This is what the real life of James Bond would have been like if he had been a modern female.
This exceptionally well-written book tells the story of a female using more than one name who does not quite fit into society, but after falling fowl of army life, ends up working for the British Intelligence services.
Her life is not as glamorous as Mr. Bond's, but it is more realistic.
Lots of us have been put in tricky situations similar to the protagonist, but not with our life at stake.
There is lots untold in this story, so I am looking forward to a sequel later on.
The story in itself is finished, but other stories are possible.
I loved this book. I loved the characters especially the heroine.
Thanks to the author for a spellbinding book, difficult to put down, and to the publisher for an advanced reading copy for honest review.

Bird is a woman who to all intents and purposes lives a mundane life until one day she walks out of the office and so the mystery begins. Why is she running and more importantly who is she running from? Louise Doughty never disappoints and this thriller takes us on a journey both geographically, with stunning settings and emotionally, as we learn about Bird’s past as she analyses her work colleagues and personal life. A clever well-paced thriller that is clever and absorbing. A poignant beautifully written novel. Another original masterpiece from the queen of fiction.

“Why do we run? Is it because we want to be far away, to be hidden – or is it because the most profound of all human desires is to be found?”

Heather—affectionately called “Bird” by her father—has spent a lifetime running away from herself, her hurts, her past. Now she finds herself running as if her life depends upon it, which it does.

This is the chase she feared was imminent for years, and carefully prepared for with a pre-packed hold-all containing various passports and changes-of-identity accessories and clothes.

But nothing quite prepares her for the inevitable surprise of being hunted down like a fox by bloodthirsty hounds. Or for the pain of leaving her old life behind because she must, for her own safety and that of those she loves and trusts.

She takes an adrenaline-fuelled flight, puts her secret service training into practice, urges herself to think clearly, be methodical, and stay calm. She runs without fully knowing who’s on her side, who’s coming after her, and who she might be able to turn to for help.

Her journey toward safety is fraught with danger. Not only for Heather but for those she leaves behind. We are privy to her thoughts, her rich inner life, her reflections on the past, alongside beautiful descriptions of the various landscapes she must pass through.

It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions. A journey with many perilous pitfalls, unexpected support sometimes, and some welcome pausing places where she rests and catches her breath.

This is a tense, atmospheric thriller with quietly contemplative moments to offset the heavier action parts. It’s the first book I’ve read by Louise Doughty, but it won’t be my last. Grateful thanks to Faber and Faber Ltd and NetGalley for the ARC.

Moderately interesting thriller about someone on the run

Heather, our narrator, works for the security services in the UK and suddenly goes on the run. The book is divided into three parts: Part One deals with her experiences as she runs from possible arrest, Part Two is all about her background and how she got into this situation, Part Three brings everything to a conclusion. There are a few well-developed characters and the plot moves along at a steady pace with a fair amount of introspection and description of the various places she finds herself in. I enjoyed reading it but wanted a bit more to the plot. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

To fully appreciate some stories, the less you know in advance the better. This is such a story. So, I’ll try to provide my thoughts on this outstanding book without disclosing anything likely to spoil the experience for future readers.

It starts with an office scene. A man is stood looking out of an upper floor window, a cup of coffee in his hand. Two of the people sat around a table share a look and one of them immediately leaves the room. There’s a sense of urgency in the air. We don’t know why – we’re not yet privy to what immediately proceeded this – but it seems that the act of leaving is significant, perhaps it’s an escape. But if so, an escape from what?

We’re introduced to Heather, and in time we are to learn a good deal about her life. She has pressing needs now and is attempting to deal with them, but her mind is often drawn to the past too, and this is where we will slowly begin to unpick why events are unfolding as they are. There’s mystery here, of course, but there’s action too, quite startling and unexpected action. It’s very hard to anticipate how things will eventually play out, so tightly is this tale constructed, the sense of jeopardy so well maintained.

I’d read Apple Tree Yard, the author’s seventh novel, some nine years ago and absolutely loved it, but somehow Doughty then slipped off my radar. I’m struggling to understand how and why, because this book is in many ways completely different but equally as strong. Her writing is spare in the sense that not a word is wasted but rich in her ability to absolutely convince in her descriptions of people, their actions and their inner thoughts. There wasn’t a moment here that I doubted an action that was taken or a thought brought to mind. She paints vivid pictures throughout whilst remorselessly maintaining an iron grip on the narrative. I totally understood what was happening, even if the ‘why’ would only be revealed late on – and in a very surprising way.

It’s a wonderful book on so many levels and I’d recommend it to just about any reader. It’s a mystery and a thriller but also I’d suggest it would appeal to anyone who enjoys a well written story, regardless of the genre. It’s already clear to me that this will be amongst the best books I’ll read this year. And I’m definitely now going to track down all of her books that I’ve overlooked for so long.

A great story as you persevere with it however it is quite long winded at times which makes it hard to stick with, for me at least!

Hmmm. Very mixed feelings about Louise Doughty’s latest ‘thriller’. There were parts of the novel that really did draw me in and I particularly enjoyed the landscape descriptions, but the main ‘spy’ plot itself was just not terribly riveting and I found myself rather distracted and wanted it to hurry up. The sub plot of ‘Bird’s’ life and relationship with Flavia was engaging, but as a protagonist she herself was not one I particularly cared for; I found her fairly two dimensional.

There’s no doubt that it’s a well written novel, but the pieces just didn’t quite fit together as nicely as I felt an enticing plot should - it just felt a little all over the place. I’m glad I read it, but not one of particularly go out of my way to recommend I’m afraid.

Louise Doughty A Bird in Winter Faber and Faber 2023

When I finished A Bird in Winter I wondered why I had not followed up my recognition upon reading Apple Tree Yard that Louise Doughty was a writer I wanted to read, and read, and read. I am so pleased that I followed my instincts, although belatedly, and requested this novel from NetGalley. I am grateful that NetGalley gave me the opportunity to reread Apple Tree Yard and then this latest novel. A Bird in Winter is gripping, devastating and engaging, demanding to be read in one sitting. Heather, Bird of her father’s affection, Fevver of her friend’s small daughter and Sophie of her enemies’ doing, is a flawed character. But she is also so absorbing that she becomes a woman whom we want to triumph. Bird is in her fifties, physically strong and on the run.

Loss is a pervading feeling throughout the novel, from Heather’s leaving a meeting in the room named Alaska, through her flight from everything she knows with a hold all full of clothing for various iterations of herself, to the ending where she is still travelling. Her past, present and future are bound up in her father’s profession, her mother’s acceptance of his secrecy and frequent unexplained absences and her eventual peaceful widowed life, free of the intricacy of being married to a secret agent. Heather has no such future, and her present is largely unpeopled by close friends or family. She has protected herself and friends by rejecting involvement, perhaps because of her mother’s experience, perhaps because of her own inability to create lasting relationships. Heather’s loneliness is apparent throughout the novel, weaving the coldness of such a life with the physical environment in which she journeys.

Past and present are woven throughout the novel so that Heather’s childhood as Bird becomes as well known as the Heather we see changing costumes, hiding phones to create illusion, linking up with friends – or foes? And travelling in a cold, hostile environment. Heather believes that her job is one of honour and commitment to her country, but also wonders briefly about the role of her seniors and companions. Such contemplation must be brief, she has no time to demur while being on the run; she cannot reconsider her lifetime’s work, and that of her father, it cannot be less than honourable, otherwise how can she live her life?

Once again Louise Doughty had me in her thrall. The writing is contemplative yet edgy; tension filled, but with time for forays into the past; sharp, witty and analytical. This time I am going to keep my promise to myself and ensure that a Louise Doughty novel is at my fingertips for an excellent read.

Bird is on the run, a situation she has been expecting and preparing for meticulously. As she works out who is on her trail and who amongst her former colleagues she can trust, the tension builds and the events and decisions that have led to her flight are slowly revealed. A resourceful and memorable protagonist narrates a story full of tension, action and contemplative self-evaluation. A thoroughly engrossing, exciting and enjoyable novel which I will be recommending to friends, family and bookgroup.

Louise Doughty’s earlier novels ‘Apple Tree Yard’ and ‘Platform Seven’, were spellbinding, so I was highly delighted to be gifted a free ARC of this, her latest novel. Having devoured it in just a couple of days, I think I will have to give it the same epithet as the other two novels as it is just as fascinating.
As in other recent thrillers, the protagonist here is an experienced but flawed lawed female, Heather, who has acquired the nickname ‘bird’. At the beginning of the 1990s, Heather joined the army but was discharged early. Now, like her enigmatic father before her, Heather works as a successful secret agent. In the When she begins to suspect that a colleague is incriminating her through some of his treacherous actions, however, she decides to walk out of a meeting in Birmingham, Central England, and to flee to the Scottish Highlands. Will she manage to slay the demons of her past and outwit the pursuers who are threatening her life? In fact, is anyone pursuing her at all? I found that as I progressed through this novel, the ‘cat and mouse’ element became secondary to the readerly insights into Heather’s psyche, and the recollections of her earlier life that are triggered by her clandestine journey where she hops between destinations like her ‘bird’ nickname. A blend between the spy genre, literary fiction and domestic noir, this is a novel with a pace that switches between allegro and andante, and that is all the richer for its unpredictability. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the digital ARC that I received in exchange for this unbiased review.

Bird is a middle-aged woman who is forced to go on the run from her job in British Intelligence.
Her escape takes her through Scotland and Norway, ending up in Iceland.
A middle-aged female spy on the run is an appealing thing. No crash, bang, wallop punch ups and car chases here. Just a gentle, if sometimes harrowing, escape journey.
I loved the descriptions of the places Bird hid out, and I loved the thought-provoking ending.
A unique and very readable thriller.

I found this an intriguing read and enjoyed it very much. Heather is a resourceful, resilient middle-aged heroine who is forced to leave the British Secret Service and go on the run. The author writes beautifully and visually, so the book is incredibly atmospheric and I felt as though I was with Heather (or Bird as her father called her) on her flight through Scotland, Norway and Iceland. A 50 something woman on the run is a really appealing idea for a story and I found the novel gripping throughout. When I wasn’t reading, I kept wondering what Heather was doing. This brilliant slow-burn of a novel really drew me in.

An older woman (loved this!) on the run, and the world of British Intelligence are the main subjects of this novel, and what a blinder of literature it is.
This is a gripping novel told through a series of flashbacks.
Espionage thriller but not as you know it!

This is a well plotted, fast-moving spy thriller with a twist in the tail. Unusually for this genre, the main protagonist is a middle-aged woman, and it was very good to have a change from thrillers’ more conventional macho hero. A good, quick read.

'Mysteriousness is addictive, after all - it puts us at the centre of the story'.

Heather (Bird) has made a career from working for secret intelligence, following her abrupt exit from the army. She was born to it - her father was a spy too, 'Do these jobs warp your personality so you can perform them well, or did you choose them because they suited you in the first place'. However, one poor choice compromises her reputation and suddenly she's on the run, 'nobody but me knows what I am doing or where I am going: what a secret, soaring thought. I'm hurtling away from my life. I've done it. I've gone'. But as Bird continues to evade her future, by fleeing from her past, she questions how and what will make her stop, 'Why do we run? Is it because we want to be far away, to be hidden, or is it because of the most profound of all human desires to be found.'?

'A Bird in Winter' is an introspective character study, wrapped in the secretive, escapist world of spying. Written in three parts: present, past, and present, the reader is first dropped into a free fall of escape and evasion, before the parachute is deployed and the pace slows. We learn more about not only the events which cause Bird to fly but also her psyche, 'we do everything for two reasons after all: the reason, and the real reason'.

I've never read anything from Louise Doughty before and I really enjoyed this book. Even when the pace slowed, I enjoyed the reflection and introspection of the past in trying to understand Bird. While I wouldn't call this a 'nail-biting thriller', there are definitely edgy aspects to the book and the writing is lovely: depicting the starkness of winter, highlighting Bird's bleak outlook. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy a unique story with literary flare.

For Heather, spying is in the family. Her father was an operative and she has followed in his footsteps. After being transferred to a new division, set up to find traitors in the establishment, she is set up by her boss to take the fall for his illegal activities. and is forced to go on the run, using false documents to get herself out of the country. The remainder of the novel describes Heather's attempts to escape which eventually takes us through Scandinavia.. Her life on the run is thwart with fear and attempts to capture her or kill her for what she knows. despite this, the story was not fast -moving and its strength lies in the stunning descriptions of the places Heather travels to. i enjoyed reading this story and would read a sequel if it were to be written as there were a lot of loose ends left behind at its conclusion.

A really gripping story.When Heather who was nicknamed Bird by her father finds herself in trouble at work she realises she has been set up and has to make plans to leave immediately and as she plans her journey she knows she has to keep one step ahead of whoever as been sent to hunt her down as she is in danger every step of the way. It's a fantastic plot and is brilliantly written by the author and it keeps you gripped from the beginning.

A book somewhat at odds with itself and its marketing 3.5 rating

Louise Doughty’s novel about a woman who is somewhat caught between her nature as an outsider/loner whilst also being someone who is drawn to be within hierarchical organisations where individuality is not encouraged, is a book of oppositions which are not quite balanced or harmonious.

The book is marketed/blurbed as a page-turning, suspense driven story of spying. Its in reality, awfully slow, full of often beautiful descriptions of landscape. It could be in some ways a travelogue through the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and the solitary fastnesses of Northern Europe

Heather, nicknamed ‘Bird’ for no obvious reason, is the daughter of a father who worked in some capacity within the Secret Service, and a somewhat conventional seeming mother. So we understand that she was born into some sort of comfortable accommodation with lives where the surface of a life is hidden, and her father, as she discovers quite early is ‘a liar’.

Heather herself joins The Army. There’s a mismatch between what she expects her life to be, as a strong, intelligent woman, and the reality of what happens, at some point in the early 1990s. The women are marginalised, and worse. Bird leaves the army is some disgrace.

The novel, told in flashbacks. first introduces us, in a definitely tense opening, with Bird, now in her 50s, walking out of a mysterious meeting, and embarking on a meticulously planned flight. She is clearly (or clearly believes) that her life is threatened, with person or persons unknown likely to hunt her down, and, if caught, her fate may well be imprisonment, or something much much worse, depending on who exactly is hunting her, and why.

My challenge with this book is what the author chooses to reveal, and when. There’s a particular moment where a major incident (I won’t reveal this spoiler) gets somehow half revealed, but why, is withheld from us till much later. I almost wondered whether there was a realisation that the slow meander, the journey down some long ago memory lane, both in reality and in the mind, had dropped the ball of tension, so something was needed to wind us back in again.

For me, a kind of not quite gel between a more literary thriller, and the kind of psychological noir territory.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley

I'm afraid this was not a book for me. I'd expected "a nail-bitingly tense and compelling spy novel" (as promised by Paula Hawkins - but since I wasn't gripped by her novel either I guess I should have known it wouldn't grab me).

Anyway the story is about Heather (Bird) who works as a handler (possibly - I never did quite figure that out) of some part of The Service (supposedly MI5/6). One day she discovers that she has been implicated in her boss's wrongdoing so she follows a plan to run (which she's already put in place because of her suspicions). That Heather knows how to get out of scrapes isn't crazy - she has been in the army and her father worked as a spy for many years). All she has to do is get away fast enough and far enough before she can begin negotiations to get herself out of trouble.

So we then follow Heather on a very tortuous escape up through Scotland and then off the mainland. I won't say more than that because of spoilers.

I think the reason I didn't engage was because the character if Heather isn't particularly sympathetic - she may be loyal but she's selfish. The second reason is that the book dawdles along at a snail's pace for much of it. There are lots of descriptions of the countries that Heather passes through and it reads like a travel book at times. There is very little tension and I did not bite my nails once. I think I actually wanted someone to catch her, which might have been more interesting.

This is my first Louise Doughty so maybe if I knew her style I'd have been expecting this slow pace but it didn't appeal to me at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the advance review copy.

A fascinating story about a lady called Heather who has been set up by a co-worker to take the blame for an illegal operation.
Heather has to go on the run and keep one step ahead of the people who are after her, she must stay alive to clear her name.
This is thriller that had me on the edge of my seat.
A very enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.