In 2002, a young Irish writer published her debut novel PS I Love You. The book soared to the top of the bestseller list and lasted there for six months. In the same year, the novel was translated into other languages, and the name of the author became known throughout the world. The books of Cecilia Ahern began to look forward to millions of readers from different countries. And she lived up to their hopes. As the author herself says: “I was lucky with a career. For 15 years I have written 15 books - one book a year. ” In this article you will find a summary of one of Cecilia Ahern's latest novels, The Bird of the Lyre, and reviews of the book.
What does Cecilia write about?
It is unlikely that the touching story that the writer told her readers in the novel “PS I Love You” left someone indifferent. Many, along with the heroine Holly, with bated breath, read letters from her husband with seemingly simple advice. But it was they, step by step, who brought Holly back to life. According to the author, she wrote a book when there was a difficult time in her life. She took a pen and paper to pour out her feelings, and began to write. The story "PS I love you" was born from sadness, fear and loss of self.
“I put my heart into the story of a woman suffering from grief and pain. A woman whose life reached a critical point, but she fought and was looking for a way out of this situation. Holly’s story helped me find my own way - to write for people who have lost heart and feel powerless. My job is to support them with my novels during this difficult period. I like to mix darkness with light, sadness with humor, but always keep my balance and inspire hope with my stories. ”
As he writes
Today, Cecilia Ahern is one of the most sought-after representatives of sentimental literature. What is the success? Of no small importance, of course, is the productivity of this author — 1-2 books a year. In addition to works in the genre of romantic short stories, Cecilia writes short stories and now, by the way, is working on a collection of ROAR from 30 stories about 30 women. The book is scheduled for release in autumn 2018. Another determining factor for her success is the topic that she chose for her works - what could be more touching than stories about great love?
Cecilia was able to feel the reader. She writes sincerely and simply, as many women think and dream. And so accurately conveys the emotions of the heroes and shows their life, that creates the feeling that they are real people. It is simply impossible to remain indifferent to their fate. The author makes the reader believe in the best, do not doubt himself and his strengths and, no matter what happens, never give up. One of Cecilia Ahern’s latest books, The Bird of the Lyre, published in 2016, romantic, sincere and a little magical, was just like her debut novel, warmly received by the readership.
What is the novel about
Readers love and appreciate the work of Cecilia for the fact that with her books they relax and forget about everyday worries. They expect something new and interesting from her stories. In the novel “Bird-Lyra”, the writer told them about a girl with unusual abilities. Laura lived in solitude, and the world was completely unfamiliar to her. One day she was met by a group of television people who had arrived in the Irish outback. And everything is changing rapidly - new people, events, show business and love. Is she ready for a change? And do she need them?
The heroine of the novel
Laura is a 26-year-old girl who grew up with her mother and grandmother. They taught her and brought her up, hiding from prying eyes. After their death, over the past 10 years, the girl lives in a small house on the outskirts of the forest and does not contact people. She has an unusual ability - to imitate artificial and natural sounds. Laura, the protagonist of the novel, reproduces with incredible accuracy all the sounds she hears. Like a lyre bird, able to imitate the singing of other birds and human speech, the sound of the wind and the howling of sirens. By sounds, the girl expresses her emotions and feelings.
Crew members
- Director Bo is an active and energetic young woman, knows how to do several things at the same time, is able to talk to anyone. It was she who managed to persuade Laura to take part in the filming.
- Sound engineer Solomon is Bo's boyfriend. He met with Laura in the forest, the girl confided in him, and they began an affair. Solomon is from a large family, he has three brothers (Cormac, Rory and Donal) and sister Kara.
- Cameraman Rachel.
How it all began
The book “Bird-Lyra” begins with an acquaintance with a film crew that travels to the Irish outback, where three years ago they shot a documentary film about farmers brothers Tom and Joe, which collected numerous awards. One of the brothers dies of a heart attack. The TV people who have been following their lives for a year go to say goodbye to Tom, express their condolences to Joe and find out what he will do now. After all, an eighty-year-old man will not be easy to manage the economy.
Joe leads them to his plot, where there was a house for bats, which fed Tom. There they found an old abandoned cottage in which, as it turned out, they live. This came as a complete surprise to Joe. Soon they saw the mistress of the house - Laura. It turned out that the girl is surprisingly believable and accurately imitates all sounds, like a lyre bird. She also expresses her emotions and feelings with sounds. After talking with her, they found out that her mother helped farm work on the farm 26 years ago. Soon Laura was born. Her father was Tom.
Nobody knew about her mother’s pregnancy, except for her grandmother. A few years later, Laura's mother died of cancer. They did not manage to register the girl, and no one heard anything about this child. Before she died, Laura's grandmother asked Tom to take care of her. He put the girl in a cottage on them with Joe plot. But he didn’t say anything to his brother. On the suggestions of television people to go to Dublin and take part in the filming, Laura refused. Taking advantage of the fact that they were left alone, Bo scares Laura with loneliness, because apart from Tom, no one has visited her in the last few years, and persuades the girl to go with them.
Change
Having left home, Laura plunges into a completely different life. Filming, photo shoots, various shows. They began to recognize the girl with a rare gift on the streets. Here, the author of the book “Bird-Lyra” plays on an interesting topic - interference in the personal lives of participants in a reality show. Where is the line that you cross, you no longer belong to yourself? While the participant is on the wave of success, they rush with him, provide his life. When interest disappears, he is already at her backyard. Not everyone has been given such a test. The experience of the author’s participation in television programs affected her - she reveals the ins and outs of show business in the book.
But what about Laura? The girl discovered an unknown world. Not knowing the realities of modern life, she trusts everyone. On her way, Laura meets a lot of people who want to capitalize on her talent. She loses her voice and cannot imitate sounds. For a long time it is located in four walls. Friends help her to overcome depression and, not becoming the winner of one of the shows, Laura understands that what she dreamed of has come true - she is free. The girl is returning home. He approaches his uncle Joe and helps him establish a support. Joe hesitates, looking closely at Laura, then they get to work together.
Reader Reviews
Many write in their reviews of the “Lyre Bird” that before reading the novel they did not hear anything and did not know about the amazing feathered. Lyrebird is an incomparable musician and artist, he actually exists, lives in Australia and is listed in the Red Book. Australians have many beautiful legends about this beautiful and rare bird. Cecilia Ahern, as always, captivates with her text and makes you feel all the natural sounds that the main character of the novel imitates.
The hearts of many readers were forced to beat Laura's childhood stories, the details of their solitary life. History makes you think and think about love and humanity. Ahern's book, Lyra Bird, is warmly written and easy to read. The authoritative and magical style of the author captures from the first lines, and now you, together with the main character, are happy and yearning.
Despite commercial success and hype, the writer’s novel received negative reviews. Dissatisfied readers mostly complain that “there is too much Dublin and not enough Ireland” - I would like more descriptions of nature, forest, freedom.