation for her actions, good or bad.I felt the most intense rush of nostalgia for a place I’ve never been to and friends I’ve never had. I am actually in the early stages of working with two new authors with some very exciting books, which will be the next books we publish,” he added. In Brombury there isn’t much to do, but there is a forbidden woods where no one is allowed to go - and that is of course where Penny and Hamish go! There, they befriend the Briarmen, four magical creatures, and are bound together through a shared secret. Then comes the Blitz, and with it rumours of a German plane crashing into the woods... I felt nostalgic and almost like a kid, but the fact that the novel is set during WWII makes it a perfect read even for adults! You see, this book is not childish and I feel like many adults would appreciate it.

The Briarmen - Anna’s Archive The Briarmen - Anna’s Archive

At first Penny is far from happy with her new house guest, but after she and Hamish discover and befriend the Briarmen, four fantastical creatures living in the forbidden Woods Beyond The Railway, they are bound together through a shared secret. I didn’t really think all that much about it, honestly, but I think ‘A fairy tale for adults’ sums it up perfectly. Although the two protagonists are young, I knew it wasn’t a children’s book, but that being said it is my hope that the themes can be appreciated by old and young alike. I’ve seen a lot of reviewers say that they’d recommend it to all ages, and I’d like to think that’s the case. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. A plane flew overhead and that is when I thought up the concept, although I can’t say too much more about that without giving the plot away. I really liked the way these characters interacted with each other. Although there is definitely some tension between them at the start of the novel, by the end of the book they were great friends. They acted like children and there was not any pressure for them to build a romantic connection. It was a nice change to read a book without any romance. My only criticism for this text was that I felt like Hamish and Penny were much younger than they are. At the beginning of the text, we are told that Hamish is thirteen and Penny is fourteen. Of course this is set during a different time, but I can't imagine that Penny as a fourteen year old would spend her weekends playing in the woods. I just felt like they seemed more like elevenIt transported me to a gorgeous childhood storybook but intertwined with SO many layers of character (SO CUTE) & plot development.