Blurb

When Edie Budd arrives at a shabby West London boarding house in October 1958, carrying nothing except a broken suitcase and an envelope full of cash, it’s clear she’s hiding a terrible secret. And she’s not the only one; the other women of 73 Dove Street have secrets of their own…

Tommie, who lives on the second floor, waits on the eccentric Mrs Vee by day. After dark, she harbours an addiction to seedy Soho nightlife – and a man she can’t quit.

Phyllis, 73 Dove Street’s formidable landlady, has set fire to her husband’s belongings after discovering a heart-breaking betrayal – yet her fierce bravado hides a past she doesn’t want to talk about.

At first, the three women keep to themselves. But as Edie’s past catches up with her, Tommie becomes caught in her web of lies – forcing her to make a decision that will change everything…

Review

Many thanks to the publisher and the Squadpod for sending me a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was a big fan of Julie’s debut novel That Green Eyed Girl, so I was really looking forward to reading 73 Dove Street. There are definite similarities between the two books – we’ve swapped New York for London, but the city setting comes alive just as vividly, and the period detail feels spot on. Above all, the characters are once again so real – Edie, Tommie and Phyllis leap off the page and into the reader’s heart. The time shifts are more subtle in this book – we get flashbacks from Edie’s point of view, but it’s not a dual timeline book, and in a way, that makes it easier to get fully immersed in the London of 1958.

There is so much intrigue in this novel – we get just the right amount of information dripped into the story to pull us along, but there are mysterious elements that tantalise the reader, and I loved that. There is a real sense in this author’s books that we ‘meet’ the characters – we use that word a lot in reviews, but it’s somehow especially true of the way Julie Owen Moylan writes – we get a window onto their lives, we get to know them as you do when you meet someone in real life, and, importantly, I think, we don’t know everything. Enough of their secrets are revealed for narrative satisfaction, but it is almost as if you could pick a different point in Tommie’s life, or in Phyllis’ life, and you’d have a different, equally compelling story. It’s hard to explain – it reminds me of Almodovar films, when the action just seems to carry on as the camera pans away. It’s so clever, really sophisticated writing.

Tommie is an especially interesting character, and there’s such poignancy and truth in her obsession with the man, whose name we never find out. I liked the way her relationship with Edie plays out – this is no sentimental ode to female friendship, it’s far more nuanced and complex than that. And of course, as in That Green Eyed Girl, there are some hateful characters, too – again, very well written. I’m such a fan of this author’s work, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. I hear rumours of Berlin…

73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan is published by Michael Joseph and is available to pre-order here.

Blurb

‘Dear Reader, the man I love is trying to kill me…’

1932. Emily Blackwood, adventuress and plant hunter, travels north for a curious new commission. A gentleman has written to request she catalogue his vast collection of taxidermied creatures before sale.

On arrival, Emily finds a ruined castle, its owner haunted by a woman who vanished five decades before. And when she discovers the ripped pages of a diary, crammed into the walls, she realises dark secrets lie here, waiting to entrap her too…

The Birdcage Library will hold you in its spell until the final page.

Review

Many thanks to the publisher and to the Squadpod for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this kind of book – the type that draws you in right from the start, announcing itself as a puzzle to be solved, a ‘treasure map’ littered with clues. A hidden diary, a ruined castle, secrets and twists galore – it’s a good ol’fashioned mystery freshened up by the original characters and Berry’s stunning prose. I loved the language in this book – she writes beautifully, treading that fine line between clear-eyed precision and dazzling description with all the skill of a tightrope walker. It’s a joy to read; the sentences are assured and carry you along the twisty, dark corridors of the narrative with confidence.

Parts of the story reminded me of another fabulous historical novel filled with taxidermy animals – Jane Healey’s debut The Animals at Lockwood Manor – but while that book (as far as I remember) stuck pretty closely to its single setting, Berry’s novel crosses the pond and includes some excellent scenes in New York, adding yet another dimension to this complex story. The Emporium and the glamorous parties as described in Hester’s diaries are a lot of fun – I think the New York section had some of my favourite scenes in the book.

The way the mystery itself unravels is very clever. I have to admit, there were a couple of points where I thought, ah this is too easy, I’ve got this figured out – more fool me, because I definitely didn’t! I really enjoyed how it all resolved itself – for me, it was completely satisfying, and allayed a couple of concerns I’d had early on in the book about the treasure hunt.

This is a treat of a novel, one that really includes the reader, an immersive, enjoyable, sometimes dark adventure that kept me gripped throughout. I’ve been meaning to read Freya Berry’s debut, The Dictator’s Wife, for ages – this has definitely persuaded me to get it, and anything else the author writes – I am officially a fan!

The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry is published by Headline and is available to purchase here.