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The Birdman's Wife

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The Birdman's Wife

By: Melissa Ashley
Narrated by: Natasha Beaumont
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About this listen

In 1838 Englishwoman Elizabeth Gould - wife of celebrated ornithologist John Gould - made a trailblazing tour of Australia to collect and illustrate our curious birdlife.

Inspired by real-life letters and weaving the discovery of some of the country's unique species with her own personal journey, The Birdman's Wife is an intimate memoir about the struggles and demands of art, the needs of children and what it's like to live with an ambitious and demanding genius.

©2016 Melissa Ashley (P)2016 W.F. Howes Ltd Historical Fiction Fiction Marriage
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The narrator was a little effusive now and again, otherwise she was very enthusiastic & upbeat.

Historical facts

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I am glad I listened to it because it gave me time to hear the lovely turn of phrase and beautiful adjectives. I had to google her to see a portrait and find out what happened to her children.

beautiful

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I really wanted to like this book, but it was hard going and I gave up a few chapters in. The narrator -or at least her style was mismatched to this. It sounded like someone reading a children's book and was entirely off-putting.

Hard Going

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The writing is not bad but I struggled to invest in the characters or story. On one level the attention to detail is objectively impressive and the writing is very consistent. Ashley doesn't seem to waste words. But my subjective experience was that I found it difficult to take interest in goals of the characters. I suspect if you have an interest in the period or in ornithology you might enjoy this a lot more.

This will appeal to bird enthusiasts, mostly

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.