As we all know, I loved ‘Dog Days‘, which I read earlier in the year in preparation for ‘The Book Taster Live’, so I was very excited to meet Birdie Greenwing and see what adavntures we would go on next.
This book was absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with all the characters and their stories. To me, this is a book about friendship, community and fantastic, strong female characters (even if they do not always realise it). Sadly, Birdie has terminal cancer and she knows her life is coming to an end, but that does not mean she cannot make the most of the time that she has left, even if she does not realise it. Enter Jane and Frankie (and Min), Birdie’s new neighbours, and Ada, Birdie’s doctor, who keeps a little bit of an eye on Birdie from a distance and learns more from her relationship with Birdie than she can ever realise.
These women’s lives become entwined and, together, they each learn a little bit more about who they really are, and learn to maybe let go of some of the baggage that they have been carrying around with them, that might just need sharing with a friend – and how they can each make a little more of life, rather than just going through the motions.
This book is written with so much warmth and humour that it is difficult to put it down; I took it everywhere with me for a week just in case I could sneak a few extra moments with Birdie and her friends in. And, because I just needed to know what mug each character was going to get next from the WRVS cafe in the hospital – these moments of humour are scattered throughout the pages and will certainly make you smile.
I also admire how Ericka does not shy away from some topics that maybe are a little taboo, or that people bury their heads in the sand about. There was a really strong theme of loneliness in this book, and not just loneliness for the older generation (which is something that I think is not talked about enough) but how loneliness can maybe creep up on so many, as they just carry on with their lives and other things take over or seem more important. But, it is also showed how easy it can be to reverse such situations by showing a little kindness or finding relationships in the most surprising of places.
This book deserves all the love that it is getting in the book world as it is just a joy, and will probably teach us all to be a little more kind and check in with those around us – especially our neighbours or those in our community who may seem a little isolated.