Reviews

All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

ekyoder's review against another edition

4.0

All the Birds, Singing read like the best sort of horror story: slow reveals, paranoia, unrelenting suspense. Wyld masterfully built a creepy, haunting atmosphere both in Australia and on an English island. I loved her use of nature to contribute to the mood: birds sing at times of consequence, dogs take on their owners' personalities, vulnerable sheep get stuck in the landscape and freeze at signs of danger.

The book's structure was somewhat off-putting at first. Chapters alternate between the present--our protagonist, Jake, cares for sheep by herself on a British island-- and the past that led her there from Australia. The past chapters slowly work back in time, revealing the situations and circumstances that Jake fled in her homeland.

The work felt complete to me. Still, with the slow, suspenseful build, I expected something more of a payoff with the ending.

sarahmseltzer's review against another edition

5.0

Original and vivid scene-setting, however with a plot that ended up, at least to me, amounting to degradation for its own sake.

alli25's review against another edition

3.0

Eerie, builds well, kept me curious but did not deliver in the end.

andreawest's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Bullying

jennpellecchia's review against another edition

4.0

I'm so glad the Tournament of Books brought this to my attention. I kind of hate myself for getting so breathless about the unusual story structure, but that's really on me, isn't it?

lexi_taiga's review against another edition

2.0

Without giving away any spoilers, this was a lot of build of anticipation to a payoff that just wasn't worth it or even very well written. The splintered retelling of the past made the events seem flat and removed most of the emotional connection for me. Also, to be fair, I was expecting more of a physiological thriller and just found this kind of lazy.

bookmarish's review against another edition

5.0

The interesting cover of this book caught my eye in the bookstore, and when I read the description I was intrigued. I wasn't disappointed. This was an intricately wrought story of a woman trying to outrun a disturbing past which seems to stalk her nonetheless. The possible psychological instability of main character Jake and the wonderful subtle storytelling, alternating between past and present as she works her way back to the root cause of her constant fear, made this such a fascinating read that I finished it in two days. The contrast between England and Australia, with the lovely but unsettled landscape detailed in both, was deftly done. I loved how author Wyld wove in the details of the work at the sheep stations and how there was always a presence of animals throughout the story, a source of beauty and vulnerability, protectiveness, and even viciousness. It's one of those books that you seem to understand intuitively but still evades explanation. I'm glad I picked this up on a whim--it's a haunting story that will stay with me.

mjcmaster's review against another edition

4.0

A windswept island and outback Queensland are the settings for exploring how outsiders try to fit in. A desolate tale, but not without hope.

neriumblack's review against another edition

2.0

Vetämäni lukupiirin maaliskuun kirjana on Evie Wyldin Kaikki laulavat linnut (Tammi 2016, suom. Sari Karhulahti).

Päähenkilö on nainen nimeltään Jake. Hänen tarinaansa seurataan kahdessa aikalinjassa, vuoroin nykyisyydessä ja vuoroin mennyttä kelataan auki kohti hänen teinivuosiaan. Oli todella kiehtova tapa kertoa Jaken karusta elämästä tällä tavalla.

"Varikset nököttivät puiden oksilla kuin puhkeamattomat silmut." (s. 44)

Pidin Wyldin luontokuvauksesta, joka paikoitellen sai jopa runollisia piirteitä. Mutta paljon muuta pidettävää ei kirjassa ollut. Jaken elämä ei ole ollut helppo ja hän kantaa arpia siitä mukanaan, niin henkisiä kuin fyysisiäkin.

Nykyisyydessä hän asuu Englannissa ja kasvattaa lampaita, menneisyydessään hän kulki eri puolilla Australiaa tehden sitä sun tätä, välillä aika kyseenalaisiakin bisneksiä. Jokin tappaa hänen lampaitaan ja tuosta jostakin ei juurikaan saada selvää, se tuntuu enemmänkin metaforalta kuin fyysiseltä olennolta.

"Selkääni -- kihelmöi aivan kuin jokin tuijottaisi minua rävähtämättä pimeydestä." (s. 230-231)

Kirjan loppu saa aikaan enemmän kysymyksiä kuin se tarjoaa vastauksia. En ymmärrä, kuinka kirja on saanut EU:n kirjallisuuspalkinnon, sillä ei tätä kyllä kehtaa suositella, ellei halua saada pahan mielen.

ellafrances77's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0