The Birdwatcher

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Description

This is a story about a bloke who's losing his hearing; a bird that can't fly but likes being read to; and a teenage daughter who doesn't know who to be angry at. It's about a woman living with the echo of illness finding out how much fun it can be to trust someone; a man called Murph who has a secret; and Perry Como. It's part love story, part Hot Diggity moments of discovery, whether they happen in a rainforest or while sitting on a verandah, or in somebody's heart. It's about cold outdoor showers and people not quite being complete. But, most of all, it's about giving yourself the gift to be still while you wait for the lights to change or the rain to stop, so you have time to think. For all of us, there are memories and secrets that can change our lives. If we let them.

Reviews

skilfully constructed...insightful, understated and very funny - Sydney Morning Herald on THE LAUGHING CLOWNS The Making of Modern Australia is a ripper - The Canberra Times William McInnes compels with the sheer delightfulness of his memoir, and with his fine ability to spin a damn funny yarn - Sunday Telegraph on A MAN S GOT TO HAVE A HOBBY funny and clever - Daily Telegraph on THAT D BE RIGHT A big-hearted novel with character - Sunday Telegraph on CRICKET KINGS

Author Bio

William McInnes is one of Australia's most popular writers, delighting readers with his memoirs A Man's Got to Have a Hobby and That'd Be Right, his novel Cricket Kings, and his insight into Australian life since the 1940s, The Making of Modern Australia. In 2011, with his wife Sarah Watt he co-wrote Worse Things Happen At Sea, their celebration of family life in words and pictures. In 2006, A Man's Got to Have a Hobby was selected as one of the Books Alive 50 Great Reads and William was named Australian Newcomer of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). In 2007, Cricket Kings was shortlisted in the Australian General Fiction Book of the Year category at the ABIAs. Worse Things Happen at Sea was named best non-fiction title in the ABIAs and the Indie Awards 2012. As an actor, William received critical and public acclaim for his leading role in the film 'Look Both Ways', written and directed by Sarah Watt. William McInnes is the Ambassador of the Year of Reading 2012, and Chair of the Museum of Democracy, Canberra. William McInnes grew up in Queensland and now lives in Melbourne with his two children.