This book is so beautifully written that I flew through the reading of it. However, heartbreaking, as although fiction there are elements of the truth that lie beneath the surface which is really sad.

Told through the perspective of two characters, Petra and Yiannis, the story of Nisha, a migrant worker who disappears story is brought to life.

I enjoyed the descriptions and imagery throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bonnier Books and Christy Lefteri for an eArc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgally for approving me for an ARC of this beautiful, but heart breaking story.
This story starts with the disappearance of Nisha, a maid of Sri Lankan origins who works in Cyprus for a business woman, Petra.
The book is dual Perspective, that of Petra, a single mum who had been widowed 9 years early, and Yannis, the men with whom Nisha wad involved.
Nisha's disappearance makes unexpected allies of the two. They both want to find her and bring her back, or at least to find the truth behind her vanishing.
This is a hard hitting story that deals with racism, class, misogyny and immigration. The writing is beautiful and the story well plotted. The fact that this book is based on real events, in my opinion, gives it more gravitas

Having read and enjoyed The Beekeeper of Aleppo I was very excited to read this one and it didn't disappoint. I actually preferred it overall in fact, I thought it was so beautifully written. It is heartbreaking in parts but also inspiring and captivating. Such a lovely, utterly original and very thought provoking story. Highly recommended.
With grateful thanks to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and Christy Lefteri.

A beautiful moving novel full of endearing characters and a love story. This is a haunting book that will stay with me for quite some time

Another beautiful book from Christy Lefteri! The beekeeper of Aleppo is up there with my favourite books, so I had high expectations for this one... and it didn’t disappoint! Another must read book and Christy is definitely becoming a must buy author.

What a beautifully written book. At times uplifting but also so sad as well. Definitely want to read more by Christy Lefteri

Just sublime. I loved the Beekeeper of Aleppo so knew I had to read Songbirds and It did not disappoint.

Another tough subject matter but the author writes so wonderfully that you are drawn in, I loved how the title songbirds is a metaphor for story, How the songbirds sore high in the sky looking for freedom and possibility and the domestic workers also fighting for the same, sense of freedom and belonging in this world.

Apparently the book was inspired by true events and yo can tell it was well researched and had lot of heart init.
Definitely an author on list to keep an eye out for future books.

Nisha a migrant worker from Sri Lanka has travelled to work in Cyprus leaving her daughter behind and sending money home. This story gives a human element to the plight of such migrants living so far away from family and friends. Nisha forms a relationship with a local Cypriot Yiannis, he’s an illegal poacher of songbirds on their flight from Africa to Europe, resembling the migrants flight. Nisha suddenly disappears one night highlighting the prejudice experienced by such workers, she’s a no-one, the lowest of the low. I found the book sad to read in parts but combined with the beauty of the songbirds, makes for an interesting read.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers Manilla press for an ARC of this book in return for an honest reviews

Well this pulled at those heartstrings
An emotional novel with a mysterious twist with the disappearance of Nisha.
The fact we hear from others and never Nisha herself made this more powerful to read.
Lefteri is great at making the reader think and not just accepting life but challenging it and that was how I felt after reading Songbirds.
Some parts are truly hard to read but added to the powerful punch this book gives you.
Thank you for this copy to read

Nisha has travelled far from home in search of work, hoping to give her daughter the chance of an eduction. When Nisha disappears the police are not interested and do not investigate because she is just an unreliable and indistinct migrant worker in their eyes. But she is important to Yannis her lover and Petra her employer, as well as being a lifeline to support her family in Sri Lanka. Yannis and Petra are appalled by the indifferent attitude of the authorities and begin their own investigation.

Loosely based on factual events and gently conveying a powerful message, Songbirds is a beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking story about the lengths people can be forced to go to in search of a better life, and the way in which systemic racism, prejudice and nationalism render certain sections of society ignored, invisible and forgotten.

Nisha has travelled across oceans to work as a domestic servant in order to give her daughter a chance of an education. She has been lucky, working in Cyprus, with an employer who treats her well. One Sunday Nisha disappears but the police aren't interested, she is a migrant worker, she is not important. However to Yannis, her lover and Petra, her employer, Nisha is important, and to Nisha's family in Sri Lanka she is a lifeline. Angered by the attitude of the authorities Yannis and Petra start to investigate.
Although the outcome of the story is inevitable, the telling is wonderful. The analogy of the migrant workers and the trapped birds is not overplayed and there is such a gentle tone to the book that it is all too easy to forget the harsh realities that are alluded too. This is powerful writing with a strong message yet it is also a wonderful read and a rare thing

“I imagined that birds have no memory, that they live only in the present, that the past washes away behind them and disappears like each wave on the ocean.”

Oh how I loved the Beekeeper of Aleppo. Unfortunately, this book didn’t hit me in the same way and I even think it missed the mark. The author's motivation for writing this story is great, but I felt like the focus was more on Petra and Yiannis, when it really should have been Nisha's story. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and the whole bird thing kind of distracted me.

Beautiful cover.
Moving and well written. Cyprus, such a delightful place to the tourist, the indescribable feeling of the green line, haunting and quiet.
Nisha has a tragic life, born in Sri Lanka, she works hard to help her family, falls in love only to loose her husband in a mine disaster, she has a daughter and mother to support. Her only option is to get work in another country like many of her compatriots, this is done through an agency putting her into debt. The stories of the other women are related, some are treated badly, abused and beaten, all are mostly invisible. When women start to disappear there is little help given to their friends or employers by the police.
Lots of emotions and frustrations.

Nisha is a maid for Petra on the island of Cyprus. She has come there to earn money for her own daughter, Kumari, who remains behind in Sri Lanka. Other women lead a similar existence, but the local authorities aren't interested in them and when Nisha goes missing, Petra's concerns are dismissed out of hand. Yet Petra knows Nisha wouldn't disappear without taking the things that matter to her - personal items, her passport - and decides to search for her.

Yiannis is involved in the illegal trade in songbirds that he is capturing with Seraphim. As the novel progresses, we see him grow increasingly disillusioned with this life. He is in love with Nisha and wants to marry her. Like Petra, he is disturbed by Nisha's disappearance and wants to find out what has happened to her.

This is a story that deals with systemic racism - the way a person can exist and yet go largely unnoticed by the society around them, only important as a source of cheap labour or exploitation for sex. Very few care about the fate of migrant women, but those who do face considerable barriers in getting concerns taken seriously.

In the end, Nisha's fate is discovered, along with four other women who also went missing.

What the story is also about is love - the love of a mother for her child. Nisha regularly phones her daughter in Sri Lanka whilst acting as the mother figure for Aliki. This contrasts with Petra, who finds the mother-daughter relationship difficult due to the death of her husband before Aliki was born, but gradually this changes. There is also Yiannis's love for Nisha and his quiet determination to find out the truth, not just for himself but for her daughter.

This story will involve you emotionally and you will not find it easy to let go after you finish reading.

Christy Lefteri is a skilled writer and I will certainly read more books by her.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Bonnier Books UK, in return for an honest appraisal.

Loved this book. So beautiful and sad. Thought provoking at the same time. As with her other works, Christy Lefteri once again highlights a real issue in society with an excellent book. Highly recommended. 5 stars from me!

“After the war, I learned a lesson I would never forget: how a person can disappear inside themselves, and that, sometimes, like my father, they are never able to find their way back.” Christy Lefteri
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Songbirds sheds light on the plight of migrant domestic workers in Cyprus 🇨🇾 and this book was partly influenced by real life events, where five female migrant domestic workers and two children went missing. Their disappearances were ignored because they were foreign, and it was only when one of the bodies was found two years later that the murders of these women and children were brought to light. In Songbirds, Nisha left her native Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 , nine years ago, to find work in Cyprus so that she could earn money to support her mother and daughter who she had to leave back home in Sri Lanka. She disappears one night, and then we learn how Nisha came to Cyprus.
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The story is written from the perspectives of Nisha's employer Petra and her lover Yiannis- the reader never hears the perspective of Nisha. I initially found this frustrating- the whole book is about the disappearance of Nisha yet we never actually hear her voice. But I suppose by doing this Lefteri is highlighting the voicelessness of migrant workers worldwide. In the author’s note, Lefteri makes an interesting point about what constitutes “a choice” when it comes to leaving your country of origin- we see migrants as choosing to leave their homeland for work and a better life, but is it really a choice when the options at home are so bleak? A thought provoking read 4/5

I read “The Beekeeper of Aleppo” and found it a compelling but sad story so I was pleased to receive a review copy of the author’s new book.
I found Songbirds to be a heartbreaking read which I felt could only end one way. The treatment of the maids in Cyprus was quite shocking. When Petra’s maid, Nisha goes missing the police refuse to look for her which is incredible. The fact that the maids are fearful to reveal that they have relationships, frightened that they might lose their jobs, feels like something that would happen in the nineteenth century, not in a modern day European country.
Petra and Yiannis were interesting characters. Petra was so grief stricken at the loss of her husband that she was not able to relate to her daughter. Nisha becomes more of a mother to her.
Yiannis is a poacher but he has a good heart. He does not enjoy his work as can be seen when he rescues one of the birds but he cannot see a way out of what he is doing.
Songbirds was a book which made me think about the treatment of others and the sacrifices some people make in order for them to allow their families have enough money to ensure a bright future. I could not imagine having to leave a young child in order to find work abroad. Nisha was brave and wise, characteristics she has handed down to her daughter, Kumari.
There is lots to talk about in this book and I expect it would make a good novel for book groups.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another beautiful and haunting book by Christy Lefteri. Beautiful story, likable characters and a sad ending. This story packs all the punches and does not sugar coat the world.

well this broke my heart 😭

I listened to the audiobook of Songbirds 🎧 and it was so immersive. The author writes so beautifully and with such imagery. She describes everything in great detail which makes it feel vivid and real. Maybe that is why I found it so heartbreaking as the story really came alive.

Synopsis: Nisha travelled from Sri Lanka to Cyprus to give her child a future. In Cyprus, she cares for Petra's daughter in the day; at night she mothers her own little girl via the iPad.
Nisha's lover, Yiannis, is a poacher, hunting the tiny songbirds on their way to Africa each winter. His dreams of a new life, and of marrying Nisha, are shattered when she vanishes. No one cares about the disappearance of a domestic worker, except Petra and Yiannis. As they set out to search for her, they realise how little they know about Nisha.
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I had enjoyed The Beekeeper of Aleppo so much and I was keen to read more by this author. I’m so glad I listened to the audiobook as the narrators for Yiannis and Petra were so authentic as they managed to bring the characters to life. The story explores the subject of immigration, the plight of migrants, particularly women, and acts as reminder to open our eyes to what is happening around the world and the conditions others live in. No one seemed to care that Nisha, a domestic worker was missing; only Petra and Yiannis. I was with these characters searching for Nisha. I was totally wrapped up in the story and desperate to find out what happened. This book really did break my heart and was so powerful and thought provoking. 😩

Beautiful writing, complex characters and a compelling mystery. If you liked The Beekeeper of Aleppo, then I would recommend Songbirds. Just make sure you have tissues…PLENTY 😭 And yes I know I cry a lot reading books okay?! 😂

#Songbirds by #ChristyLefteri is poignant, and I much preferred it to #TheBeekeeperOfAleppo Songbirds is full of imagery and symbolism as it relays the plight of immigrant domestic workers in Cyprus. I like the author’s choice that we never hear the voice of the main character Noah’s but hear her life through the eyes of others. I learned that there are real life ‘Nisha’s’ - the disappearance and murder of immigrant domestic workers, so sad. Many thanks to #netgalley for gifting me an #arc in exchange for an honest review.