Rating: 3.4/5

Unfortunately, I think this book may suffer as a result of how it has been positioned by the marketing team. Much is made of the quote from Paula Hawkins that this is "A nail-bitingly tense and compelling spy novel" and the publisher's blurb focuses on "Bird" being a woman on the run from her employers in the Service. Now, while none of that is wholly inaccurate, it does paint a picture and raise expectations of a novel that is very different to the one that Louise Doughty has actually delivered.

To avoid any misunderstanding, I will make clear that I did enjoy "A Bird in Winter". It does have the theme of espionage running in the background. It also has moments of tension and it certainly does make for compelling reading - but in a manner that is very much of the intriguing slow-burn variety rather than that of a high-octane spy thriller. This story is as much about Bird journeying back through her life and its significant events as it is about a woman being chased (or not) by the clandestine powers that she has spent many years working for.

Louise Doughty makes use of some wonderfully evocative descriptive language that transports the reader into the environment she is depicting. There are times when the prose is quite moving with numerous passages that are well-observed and skilfully written. However, this does mean that the pace of the novel is generally quite slow - and that is where reader expectations may well find themselves clashing with, and potentially rebelling against, the anticipation created by the marketing position of this novel.

I would certainly recommend this book, but with the proviso that you do not expect it to be a conventional espionage thriller, otherwise you are likely to be disappointed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Louise Doughty writes a smart and vivid multilayered, complicated, and thought provoking slow burn of a character driven thriller with a great, flawed, middle aged female central protagonist in her fifties for readers to get behind and root for. However, patience will be required before the pieces begin to come together at which point the pacing starts to quicken. A highlight of this spy novel is the great sense of the atmospheric multiple locations provided by the rich descriptions of the landscapes that I savoured. Heather is Bird, working in the Birmingham office known as Alaska, in a meeting when she abruptly leaves and goes on the run, a situation she has prepared for in advance, in the expectation that it will arise.

In a beautiful, intricately plotted, and intriguing narrative that goes back and forth in time, there are inklings that begin to aid our understanding of how Bird ended up at this point of abandoning her home, job and life as she knew it, heading north to Scotland. She is left trying to work out exactly who is hunting for her as she goes off grid, but she is nobody's fool, able to utilise her spy tradecraft expertise as she finds herself in danger. Not knowing who she can place her trust in, and pushed to the edges of her limits, Bird becomes immersed in her memories. We learn of her past, personal and professional, her childhood, and her father responsible for her nickname of Bird, how she is raised in a climate of secrets, her close friend, and the journey that shaped her career which ended up with her posting to Birmingham.

Doughty's understated storytelling style drew me in from the beginning, right through until the suspense and tension begins to rise, mainly because I was invested in and gripped by the character of Heather. There are wonderful twists and turns in this remarkable captivating thriller that will appeal to readers looking for an unusual and intelligent spy mystery, and with a terrific central protagonist. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

It is a long time since I read such a visual book. It could have been a screenplay given its sense of place. I found it completely tense and absorbing and became a vicarious adrenaline junkie as I read.

If this had been flagged as a spy story I would have been disinterested yet, whilst it is, just that, the reality is that this story could be a template for any threatened woman on the run and an older woman, to boot! Completely embedded in a world of secrets and outward appearance, I found that the strength of the narrative lay in Bird/Heather's quick witted head. The reader is fed information at exactly the right moments for us to inhabit this intelligently rounded character which only enhances the layered plotting.

I couldn't put it down.

With heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Faber for the opportunity to read and review

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Oh I loved this book. Set around the British intelligence service the plot is extremely clever and Bird is very well written as a character.

A gripping book - I found it difficult to put down and read long into the night. Bird (or Heather, or any of the various other names she uses) makes a sudden decision to run away from her situation. Only it's not that sudden as she has a case packed, money stashed and new identities ready to slip into. We don't quite know why she is running but know something has happened. We don't quite know what her work involves, but know it's no ordinary job. She flees, reaching Scotland one step ahead of her pursuers - then realises there is not just the one set after her, but a second. And the second prove more dangerous than the first.

Through memories and flashbacks, we come to realise what Bird is involved with. We learn about her army days, her relationship with her best friend, and her father, in whose footsteps she has followed.

Excellent.

I'm afraid this one isn't for me. The desciptions of scenery and places are magnificent and so descriptive, but (for me) the storyline wasn't compelling enough. As a travelogue I'd commend it, but I was looking for more of a story. Transported through some wonderful places that I now want to visit - whether in Scotland or elsewhere - and it reads as if the author knows them all well. I absolutely loved Apple Tree Yard and was gripped from start to finish - whicih led me to this book, wanting another in the same class. I'll not be posting this widely as it may just be me!

I really enjoyed this spy thriller and was definitely along for the journey. As our protagonist heads fot the Scottish Highlands we gradually learn why she is on the run and the story unfolds with twists and turns and plenty of thrills. Well told and a good page turner.

A Bird In Winter by Louise Doughty is a tense spy novel, following its protagonist as she flees her Department in Birmingham and leaves her life behind.
As we follow Bird on the run, her story unravels, and we learn more about how she got to where she is now and about her - a complicated, withdrawn woman who tends towards isolation.
This book is good at carrying you through its changing moods. It’s less about espionage and more about Bird, but that’s no bad thing. You are left thinking about her long after you’ve finished reading.

Thanks to @netgalley and @faberbooks @doughty_louise for this arc to review in my own way. It’s out in the UK on 31/8/23

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

What an excellent, well written, character driven story this is. We have spies, a strong female in Heather, the intelligence service and a slow burner of a tale. it is quite slow in places but filled with descriptive passages and a well researched tale makes it an easy 5* from me. I liked it very much. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This novel keeps you on your toes. We follow Heather as she goes on the run from her job in the secret service. She has to stay one step ahead of the enemy and I was willing her to do that all the way through. Much of the book takes place in Norway and Iceland and the author describes this so well, I could feel the cold and the dark, it is so atmospheric. Heather's somewhat lonely and friendless life is so believable - sometimes I sympathised with her and sometimes I didn't. A good and satisfying read.

This book, about a woman who works for MI5 and ends up on the run. The way that the author explains the insecurity of the lead character is excellent. This author writes in a very easy reading style and is highly recommended.

I'm a huge fan of Louise Doughty's novels and this was OK. A much slower pace than I'm normally used to from this author so was left a tad disappointed.

"Bird" is a middle aged woman on the run from her spy master. She travels circuitously by train, bus and on foot heading North tot he Highlands which reminded me of the 39 Steps. As her journey progresses we learn more about her past life and how she has come to be on the run from her desk job and boss. Doughty always knows how to produce a readable, interesting story. However, for me, this tale was not as engrossing as others I've read by her. I found the narrative a bit plodding. Everyone Birdie meets is described in great detail from a waitress who erves her a coffee to a homeless girl she beds down beside for the night. I understand that Bird is suspicious of everyone but this minuitiae makes the story move at glacial speed at times. It was a decent read but not a page turner for me.

Bird is on the run. We're not sure from whom or why. A slow-burning suspenseful novel. Great twist.
Beautifully written. Nicely depicted settings.

Old spies move from the field to the office and run new spies, but they never lose their tradecraft. Which is why Heather, aka Bird, is on the run. Putting together scraps of information, she realises that her immediate boss has set her up to take the fall for his own duplicity and that arrest is imminent. Walking quietly out of a meeting in the Birmingham office they nicknamed Alaska, she picks up a rucksack she had stored months earlier with an unsuspecting shopkeeper, and executes an elaborate escape plan. The bag contains assorted clothing, fake papers, a burner phone, and a wad of cash. Maps of the UK, train and boat timetables are stored in her memory, as is the circuitous route she will take. Nothing exists on paper and only a couple of people whose jobs will provide services she needs have been assigned roles – not that they know they are built into the plan. But the people looking for her are spy catchers by training and experience so she knows she cannot evade them forever. If she can’t escape the country she will get caught. However, her biggest fear is not from the professionals. Her boss has set her up but knows that her capture will lead to his, so he is likely to send a tracker whose object will be to kill her. The chase is on!
This not a chase story, nor is it spy story. It follows Bird’s travails on her travels, of course, but it is all seen from her perspective. We don’t know who the hunters are, in fact we don’t even know if anyone actually is on her tail. Instead we learn all of her back story through memories triggered by incidents she encounters on her journey. And the journey takes her to many locations, all of which are described in lavish detail, frequently sounding more like a travelogue. This does rather slow down the pace, which I found dragged in places. Readers who come to it expecting a tension filled thriller will be disappointed.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A great read from Louise Doughty which had me hooked from the start. A thrilling psychological storyline which I would definitely recommend to read.

A compulsive page turner. I couldn't wait to finish this book to find out what happened next but I also didn't want it to finish.
You won't be able to put it down.

I think most people who have jobs and mundane things to do every day fantasise about disappearing and starting again. Most people obviously don’t do it. This book is based on the change of one life to a next mixed with the past. Brilliantly written.