Flight of a Starling

This is an emotional, compelling book about two sisters growing up in a travelling circus. One of the sisters, Lo, becomes close to a local boy, secrets unravel and she begins to question her place in the world, I thoroughly recommend this read.

3.75I really wanted to rate this book 4 stars but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. Having previously read and enjoyed a previous novel by Lisa Heathfield, which was Paper Butterflies, I was really excited to be giving the chance to read and review this book. I did read some of the reviews, but different people do like different things and so I wanted to give it a chance myself, especially because of the author.I did really enjoy this book and I demolished it in two sittings. It has its classic Lisa Heathfield writing style, with such beautiful imagery that makes me feel like I’m there in the story. It’s so fast paced and easy to read that I had no problems reading and getting through it. The characters we easy to picture, even if some were one dimensional and needed some more work added to them. It didn’t really affect the story, but it did affect my likability and bond with them.What’s putting me off giving this a higher rating is because I feel like so much is just left out at the end and just left unanswered, which is so disappointing. I was so invested to certain aspects of this story and to not get these answers was such a let down. The “twists” wasn’t a twist for me, because of family history sadly, but also because of the first chapter. It would've been better if the first chapter was actually placed where is falls naturally, and that’s between Chapter 13 and 14.I just wish that this was slightly longer, so that there would be a couple of chapters that could answer some of those things that are left dangling and left unanswered, because then this would definitely be a four star, hands down! It’s just frustrating because up until that point I was going to rate this book a high four stars.

An introductory prologue starts with a foreboding twist before the story of ‘Flight Of A Starling’ is told in interwoven chapters by two teenage sisters, Lo and Rita, performing in a family circus. This has been their whole life; always travelling from venue to venue, and always keeping themselves separate from ‘flatties’, being more orthodox settled people. From the prologue readers will know something will go wrong, but this aspect is hidden as Lo stumbles on a secret of her mother, and she falls in love with a ‘flattie’ Dean.This seems to suggest ‘Flight Of A Starling’ will be a straightforward love and loss Romeo and Juliet romance but it is much more. There are numerous well-drawn characters including the girls’ parents, grandfather and the boys likely to marry Lo and Rita to keep the circus line clear, plus other circus personnel as a close-knit community. Author Lisa Heathfield writes well with evocative portrayals of circus life, loyalty between circus people, relationships with families, support for one another, emotions and prejudices etc. and particularly the strong bonds between Lo and Rita. All are trapped in their own lives, including Dean. Narrative is both positive and negative as Lo wants to break away with Dean, but there is no place for him. Perhaps the ending is a little too gritty, and certainly it leaves many loose ends – but ‘Flight Of A Starling’ deserves at least a 4-star rating.

Lo and Rita are two sisters, part of a circus family who travel from town to town, chasing ever smaller audiences and having to risk more each time to drum up interest in the show. At one town, Lo meets Dean, and soon starts to question what she really wants from life, and whether the circus is enough. In the meantime, Rita is struggling with everyone's expectations that she'll end up with circus lad Ash, when in reality she has her eye on much older Rob, who was a flattie (an outsider to the circus folk) like Dean, but was accepted into the circus.This is a mixed story - it was intriguing and interesting for the first half, and I was really involved in finding out how the story would end (although we're told right at the start where it's heading, really!). Rita and Lo were interesting and likeable characters too. However, by halfway through it all starts to drag a bit - the lyricism of the prose starts to feel a wee bit forced, Lo's repeated 'and then I kissed him' lines get a bit dull, and it feels as though the story is losing its way. Ultimately, it feels like rather a hopeless and negative story with a message that nobody can change their fate so you might as well get used to it and put up with your lot in life, which really turned me off to it, unfortunately.

You know when a book looks into your soul and says ‘I know you’? Flight of a Starling by Lisa Heathfield (Electric Monkey) got me like that.Lisa Heathfield’s writing shines. It has crystal precision. It is different, unexpected, truthful. The kind of writing that wakes you up and makes you see things like new. It’s a bit like Katherine Rundell’s writing, a bit like Jenny Downham. A bit like nothing I’ve read before.Flight of a Starling is about difference and the patterns that make us. About finding yourself and having the courage to be yourself. It’s also about understanding family and their flaws; the realisation that people are fallible, mistakes are made. It’s about finding your place. Navigating that scary unknown thing, the future.Books are our eyes into other lives and experiences and they help us understand and empathise and learn. They reassure and affirm. They hold your heart and say it’s ok.This book held my heart.