I fell in love with Lisa Heathfield's writing when I discovered Paper Butterflies, and I was eager to read Flight of a Starling. Lisa continues to be drawn to exploring the other within society, telling the story of Lo and Rina, two sisters in a small circus community. Her prose does not disappoint, painting a picture of familial ties and the draw of teenage exploration and rebellion outside a tight knit family unit. If you enjoy characters who become friends and high stakes, definitely check this one out.

This was okay nothing special infact I don’t really remember what happened but I remember getting through it

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley. 

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. 
Natalie.

Having heard great things about Lisa Heathfield’s writing in novels such as Seed and Paper Butterflies, the fact that her new release was set in a circus community held a certain level of appeal. I haven’t read either of her other two books but Flight Of A Starling suggested a beautiful lyrical family drama that I knew I’d enjoy.

Rita and Lo are two sisters who are the stars of a death-defying trapeze act in their travelling circus community. Having been born into the world of showcases and travelling, the sisters have never known any other kind of life. Their close-knit relationships with their fellow performers are all they’ve ever had and for the most part, they are content with this. At least, Rita is. Lo is more of a free spirit. She longs to see what else is out there. So when she meets the handsome, cute Dean at one of their stop-offs, she starts to wonder whether the constantly moving circus life is really for her. But Dean is a ‘flattie’ (non traveller) and their relationship would be frowned upon by her parents and fellow travellers. However, she discovers a life-altering secret in the community and suddenly the idea of a different life becomes more and more appealing.

There seems to be a trend for circus themes in YA fiction at the moment and I wholeheartedly welcome it. I’ve yet to read another one that depicts the circus life in as touching a manner as Flight Of A Starling does. The circus is normally shown to be full of mystery, secrets and uncertain danger and although there is some of that in this book, it’s actually the kind of darkness, secrecy and danger that is very much present in everyday conventional life. 

There is a strong sense of family meaning everything. Indeed, their world is incredibly small and they know little of what goes on in the conventional lives within the towns they visit. However, their idea of home is a beautiful eternal one. The idea that it’s not a place or a lump of bricks and mortar -it’s the people you love. With this notion of what home is lodged in her heart, Lo longs to venture out and broaden her world. Her romance with Dean appears to be her ticket to getting there.

Heathfield’s writing is gorgeous. It’s often quite dreamy and poetic but it makes for a very lovely read. The way Dean is described from Lo’s perspective immediately suggests that he will be her love interest. Yes, as soon as we meet him, the romance is predictable. There is even a little bit of insta-love as it does happen quite quickly but we need to remember that Lo hasn’t met many people. She hasn’t been scared into cynicism from past experiences and so her instant crush and trust in Dean rings true for someone as pure and innocent as her.

As the life that Lo has always known becomes more uncertain, she is pushed closer to Dean and towards a different lifestyle. Suddenly a world where nothing changes is highly appealing and she becomes determined to seek it. However, this appears to be at the detriment to her mental health and the relationship with her sister. She starts keeping secrets from Rita, who she has previously shared everything with but there’s nothing malicious in it. In fact, she is trying to protect her family’s honour and happiness but the pressure comes at a tremendous cost. 

Rita is smart and observant. She knows that her fierce brave sister is falling into a hole that she’ll struggle to climb out of but she feels powerless to stop it. For years, it has been assumed that Rita will marry Ash, a fellow circus boy who she loves dearly but is not immediately enthusiastic to end up with. She is harbouring feelings for another member of their group and she is conflicted about what to do. Like her sister, Rita seems determined to act on what she believes to be real love rather than follow tradition and the expectations of her family. This plays very much into why Rita doesn’t do an awful lot to discourage her sister’s forbidden relationship. Both sisters are wildly curious about true love and watching them discover what that is was really beautiful and powerful to read.

The ending is dramatic and tragic. I can already hear the critics accusing this book of romanticising incredibly serious topics but Flight Of A Starling has so much heart and dark terrible truth. It’s practically bleeding tears and heartache but it’s crushingly relatable to those who have ever loved someone they’ve been told they shouldn’t. It’s a harrowing, honest read about loving hard and looking after ourselves and each other. It’s a story about crazy passionate no-boundaries love, breaking tradition and taking flight.

I really liked this but it was nothing amazing. Very average, but I managed to read it very quickly. The characters were kinda one dimensional but the plot was good, kinda heartbreaking.

Lisa Heathfield never disappoints with a book giving us the heartbreak we didn't know we needed. This was my second book by this author and it was just as beautiful. The picture Lisa creates is just so beautiful making for an incredible story

I received a copy from Netgalley. 

I have no idea if I liked this one or not to be perfectly honest. I didn’t dislike it, but I don’t know if I actually liked it. I snagged this one on a bit of cover lust more than anything reading. And I have a weakness for anything with a circus based theme. 

It follows the story of twin sisters Rita and Lo who are the trapeze act in their family’s travelling circus. They move from town to town performing. Rita is the more responsible sister, while Lo is the more rebellious ones. They’ve known the other circus kids their whole lives and are a pretty close knit group. 

I did find it totally fascinating how daily life within the circus group was portrayed, who was responsible for what, how the act was performed, the story behind it, was all really interesting. There was a deep sense of togetherness and family community. 

However, when in one town, Lo makes friends with an outsider boy, things start changing. The girls are not supposed to have relationships with outsiders. The group moves all the time and the girls are essential to the act. Their father flat out forbids it. So Lo starts lying and sneaking about to be with this new boy she meets, Dean. Who’s nice enough and doesn’t judge her background. He presents a “normal” view of everyday life that she’s never experienced. And Dean’s life is not an easy one. 

As they get to know each other more, the relationship changes and becomes something more romantic. Lo’s views start changing, her behaviour starts to change. Rita’s worried about her, and has her own drama when she starts falling for one of the much older men in the circus group, a very close family friend. Lo can’t understand it as Rita can’t get why Lo’s change in attitude. Then Lo discovers a shocking secret about the man Rita is convinced she’s now in love with.

Which adds a whole new element of secrets and family drama. There were some beautifully written passages as their girls struggle with their situation, thought provoking and emotional. 

Then the novel takes an unexpected and quite devastating twist. It’s hinted at right at the beginning that something terrible happens and as I read a long I had sinking feelings I knew what was going to happen, but turned out it wasn’t anything like I thought it would be. And that made it all the more heart-breaking and surprising. A bitter sweet ending rounded the story off. 

I wasn’t blown away by the novel, and as I said at the beginning I honestly don’t know if I liked it or not. It was…interesting to say the least. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Egmont Publishing for approving my request to view the title.

Flight of a Starling was divine. From the relationship between the sisters, the circus environment and the romance all leading up to the climax with the burning question about the decision Lo will make in the end made this a real page turning and I couldn't be it down. I read this in one sitting and I went from laughing to crying repeatedly throughout, highly recommended.

I had found Paper Butterflies to be fantastic and a great improvement on Seed so I was disappointed by how boring this was. Knowing Lisa Heathfield a dark twist was inevitable but it took an awfully long time to arrive. I wonder if the tedium and lack of drama was deliberate as it made the final act more meaningless but for me that was too high a price to pay.

Another inevitably emotional tale from heart-breaker Lisa Heathfield. Perfectly setting the mood, you know that something devastating is going to happen right from the onset and the finale leaves you stunned.

A beautiful touching read. You know the ending from the off, but the journey is so worth it.

This was not an amazing book, but it wasn't terrible. All in all, I don't have many feelings about it. Some of the plot points annoyed me, as did the characters, but the writing was enjoyable.

Just as Lisa Heathfields previous book, this one had me needing tissues. Emotional and so worth the read. It stayed with me for a while after finishing. Definitely 5 stars!

I don't know what it is about this book.  I loved Paper Butterflies by the same author ...I was really excited to read this book.  And I've sat down with it several times hoping to fall into the story and it just hasn't happened.  I'm putting it down to bad timing and moving on.

Firstly, I really love the circus setting/plot-line - I've noticed it coming up a fair amount recently in YA, and I'm interested to read more of this sort of thing, so recommendations are welcome!! But this book needed MORE of that - it just briefly explained the odd trick or practise session, when I wanted to know all of the cool details and costumes etc etc.
Secondly, I am SO over the "cooler sister" trope; I swear I read 101 books in 2017 that had two close sisters, one of whom is sensible and sweet, the other is wild and eccentric and everyone falls in love with her and then she meets a forbidden boy and disappears. Here, that was Lo. It's so BORING!!! 
My main issue, other than that annoying cliche in Lo's characterisation, was how repetitive the plot was!! I felt like I just read the same few things happening on a loop constantly; eating breakfast, doing a show, Lo sneaking out to meet Dean, Lo and Rita talking in bed about Dean being forbidden and repeat. Then, out of nowhere, suddenly Lo ODs and needs a liver transplant and things suddenly got so serious and medical and scary?! It was just so bizarre.
I felt like Ash and Spider were really undersold as characters - we got to learn essentially nothing about them, other than that they were apparently two boring for Lo and Rita. Some of the other characters, like Ma and Rob, had interesting storylines set out for them, but they were never fully explained because of pretty much EVERYTHING being about Lo (it was never explained why they were having an affair, whether everybody found out about it, whether everyone found out that Rob was a huge idiot and had lied about Rita). And then, and this may sound callous, but her character dying just seemed to really exemplify the fact that the entire narrative was engineered to completely put a spotlight on Lo and her life and nothing else.

Gorgeous, heartbreaking, thought provoking. Lived up to the hype and would highly recommend!

Rita and Lo are sisters. They're traveling around with the circus their family belongs to. Dangerous acts and being the center of attention is what they're used to. They never stay anywhere long, they go from place to place. Lo and Rita have always been close, they tell each other everything, they have fun and they are best friends as well as siblings. However, something suddenly changes. Lo discovers a secret that makes her heart ache. She also meets a boy she likes, someone who isn't part of the circus, which means she has to leave him behind. Will Lo be able to cope with the abundance of emotions she can't talk to anyone about?

Flight of a Starling is a beautiful heartbreaking story. I shed quite a few tears while reading it. It's clear from the beginning that something devastating is going to happen, but the question is what and how. The inevitability of it feels awful, but that's also what makes this book incredibly good. I knew it would end in an unfortunate way, but kept wishing the story wouldn't take that direction after all. There's so much tragedy and unfairness, something that moved me and made me angry. I love it when I feel so strongly about a story.

Lisa Heathfield is a skilled storyteller. She gives her readers the chance to get really close to her main characters. Lo and Rita are such special wonderful girls and my heart ached for everything they lost in a short amount of time. Flight of a Starling is a story about growing up, losing your innocence, finding out that life can be incredibly cruel, consequences and terrible mistakes. It's a story that unravels, something I wished I could undo. It greatly impressed me, I was surprised, captivated, daunted, emotional and stunned. I'm certain this is a book that will stay with me for a very long time.

Why do Lisa Heathfield’s books make me cry every time? So emotive, wonderful characters and despite knowling the outcome for Lo at the beginning, it was still an emotional journey.

The Flight of a Starling

      Publisher: Electric Monkey 

      RRP: £7.99

      Author: Lisa Heathfield 

      Published:  2017-07-03

 

 

 


Rita and Lo, sisters and best friends, have spent their lives on the wing – flying through the air in their trapeze act, never staying in one place for long. Behind the greasepaint and the glitter, they know that the true magic is the family they travel with.

Until Lo meets a boy. Suddenly, she wants nothing more than to stay still. And as secrets start to tear apart the close-knit circus community, how far will Lo go to keep her feet on the ground?

 

A well written, cautionary tale for the modern teen.

 


This Young Adult title from an award nominated author Lisa Heathfield is the tale of outsiders. Rita and Lo are happy being part of a small, close knit family circus, travelling the UK and entertaining the “flatties”. The divisions are clear; circus folk belong with circus folk, flatties with flatties. They belong in their own little world; while to the paying customers they are both entertaining and strange, they are nonetheless outsiders with their own customs, beliefs, and ways of doing things.

Most readers will be able to identify with the feelings of Lo; wondering what is beyond the confines of their own bubble, wanting more, wanting to explore, wanting to experience the alien and the forbidden. The Flight of a Starling is the tale of what happens when events collide; when teenage rebellion collides with the foundations of our world, our sense of self, being truly rocked.

The narrative alternates between the first person perspective of each sister. At the outset, this can be a little confusing; the two girls are very alike and in tune with one another, as they must be to perform as a trapeze act together. As the story progresses, however, readers are able to follow the sisters as they drift apart; as Lo discovers that her life is not the idyll she’d always thought, and that the adults in her life aren’t infallible. As the world of the circus begins to fall apart for Lo, the audience experiences the growing hurt and confusion the changes in her provoke in Rita.  For the first time secrets come between the siblings as Lo begins to contemplate what life might be like as a flattie.

The Flight of the Starling is a tale of young love, questioning and wanting to belong which, ultimately, has a heart-breaking ending. A cautionary tale of how badly things can go wrong when we only belong in one world, and that world begins to crumble around us. The narrative tackles difficult themes, which some audiences may find distressing, and is a highly emotional experience to read; it serves to remind adults what it is like to feel like we belong nowhere and remind to teens that, no matter how displaced, lost or lonely they feel, they will eventually find their place in the world. As a result, Lisa Heathfield’s novel emerges as a compelling warning for young adults, and one which is as equally as absorbing to the older reader.

Flight Of A Starling is a beautifully written, heartfelt novel set in a world most of us don't have an insight into - circus. I found the premise quite interesting - the only thing I was a little afraid about was the "girl questioning her whole life because of a boy." I genuinely don't like those kind of stories. Even though the romance wasn't my favourite part of the story at least it wasn't done disrespectfully, which I appreciate. 
The description in this book is gracious and truly well done. At few points the description overshadowed the story, but it didn't feel like a slap into the face - it did take away a little bit of the dynamicity though. 
All in all, I did genuinely enjoy Flight Of A Starling and I would consider reading other books written by this author.