In the south-west of Ireland, rugged mountains meet bright blue lakes and thick forests. Deep in the woods, a young woman lives alone, forever secluded from the world, her life a well-kept secret. She possesses an extraordinary talent, the likes of which no-one has seen before: a gift that will earn her the nickname Lyrebird.
When Solomon stumbles into Laura's solitary existence, her life is turned on its head. Pulled from her peaceful landscape to the cacophony of Dublin, she is confronted by a world desperate to understand her.
But while Solomon knows the world will embrace Laura, will it free her to spread her wings - or will it trap her in a gilded cage? Like all wild birds, she needs to fly free...
Lyrebird is a thoughtful, deeply moving love story; a story of the wild heart in us all and the quiet that lies underneath the world's noise.
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[He moves away from the others, their constant chat blending into a tedious monotonous sound in his head] ***(HarperCollins, 4 May 2017, first published 3 November 2016, 432 pages, paperback, borrowed from my library)
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Lyrebird is one of the best books I've read in ages. I adored it.
This book, especially Laura's seclusion reminds me a lot of the movie Nell. This is a good thing as this is one of my favourite movies ever.
The characters in Lyrebird are fantastic. They are so well-written I felt like they were real people I got to know really well. My favourite characters were Laura, Solomon and Bo. Bo isn't the nicest person in the world and her obsession with making a documentary about Laura annoyed me at times, but she's so feisty and passionate I could forgive her. Solomon and Laura have an instant connection and Solomon betrays Bo, his live-in girlfriend almost constantly. I could have hated him but found myself rooting for him and Laura.
I really enjoyed it when Laura becomes a contender on the talent show. Her experience reflects the sort of talent shows that are popular reality TV such as Pop Idol, American Idol and Popstars. I felt this part of the book was really well-written. I found her instant fame and the adoration of the public believable. Similar things have happened. I really grew to like Laura as a character as she struggles to make sense of this new world she's thrust into which threatens to expose her deepest secrets.
I think reality shows can exploit people, especially when they are vulnerable. Lyrebird tackles this idea and handles it really well.
Lyrebird is a fantastic, haunting read.
