I was initially attracted to the cover of this book and then liked the sound of the synopsis. The faded seaside setting echoed the characters lives perfectly. How they had seemingly once had it all, but had now fallen on hard times or were struggling with their personal pasts. There were some challenging themes tackled here such as control, toxic relationships, fat shaming etc. I loved how the characters were so relatable and I felt like I had come to know them all quite well by the end of the book. Much of the book is concerned with their everyday lives interwoven with moments from their pasts that still haunt them and stop them moving on with their lives. Some of the lesser characters like Shandy and Lol were really interesting and I found myself feeling sad for them and still thinking about them after I'd finished the book. The book is very well constructed and everything is linked together despite the characters appearing to live or have lived in totally different worlds. I really loved this book and am grateful to have reveived an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lydia was a teen popstar in the 1990s and now in middle age, she’s trying to process the things that happened to her and her bandmate, Pan, whose feelings about her time in The Lollies differ from Lydia’s. Can we ever be reliable narrators of our own history? And there’s her famous ex-lover Henry and his self-serving apology for his abuse towards her. Will she finally able to say that enough is enough and break free of him? Joyce, also in middle age, has never left home and has never had a job. She doesn’t know what she thinks about, well, anything really, unless her mother is there to “keep things right in her head”. Betty and Joyce in their matchy-watchy outfits, long ringlety hair and faces painted to resemble the porcelain dolls that line the walls of their oppressive flat, cut grotesque figures of ridicule in the seaside town where the family once reigned supreme as owners of The Palace. Full of richly drawn and complex characters, deliciously dark humour (another reviewer mentioned the model village...) and sharp-as-a-tack writing (“Start with a Rich Tea and work up” … “Chocolate Digestives aren’t a starter biscuit”) Birding is a superbly written book about the bonds of generational trauma and finding your authentic self. This one’s for all the “Come On In Girls”, wherever and whoever you are. Highly recommended.

My favourite book of the month which was Rose Ruane- Birding, and as I remarked on social media, has one of the most lyrically beautiful prologues I have ever read. Set in a beautifully depicted run down seaside town, Ruane focuses on two female characters Lydia and Joyce, who due to their life experiences are seeking some kind of agency and personal freedom away from the previous or present influence of others. The women could not be any more different in your initial perception of them, but as Ruane unfolds their personal narratives, their lives and experiences will resonate with every woman at some level. This book addresses themes of abuse, coercion and suppression, some of which I found close to home, but almost reassuringly close to home if that makes sense, and as these women begin to grow and thrive, there is a feeling of hope and redemption. It’s not all serious though, and there are some truly brilliant episodes in the book suffused with black humour, which did have me chortling out loud too. Model village is all I’m saying… I have already been recommending this in the day job, and as rare as it is, I shall definitely read this book again in years to come too. Highly recommended.

This was a really well written novel centred around the lives of two separate women living in the same decaying seaside town. It's a sort of belated coming-of-age story - the two women, Lydia and Joyce, are in their forties but have still not taken control of their own lives. This explores the nuances of abuse, and is very sad, and even bleak at times, but I loved the characters (especially Joyce) and really felt invested in their stories. It left me with a lot of thoughts and questions, and it would be a perfect choice for any book club.