Really wanted to love this one but had a hard time getting into it. Maybe it was the narrator, maybe it was the multiple POV, for whatever reason this one just didn't jive with me and I ended up DNF'ing at 25%. Much thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to listen to an early ALC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I was approved for this book the day before it was archived. The summary sounded interesting and have added the book to my TBR pile.

Beautifully descriptive of the shores of Canada and the isle of Cuba. Three generations of women - Kate, a widow at 32, who has endured mental abuse and is carrying around way too much guilt. She is trying to carve out a new life for herself as she learns to lose her anxiety and guilt - Ivy, an adventurous elderly women at the end of her life but with many stories to tell as she inspires Kate to grow and accept herself - Nora, Kate's mom, who is a bit overbearing and seems steadfast in her ways and thinking but we see her grow and learn to finally accept others and other perspectives as well. Quennec's prose is captivating and her chapters are short and compelling. An enjoyable novel of literary women's fiction.

This was an interesting listen about three women --Kate, Nora, and Ivy, who unravel their past and present. I loved listening to the audiobook and hearing the different voices and settings of each. What initially pulled me towards the book was its setting in Vancouver Island, a place not too far from my own city.

As for the characters, I loved hearing about Ivy. What started off as an exciting summer at her grandparents slowly turned and left me saddened on her behalf. With Kate and Nora, we see a bumpy start but with gradual growth which left me happy. The bond that Ivy and Kate formed was touching.

At times, I found it hard to keep up with the different audiobook characters and the storyline in general. It's very much a slice-of-life type of book. Overall though, this story came together in the end and I found it enjoyable for the most part.

Thanks NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for my copy of this book.

I was unable to get this to work on the app on my iPhone 11. I am not sure if there was an issue with the file or compatibility with my phone but I was unable to listen to the copy.

I thought I was going to really enjoy this book but the narration was so soft, I found it was putting me to sleep every time I picked the book up. Maybe with a different narrator I would have felt differently. I do not feel I can give a fair and adequate book review.

I enjoyed listening to this book. The characters were very likable. I loved how the storyline flashes back. The back story helped to enhance the story. Great book.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook for my honest review.

This is a delightful book that has elements about finding yourself and the journey of self-healing through 3 separate narrators. In this rotating narrative, the characters interact with each other from different points of view which was a really enjoyable experience. All of the characters were going through some form of identity crisis in a unique perspective to themselves. This book was very in touch with some of the difficulties that we as humans experience with personal relationships of different kinds. Something that set this book apart to me was that the author touched on prejudices that we may internalize without understanding why and how non of them matter when you actually get to know someone.
I am giving this book 4 stars. It starts as a very slow read with a prolonged build up and I was not intensely interested until about half the book was over. But because the second half was so palpable with emotional connections between the characters and the resolution was satisfactory, I look back on the overall experience positively.

Told from the perspective of Kate, her mother Nora, and Ivy, the woman Kate helps to take care of, this dual-timeline narration focuses on perceived responsibility and its effect on happiness and fulfillment.

Kate is a widow who chooses to withdraw to a small island looking for peace. There she meets Ivy, a senior with an exciting and rocky past and a much different outlook on life. And across the entire story is Nora, Kate’s mother, a woman who lives her life by society’s rules and doesn’t appreciate anyone rocking the boat.

I loved how each character was portrayed and the ARC that they each went through as the book progressed. I didn’t feel that the relationships between any of the 3 were very strong so the tie-in’s of why they were all in the same story made little sense to me. It’s almost as if each woman had her own story and the author tried to mesh them all together with a few small links here and there.

The three stories separately were interesting but I think there could have been stronger links between the characters. The ending also felt a little rushed to me.

It was an overall good women’s fiction read. The narrator for the audiobook had a pleasant voice.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing this book. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy and all views expressed are only my honest opinion.

2.8 ⭐️ OVERALL
3.5 ⭐️ NARRATION

🥀 Genre🥀 Literary Fiction

🥀 Premise 🥀 This story is told from the perspective of three women: Kate, a widow at just 32; Ivy, elderly and wheelchair bound; and Nora, a middle-aged mother of two

🥀 Narration 🥀 The Canadian accent really came through. As with all my NetGalley listens, there was a tinny quality to the audio

🥀 Thoughts 🥀 This is a nice story. It is a slow burn that bored me quite a bit. I did not find the perspectives of Nora or Kate particularly interesting or compelling. Nora struggles with being narrow minded and Kate is frankly very boring.

🥀 Thoughts 🥀 Ivy, on the other hand, is a fire cracker and her tale is enthralling. I wish there were more scenes from her days on Cuba. I liked the description of island life off the western coast of Canada.

The book follows three women, Kate, Nora, and Ivy. It alternates between present day and 1926. The present day portion is primarily set on a small island off the coast of Vancouver. (It sounds amazing. One more destination for the bucket list.) The 1926 portion is set on Cuba.
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Kate is a recent widow dealing with grief and guilt over her marriage that was crumbling prior to her husband’s death. Nora is Kate’s mother and is an empty nester that is looking for something meaningful to do with her life. Ivy is an elderly woman that Kate helps care for. Ivy’s story takes place on Cuba when she was 18 and figuring out what she wanted to do with her life while butting up against social constraints. The thread that brings all the women together is that they are each trying to figure out what to do with the circumstances that they’ve been dealt. The trick is to be true to themselves while navigating their situations.
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My favorite was Nora. She was funny and the most interesting character. I felt like she could have had a whole book about her second act of life.
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Anyway, the book is a quick, easy read that ends the way you think it will. And sometimes that’s nice.

🦅 Book Review! 🙌

🦅FISHING FOR BIRDS by Linda Quennec: Kate, a somewhat clumsy widow of thirty-two, flees her stifling hometown on Vancouver Island to live alone on an even smaller island in the Salish Sea. In so doing, she has vague expectations of solace and sanctuary, despite past experience. Instead she meets Ivy, a woman who through their conversations transports her to the intoxicating world of 1926 Cuba. Within the context of their friendship, Ivy's past begins to unravel from a long-held silence, just as Kate finds herself confronting her relationship with the colourful community she's known all her life, along with an unexpected visitor who threatens to remove all peace from her chosen refuge.

🦅 My thoughts:
This book was a gush of fresh air! The author’s writing is strong, visceral, and moving. At times, I literally said aloud, “ooh, good word choice!” I love to chew on words that aren’t over-used and are perfection in the sentence. The 3 settings are gorgeous- Cuba, Vancouver Island, and a
a smaller island in the Salish Sea. The latter two were my favourite chapters because I have a soft spot for West Coast Canada, my home. (I was imagine @danis and I strolling along in the story.) All the characters are well-developed and by the end of the novel I was reluctant to let them go.

🦅 I read this book in print last year and have cherished it on my shelves. The audiobook showed up recently on @netgalley (thank you!); I couldn’t resist experiencing the story again via audio. The narrator reads well, never overacting the lines, using a soothing voice that fits the tone of the novel.

🦅 If you are in the mood for a gratifying piece of literature, I highly recommend Fishing for Birds. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The only literature worth reading is the kind that comes close to killing you a bit at a time. The kind that tells the truth. Life is a marriage of pain and happiness together they make joy, if you can see it.” - Linda Quennec, Fishing for Birds

I wholeheartedly agree with the quote above and found that this novel fits the description. Each of the three narrators provide insight into both universal pains felt by all people and the specific pains each woman feels at different phases of life in a way that made me question how I see my own life and the roles others play in it. I would highly recommend this book and don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

P.S. I want to be Ivy when I grow up

Other thoughts about this book:

Things I love: Everything listed above and... that the book took place only on islands and the unique challenges and supports of being enclosed in a community. I loved the Canadian accent of the narrator and northern culture that was highlighted, it felt familiar and authentic to me (living in Northeast Wisconsin). I loved the historical and natural details and research that went into the writing.

A few things I didn’t love: Some of the chapters felt a bit unnecessary to me. Though the prose was enjoyable and I enjoyed the description of island life.

Recommended for: Pretty much any woman. It was an engaging and accessible read that I feel like would speak to different women in different ways at different points in life. Would make a great book club read!

Kate is lost after the death of her husband and his family. After leaving her home and hiding away on an even smaller island than the one she left, Kate finds Ivy, and her life begins to turn.
Linda Quennec weaves the story of three women as they struggle with loss and how to live afterwards, all set on three islands. First there is Kate, a recently widowed young woman who's grief, guilt, and the sudden presence of a ghost are eating away at her. Next is Ivy, an elderly women who's past in 1920s Cuba is as beautiful as it is tragic. And finally there is Nora, Kate's mother, who struggles to adapt when her perception of normal is suddenly revealed not to be what she thought. Quennec's writes the stories of these three women beautifully, fully immersing the reader in the lives and lost loves of Kate, Ivy and Nora.

Three stars for this tale of discover. I adored Ivy and her vivacious, spunky spirit, and I enjoyed Kate's story as she worked through her grief and trauma. However, I struggled with Nora. I felt that her story, while interesting, did not fit in well with Kate and Ivy. I was constantly wanting more Ivy though. Perhaps a follow up story on Ivy's life is in order?

Audiobook courtesy of ECW Press Audio & NetGalley. #FishingforBirds #NetGalley
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3747131106?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1