A review by kimswhims
The Kindness of Birds by Merlinda Bobis
5.0
I adored this short story collection.
I share a fixation on birds and I can hear the cockatoos and the currawongs outside, one cockatoo is nibbling on some sunflower seeds just outside my window. Later on I expect a visit from a pair of crested pigeons that nest in my garden.
Each of these stories flow through with the symbol of a different type of bird guiding the way and each story is also guided by kindness. A pandemic of kindness is just what we need at the moment and these stories guide us in that direction.
A number of different subjects are handled here, a history of Aus and the Philippines, particularly with filipinos who went to Broome and Darwin during and possibly before European settlement, some to do with the pearling industry, escaping other political trouble (which I would really be interested in seeing developed as a novel). There are also contemporary stories that give us aspects of the covid19 pandemic which we have all just gone through and are still going through. It's the first time I've seen that described in fiction and it's done exceptionally well.
The award winning author, now lives locally to me and a couple of years ago I very much enjoyed her poetry collection [b:Accidents of Composition|34957255|Accidents of Composition|Merlinda Bobis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494051982l/34957255._SX50_.jpg|56231318] and have my own copy.
I've gifted a copy of this short story collection to my daughter-in-law, who came from the Philippines to do her PhD in Medical engineering here, her naughty MIL is distracting her a little with great literature :D
Highly recommended. I just hope there are enough copies left by the time I can get around to buying my own.
I share a fixation on birds and I can hear the cockatoos and the currawongs outside, one cockatoo is nibbling on some sunflower seeds just outside my window. Later on I expect a visit from a pair of crested pigeons that nest in my garden.
Each of these stories flow through with the symbol of a different type of bird guiding the way and each story is also guided by kindness. A pandemic of kindness is just what we need at the moment and these stories guide us in that direction.
A number of different subjects are handled here, a history of Aus and the Philippines, particularly with filipinos who went to Broome and Darwin during and possibly before European settlement, some to do with the pearling industry, escaping other political trouble (which I would really be interested in seeing developed as a novel). There are also contemporary stories that give us aspects of the covid19 pandemic which we have all just gone through and are still going through. It's the first time I've seen that described in fiction and it's done exceptionally well.
The award winning author, now lives locally to me and a couple of years ago I very much enjoyed her poetry collection [b:Accidents of Composition|34957255|Accidents of Composition|Merlinda Bobis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494051982l/34957255._SX50_.jpg|56231318] and have my own copy.
I've gifted a copy of this short story collection to my daughter-in-law, who came from the Philippines to do her PhD in Medical engineering here, her naughty MIL is distracting her a little with great literature :D
Highly recommended. I just hope there are enough copies left by the time I can get around to buying my own.