As a nanny myself, I lean towards nanny narratives a lot. I sometimes find them to be completely inaccurate, but this one seemed very honest and kind to the profession (honored both the sacrifices and the joys). Unfortunately I found the resolution a little out of left field.

Songbirds is a novel about migrant female workers that arrive in Cyprus in hopes of making a better life for themselves and their families back home. They keep the homes clean and families fed, but they are treated as less than by most employers.

Enter Nisha. She arrives in Cyprus in time to save Petra as she prepares to give birth to her first child while grieving the death of her husband. Early in the story, Nisha disappears and it’s up to Petra and Yiannis, Nisha’s lover, to search for her. Nisha’s past and her hopes for the future are told through memories and recollections. We don’t hear her own words until the end of the novel.

Songbirds is based on a true story of what happened to some migrant workers in Cyprus - and that aspect of the story is heart wrenching. I did find it took me a while to get absorbed into the story and I often skimmed paragraphs to make the story move faster. The second half of the book is worth the wait however.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the arc.

Inspired by the real-life disappearance of domestic workers in Cyprus. This book is heartbreaking yet gives a voice to those who can't speak.
A nanny disappears and no one seems to care. No one except her employer and her daughter. Petra is bound and to discover what led to the nanny's disappearance. Nothing will stop her.
A great read. Since it's based on actual happenings, it's also a real eye opener.
A definite must read!

Songbirds....At the back of the book the author’s notes hints of the similarities of the Cyprus domestic workers and the migratory Songbirds that travel across the seas. They both use the island as a place to eat, rest and regain their strength in order to continue on life’s journey, but all too often they become entrapped in not so promising circumstances.

The story is told in two voices, one of Petra, the employer of a domestic worker called Nisha that has disappeared. The other is told by Yiannas, Nisha’s friend/lover. Nisha’s life story unfolds in Petra and Yiannis telling of their memories of her.

At least half the book is dedicated to Yiannis and his involvement in the illegal trade of protected, endangered Songbirds. The details describing the indiscriminate trapping, capture and killing of thousands of birds is quite disturbing. In fact, I was more uncomfortable with the mass bird killings than I was by the story of the 5 missing domestic workers.

Based on a true story, the author is trying to shed light on the injustices of domestic workers all over the world by employers and also by law enforcement that tend to look the other way when things are not right.. Although their plight can be horrifyingly similar, the author spends so much time detailing the illegal trade and capture of the Songbirds while providing a modest overview of the unjust life of the domestic workers, that the domestic workers life and treatment pales in comparison to the plight of the birds. An injustice to the domestic workers by the author.

The insertion of the two pages written in italics about a dead decomposing rabbit inserted indiscriminately throughout the book left me baffled. I couldn’t tie it together with the exception of the last insertion. Another failure by the author.

I love Christy Lefteri’s writing but this one failed to deliver the powerful punch it should have on such an important issue.

This is the second book that I have read by Christy Lefteri. I thoroughly enjoy her style of writing and her ability to delve into heartbreaking human problems and bring them to light. While the subject matter in both books is difficult, the author makes the subjects readable. Definitely worth a read.

Songbirds is not an easy book; your heart will bleed.

It is a book that the world needs to hear (especially now), to absorb, to listen to your heart. What can we do to make the world a better place? Its so easy to go about our lives with blinders on. Black Lives, Brown Lives, All Lives Matter.

Thank you Christy Lefteri; for writing this book. For taking the time to hear migrants (women in particular) sharing their stories. Your writing is particularly moving.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books), and especially the author/Christy Lefteri; for the opportunity to read the advance copy of Songbirds in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 03 Aug 2021.

"Songbirds is a story about migration and crossing borders. It is about searching for freedom, for a better life, only to find oneself trapped. It is a story about the way in which systemic racism exists. It is a story about learning to see each and every human being in the same way as we see ourselves."
I appreciated the message of this book. Christy Lefteri sheds light on the plight of women who move to another country in order to make money and support their families. These unseen women may be captive and vulnerable, they are not actually invisible. Songbirds is an important book that tells a story about a culture I had no idea about.
Note: Trigger warnings include sexual content, profanity, and animal abuse

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was looking forward to this novel, because I enjoyed the Beekeepers of Aleppo by the same author. Unfortunately this book disappointed me. It’s about the disappearance of a domestic worker, Nisha in Cyprus. The chapters alternate from the viewpoint of Petra , for whom Nisha worked for and Yiannis, with whom Nisha had a love affair.
I found the book boring, chapter after chapter, it didn’t get closer to what happened. The poaching of the songbirds had nothing to do with the story and I didn’t care for the gruesome details. I only finished this book to be able to write an honest review. Two stars, at best, and that is only because the book addresses a real, serious issue about domestic workers in Cyprus.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

What a wonderful and unusual book this is! It incorporates a good story and good writing and takes place in Cyprus, shedding much needed light on the migrant workers employed in different positions. It would be an excellent choice for sophisticated book groups that want some meaty conversation.

I loved Lefteri's first book, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, but was worried that Songbirds, her second novel, might suffer from typical "sophomore slump." I need not have worried. Songbirds is a wonderful lyrical novel that deserves a much more analytical in-depth review than I can offer in this short space. On its surface Songbirds is the story of a Sri Lankan domestic worker, Nisha, who goes missing while working in Cyprus. Inspired by the story of similar disappearances on Cyprus, home to many of Lefteri's family members, Songbirds is a story about so much more. It is a story of seeing and of not being seen, of immigration and the search for freedom, of deep-seated institutional racism, about the plight of "guest workers," women and men who leave their families and their homelands to earn money to support them or to find their own voices , and it is the story of their entrapment as well as other kinds of entrapment, including that of Nisha's employer, Petra, and of Nisha's lover, Yiannis, who has been trapped in an enterprise to poach and sell thousands of migrating birds. It is a story of love and a love story, and above all it is, in Lefteri's words, "a story about learning to see each and every human being in the same way as we see ourselves."
Songbirds is a complex novel of complex ideas and it would fail spectacularly in the hands of a less-gifted writer. Lefteri cleverly tells the story through others' voices until the end, when we hear directly from Nisha,
Songbirds is a brilliant novel that has touched me deeply. It definitely is a novel that I will reread despite knowing how the "mystery" ends.

I really enjoyed the Beekeeper of Aleppo, but this story didn’t quite hit me in the same way. In all honesty, I was bored to death between Yiannis and Petra. I ended up skimming and even skipping to the end.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nisha is a maid in Cypress. She is a beautiful, strong woman who left behind her own family in Sri Lanka to earn money so that her own daughter can have a better life. This novel is so well written, it feels as if you have leaped into the book and can hear the songbirds, see the garden and the red lake.
Your heart will ache for these women and their stories of abuse, heartache and the families they left behind.
The songbirds, a whole other storyline is sickening.

Songbirds by Christy Lefteri is an excellent fictional novel that kept me engaged through the mystery and suspenseful narrative, the powerful human characters and messages, and I really enjoyed it all from beginning to end.

This is a great novel. Yes, it has a storyline on trying to locate a missing person, but it is also about so much more. I was really enlightened on the subject of refugees and the harrowing events and circumstances that people go through to find safety, stability, and a chance at a life for themselves and their own families. The bravery, the strength, the risks taken are impressive and it was hard to see how some of the outcomes occur. It was very eye-opening to read this narrative. While this was not a true story in and of itself, the author adds a wonderful and reflective note at the end of the book to help explain her reasoning and inspiration for the book in regards to some of the events for some of the workers that have come to Cyprus from other areas in hopes of transition and better circumstances, but unfortunately not always finding those.

It was interesting to learn more about Cyprus and the landscapes and the author really created a vision for the reader within this story. I really enjoyed this novel and I recommend it for anyone that enjoys fiction and a well-constructed narrative that will draw one in from the very beginning. I easily devoured this book in less then 2 days.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ballantine/Random House for this arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.