Songbirds: The powerful novel from the author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo and The Book of Fire
£4.70
‘I’ve never read anything quite like Songbirds – a beautifully crafted novel.’ Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of Wish You Were Here.
Her courage to cross oceans.
Her hope for a better life.
Her love for a daughter, above all else.
Not all tragedies make headlines, not every voice is heard.
Nisha has crossed oceans to give her child a future. Now she spends her days caring for someone else’s daughter while her own waits for her return, half a world away.
For Petra, it is only natural to hire a domestic worker to keep her house clean and her family fed. Their lives have nothing in common, except the love they feel for their daughters.
Then one day, Nisha vanishes. No one cares about the disappearance of a foreign domestic worker, except Petra and Nisha’s secret lover, Yiannis, the only connection to her daughter back in Sri Lanka.
As Petra and Yiannis desperately search for Nisha, they realise how little they knew about her. What they uncover will change them both forever.
Inspired by true stories of love and loss, hope and refuge, this evocative masterpiece from the million-copy bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Christy Lefteri, is an illuminating story of the power of the human spirit, and the enduring love of a mother for her child, that will stay with you long after you finish reading.
Praise for Christy Lefteri:
‘This thought-provoking novel of love loss and redemption is thoroughly sublime.’ Caroline Montague
‘Lefteri is an astonishing weaver of stories.’ Daljit Nagra
‘ . . . broke my heart and kept me turning the pages of her gorgeous novel well into the night.’ Alka Joshi, NYT-bestselling author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
‘Christy Lefteri has crafted a beautiful novel, intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant.’ Benjamin Zephaniah on The Beekeeper of Aleppo
‘ . . . it’s impossible not to be moved by Lefteri’s plea for humanity and perhaps inspired too.’ Observer, on The Beekeeper of Aleppo
‘Courageous, proactive, haunting.’ Heather Morris, on The Beekeeper of Aleppo
***DON’T MISS CHRISTY LEFTERI’S MOVING AND CAPTIVATING NEW NOVEL: THE BOOK OF FIRE, OUT NOW!***
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Additional information
| Publisher | Manilla Press (5 July 2021) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 6416 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 338 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 0593238060 |
by pamela jones
A heartrending story – very delicate and sensitive. You won’t regret reading it.
by Eliza Conquest
I recently visited Cyprus and so was interested in reading literature about it. Because I’d enjoyed The Bee Keeper of Allepo so much, I figured this book was a good place to start. It is based on true happenings but you only find this out at the end of her book where she writes about them. I’d had no idea that Cyprus, like the Middle East, employs huge numbers of domestic staff from Asia (Goa, Sri Lanka, India) and the Far East (especially the Philippines). The abuse of such imported workers in the Middle East is well documented, but it is shocking that what happens in this book can occur in an EU country. There appears to be NO Human Rights control regarding how they are treated. Even the main character, an educated woman, appears to have little concern for the long hours she demands that her nanny/domestic help works. The writing style is very unusual, telling the story from three perspectives and flipping from one to the other. I highly recommend this book but, like the Bee Keeper, the subject matter is quite harrowing but she exposes the treatment of imported labour in a country that should know better.
by Amazon Customer
I really liked the Beekeeper of Aleppo. I was very disappointed with this book. I was already more than aware of the premise of the story as I had followed the mystery of the red lake bodies with some fascination a few years ago. Obviously, this spoiled the story for me as I already knew what was happening. Totally my own fault though because I didn’t realise this book was based on fact.
Anyway, I gave up half way through. Sorry!
by C. J. Richardson
I loved the breathtaking and beautiful way, Lefteri brings to light the treatment of migrant domestic workers. Based on a some true events, the story is of a migrant worker that has gone missing and how much that effects the people left behind, from the employer who never really knew her until she was missing to the employer’s child who she did everything for to the family she had to leave behind in Sri lanka so that she could send money home. I could not put it down.
by Amazon Customer
Lefteri has such an incredible ability to write about life’s traumas and difficulties in a beautiful way.
Highly recommend anything written by this talented author
by Loobylou
2nd hand book received in quick time, front cover and first few pages folded over so has been well thumbed. Happy to receive it though & recycle again when finished.
by Yvonne
This book is a treasure. Ms Lefteri has an amazing gift for telling awesome stories. I loved every second of it
by Sue Packer
The metaphor running through this book, that of the songbirds’ difficult migration only to meet a cruel end, and the migrant domestic workers suffering the same fate, is exquisitely delivered. It is a beautiful book of love, loss and painfully difficult decisions. Also woven through it is the disgrace of those turning a blind eye to the hardship and pain of others using laziness and misplaced cultural ideology to defend their position. It’s complex and haunting and absolutely stunning.