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tamisiobhan's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 rating
Before I started reading this novel, I had no idea what it was about. I had won it in a competition, and even after reading the blurb, it was like I was going into it blind. The book is split into three sections, and the chapters start back at number one in each section. The book still flows through, focusing on two women's relationships with each other and those they are grieving for. There is a haunting feeling when reading the book. This book took me a while to read. I was reading it during a busy month, but when reflecting, I felt that there were times I didn’t want to pick the book up. There were moments when I loved what I was reading; however, I didn’t feel a big enough connection to the book to want to pick it up. That said, I enjoyed the writing style and would love to see what the author has in store for the future.
Before I started reading this novel, I had no idea what it was about. I had won it in a competition, and even after reading the blurb, it was like I was going into it blind. The book is split into three sections, and the chapters start back at number one in each section. The book still flows through, focusing on two women's relationships with each other and those they are grieving for. There is a haunting feeling when reading the book. This book took me a while to read. I was reading it during a busy month, but when reflecting, I felt that there were times I didn’t want to pick the book up. There were moments when I loved what I was reading; however, I didn’t feel a big enough connection to the book to want to pick it up. That said, I enjoyed the writing style and would love to see what the author has in store for the future.
kllyholt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
olivia15's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
raquelbb's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rachel_patrick's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leanne22's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jadereads_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
norastar's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Bird Life is an exploration of grief. When Dinah's twin brother dies by suicide she tries to escape her grief by moving to Japan to teach English. While there she meets Yasuko, an older colleague who is dealing with her own grief - alienation from her son which is connected to her special power, a power her family treat liek a mental illness, of being able to communicate with animals. Smaill captured the Tokyo setting and the minutae of the women's daily lives perfectly; in many ways this read like a Japanese novel. The plot such as it is - this is more a novel of the mind and of interior thoughts - does tend to wander and has a bit of a dreamlike quality to it.Yasuko's powers and the ghost of Dinah's brother lent it an other worldly feel. Sometimes I loved the writing; other times it felt a little overdone. While this wasn't a total win for me , it did leave me keen to explore the author's backlist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Suicide