This book started brilliantly and sucked me in straight away. The way Bird goes off the grid is fascinating and really made me think about how it's almost impossible to be invisible in this day and age; but Bird works for the secret service and is well prepared for this. The book dips backwards into Bird's life, drip feeding information as to why she's ended up on the run and at times it seemed to stall, making it a bit of a struggle to stay interested. I'm afraid the story of her friendship with Flavia didn't hold my attention very well at all.

However, stay with it because it picks up speed and twists and turns towards the denouement which I'd love to discuss with someone!

Thanks to Louise and NetGalley for allowing me to read A Bird in Winter before the publication date.

The book starts slowly and I had read about 20% before I started to make any sense out of it, possibly because the ARC was in ebook format.
Heather Berriman, aka Bird, grew up in a family with secrets. Even at a young age, she knew that her father’s frequent absences were unusual, that he lied to her.
Joining the WRAC in the mid 1970s, she soon resents that her army career would be in admin, even carrying out tasks which today would be described as hospitality or event management.
Her decision to punch a senior officer results in her departure from the Corps and a return to civvy street.
Given an opportunity by Richard Semple, a former colleague of her father, Bird joins the Department of Standards, investigating complaints about allegedly corrupt staff within the British Intelligence Services.

Now in middle age, Bird’s road to promotion is blocked by a senior member of staff who refuses to retire.
When Semple offers her an opportunity of promotion on the QT which involves a move to a new department in Birmingham, Bird accepts, leading her into danger.

The storyline for this book had great potential and I have rounded my rating up to 4 star.
Bird, the central character, is a strong woman, highly intelligent and a very complex person who plots every move like a game of chess, who describes herself as a person who must win.
Yet I felt that there were times when her behaviour was so completely out of character which is why I did not give the book a higher rating.
Louise has described Bird’s escape to perfection, describing her moves in realistic time frames.

I love Louise's writing and I love that she seems to reinvent herself as an author with each new release. A Bird in Winter is an atypical thriller that I think is best enjoyed going in knowing as little as possible. Don't spoil it for yourself by checking reviews - just read it

Thanks NetGalley and Faber
Publishers for the Earc of A bird in Winter by Louise Doughty.

Having read previous books by Louise I was thrilled to receive the arc of this new one. If you like strong female leads that aren’t perfect, then you will devour this. It’s a slow burn, but wow does it pack those punches in. Absolutely impossible to put down.

Heathers story is told in a series of flashbacks to her childhood as the daughter of a spy, through her formative years, where she seemingly eschews marriage and children to focus on her own career.
Moved to a Birmingham office things swiftly go wrong for her and struggling to know who to trust she runs.
The descriptions of her efforts to disappear are thrilling insofar as she is never sure if someone is watching and following and you get caught up in that heightened emotion and panic the more journeys she makes.
Although not fast paced this is still an edge of your seat read.

I was very excited to be able to read this new offering from Louise Doughly and I wasn't dissapointed a thought provoking well woven story that I raced through.
Recommended
Thanks to Netgalley and Faber&Faber for the ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Faber and Faber Its and Louise Doughty for my ARC of 'A Bird in Winter' in return for an honest review.

I have read novels by this author before and her books are brilliant and this did not disappoint. I must make a note to seek out the ones I have yet to read.

Heather, known as Bird, works for the British Security Service and is following in her father’s footsteps,. A new department has been formed, located in Birmingham, it gives Heather the chance to be near to her mother, and it suits her needs perfectly.

She walks out of a meeting and goes on the run, leaving her life behind and appears to be in grave danger. As she travels we become involved in what has brought her to this position.

Cleverly plotted and full of thought provoking situations and twists.

Excellent read and highly recommended

Louise Doughty has achieved another well written novel with a different approach. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. To describe it as a spy thriller does not do it justice. It is so much more. The character of bird is well developed and gaining an understanding of how she got to the start of the book is insightful and interesting. I highly recommend this book.

I didn't think I was going to like this book initially. It starts off very slowly. Bird a 50 year old woman is on the run to the north of Scotland. We learn she is a spy who is suspected of having betrayed her country. As we get into the book how she has reached this point in her life is slowly revealed. Along with the relationships she makes and loses on the way. Her flight extends through the Isles of Scotland to Norway and Iceland before the end of the book and the descriptions of the landscape are amazing. Bird never seems to settle anywhere but leaves her mark everywhere whilst remaining essentially alone. A very thought provoking, enjoyable book which will remain with me for a while I suspect.
Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Louise Doughty is a very good writer, and certainly knows how to produce a page-turner. Sadly, this book wasn't really for me. I loved the fact that the central character is a middle-aged woman, with very believable flaws, but I just found the whole thing too far-fetched, so I couldn't get totally involved in Heather's story, or indeed her troubles. It's a good read though, and I will definitely look out for the author's next book.

Heather, known as Bird, is a fifty-something spy on the run.
The book opens as she walks out of an office meeting, and executes her escape plan.
At this point, we know she perceives herself as in danger, but have no idea why.
I found this first section fascinating, as she went “off grid”, and could trust nobody, on her way to a destination in the far North.
Along the way, her story is revealed, how she was recruited into the service, her parents, relationships, siblings.
For me, the book went off the boil after the initial section, and I found it hard to care about Heather, and didn’t relate to any of the people in her life.
It picked up in the final section, as the duplicity of all those around her became clear.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for the opportunity to read this book.

LOUISE DOUGHTY – A BIRD IN WINTER *****

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Louise Doughty is a consummate author who has been nominated for numerous awards, had work adapted for television, wrote the tense drama series Crossfire for BBC 1. And it shows.

From the first paragraph you’re on the move, already on the run. Don’t want to give away the story but it involves a female ‘agent’ for want of a better word, set up by, and trying to uncover, her boss. Not merely her boss Keiron, but his paymasters who need to kill her before she reveals what she knows.

There are many brilliantly written set pieces, two of which involve water. One fighting for her life in a freezing Scottish loch, the other risking life and limb crossing the North Sea n a ridiculously small boat.

Everywhere is a sense of foreboding; in the strangers she meets, in the unhospitable scenery of Scotland and Norway and Iceland. Wonder how long it will be before the cameras start rolling on this one.

Heather works for the British Security Service. Following in her father’s footsteps, she has become a trusted, confident professional, at ease with her role. When a new department is formed to be located in Birmingham, it gives Heather the chance to be near to her mother, and it suits her needs perfectly. However all is not good within the department, and Heather discovers that the man in charge, Kieron, is not all he seems to be so she endeavours to reveal his dodgy dealings. Through her carelessness, Heather has become embroiled in Kieron’s deceits and her chance to uncover him has come too late.

Reading other reviews I am sorry to say I’m very much a lone wolf in that I struggled with the plot. Yes, it’s well written and the journey the MC makes is revealing and alluring in the descriptions, but it was a very slow book, with lots of background that at times was written as information, rather than part of the story.

Not a page turner for me.

Thank you NetGalley.

You never know what the focus will be in a Louise Doughty novel, only that a really well told story is guaranteed. ‘A Bird in Winter’ is no exception. Heather, nicknamed Bird as a child by her father, has to fly away. Over the course of the novel we gradually learn why she is travelling north on a carefully planned, slowly-does-it route.
Heather works for the intelligence services. She is well-respected and enjoys her position. She has few friends and the occasional lover and she is happy that way. However, her immediate boss has a hold over her and, when she discovers why he has put her in a precarious position, she decides that it is no longer safe to stay in Birmingham.
We follow Heather’s journey, always fearing for her safety despite the fact that she has many ‘agent in the field’ tricks up her sleeve. As she travels, she has plenty of thinking time and the reader becomes immersed in her memories about family life, her time in the army, her closest friend. Heather is that rare character in fiction: an admirable, resilient, independent, middle aged woman who knows herself, flaws and all. I found it difficult to put this story down; it certainly isn’t a given that all will be well by the end of the narrative!
Another compelling read from Doughty; highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber Ltd for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Heather, known as Bird, walks out of a meeting in her office in Birmingham shedding her life as she goes. It’s apparent she’s in great danger and needs to disappear fast. I did feel the description of her initial flight north was overlong and therefore undermined the tension a little.
It picked up during the second part of the book when Bird’s backstory is explained further and it becomes clearer why escape is something she is well prepared for and her mistrust of everyone she comes into contact with is plausible.
The influence of her father is particularly interesting, as is her complex history and relationship with Flavia.
The suspense and uncertainty increases for both character and reader as the book progresses, the changes of pace give Bird time to reflect on her past and possible future and the ending, like real life, still leaves questions.
Another well written and thought provoking novel from Louise Doughty.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber Ltd for an ARC

I have read and enjoyed Louise Doughty books and was looking forward to this one. I was a little disappointed as the story appeared to lack continuity as the different time lines were not always clear. The time zones swapped out unpredictably and for me, it affected the flow. The second half of the book was less affected by this as the background was more established.
The central character is an unusual figure who is hugely influenced by difficulties in her childhood and has developed a very insular life, wanting and needing no one else as she pursues her career and makes startling and rapid decisions.
A different story which avoids much of the usual relationship issues.

Heather, known as Bird to her family, working for the security services as her father did before her, is now on the run from shadowy enemies. Heather has to be constantly moving in a chilly landscape making her way northwards from Birmingham. We learn that her whole life has been a preparation for the anonymity and loneliness of this journey but it is not enough, as Heather constantly doubts herself and wobbles on the edge of a breakdown, whilst retelling her own story including her relationships both personal and professional.
Whilst sometimes slow, I was still gripped and occasionally shocked by the twists and turns. There are, however, many loose ends and some thinly drawn characters (except for Heather herself) who appear along the way. All in all I enjoyed the novel (having read Apple tree Yard I particularly liked the irony of the occupation of the narrator.) and would recommend it.

Thanks to Netgallery and Faber for providing a review copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It's great to read a book about a female spy, in her 50s rather than the more traditional male centered spy books.

I loved how the story slowly unfolded whilst she was on the run, bringing in her father's background and a close female friend of hers too. It felt atmospheric, I could clearly visualise the places she was fleeing through during her journey.

I would definitely read more by this author, this is the first book of hers I've tried. The synopsis grabbed me.

4+

“Alaska“ is an always a cold room in a corner building in Birmingham. Boss, Kieron Blythe calls a meeting and has just made an announcement and Heather, also known as Bird, is desperate to meet colleague Carmella‘s eyes. What on earth did Kieron say that leads Heather to make such an abrupt and unexpected departure? The story is told in three parts, part one is Bird on the run to and around Scotland, part two is when you really get to know Bird and to the heart of the matter and part three is reflection and…… and as for the rest, that would be telling !

This winter bird has to be ice cold times, but maybe she thaws?? This is not a high octane thriller but it’s cleverly low-key yet still contains numerous moments of tension and suspense, it’s exciting and takes several unexpected directions. I love the way Louise Doughty keeps the truth elusively dangling like the proverbial carrot and donkey and that works so well as I plough on transfixed!

Bird has to utilise every ounce of her wits and all the senses in order to stay safe. It’s so refreshing to have a middle-aged woman as the maybe heroine and the more you get to know her the more you grow to admire her. Part two is very illuminating and here you start to collect the dots about what is happening to Bird. With a few deft strokes the characters that Bird encounters along the way spring to life before your eyes.

The settings are amazing and match both the plot and the loneliness of this bird in winter. You get a terrific tour around Scotland (thank you, my heart soars too) and all the locations are used extremely effectively, so much so that I can see this making a terrific screen adaptation. Hello BBC/Netflix??

Overall, I so enjoy this book, especially how the pace changes from one part to the next, and this is one character that I will remember. Go Bird, fly free!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber Ltd for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed ‘Apple Tree Yard’ by author Louise Doughty so was really looking forward to her latest offering ‘A Bird in Winter’.

Heather is a fifty year old woman working for the Secret Service in Birmingham when she suddenly has to go on the run. Leaving behind her existing life and now forced to flee to avoid capture. This is very different from the usual thrillers I normally read and I was instantly drawn to it.

This is a fairly slow paced thriller but I really enjoyed the protagonist as she struggles through emotions. Well written and a plot that is thought out, full of suspense. Not quite up there with ‘Apple Tree Yard’ but a very entertaining read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.