Greetings you guys! It’s Friday and my Mommy is officially on holidays! Whoo hoo! The fact that it’s only the second time this whole year that we get to our Weekend Posts, does give you an indication of how the term went. It wasn’t bad at all, just busy.
Luckily we can now relax and just read a bit. So what will we read this weekend? This one might be a bit on the heavy side, but it’s a carry over from last month and we really want to read it. There will still be enough time for the lighter holiday reads.
Songbirds by Christy LefteriPublished by Ballantine Books on August 3rd, 2021
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Book Club
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
It began with a crunch of leaves and earth. So early, so cold, the branches shone with ice. I'd returned to collect the songbirds. They are worth more than their weight in gold.
Yiannis is a poacher, trapping the tiny protected songbirds that stop in Cyprus as they migrate each year from Africa to Europe and selling them on the black market. He dreams of finding a new way of life, and of marrying Nisha, who works on the island as a nanny and maid--having left her native Sri Lanka to try to earn enough to support her daughter, left behind and raised by relatives.
But Nisha has vanished; one evening, she steps out on a mysterious errand and doesn't return. The police write off her disappearance as just another runaway domestic worker, so her employer, Petra, undertakes the investigation.
Petra's unravelling of Nisha's last days in Cyprus lead her to Nisha's friends--other maids in the neighborhood--and to the darker side of a migrant's life, where impossible choices leave them vulnerable, captive, and worse.
Based on the real-life disappearance of domestic workers in Cyprus, Christy Lefteri has crafted a poignant, deeply empathetic narrative of the human stories behind the headlines. With infinite tenderness and skill, Songbirds offers a triumphant story of the fight for truth and justice, and of women reclaiming their lost voices.
For our first stop, we will pay a visit to @ Reading is my Super Power for First Line Friday and to Gilion @ Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings. Every Friday you can link up and share the first sentence of your current read (or the one you plan to devour over the weekend), as well as your initial thoughts and impressions.
Songbirds open with a very short, but powerful chapter.
One day, Nisha vanished and turned to gold. The turned to gold in the eyes of the creature that stood before me. She turned to gold in the morning sky and in the music of the birds.
For our next stop, we will pay a visit to Freda’s Voice who hosts the Friday 56. Don’t show up empty handed though!
- Grab a book (Yes, any book. But it might get you to your other Friday activities a bit quicker if you just grab the book you are currently reading)
- Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader
- Find a sentence or two (your other Friday activities might determine this)
- Post it!
- Remember to post your link on Freda’s Voice and to visit the other guys in the linky.
- And last but not least, don’t forget to list the title of the book and the author as well.
A powerful passage on page 56:
I kept Seraphim’s words in mind – She’ll be back. I mean, he was right – it wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go. Unless she went back to Sri Lanka…. No, I was sure that Nisha would knock on the back door at eleven, like she always did, and the memory of waiting for her would fade into the past and be forgotten.
To be perfectly honest, we’ve drafted this post 2 weeks ago already and never got around to posting it. The good thing is that we still have a chapter or two of our book to finish as well. It’s good, really good. But sad and upsetting in the same breath.
Monday we are back to school, but we’ll try in earnest to better participate in Weekend Book Friends this term.
Have a wonderful weekend you guys!
Good luck with back to school!
It’s always fun being back at school, no matter how much we complain! LOL!!
Wow, that’s a gorgeous cover!
Hi Daniella!
It’s the cover we got here in SA. We don’t always get the “default” covers, but I am glad we ended up with this one. It has the most beautiful gold inlays and the gold is actually symbolic in the book as well.
Cool! It sounds even more pretty than the picture!
It definitely is!!!
Fascinating context!
Enjoy your time off!
Hi Emma!
I am sooo sorry I reply so late! I haven’t been on the blog much this week, busy at school.
I think you will really enjoy Songbirds. Let me know if you ever get to it.
Have a good weekend!
No worry, super busy here too, not much time for blogging
The saying – so many books, so little time – just got more complicated when you add book blogging to the equation!
Exactly. Avery difficult balance exercise
Oh I love the cover for this, it looks like a great read.
Ash @ Essentially Ash
Hi Ash!
It is a great read yes, a bit on the heavy side, but it has an important message to share.
Thanks for stopping by and so sorry for the late reply!
Thanks for sharing! I really like the look of that cover. 🙂
It is soooo gorgeous. It actually has golden inlays.
Hope mom enjoys her holiday! I’m happy to read that she liked Songbirds, a sad but important story.
Hi Diane!
That is very true, it’s an important story and it really does leave one contemplating what we have and how we treat those around us.
So sorry I reply so late! Hope you will have a good weekend!
Yay for holidays! Enjoy!
The book sounds like a good one. Have a great weekend!
And it’s weekend again!! Where does time fly to!!! I am done with Songbirds and looking forward to a few new reads for the weekend.
Have a good one Yvonne!
The cover is very pretty! Enjoy and I hope you have a great weekend/holiday!!!!
Hi there Cindy!
It truly is the most beautiful cover. We don’t always get the “default” covers here in SA and with this book it was the same. But I am very grateful that this is the one we got. The story is beautiful. You might enjoy it!
Sounds to be beautifully written!! I really like that cover too! Happy weekend!
Hi Freda!
The writing is what makes this book extra special indeed. So sorry I only reply now, the week was crazy.
My first line comes from All That It Takes by Nicole Deese:
As the door to our new life swung open and my ten-year-old son rushed across the threshold to explore the second-story apartment, the you-break-it- you-buy-it policy flashed across my mind like a hazard warning.
Hi there Paula! I don’t know the book you’ve shared or the author, but I do like that opening line!
So sorry for the late reply, I hope you will have a good weekend!
Sad topic, indeed. I’m not sure how the poaching of songbirds relates to her disappearance, but I can see potential for metaphors.
Enjoy your holidays!
Hi Roberta!
First of all, so sorry for the late reply. Yes, there are strong metaphors in this book. It’s a strong read and not always easy, but definitely worth it.
Have a good weekend!
Hmm. That is a nice picture — turning to gold in the eyes of other creatures. My Friday quotes from the Silent Patient
Hi Anne,
It is a lovely, descriptive picture yes. The cover that was used here in SA compliments that picture so well. That’s the cover I’ve used here as well.
Thanks for visiting us and have a lovely weekend!
This looks fascinating, and I’m intrigued by the unusual setting. Not sure how this book has escaped my notice so far. Happy Reading!
Hi Kym!
It landed in our Book Club, otherwise it might have slipped me by as well. It’s such a well written book with a heavy theme. But worth it for sure.
Thanks for visiting us!
Great snippets. I do like the sound of this one. Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a lovely weekend! 🙂
Thanks Ashley!
It was a wonderful read, although it was a bit on the heavy side. We do need those as well every now and then.
Enjoy your time off! You sure have deserved it. and Elza needs some extra time with you.
Hi dearest Wendy! I’ve been playing around on the blog again this morning, but I am going to go and snuggle with Elza now. It’s rather cold and rainy here today, so perfect weather!
Have a wonderful weekend.
I love the excerpts. Enjoy the book and your week, and here’s mine: “THE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER”
Thanks Laurel-Rain! Definitely in the mood to read something lighter for the rest of the weekend.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sounds like compelling read. Didn’t know about the disappearing housemaids in Cyprus. How curious!
Hi there Harvee, compelling is a good description indeed. The writing is beautiful though.
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you will have a good weekend!