I do so love a good historical fiction and this did not disappoint.
Even more so that it’s dual timeline, my favourite
Thoroughly interesting storyline that kept me reading till late.

Emily Blackwood is intrepid, she travels to the remotest corners of the world to find the plants unique to their previously undiscovered locations. Her adventures are well-known, making headlines at home and abroad  but when, in 1932, her financial security is lost in the Wall Street Crash she and her blind father find themselves in straightened circumstances.

While working to help Lord Rothschild catalogue his bird collection before it's sale to an American museum, Emily is contacted about a similar job in the wilds of Scotland, which she accepts only because of the high rate of pay offered. With traumatic memories of her own buried deeply Emily is struck by her new employer's obsession with the past and the disappearance of a woman years earlier. It soon becomes clear she isn't the only one at Castle Pàrras desperate to keep things hidden but when a diary is discovered Emily realises some secrets are more deadly than others.

Freya Berry's beautifully written mystery is set between the wars, straddles the globe, and weaves fact and fiction together seamlessly. For example while Emily herself was obviously a fictitious addition, the cataloguing of Lord Rothschild's collection did happen and this and other occurrences provided an extra level of realism. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Emily was a likeable, well rounded main protagonist from the start. The reasons behind everything were imparted in just the right way to keep the reader entertained throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This fascinating novel is an easy but enthralling read which I recommend.

Dear birdcage library, I have to apologise. I’ve been a rotten reader. Putting you down and picking you up so many times - you deserved better. The fault is entirely mine.
This is a dual timeline, dual location story. Emily Blackwood, a plant hunter gets employed by the mysterious Henry Vogel to catalogue his taxidermy collection in a Scottish castle. He then reveals the true reason he had employed her for, a kind of missing person treasure hunt. The castle immediately reminded me of Eilean Donan on which it was indeed based.
I loved the story with its allusions to Victorian poetry and philosophy, American society in the Victorian age, a rich evocative language and mysteries galore.
The only fault I can find is that I was often confused as to whose voice I was hearing: Hester Vogel or Emily Blackwood - a subtitle to each chapter would help. Otherwise: a highly recommended read.

A dual timeline historical fiction story, with the story split between Hester and Emma Blackwood. Emma is hired by Mr Vogel to find a treasure that he believes is hidden in Hester’s family home, while in Hester’s part of the story we learn how she came to be in possession of this treasure. The story starts very slowly, and at the outset Emma is not a particularly likeable character but she does draw you in to her story, however it is definitely worth sticking with the story.

Botanist and well travelled plant hunter Emily Blackwood is employed to hunt for treasure in a Scottish castle, however her hunt reveals a hidden story from beyond the grave which puts her in danger. This gothic mystery has a multiple plot lines, moving from past to present and with each chapter more is revealed to the reader.

The novel connects with you from the outset leading you into the intricately woven plotlines which move along nicely, plenty of descriptive passages to create a believable world and populated with fascinating characters. It made me think of Daphne du Maurier both in its style and plotting.

I enjoyed this evocative and intriguing book although I did find it slow to start and I enjoyed Hester’s storyline more than Emmy’s. It felt quite a long book and I wasn’t as interested in the search for the diamond as I was for the truth of what happened to Hester. Often with these kind of mysteries I don’t like the ending but this was very satisfying.

Incredible book! I loved reading this and was captivated by the story within the story! Beautiful historical settings with well developed characters throughout the novel kept me enthralled at every page. I couldn't stop reading it and now I'm sad it's over! Highly recommend this novel.

This is a Scottish historical novel about Emily Blackwood, an adventurer and plant hunter who travels north to catalogue an extensive collection of taxidermy animals for a gentleman. When Emily arrives, she discovers a ruined castle and its owner, haunted by a woman who vanished years ago. The dual aspects of the story work well;
Both eras were very well written; the main two characters, Emily and Hester, are flawed but exciting women with demons to overcome; they're brought together by an excellent old love story that catalyses a decades-long mystery. Most readers will likely figure out some key plot twists before revealing them; I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.


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The Birdcage Library by Katherine McMahon

This is a historical novel that takes place in Scotland and tells the story of Emily Blackwood, an adventuress and plant hunter, who travels north to catalogue a large collection of taxidermy animals for a gentleman. On arrival, Emily finds a ruined castle and its owner haunted by a woman who vanished years before.

Emily discovers the pages of a diary hidden in the walls, and she realises that she has found another adventure.

The book is told from two perspectives about fifty years apart, with Emmy being the protagonist in the present and Hester in the past.

I felt this dual perspective worked well, and both stories are gripping. Emmy is a likeable and intelligent character, but she is tormented by her past, has diabetes and has an ailing father. to provide for.

The traumas she has suffered drive her to drink, but her inquisitive and empathetic mind helps her to solve the mystery.

The hunt is cleverly thought through, with the intertwining of different elements to solve the clues. The creepy castle in a remote location was excellent, and the few but odd inhabitants created a constant, oppressive feeling.

The book was very atmospheric and the characters were well-written and interesting. There was some content that could be upsetting, including harm to animals and abusive relationships, but it is an important part of the story and completely in context.

The book is intelligently written, well-researched, and enjoyable to read. There were interesting factual scientific discoveries throughout the story which added to its appeal.

The treasure map aspect, and the remote windswept castle setting made for an excellent read.

Overall a really gripping read that kept me turning the pages.

#TheBirdcageLibrary #NetGalley

A rather formulaic gothic mystery, set in 2 time periods. Didn't sweep me away but entertaining enough, with diary extracts details about plant collecting and secrets which a yound woman grows embroiled in.

I mostly enjoyed this book but I do think it dragged in places. The diary entries were my favourite part of the whole book.

"Dear Reader, the man I love is trying to kill me..."

If that line doesn't pull you into a book then nothing will.

This book grabbed me immediately, an educated young woman arrives at a remote Scottish castle to help an old man solve a 50 year mystery, what could be better?
The dual aspects of the story work really well, I have seen other reviews state that it was confusing, but the copy I read had clear different typefaces for the chapter depending on who was narrating so it wasn't an issue for me.
Both eras were very well written, the main two characters Emily and Hester are flawed but interesting women who both have their own demons to conquer, they're brought together by a good ol' love story which is the start of a mystery spanning decades.
I did really enjoy this book, I loved the treasure map aspect, the hidden clues, the windswept Loch and old Castle setting and the interweaving of fictional characters and real people.
That being said I did feel that this book rambled a lot, historical stories that added almost nothing to the main story and characters that got far too much of the page devoted to them and who also added nothing.

I'm not sure if I am completely satisfied with the ending and the resolution of the mysteries, there was no real 'Aha!' moment but I can forgive that for the small little revelations throughout the book which kept me reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Unfortunately although giving it my best shot, I gave up on this one at about 55%. I nearly stopped reading at about 20% but persevered hoping I would become more invested in the story and the characters, but this did not happen. I found the plot too slow for me and rather rambling and I wish the author had put the name of the character who was talking at the top of the chapter as found it quite confusing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e advance review copy.

A gothic treasure hunt within this story was fun to follow as the narrator a young girl searched through a stately home looking for a lost diamond .
I enjoyed the way the story mixed real life historical facts of the Barnum circus and the victorian love of taxidermy and of heavily decorated feather hats
the story is mostly told I the first person and because of this there were several occasions that I didn't know which time period a particular chapter was set causing minor confusion . There was clearly a significance in the drawings of bird and birdcage at the top of each chapter but I couldn't work it out
The book is very visual and I couldn't help feel that it would make a great film or tv series Netflix will no doubt grab the. rights.
As a doctor I found the medical details regarding the narrators insulin use to be rather confused , for example missing a dose of insulin would be unlikely to cause coma as quickly as needed for the story timeframe
I read a copy on Netgalley UK the book is published in the UK by Headline books 22 June 2023

I found this a difficult book to get into - the first chapters are stilted and the characters and descriptions don’t ring true. However, once Emmy sets out on her treasure hunt and we are introduced to Esther, things pick up and I raced my way through the novel. There are slightly implausible parts but overall a real ‘Girls’ Own’ story. Three and a half stars from me.

I enjoyed reading this book - the descriptions of Victorian New York and the Scottish castle were great - I could almost smell the animal emporium where Hester worked alongside her husband. The character of Emmy and Hester were both likeable and interesting. The last few chapters are exciting and I raced through them to the finale so all in all a good read.
The plot is rich and multi-layered with plenty of nice twists and turns and if I have one criticism it is that there is almost too much layering of plot, making some of the secondary characters a bit supefluous, neither their fate nor their significance ever being fully explained.

3.5 stars rounded down

This took me about 20% to get into and I had half a mind not to finish this, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Emmy Blackwood, our main character, went from insufferable to someone I actually empathised with. The story, while slow at first, soon had me turning the pages faster and faster. Historical drama meets detective novel - making for an overall appealing read. If you do decide to read The Birdcage Library, don't give up on it too soon.

A very enjoyable historical page turner. Though at times the mystery feels a bit overwrought and some characters almost archetypal, I found I couldn't help but be pulled in. Most readers will likely figure out some of the key plot twists before they are revealed, but that didn't stop the book from being great fun.

** this review contains a slight spoiler**

It was the title of this book that jumped out at me first. I do like a bit of historical fiction and this one really intrigued me.

I was grateful to have been accepted to read this book and I’m so glad I was. It was a very clever, captivating story.

It started off for me a little slow and I found myself drifting a little and skim reading. Whilst I was interested I found it to be quite long winded and confusing. Especially as the language used can be a little difficult. However, I am so glad I persevered!

Once it got to Hester's treasure hunt, I was hooked. I couldn’t put it down and literally read that chunk of the book in one sitting! I loved how it kept going back to Hester’s account and her story was so interesting.

I loved the twists and revelations in the book and the storyline as a whole was so cleverly written. I was sad when it ended.

I would actually love for there to be a follow on book! Maybe more of Hester’s life, or life after the bridge! I didn’t want it to end and I had so many questions.

Overall a good read and would highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It's mid 1930s, Emmy, a botanist and plant explorer, has to return to England with her blind father. Restless, traumatised by the loss of her mother and twin sister she needs funds and has to take a contract to catalogue a collection of stuffed animals, no other word for it, in a remote Scottish half ruined castle with some weird inhabitants. The story starts as a fairly straightforward narrative by her. We then jump to Hester's story in the late 1800s - married to Charles, in love with his brother Henry and working in their family business of collecting live wildlife for patrons' amusement and enjoyment. Anything is on the cards but mostly birds by the thousand for their feathers, ostrich plumes being a the height of fashion. An unpleasant trade of the time. Hestor hates the constraints of her life and is apparently murdered by her husband. Nonetheless she leaves clues behind for a treasure hunt. Her relatives own the aforementioned half ruined castle and Emmy takes up the treasure hunt some 30 or so years later. The atmosphere is good throughout from the castle itself to the glitz and glitter of upper class eastern USA - more is better and don't bother about the methods of collection. Hester and Emmy are both strong characters but neither really caught my attention, Emma in particular felt unreal. The story jumps between the two women and it could easily take a few sentences to realise we'd moved from one to the other. The treasure hunt was partly interesting but partly unrealistic too, at least to me. Overall an ok read and the ending was a nice twist. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy