Three half sisters, in their twenties, - all born within a year or so of one another - are persuaded by their father to go and visit him, at home, for the frst time since they were young teenagers. He persuades each of them by telling them that the other two think it a good idea. It's just after Christmas 2019 and he has a 'big announcement' to make. They'd had wonderful times there - so what could go wrong?

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Sisters Lauren, Kat and Flora are all going back to Rock Point in Cornwall. Their father has something he wishes to announce. Each sister has their reservations as Rock Point is where they spent the summer. One in particular 1999 and the summer of the eclipse holds secrets.

I quite enjoyed this book. I have read a book by Eve Chase before and enjoyed that one too. This story has a lot I enjoy, a big old house, family with secrets and a story to tell.

The story follows the three sisters but mainly Lauren. The story goes back and forth between the now and the summer of 1999. The whole saga is heading towards what happened with little twists along the way. I have to say the major twist was easy enough to work out so I wasn't shocked with the reveal.

I did enjoy this book and it was nice to get lost for a few hours with the three sisters. This book I would recommend if you like Kate Morton and similar authors.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the book to review.

The Birdcage by Eve Chase

This author never fails in bringing such fabulous stories to her books.
I those The Glass House could not be improved on , but I was wrong. What I love about her books is they have a building in them that is quite central to the plot in the telling of the family that resides / or had lived there.
We meet Lauren and her half sisters May and Flossie who share their father , an artist. As young girls he painted their picture at Rock Point , a remote Cornish house , it came to be known as Girls and Birdcage.
As adults , and not a close family knit , they are called back to Rock Point , but each has a secret to bear from that summer twenty years ago .
Eve Chase manages to get into the head of every character she creates , and her way of telling the story unfolds in front of you like you are an invisible onlooker seeing it with your own eyes.

I have read a few of this author's previous novels and enjoyed them. With this one, I liked the characters and the setting but I got impatient with the constant change of timelines and points of view. It took forever to reveal what really happened on the night of the eclipse, so I skimmed ahead to find out. (Not easy on a kindle with no contents page!) The main twists of the story, and there were a few surprises, were contained right at the end and many of them were explained in retrospect, which is always a bit of a cop-out in my opinion. So I have not rated this as highly as her previous works.

The author's use of descriptive language paints beautifully clear pictures. She weaves several different lives into a satisfying story. She moves the story back and forth between two timelines which keeps you involved and wanting to discover more. It was a very satisfying read.

3.5 stars


Family gatherings can be complicated enough,but this one more do than usual.
An unusual family of father and three daughters (each with different mothers)
That in itself can cause problems,but added to that is a secret from 20 years ago that only some of them know the truth of.
This adds tension to the book,as you know it has to be something pretty major to have the effect it has.
I enjoyed the interactions of each of the characters ,each so different to each other,and the house that seems to have a character all of its own.

Definitely a story that kept me entertained from the first page to the last.
Not my first Chase book,not my last either.

#TheBirdcage #NetGalley
Propulsive. Loved it.
When half-sisters Kat, Flossie and Lauren are unexpectedly summoned to Rock Point, the remote Cornish house where they spent their childhood summers, it is the first time they have been there together since their artist father painted them in the celebrated Girls and Birdcage. Since then they have drifted apart into wildly different lives, each one determined to forget the fateful summer of twenty years ago. But when they arrive at Rock Point it is clear they are not alone. Someone is lurking in the shadows, watching their every move. Someone who remembers what they did, and has been waiting for their return. As the events of that summer rise closer to the surface, will the three sisters escape unscathed for a second time? Or are some secrets too powerful to remain under lock and key?
This was more gripping than The Glass House. I really loved reading this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.