This is a small novella (hand bag size and with only 112 pages) but an absolute jewel! (I thought I knew the meaning of the intriguing title “a flight of blackbirds”. but checked. I was correct, but it can also mean “murmurings”)
It is a collection of the musings and experiences of a number of women, all linked by past or present circumstances. This beautifully written novella shares and examines a number of interconnected lives, all linked by the shadowy figure of an absent woman named Erris Cleary, whose life motto is “FLY FAR, BE FREE”.As we read, we meet the ‘real’ women behind the public images they project to the world.
Each story presents a critical time in the life of the principal female character, often a moment which will change their lives.
Characters drift in and out of stories and relationships and basically this is a book about life, love, relationships and the fragile link which can bind them together or tear them apart. I was not familiar with this author’s work but will certainly be seeking out any further offerings!
Carol LeFevre holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide, where she is a Visiting Research Fellow. She lives in Adelaide and has a number of enthusiastically received publications to her credit. I will certainly be following her and I hope you will, too!
Publisher Spinifex Publishing, an independent feminist publishing group based in Geelong and Queensland.
My thanks again to Jules Vines for her invitation to contribute monthly to her very popular 3MDR program!
Ann
Ann Creber
The Good Life on 3MDR
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