The Songbird by Marcia Willett ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

This is a sweet, easy to read book about a family in rural England. It's not a family because of the blood ties of some of the members but a family of people from different parts of life that live in a small compound and love and take care of each other. The descriptions of the English countryside are so beautiful, that you feel like you are there enjoying the scenery and relaxing in the lifestyle of a small town.

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December 2018; Thomas Dunne Books; 978-1250177414
ebook, print (288 pages); women's fiction 

Tim decides to take a sabbatical, even though he is young, and Mattie (a woman he works with) offers him a cottage in her family compound in Dartmoor. Even though she feels that he is hiding something, she doesn't pry and helps him find a place where he can be comfortable. Also living at the compound are Kat, a retired ballet dancer; Charlotte and her infant son who are waiting for her husband to come home from the Navy; William who is estranged from his wife and Francis, the elder owner of the main house and the small cottages. Francis cares for the people who live in the cottages as if they were his own children and everyone is friends with each other. Tim is the real outsider to the group and they give him time to himself to help him work through his problems. As he begins to warm up to the group, he realizes how much they all mean to him and that he can share his secrets with them and with Mattie.

The author does an excellent job of weaving the stories of each character together and making all of the characters interesting to read about. I enjoyed the story as well as the description of the English countryside.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter.

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