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jazzy_g's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
- 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
3.0
This book was a slow burner with the story 'twist' unfolding towards the very end. It maintained a tense atmosphere and kept me very on edge throughout which I didn't really enjoy. However, I did think the character development and particularly the exploration of the complicated relationship of the three half-sisters was well done. The timeline alternated between present day and 20 years prior. This type of feature can sometimes be confusing but the author managed to do it in a way that was easy enough to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship
nemoslittlelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Abandonment, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Stalking
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Dementia
tamara_joy's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Drug abuse
oliviaclaire's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Eve Chase is a fantastic writer, I cannot stress this highly enough. I love the ambience she creates with her descriptions and the way she fleshes out her characters and differentiates one from another so that they feel like individuals. A bit like Jessie Burton, I have yet to pick up a book of hers that I don't enjoy reading. Having said that, like with Jessie Burton, I enjoy some of her books more than others. I'm starting to think that I have been so spoiled by picking up 'The Glass House' in a charity shop a few months ago that it's going to have to go into my top 3 for the year at this rate, because as great as The Birdcage is, it doesn't quite meet its predecessor for twists and clever ties.
The Birdcage follows three half sisters, all daughters of the same famous and famously promiscuous father, artist Charlie Finch. Something happened 20 years earlier at the home in Cornwall where they would spend their summers together as a not-quite family while their father worked on his most famous work, a portrait of the three of them called 'Girls with Birdcage'. Now, in 2019, they have been called back one last time for a 'special announcement'.
My issue with The Birdcage is that, unlike The Glass House, I saw pretty much every twist coming. For some reason, this time round Chase opts for the obvious answers to all of her reader's questions. Can we assume that the mysterious best friend's brother who has failed so far to turn up and the mysterious guy who's been lurking about the coast are probably the same person? Can we also assume that there's a very obvious reason that Lauren's best friend never responds to any of the letters that she writes her? And, realistically, if the randy dad already has three kids born in the same year or so, is it pretty safe to assume that the other child involved in this story may well be his too? etc etc It doesn't make the story any less atmospheric or well told but as with any mystery, it's always more fun if the author is able to trick you and give you a great reveal. It's literally part of the genre's core structure.
All in all, The Birdcage is another beautifully written book, evoking a real sense of the wild windswept Cornish coastline, but there just weren't enough surprises to keep me entirely enthralled.
The Birdcage follows three half sisters, all daughters of the same famous and famously promiscuous father, artist Charlie Finch. Something happened 20 years earlier at the home in Cornwall where they would spend their summers together as a not-quite family while their father worked on his most famous work, a portrait of the three of them called 'Girls with Birdcage'. Now, in 2019, they have been called back one last time for a 'special announcement'.
My issue with The Birdcage is that, unlike The Glass House, I saw pretty much every twist coming. For some reason, this time round Chase opts for the obvious answers to all of her reader's questions.
All in all, The Birdcage is another beautifully written book, evoking a real sense of the wild windswept Cornish coastline, but there just weren't enough surprises to keep me entirely enthralled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism and Infidelity
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