Sing, Wild Bird, Sing
Jacqueline O'Mahony
A courageous woman journeys from nineteenth-century Ireland to the American West in a powerful novel about the indomitable will to survive—and to flourish—against nearly impossible odds. It’s 1849 on the west coast of Ireland. Resilient Honora O’Donoghue is accustomed to fending for herself and to reading the language of the natural world. more
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published Lake Union Publishing
4.13
Rating
12422
Ratings
598
Reviews
Jacqueline O'Mahony
2 books 55 followers
Jacqueline O’Mahony was named Young Irish Writer of the Year by the Irish Examiner when she was fourteen.She took her BA in Ireland, her MA at the University of Bologna, and her PhD in history at Boston College and as a Fulbright Scholar at Duke University.
She worked at Condé Nast as a stylist and editor for Vogue and at Associated Newspapers as an arts editor, and in 2015 she graduated from City University’s MA in creative writing with a first-class degree.
Her debut novel, A River in the Trees, was nominated for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and the Not the Booker Prize in 2020.
Originally from Cork, Ireland, she lives in London with her husband and three young children.
Community reviews
I'm not sure it's truthful to say I enjoyed this book, it's pretty bleak, but I kept thinking about it when I wasn't reading it and wanted to get back to it whenever I had a minute. The book begins in Ireland during the famine, Honora sees death all around her and decides to walk to the sea to take a ship to America. So it's from Ireland, to New York, then to the American West, each location fraught with hardships. Honora went through so much, but she had a spine of steel that I admired, and I just wanted her to catch a break. She never gave up trying to find a bit of freedom that would bring her some happiness, and her refusal to settle made me keep rooting for her. more
From the Irish Potato Famine to the prairies of Oregon by way of New York, Honora O'Donoghue travels great distances in Sing, Wild Bird, Sing. This resilient, resourceful young woman keeps moving forward, and I was taken to situations and locations that I really wasn't expecting - which is partly makes this such an exciting book to read. Plus, of course, O'Mahony's excellent writing. Thanks to the author for my copy. . more
I absolutely loved this book. It is beautifully written: full of loss, struggle, moments of hope…This is the story of a woman trying to find herself amongst everyone’s expectations of who she is, who she SHOULD be, all while trying to simply survive the devastating events that are inherent in her life by virtue of her class, gender, culture, etc. She uses the experiences to make herself stronger instead of crumbling or becoming what others deem her capable of becoming. Haunting and full of heart. Highly recommend. more
Having learned a lot about the Irish famine, I braced myself to read this book. The author, however, represents the period with little written horror, and it is enough. The majority of the book is set in America, as we learn what happens to the very resourceful main character after she leaves Ireland. Well written, and highly engaging. more
Mixed feelings about this read. Part compelling, part annoying. more
Travelers in Someone Else's Land. No spoilers. 3 1/2 stars. SING, WILD BIRD, SING by Jacqueline O'Mahony. This was book 1 of 2 of my Amazon First Reads selections for the month of July 2023. more
#abrknpoet read, Sing, WildBird,SingA fantastic historical fiction novel, reflecting on some of Irelands dark and troubled pass, while seamlessly moving over to the wild frontiers of early America and interweaving the American Indian connection into it. An easy read and an eye-opener to historical injustices faced by the Irish as well as the American Indians but written in soft manner. 4. 3 brkn stars. more
What was the point. An empty story at the beginning, middle and end. So many words written to express nothing. A wasted session of reading for me. more
A magnificent novel that stretches from the crime that was the Irish famine to the invasion and theft of native American lands. The crueltly meted on the colonised is excellently done here. Haunting, beautiful and stunning. more
Unique Writing Style Maybe "stream of consciousness" writing. This story is horrible, the truths that are exposed. I knew going in, it would be rough, but it was beyond rough. This author has told a story and exposed how that same thing has been done to numerous peoples, throughout history. I don't usually stop and read whole sections over again, but with this author, I did. more
I had never heard of Doolough or the walk of famine that the Irish experienced during the potato famine of 1849. It’s not something I’m likely to forget now, after reading this excellent 5+ star book. . more
Short, spoiler-free (. ) version:For a story intended to be about the similarities between the Irish and Native Americans (as stated by the author in the note in the back), this is mostly just a frustrating romance. Full, spoiler-inclusive version continues:It's frustrating because Honora, the narrator, (and maybe the author) can't decide if she has changed or not, if she should change or not, if she likes her husbands or not, if she's ready to move on from her past or not--but she does very quickly decide that she wants to somehow make love with (immediately and forever) the Native American who "liberated" her pony, despite her having a horrendously broken leg, open hand wound, and head trauma. I'm not going to sit here and try to pretend that either of her husbands or any of the other people in her life aside from the idolized Nell were particularly stellar human beings. They weren't, nor were they compelety one-dimensional caricatures, thankfully, though Ignatius comes very close (he reads essentially like Hans from Frozen). more
Beautiful prose but so incredibly bleak. The first part began strongly but by 70% I was hopeless of any redemption for the main character. I feel like this book missed the mark of greatness and by the end I was just fed up. My Irish Gran used to say…”just get on with it. ” And Honora, the main character, never seemed to do that. more
Couldn’t put it down. I read this all through the night. Honora starts the story married to William who she things has become tired of being with her. She practically raised herself and she is smart, strong wild. It is this spirit that captures the hearts of those drawn towards her. more
I'm not sure what to sayThis story is very deep. There are too many things. I think it will stay with me for awhile. Good bit of history that I didn't know about. more
4/5 ⭐️TW's - Check for any trigger warnings before reading thisThis was definitely not a light read and was pretty depressing overall lol. It was well written and was a pretty interesting fictional take on the Irish Famine and one woman's journey to America. more
What an incredible book. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. The author did a wonderful job of telling a story that illustrates history in Ireland and the American West with a great measure of authenticity. I especially loved the way the prairie settings were captured: the sights and smells of the land. The lead character suffered through years of hardship, burdened by the story of her birth and childhood she bought into that limited her ability to use her strengths and grow. more
I would give this book more stars if that was an option. O'Mahony's writing is equisite. It flows like water; at times reading more like poetry than prose. And then there are the characters she's created. Beneath Honora's courage and strength and Mary's flaws lie real human obstacles and adversity that would devour less tenacious people. more
Haunting, depressing, but quite beautiful. I was hopeful throughout the novel that Honora would find what she was desperately seeking. A sad story, with a beautiful ending. . more
So despairingly gloomy it gave me nightmares. Dreadful. more
Really liked this book especially since I just returned from Ireland and it shares perspective on life of Irish commoner experience during the famine in the 1800s and while we were there we learned that there was plenty of food just not shared with the Irish. High praise for this 2023 book . more
I had such high hopes for this book. I love historical fiction and this one took place in Ireland and US so I thought it was shoe in for me. But it fell flat. I think it would’ve been better as part one in Ireland and part two in US, or at least out West. Honora went through hell three times in search of freedom and could not catch a break. more
Interesting story and very respectful to the stories being told. Parts felt like it should maybe be first person, and the narration does create a detachment from Honora, but she is so unknowable, even to herself, it mostly works. The settings worked particularly well, with Ireland and America really brought to life without relying on the icky cliches and stereotypes that are often fallen back on. . more
This was definitely a page turner and full of surprises. It was also about an event I knew little about. Prosper was a man who loved her even though he met her in a whore house. He put his life on the line to take her out of there. He was patient with all her craziness and usually gave her the benefit of the doubt. more
This book is about an impoverished young Irish woman living in the 1840s. She eventually arrives in America hoping to start a new life. Of course that is impossible for a single woman who struggles to understand the language, doesn't have employment references, and doesn't understand what it is like to live in this new country. Eventually, she moves west, again, hoping for a better way of life. I really liked the character in this book. more
What an amazing but sad journey for Honora. In escaping Ireland during the great famine and after suffering considerable loss, to her journey to America where she again finds horrible conditions. She longs to fit in and be free but that seems unattainable until she finally finds her place in the world. . more
Wow. What a great story about a tragic time for the Irish. Not many books about the famine recently, if any. Genocide in other places, yes. Great writing. more
I absolutely loved this book. Feels like it could have been written for me, taking in two of the settings that in interest me most: Ireland during the famine and frontier times in America. It was one of those rare books when you feel only half alive when you’re not reading it. Could not recommend it more highly. more
A story that I felt I had somewhat read before. Part Brooklyn with some Dancing With Wolves and other Go West Young Man (in this case woman). It was a good story but was slow for me at various points along the journey. The Doolough tragedy was new to me and I found myself seeking more information about that. However, I found the ending to be predictable albeit satisfying. more