‘In an age defined by men, it will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are...'

With four main protagonists I initially thought it would be difficult to follow which we were with in a given chapter but they were all so unique in their voices that it was so simple and fluid reading through the book. The chapters are denoted with a symbol for each woman showing their talent or origins: Annie has an artists palette, Etta an oak leaf, Mary a quill and ink, and Natalya a cowry shell. Other symbols appear through the chapter headings depending on which perspective we are viewing from.

When reading historical fiction sometimes you find authors who can pull you into the time period with such ease that it becomes real, the boon here is that Liz Hyder can not only do that but she can weave the threads of magical realisim and historical fiction together so well that as a reader you are so immersed in the story that you're fully there as a reader. 

I very rarely truly hate a character but the antagonist in The Gifts, our surgeon with a desire for greatness, really got under my skin. Not only his actions but his whole thought process made me rage, not because it was so evil but because it was so so real! So many times over and over men have taken the accomplisments of women and claimed them as their own, and here in this book it is put into the flesh and bones as a symbol of what is taken and traded. I hated him so much and that was so brilliant, to feel so much when reading a book is a rare delight and one which doesn't come around often.

There were some wonderfully supportive male characters, and some lighter laugh out loud moments as a counter balance and mirror to the darker moments. I loved the relationship between the characters as it built and the women came closer together through their stories. 

This will be a favourite and a book I recommend to others over and over.