While Emmy works on her commission she starts to learn more about Hester, whose story from the late 1800s we learn about as Emmy explores her diaries. The dual perspective worked really well in this book. It’s commonly used in historical novels but sometimes one of the perspectives can be far more interesting than the other. That’s not the case here where both stories were gripping. Fallon, Kevin (November 20, 2014). "Out of the Birdcage: How Mike Nichols Made Gay Culture Mainstream". The Daily Beast . Retrieved November 8, 2023.

Emily is given the task to find a long-lost treasure which Heinrich believes has been cloistered, and concealed within the remains of the castle, but how can this be when he has been a resident for so many years for there cannot be left anything of note to discover, surely? I adored how rich and visceral the descriptions were and felt they definitely brought 19th C New York and 1930s Scotland to life. And was equally impressed by the depth and complexity Freya Berry manages to imbue her characters with. Even the more antagonistic characters, prone to bouts of cruelty and avarice were really well written (though not nearly as in-depth as Emily or Hester.) Welcome, dear reader. You have found me, and I you. The diary you hold in your hands is a treasure map. It will lead you to what you ought to seek. Like all such maps, the trail is cryptic. The reason for this is simple. The man I love is trying to kill me.” The treasure hunt element really gripped me with it’s mystery and clue-finding elements. I really felt a part of the puzzle and a sense of accomplishment alongside Emily. The story feels like a perfect balance of historical fiction and an intriguing mystery novel. Freya Berry really married the two genre elements well.

Retailers:

Gorgeously written, atmospheric and twisty . . . I devoured it!' CLAIRE DOUGLAS, bestselling author of The Couple at No. 9 A deliciously gothic and utterly atmospheric, Daphne Du Maurier style historical mystery that will definitely have you on the edge of your seat. Jacobs, Matthew (March 7, 2021). "25 Years Later, 'The Birdcage' Is Hollywood's Most Monumental Gay Movie". HuffPost . Retrieved November 8, 2023.

a b c d e Weinraub, Bernard (March 12, 1996). "Birdcage' Shows Growth In Older Audience's Power". The New York Times . Retrieved November 7, 2023. Emily and Hester were great protagonists. While they lived very different lives fifty years apart there were many similarities between them. Both women are strong yet vulnerable. They are plagued by inner torment, fear, and regret while also possessing a fierce resolve and determination. They are also both surrounded by mystery. For Hester, this is her disappearance, while for Emily it is her past and the secrets she’s keeping from the reader. While you are never completely sure if either woman is a reliable narrator, they are easy to like and I was cheering them on at every step. We can’t talk about the characters without mentioning Heinrich Vogel, Emily’s employer and Hester’s brother-in-law. The nonagenarian is a strange man who gets increasingly creepy as the story goes on. I didn’t trust him or his nephew, Yves, one bit, and was worried for Emily’s safety as she’s trapped in the castle with them. There are secrets that all of the characters in the book are keeping. It does get a bit confusing keeping everything straight with 5 characters in two different timelines. I would've preferred a more direct telling of the story. The best part of the book is the last 20%. It was really good and I wish the rest of the book had been as good. I would recommend this book if you like drama, but I wouldn't consider it a thriller. Many years later, when Lizzie comes at last to Michaelgarth and meets Piers for the first time, she finds a family in trouble - and which, miraculously, needs her to help them to heal. This is not a thriller. I would say that it is in the contemporary genre which I am not a big fan of this genre unless I love at least one of the characters.Bawer, Bruce (March 10, 1996). "FILM VIEW;Why Can't Hollywood Get Gay Life Right?". The New York Times . Retrieved November 8, 2023. This one was a very very slow burn. Just not my kind of book. I was intrigued a couple of times. and kept waiting and waiting to find out what happens, and didn't find out until the end which was just late for me. Unfriendly Emmet” the name the Cornish use for tourists, “Ugly Humphrey” the dusty old stuffed fish that is beloved by Lauren, Kat and Flora. The idea that an outdoor swim can possess the power to rinse away a feeling of disquiet in a person, “The Blonde” a distinctive yellow Porsche owned by the new love interest…the latest in a long line of their father’s girlfriends and wives, and lastly, Lauren’s laugh…” wonderful and large, bigger than one would expect from a woman of such slender frame…” Eve Chase never disappoints. The far west of Cornwall is evoked in all its wild and mystical glory in this lyrical and propulsive family drama about three sisters whose lives have been overshadowed by a tragedy on the day of the 1999 eclipse. Chase conjures up a bohemian, artistic world filled with damaged daughters and their charismatic, largely absent and narcissistic father. Immersive, tense and ultimately redemptive, while I was reading, it held me completely in its grip.”–Sarah Vaughan, author of Little Disasters

This is my first book by this author who writes in a vein similar to Maeve Binchey. I didn’t realize until I was about ¾ of the way through the book that it is part of a series of books Willett has written with recurring characters, but no matter, you can read this as a “stand alone” quite easily.The allegory of birds and cages is all throughout this novel. In a physical sense, the birds that were kept in stylish cages (Hester's time), and metaphorically, a woman's place in society/home/the world. I found both Hester and Emily to have much in common, and genuinely enjoyed each woman's chapters. They were both emotionally potent and riveting in a thrilling/survival sense. There is some content that could be upsetting, including harm to animals and abusive relationships. It makes sense within the context of the story and never felt gratuitous. The paintings depicted in this novel are ones that I would love to view. They would tell the story in a visual and evocative way.