Sing, Wild Bird, Sing: A Novel

(Paperback)

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A courageous woman journeys from nineteenth-century Ireland to the American West in a powerful novel about the indomitable will to surviveand to flourishagainst nearly impossible odds. Its 1849 on the west coast of Ireland. Resilient Honora ODonoghue is accustomed to fending for herself and to reading the language of the natural world. It was always said shed been marked for something different, but its not until she suffers devastating losses in a country gripped by the Famine that Honora begins to understand how that difference will save her. With the hope of a better life in America calling, Honora keeps moving toward her freedom. Across the Atlantic, shes unfamiliar with the customs, jobs are scarce, and she has no money. She finds only one new friend, and Honoras desperation is a state to be taken advantage of. Even the prospect of marriage is not without its conditionsand far from the dream she imagines. With so much disappointment and heartbreak in her past, Honora must decide what kind of life she wants, and what shes prepared to do to get it.

Reviews

Almost painful in its authenticity, this breathtaking and poignant novel is an immersion in the harsh realities of nineteenth-century Ireland and America. Jacqueline OMahony is a formidable writer, whose voice is fearless, evocative, and uplifting. Skillfully laced with imagery, Honoras mesmerizing story of courage, survival, and striving to be free will stay in your heart long after you close the book. Brilliant and haunting. Elena Gorokhova, author of A Train to Moscow I absolutely love Sing, Wild Bird, Sing. I can entirely relate to it. Ive had lots of Irish people tell me how the Irish and Indigenous people of America have so much in common. And we really do, but unfortunately, I never heard their stories. Sing, Wild Bird, Sing links our worlds together so beautifully. Like Honora, I have always moved through what seems like a never-ending series of disappointments, existed between two worlds, and never stopped moving toward a more fitting world. This book really moved me. Its been a privilege to read. Anthony Two Moons

Author Bio

Jacqueline OMahony was named Young Irish Writer of the Year by the Irish Examiner when she was fourteen. She took her BA in Ireland, her MA at the University of Bologna, and her PhD in history at Boston College and as a Fulbright Scholar at Duke University. She worked at Cond Nast as a stylist and editor for Vogue and at Associated Newspapers as an arts editor, and in 2015 she graduated from City Universitys MA in creative writing with a first-class degree. Her debut novel, A River in the Trees, was nominated for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award and the Not the Booker Prize in 2020. Originally from Cork, Ireland, she lives in London with her husband and three young children.