The story of a turbulent couple as told by a magpie, Tama, who was saved by wife Marnie and treated as if he were her child. Tama is often pulled between two worlds, the wild one of his father and siblings and the domestic one of Marnie and Rob on their sheep farm in New Zealand. Through his observations we learn of Marnie and Rob’s life and follow Tama on his adventures.

Friends had loved this one but for some reason it took me a while to open it and begin the read - but they were right and I loved it. I'm always intrigued by a creative narrator (Nutshell is still a favorite of mine). How the author portrayed Tama was really clever, while he's domesticated and sees Marnie as his mother, he still has that wild animal side contrasted with a childlike naivety to him that emerges throughout the story. His observations as the novel's narrator are humorous because the narration is obviously not a human voice nor fully what the reader is used to. I highly recommend this clever and unique book and cannot wait to see what else the author has written.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Europa Editions and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey is moving novel set on a remote New Zealand farm. It tells the story of Marnie, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage, and Tama, a mischievous magpie she rescues and raises. Tama’s ability to speak English and his cheeky personality quickly make him an internet sensation, but it's his role as Marnie's confidant that tugs at the heart.

Narrated from Tama’s perspective, the story captures the tension between his human life with Marnie and his natural instincts with the wild. Chidgey’s beautiful prose balances humor, heart, and serious subject matter. Tama’s witty narration brings lightness, making this dark, intense story unexpectedly funny and endearing. The unusual POV works brilliantly, adding a unique charm to the narrative.

Though the premise might sound quirky, it’s a captivating and unforgettable tale, exploring themes of love, freedom, and resilience. The Axeman's Carnival is an absolute delight, and Tama, with all his cheekiness, is the true hero of this remarkable novel.

The Axeman's Carnival is such a unique read! Told from the perspective of a magpie, it alternates between funny and sweet to a little scary and creepy. Chidgey is an amazing storyteller and I definitely want to read more of her books. After reading this one, I'll be looking at the birds in my garden a little more closely and wondering what they might actually be thinking and singing about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Europa Editions for this ARC.

An interesting tale with the narrator of the story a magpie, Tama who straddles the human world and his bird world. Tama is rescued as a baby by Marnie after he falls from his nest and Marnie keeps him alive whom he then falls in love with. Tama later in the novel gains celebrity status on social media as he learns to talk and say human phrases. novel has been compared to Remarkable Bright Creatures but it really does not compare. The story is much darker with themes of domestic abuse, marriage issues, and family drama. Ultimately, I felt the story was slow and not compelling. The characters were not very likable especially Rob, Marnie's husband. The book was not for me and I never felt connected the characters. Tama was entertaining and a different protagonist but I never felt the book worked for me.

I requested this on Netgalley on a whim. I was intrigued because it was a Europa Edition and I've had good luck with their books before. I was also taken in by an author from New Zealand since those aren't as easy to come by in the states either. I was delighted by the humor in this relatively dark story. It also had a lot of heart considering the heavy topics throughout. I thought there was some great commentary on humans and our relationship with the natural world and the impact of technology and influencers.


Trigger warnings for: pregnancy loss, domestic abuse, and animal cruelty.

Why have I never read any of Catherine Chidgey's work before?!! This was such a wow read for me.

Set in rural New Zealand, THE AXEMAN'S CARNIVAL centers on Marnie, the wife of a struggling sheep farmer who adopts an injured baby magpie named Tama.

Told from the magpie's innocent and often humourous perspective, we watch as Tama develops an unbreakable bond with his rescuer, learns to speak and eventually becomes an international social media sensation. He is also the only witness to what actually happens in the marriage between Marnie and her alcoholic husband Rob, an Axeman champion and generational sheep farmer with a violent temper. 

There are so many layers to this story. While I adored this book, I have to warn that there are many disturbing sections involving domestic violence, and animal cruelty. Beneath the moments of humour from Tama's unique observations, there's a constant tension in the story, as Rob’s brutality is always lurking beneath the surface —keeping readers on edge.

I loved all the themes that Chidgey expertly tackled in the story: shedding light on society’s harmful obsessions, the impact of social media, the conflict between the natural world and humans, what it is like for women living with domestic violence and my favourite, the bond and love that can form between humans and animals. 

This book will live in my head rent-free for quite a while—maybe even forever. I highly recommend although watch out for the trigger warnings. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @europaeditions for the advance galley to read in exchange ge for my honest opinions

“The Axeman’s Carnival” – Catherine Chidgey

"A long long time ago, when I was little chick, not even a chick but a pink and naked thing, a scar a scrap a scrape fallen on roots, and wriggling, when I was catching my death and all I knew of sky was the feel of feathers above me, the belly of black as warm as a cloud above me, when I was blind, my eyes unsprouted seeds, my eyes dots of gravel stuck under skin, when I was a beak opening for nothing nothing nothing she lifted me into her pillowed palm."

TW: domestic violence

Set in Central Otago, New Zealand, “The Axeman’s Carnival” is narrated by Tama, a magpie who falls out of his nest and is raised by Marnie, wife of struggling sheep farmer and champion axeman Rob. Tama is a mischievous and often humorously naive observer of human life, one who quickly learns to imitate human speech, which leads to social media stardom and financial security. However, the fragile ego and toxic masculinity of Rob struggles to deal with this usurpation, leading to increasing threats and violence.

“Pet” was one of my favourite pageturners last year, and I went into this one with high hopes. Happily, they were met, and I really enjoyed this book. Do not be confused going into this, “The Axeman’s Carnival” is a book with a dark topic at its core, one that other NZ authors have explored recently as well (Becky Manawatu’s “Aue” springs to mind), and there are passages here that are hard to read in their intensity. That said, the book is also expertly paced, filled with well-researched nature commentary, and does have moments of genuine levity and humour. Just don’t be fooled as to the message at its heart.

Chidgey has become an author I love, and “The Axeman’s Carnival” is no exception. Be cautious of the subject matter, but I thought this book was great. Well worth checking out.

My thanks to @netgalley and @europaeditions for my version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read this? What did you think?

THE AXEMAN’S CARNIVAL by Catherine Chidgey is a brilliant read! Set in New Zealand, the story is narrated by Tama, a magpie rescued by Marnie, who soon becomes an internet sensation. As Tama's fame grows, there's hope it might save their struggling sheep farm. Meanwhile, Rob, Marnie's husband, grapples with his failures and tries to maintain his Golden Axe-winning streak. This dark comedy is unique and really works—Catherine Chidgey has pulled off something special. I loved it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This one is dark and weird but also funny and hopeful. A talking magpie, Tama, becomes a companion to lonely Marnie. A viral social media sensation, Tama is warned of the evilness of humans by his flock but he cannot leave his Marnie. Violence, humor, and wood chopping competitions, what’s not to love? I seriously could put this down.

When Marnie rescues a magpie chick, she has no idea how much her life will change. The bird, now named Tama, brings Marnie fame, as well as attention to parts of her life she’s tried to hide. Tama must choose between the life of a wild bird and the domesticated life that includes Marnie’s jealous husband, Rob. Insightfully narrated by Tama, this story highlights family relationships, secrets, and the effects of social media on everyday life.

Ok, I’ll admit it. I was a little apprehensive going in despite the great reviews and recommendations by people whose taste in books I trust. A novel narrated by a magpie? Ummm. Ok?

I shouldn’t have doubted for a second. THE AXEMAN’S CARNIVAL is easily one of the best books I’ve read all year. New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey is new to me and I’m so excited to have discovered her. Her writing is brilliant.

Tama (short for Tamagotchi) is a magpie rescued as a chick by Marnie and brought to live in the home she shares in rural New Zealand with her husband, a struggling sheep farmer. Tama is treated like a surrogate child for the baby Marnie miscarried and becomes the sole witness to her abusive marriage.

Tama is brilliant at mimicking human phrases and, his childlike observations straddle the world between humans and birds. Rob, who is training to win The Golden Axe (his 10th in a row) in a wood chopping competition at the axeman’s carnival, detests the distraction and the competition for his wife’s attention and affection. But, when Marnie posts pictures of Tama to social media and his popularity grows, Rob must admit that Tama might be the thing that saves them financially. Will that be enough?

At times hilarious and other times devastating, THE AXEMAN’S CARNIVAL is unlike any other book you’ll read this year. You’ll be thinking about it long after you’ve finished the last page.

The Axeman's Carnival is about a woman in an abusive relationship who adopts a baby magpie. This book covers so much ground in a relatively short amount of time: domestic violence, language acquisition, Internet sensations, toxic masculinity, motherhood, and the delicate relationship between humans and animals. I loved every second of this novel and didn't want it to end. Chidgey has such a knack for writing fraught tension. Her writing, at a word level, is so utterly beautiful and begs to be read aloud. Thank you to Europa Editions and to Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

This unique novel is by an author who seems to want to prove she can turn her hand to anything. She's so comfortable in her craft that this novel narrated by a magpie, is woven playfully darting between humour and tension effortlessly. The themes of objectification, the influencer culture and Hunan attitudes towards animals she explores here are interestingly handled and come through the plot alone resulting in me as a reader never feeling lectured to or bored by any authorial soapbox. A truly oneoff reading experience.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This was not as light of a read as I was expecting. It's one of the most clever, imaginative, thought-provoking books I've read in a while. The writing was fantastic.

I am writing my review before reading the other reviews.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story told from the perspective of Tama, a magpie rescued from the wild and taken in by
a struggling young couple in remote New Zealand.

The writing is spare, and rather than spelling everything out for the reader, author Catherine Chidgey catches the nuances of human and bird relationships in both speech and action. You have to read between the lines and decide what is meant and where the story is going.

I also appreciated the humor tucked into more serious situations, and wonder a little if Tama was even smarter than he was given credit for.

Through the story, the author explores the relationships between siblings, spouses, and parents, and everything in between. Comparisons are made between human relationships and animal relationships and it made me think about how things work out in relationships in my own circles, both in person and when folks are off stage and with other people.

The book also approaches often the subject of abuse in relationships. It's almost a study of how people handle it. Do they suffer through? Do others ignore it? Do they even see the signs? If something is blatantly obvious, what do people do? Who will ultimately come out ahead in the end, and how and why?

Even though it dealt with a lot of bad/negative things....Tama and his perspective and keen eye made up for it and I will be thinking about him and this book for awhile. I absolutely loved it!

I think this would be a good book to discuss in a group, as it has many more things to talk about than just a very smart bird. I may even suggest it for next year to my group. It's not just for animal lovers.

...how much do magpies really understand, you know? Makes you wonder. (as I eye the crows hanging out in the dead tree on the edge of my back yard)

Authors that came to mind as I read this: Carys Davies, Claire Keegan, Margaret Renkl

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey is an award-winning novel about a poor farming couple in New Zealand told from a unique point of view. Ms. Chidgey is an award-winning novelist and short story writer from Wellington, New Zealand.

Tama, a magpie, is rescued by Marnie, a farmer’s wife. Marnie nurses Tama to health and discovers it has an amazing ability to mimic and learn new words. Marnie’s abusive husband, Rob, a champion axeman who is training for his tenth championship, resents Tama and his wife’s adoration of the bird.

Marnie starts posting videos of Tama dressed in funny outfits and talking on the Internet, and they quickly go viral. However, the new income stream becomes just another barrier between the couple.

I heard a lot of good things about The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey but when I started reading it I didn’t know what to make of it. A story told from the viewpoint of a magpie (what is that?)… that can talk… and learn words… and mimic, and has its own family dynamics with its bird family?

Books from animal perspectives aren’t new, but they never sounded interesting to me. Jack London’s White Fang was a childhood favorite, and I also enjoyed the book as an adult.

I appreciate Ms. Chidgey’s talent of being able to tell a story from a bird’s point of view and keep it interesting. She keeps the bird’s point of view as an involved, yet distanced observer of a strange culture.

While the novel tackles serious issues, the story is often funny. Tama just interprets and does not judge. A breath of fresh air to Marnie who is being judged all the time, especially by her jealous husband and her mean mother.

While many people see farming with rose-colored glasses, it is a hard life. This novel does not shy away from that fact. Rob and Marnie deal with the challenges of farming, bad weather, ruined crops, being cash-poor, theft, and loneliness.

This is a fine book, well-written and a pleasure to read. I feel, however, that I missed many things not being a New Zealander, or familiar with the country’s culture which is too bad, it’s my loss because I’m sure the context of those would have elevated the book to another level.

Catherine Chidgey’s The Axeman’s Carnival merits an A+ for its narrator—a clever, resourceful, cheeky magpie named Tama. Rescued Marnie, a New Zealand farm wife who had suffered a miscarriage, Tama becomes her surrogate baby. He sleeps in the nursery crib, is entertained by the wind-up mobile overhead, and can soon say his mommy’s name and quickly increase his vocabulary, learning from the radio, and Marnie and her husband Rob’s comments and Rob’s cussing.

Busy with the sheep and honing his axes to train for the axeman’s carnival, Rob has little use for the noisy newcomer, who can soon imitate Rob’s whistles and commands to the sheepdogs and repeat what he has heard in ways that irritate Rob but entertain readers.

Chidgey divides Tama’s narrative into four parts: Part One: High Country, Part Two: Talkback, Part Three: Bird Business, and Part Four: Livefeed. Readers will learn about life on a New Zealand sheep farm and fruit orchard, watch Tama and an online business go viral, watch Marnie and her sister prepare to sing at the axeman’s carnival, experience the dangerous axeman’s competition, listen as mother and brother ghost birds advise Tama, laugh at his antics, worry as he and his sister face perils. Never would I have thought a fictional magpie’s search for family could grab my attention, touch my heart, and seem so very convincing. Even Chidgey acknowledges she gave Tama freedom to choose his own words.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for an advance reader egalley of this highly recommended new novel from Catherine Chidgey.

This is one of those novels I dreaded having come to an end; but, alas, it came to an end and I was relieved it ended the way it did. When I first started the novel and realized the narrator was a magpie, I felt skeptical, but within a few pages, I not only understood why the author went this direction, but really liked the magpie's POV and humorous anecdotes, because this is not a breezy book. The novel takes place in New Zealand with a young couple struggling to keep their sheep farm financially afloat. Marnie rescues Tama, the magpie, after he falls from the nest, a bird many hunters kill. Tama has uncanny mimicry skills and becomes a hit on Twitter, bringing in much needed money for the family, as his own bird family deserts him for living with humans as a "slave" for their free meals and gimmickry. Unfortunately, Marne's husband is an abusive drunk whose main interest is saving the farm and winning the annual axeman competition. I don't want to give away spoilers, but readers learn much about magpies, witness human nature at its worse, and a magpie at its best. Compelling read!

This book is truly so special - if you are at all on the fence, I quite literally beg you to give it a chance.

Told from the perspective of Tama the Magpie, we follow him from the moment he is rescued as a hatchling by Marnie who he comes to love. In the backdrop is Marnie's husband, Rob, who is unpredictable and volatile. Marnie starts to share photos and videos of Tama online, and as he gains a following, Marnie realizes this may be a way for them to supplement their income as they struggle on their farm.

This book is filled with so much heart. It touches on hard subjects in a literal sense, because Tama is our narrator, and in moments of darkness, his literal perception of the world is a bright spot in this story that slowly mounts in it's dread as the Axeman's Carnival approaches.