Fiction

Songbirds

Songbirds

  • Downloads：7493
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-15 08:51:05
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Christy Lefteri
  • ISBN：1786580829
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

'It began with a crunch of leaves and earth。 So early， so cold， the branches shone with ice。 I'd returned to collect the songbirds。 They are worth more than their weight in gold。'

Yiannis is a poacher， trapping the tiny protected songbirds that stop in Cyprus as they migrate each year from Africa to Europe， and selling them on the black market。 He dreams of finding a new way of life， and of marrying Nisha， who works for Petra and her daughter Angela。 Nisha is raising Angela， mothering her own child back in Sri Lanka by the screen of a phone。

When Nisha disappears， Yiannis is convinced he is responsible， paralysed by heartbreak and fear。 Petra is forced to care for her child again， and when little Angela insists that they find Nisha， she begins to see that Nisha hasn't simply run away， and that no one else will bother to look for her。

With infinite tenderness and skill， Christy Lefteri has crafted a powerful story about the unseen who walk among us， cleaning our homes and caring for our children - what it is to migrate in search of freedom， only to find yourself trapped。 Songbirds is a triumphant exploration of loss， the strength of the human spirit and the unbreakable bonds of courage， and of love。

Download

Reviews

Wendy Rose ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Songbirds - Christy Lefteri - R72 of 114 - 11 9 21Picked because I loved her beekeepers of Aleppo。 Tale woven around the migrant women workers in Cyprus and actually based on a true story。 Told from multi POV; Petra the employer of Nisha and landlady of Yannis; Nisha the maid and lover of Yannis; Yannis the poacher of little songbirds that are a delicacy in the Med。 Nisha disappears and Petra and Yannis have to try and find her because the police won't lift a finger。 Not a happy ending。 I hadn't Songbirds - Christy Lefteri - R72 of 114 - 11 9 21Picked because I loved her beekeepers of Aleppo。 Tale woven around the migrant women workers in Cyprus and actually based on a true story。 Told from multi POV; Petra the employer of Nisha and landlady of Yannis; Nisha the maid and lover of Yannis; Yannis the poacher of little songbirds that are a delicacy in the Med。 Nisha disappears and Petra and Yannis have to try and find her because the police won't lift a finger。 Not a happy ending。 I hadn't realised about the poaching or appreciated that it wasn't just the UK that treats migrant workers so badly。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

I loved The Beekeeper of Aleppo， I enjoyed the way Songbirds is written but I didn’t think the story had as much substance as The Beekeeper 。

Diane Withrow ，

I couldn’t decide between a 4 or a 5， so I’ll say 4。5。Wonderful character development and beautiful writing！I think I’ll change my rating to a 5！

Hayley 〰 Hayley's Next Page ，

Songbirds is a heartbreakingly important story based on real-life events。 Nisha is a Sri Lankan nanny and maid who moved to Cyprus to earn money to send home to her young daughter and mother。 While in Cyprus， Nisha grows close to her employer， Petra's daughter， Aliki， as well as their neighbour， Yiannis， a poacher。 When she disappears， Petra and Yiannis make an unlikely team eager to discover what really happened to Nisha。Songbirds is told from both Petra and Yiannis' perspectives。 I liked that Songbirds is a heartbreakingly important story based on real-life events。 Nisha is a Sri Lankan nanny and maid who moved to Cyprus to earn money to send home to her young daughter and mother。 While in Cyprus， Nisha grows close to her employer， Petra's daughter， Aliki， as well as their neighbour， Yiannis， a poacher。 When she disappears， Petra and Yiannis make an unlikely team eager to discover what really happened to Nisha。Songbirds is told from both Petra and Yiannis' perspectives。 I liked that Lefteri chose this storytelling angle， as it allowed readers to see both characters' growth throughout the book。 On one hand， it was instantly apparent how much Yiannis loved Nisha。 On the other， Petra grew from a dispassionate mother to a woman determined to find out the truth。 I listened to the audiobook and really liked both narrators。 I also found the book to be quite fast-paced and easy to follow。 If you enjoyed The Beekeeper of Aleppo， I highly recommend reading Songbirds next。 。。。more

Chris Thompson ，

While not as powerful as The Beekeeper of Aleppo， Songbirds is a very strong novel。 The novel is about a Sri Lankan woman， Nisha， who moves to Cyprus to work as a maid。 She leaves behind her daughter for eight years and helps raise the daughter of another。 Then one day she disappears， and her employer， Petra， begins to realize how little she knew this woman。 Another important character is Yiannis， Nisha’s lover。 He poached songbirds， though the authorities never discover this。 Like the maids， th While not as powerful as The Beekeeper of Aleppo， Songbirds is a very strong novel。 The novel is about a Sri Lankan woman， Nisha， who moves to Cyprus to work as a maid。 She leaves behind her daughter for eight years and helps raise the daughter of another。 Then one day she disappears， and her employer， Petra， begins to realize how little she knew this woman。 Another important character is Yiannis， Nisha’s lover。 He poached songbirds， though the authorities never discover this。 Like the maids， these legally protected birds are overlooked and no one noticed or mourns their disappearance。 This plays like a thriller， but the final reveal of what happens to Nisha goes against the usual rules of a whodunnit。 It’s clear by this point that the book is based on a true story， something confirmed by the Author’s Note after the end of the book。 Still， the setting and characters that Lefteri develop are powerful enough to make this a compelling read。 。。。more

Enda Hackett ，

Utterly boring。 A girl goes missing and the whole book is spent looking for her with nothing happening。 People should stop trying to find comparisons and confusing their emotions about the hook subject matter and realise this is over hyped and lacking in depth。

Rebecca ，

Thanks to Goodreads giveaways。 I really enjoyed this book。

Katharine ，

A beautiful story of a missing girl， told in alternating perspectives， one is the missing girl's boyfriend， the other her employer。 I wanted to love this book， especially given the important subject matter about the horrible treatment of domestic workers。 However I couldn't stay engaged and found myself easily distracted。Thank you to Ballantine for providing me with a free review copy。 All opinions are my own。 A beautiful story of a missing girl， told in alternating perspectives， one is the missing girl's boyfriend， the other her employer。 I wanted to love this book， especially given the important subject matter about the horrible treatment of domestic workers。 However I couldn't stay engaged and found myself easily distracted。Thank you to Ballantine for providing me with a free review copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Boolarong Press ，

It is difficult to read the 5 star reviews。 Many of the readers must be living in a cocoon。 I recommend readers should take a grip of reality。 The worst animal on this planet is human beings。 We should not be surprised at what they are capable of。 It surprises me how some humans will cry over the treatment of birds but not the treatment of human beings。Racism is rife everywhere in the world as is financial and sexual slavery。The book reads well and the story is fairly told except for the intermi It is difficult to read the 5 star reviews。 Many of the readers must be living in a cocoon。 I recommend readers should take a grip of reality。 The worst animal on this planet is human beings。 We should not be surprised at what they are capable of。 It surprises me how some humans will cry over the treatment of birds but not the treatment of human beings。Racism is rife everywhere in the world as is financial and sexual slavery。The book reads well and the story is fairly told except for the intermittent chapters where the author becomes delusional。The value in this book is highlight the inhumanity。 。。。more

Suzi ，

Compelling read。 Interesting story about a woman that only dives into the life of a live-in caregiver after she goes missing。 Page turner that breaks through status barriers to show we are all important to those who love us。 Highly recommend this one。

Carole Evans ，

The central theme is female domestic workers in Cypress from foreign countries， the need for them to leave their homes to earn money for families left behind， the main story is about a missing woman， she has vanished， her lover， who lives above the woman she works， for her employer and child need her， they start to investigate her disappearance， the story is told by her lover and her boss ， it throws light on the abuses these women endure， the affection some families have， the indifference by of The central theme is female domestic workers in Cypress from foreign countries， the need for them to leave their homes to earn money for families left behind， the main story is about a missing woman， she has vanished， her lover， who lives above the woman she works， for her employer and child need her， they start to investigate her disappearance， the story is told by her lover and her boss ， it throws light on the abuses these women endure， the affection some families have， the indifference by officials， it’s a mystery but also about the lives of the characters， I found it a very interesting read。 。。。more

Carol Dimitriou ，

This was a very sad， moving book about migrant domestic workers who leave their homelands and loved ones because they need to make more money to support them。 Sadly， often they become trapped in a faraway country， with no hope of ever returning home。 As the author says， "It is a story about learning to see each and every human being in the same way as we see ourselves"。 This was a very sad， moving book about migrant domestic workers who leave their homelands and loved ones because they need to make more money to support them。 Sadly， often they become trapped in a faraway country， with no hope of ever returning home。 As the author says， "It is a story about learning to see each and every human being in the same way as we see ourselves"。 。。。more

Gina Hager-Moitoso ，

Beautifully written， so tragic。 A wonderfully informative book about the working class in Cyprus。

Judith ，

Beautiful prose in a slowly developing story。 I did find the killing of the songbirds gruesome and disturbing。

Amanda Brightman ，

Oh My Goodness What A Read！This is a story of Nisha， a strong woman who suddenly disappears from her life as a maid in Cyprus。 It becomes apparent that many people who thought they knew her， sadly did not。Christy has loosely based this novel on factual events and exposes the sad truths about domestic workers and the lives they have and what they leave behind。 This is a heartbreakingly sad story which is told honestly， thus shining the light on extortion and human sacrifice。 As with all Christy Oh My Goodness What A Read！This is a story of Nisha， a strong woman who suddenly disappears from her life as a maid in Cyprus。 It becomes apparent that many people who thought they knew her， sadly did not。Christy has loosely based this novel on factual events and exposes the sad truths about domestic workers and the lives they have and what they leave behind。 This is a heartbreakingly sad story which is told honestly， thus shining the light on extortion and human sacrifice。 As with all Christy Lefteris books I am left sad and reflective about Human Nature。 。。。more

Lacey Mubanga ，

This is a hard book for me to rate。 The writing was excellent。 The story was a slow and quiet one。 I think a lot of people will love it， but my personal enjoyment level was low。 While I could appreciate the way this was written and the story itself， I found myself just wanting it to be over。 To be fair， there are very few literary fiction books that I love but this one sounded so good！ There is an air of mystery in this book。 We just want to know what happened to Nisha， who we learn about after This is a hard book for me to rate。 The writing was excellent。 The story was a slow and quiet one。 I think a lot of people will love it， but my personal enjoyment level was low。 While I could appreciate the way this was written and the story itself， I found myself just wanting it to be over。 To be fair， there are very few literary fiction books that I love but this one sounded so good！ There is an air of mystery in this book。 We just want to know what happened to Nisha， who we learn about after her disappearance through the eyes of two people that had daily interaction with her。 I enjoyed the way the story unfolded。 That I was able to come to care about Nisha even though the story was not in her voice， leads me to understand that the writing in this book is excellent。 I had troubles staying engaged， however， with such a slow-moving plot。 This story is definitely more character driven than plot driven， and it just didn’t make me want to pick the book up。 If I were to rate this purely on enjoyment， I would give it a two。 If I were to give it a rating based on the writing， I would give it a 4+， so I have landed on a three。 I have complicated feelings about this novel but would definitely recommend to fans of literary fiction。 I am still curious about the author’s previous novel， The Beekeeper of Aleppo， but may opt for the library for that one！ 。。。more

Annette Morris ，

A truly heartbreaking story， made all the more so for being based on real events。 Set in Cyprus with lots about the history and politics as well as the ingrained racism， classism and misogyny inflicted on domestic workers。 Learned lots about the illegal trading in songbirds too。 It's all so beautifully and gently written making it a wonderful read。 As it says on the cover: "It'll break your heart and open your eyes。" Loved it。 A truly heartbreaking story， made all the more so for being based on real events。 Set in Cyprus with lots about the history and politics as well as the ingrained racism， classism and misogyny inflicted on domestic workers。 Learned lots about the illegal trading in songbirds too。 It's all so beautifully and gently written making it a wonderful read。 As it says on the cover: "It'll break your heart and open your eyes。" Loved it。 。。。more

Cc ，

Too hard for my soft heart！ DNF

Katherine ，

4。25。Loved this book but it was hard to read and took me several days bc of the subject。 Beautiful。

Laura Gatenby ，

💔

Julia Rice ，

Not quite as good as The Beekeeper of Aleppo， which I found a richer and more complex novel， but equally powerful。 This book tells the story of Nisha， a young Sri Lankan widow， forced by poverty to leave her home， her young daughter and her mother， to work as a maid in Cyprus。 She works for Petra， an optometrist whose husband also died， from cancer， before their child， Aliki， was born。 Petra at this time was a shell of a woman and Nisha became virtually a surrogate mother to the child， whilst sh Not quite as good as The Beekeeper of Aleppo， which I found a richer and more complex novel， but equally powerful。 This book tells the story of Nisha， a young Sri Lankan widow， forced by poverty to leave her home， her young daughter and her mother， to work as a maid in Cyprus。 She works for Petra， an optometrist whose husband also died， from cancer， before their child， Aliki， was born。 Petra at this time was a shell of a woman and Nisha became virtually a surrogate mother to the child， whilst she was unable to be with her own daughter。 Nisha befriends Yiannis， Petra's tenant who lives in the apartment above their own， and they eventually become lovers， but must keep their relationship secret as it is well-known that maids are practically forbidden from engaging in affairs， under threat of being fired from their employment。 Yiannis is a poacher who， along with an accomplice to whom he is practically enslaved， like a drugs mule， illegally captures songbirds from the countryside and sells the plucked and pickled birds as delicacies to unscrupulous restaurants。 He keeps his activity a secret from Nisha， who believes that he earns his living only from foraging mushrooms， fearing that she will end their relationship if she finds out。 We learn all this information slowly as the book progresses。 Nisha's story is told through Petra and Yiannis's eyes because Nisha makes only brief appearance at the start of the book when she is out on a day trip with Petra and Aliki one Sunday; that evening Nisha disappears。 Petra， unable to believe that Nisha， who she realises loved Aliki as if she were her own， would leave them， without her passport and her most precious possessions。 She undertakes an exhausting search for her which takes her to places she could never have imagined she would go。 The process also forces her out of the state of grief she realises she has been in for years， and into making meaningful connections with those around her， including her own daughter， and her tenant Yiannis。 This is a book about the plight of women forced to leave their homelands and perform sometimes degrading and almost always underpaid and under-valued work for wealthy Europeans。 But it is also the story of Petra and of Yiannis who must go on their own journeys and look into their own hearts as they search for Nisha。 。。。more

Reethu Ravi ，

Nisha is a domestic worker who moved miles from her home in Sri Lanka to Cyprus， as she had no other means to provide for her daughter。 For years now， her only means of communication with her daughter is a mobile phone。 One day， Nisha disappears。 Being a domestic worker， the police hardly cares about her disappearance and does nothing to find her。 The only people who care are Petra and Yiannis。 The former is Nisha’s employer， and the latter， Nisha’s lover， who makes a living by hunting songbirds Nisha is a domestic worker who moved miles from her home in Sri Lanka to Cyprus， as she had no other means to provide for her daughter。 For years now， her only means of communication with her daughter is a mobile phone。 One day， Nisha disappears。 Being a domestic worker， the police hardly cares about her disappearance and does nothing to find her。 The only people who care are Petra and Yiannis。 The former is Nisha’s employer， and the latter， Nisha’s lover， who makes a living by hunting songbirds。Christy Lefteri’s Songbirds is alternatively narrated by Petra and Yiannis， as they struggle to find Nisha and understand what happened to her。 As the story unfolds， the characters， especially Petra， learn more about Nisha， and the life of migrant domestic workers in Cyprus。 Throughout the book， we also get a glimpse into the culture of the island， and the many beautiful birds and animals that inhabit it – this is something I really enjoyed discovering as I knew little to nothing about Cyprus。The book had me hooked from the beginning。 Lefteri has a very simple style of writing and she crafts a compelling narrative that keeps you turning the pages。 Although the story felt a bit monotonous somewhere in the middle， it picked up soon after。The book is influenced by real-life incidents in Cyprus and explores the horrors of systemic racism through the stories of migrant women domestic workers。 It is at once a story of the plight of these workers as well as the ways in which we can get trapped in our own prejudices and conditioning。 How much ever educated or woke we think we are， we all have certain prejudices and are conditioned to see certain things in a certain way。 In that sense， the book is a great eye-opener and urges people to learn and unlearn， and to be kinder to everyone， both humans （irrespective of their religion， status， class， or creed） and animals alike。To sum it up， Songbirds is an important， important read that addresses some very significant issues。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more

Anna Avian ，

Overly descriptive， slow and boring。 There were far too many details about the birds， the poaching and none about the real issues foreign domestic workers were dealing with on daily basis。 There was no connection between Yannis and Petra and although they both claimed to care about Nisha neither one did hardly anything within the span of a month to try and find her。 Nothing really happened for the majority of the book and the ending just felt futile and shallow。

Martha Schmitt ，

This is one of the most meaningful novels I have read in a long time。 I loved the authors book， The Beekeeper of Aleppo， but had not heard much about this new novel。 It is amazing。 “It is a story about migration and crossing borders it is about searching for freedom， for a better life， only to find oneself trapped。 It is a story about learning to see each other and every human being in the same way we see ourselves”。

Mala Ashok ，

Given the plot of this book it could have ended up much better。 I felt that the author took a good idea and didn't do it justice。 Given the plot of this book it could have ended up much better。 I felt that the author took a good idea and didn't do it justice。 。。。more

Colette Brennan ，

I was eager to read Songbirds by Christy Lefteri as I had read The Bee Keeper of Aleppo。 Early on in the book there is a scene when Yannis is hunting Songbirds and I found it completely distasteful and nearly didn't finish the book。 I put it aside for days but found I was haunted by the scene and desperately needed to see it through。 As the story unraveled I came to understand the parallels in the Songbirds and the characters trapped in their own invisible nets。 I really enjoyed the way the auth I was eager to read Songbirds by Christy Lefteri as I had read The Bee Keeper of Aleppo。 Early on in the book there is a scene when Yannis is hunting Songbirds and I found it completely distasteful and nearly didn't finish the book。 I put it aside for days but found I was haunted by the scene and desperately needed to see it through。 As the story unraveled I came to understand the parallels in the Songbirds and the characters trapped in their own invisible nets。 I really enjoyed the way the author has crafted this novel and can highly recommend it， with the added caution that some scenes in this book will haunt！ 。。。more

Emma Flood ，

I was very disappointed with this。 I felt Nisha's disappearance was a side story to Petra and Yannis and that the answer to what happened was just thrown in there for the sake of it。 It didn't actually explain anything。 I felt like the author didn't know how to conclude her disappearance so just wrapped it up in 1 paragraph and moved on。 It left me with more questions than answers！ I was very disappointed with this。 I felt Nisha's disappearance was a side story to Petra and Yannis and that the answer to what happened was just thrown in there for the sake of it。 It didn't actually explain anything。 I felt like the author didn't know how to conclude her disappearance so just wrapped it up in 1 paragraph and moved on。 It left me with more questions than answers！ 。。。more

Pat ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 We are human！ We have families！ We have voices！ This is the theme of the book Songbirds。 It just astonishes me that people feel they can own another human being。 The present day story of the “domestic help” in Cyprus seems quite similar to the slave owners in the South during that horrible time in our country‘s history。 Such a sad story。 Such a sad ending。 When will people learn to treat others as ourselves？

msleighm ，

Thank you to goodreads for this giveaway。 I really enjoyed the Beekeeper of Aleppo （4☆）， and was looking forward to reading this。 Winning the giveaway was very exiting。 I have been trying to get into this and， unfortunately， I can't。I will try to come back and try it again， but for now， it will go into my dnf pile。After reading （many） other reviews， if I try again， I'll try to push through to 50% before making a decision whether to put it down。 Apparently， it's a "slow burn，" and the early descr Thank you to goodreads for this giveaway。 I really enjoyed the Beekeeper of Aleppo （4☆）， and was looking forward to reading this。 Winning the giveaway was very exiting。 I have been trying to get into this and， unfortunately， I can't。I will try to come back and try it again， but for now， it will go into my dnf pile。After reading （many） other reviews， if I try again， I'll try to push through to 50% before making a decision whether to put it down。 Apparently， it's a "slow burn，" and the early descriptions of the fate of the songbirds has significance within the plot。 I have often pondered on why cruelty to animals in fiction （written and on screen） disturbs me more than violence against humans; from reading the reviews， it appears I am not alone。 。。。more

Carmel Tully ，

Loved it， so far it is my book of the year。 Loved the colours， the sounds and singing， I walked the streets in Nicosia within the pages。。Read it too！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Songbirds

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Songbirds&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Songbirds&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0