Review of 'The Freedom of Birds' by Stephanie Parkyn!

Novel by Stephanie Parkyn now available as of Nov 30, 2021!

The Freedom of Birds by Stephanie Parkyn gave me goosebumps! It is a story rich in Napoleon era history that exhibits like a fine painting born from a colourful and detailed palette. Powerful word brush strokes transport you effortlessly to another realm and time.

This novel is about the longing for freedom, the desire to find a home: a place to belong. This is a journey of hope, friendship and love. At the heart of this novel also is the importance of story-telling but the characters find themselves facing other wars with Napoleon when he dictates ‘which arts he will allow to survive.’ 

When I finished reading Stephanie’s novel I hardly knew where to begin in discussing its merits. It is a story of such depth and haunting realism that it grips you in its strong emotional delivery and captures your attention with the agonies and ecstasies of the era. It was a time of conquering, plundering, loss, change, trials and traumas so vast and wide that it is hard to compare with the world of today. But Stephanie takes us back there to experience it through her own gift – the art of story-telling. And that journey is unforgettable and exhilarating through the fairy-tale lands of Brothers Grimm. Here we see the various sights, hear the unique sounds and breathe country fresh air sometimes infiltrated with cooking smells, smoke or even fear. 

But we never lose sight of the fact that at the heart of The Freedom of Birds is the importance of storytelling and society’s need for it at all times— and even more during the dark days of war to give people hope. For without hope, people lose purpose and faith and the will to triumph over challenges. We see this played out in many of this book’s characters including Saskia, the runaway orphan girl (seen on the stunning cover). Her journey is moving even as she deals with the ragged sharp edges of death that cut into her heart and change her forever.

The novel is also about the search for parentage, the visitation and engulfment of grief, betrayal and sacrifice. Remorse felt by the characters at what they should have done in the past to change the present is evident. The view that rises from these travellers is that there is a time for stories and a time for truth, and for some it is not so much about where they belong but where they will go next. As these characters face the challenges of abandonment, abuse and abduction, their ideas change on the journey when experience teaches them some harsh lessons. This journey also embraces the meaning of family where loyalty, friendship and love coincide. Even finding what was lost and discovering what was waiting to be found. 

I have often thought, and even more so with this story, that a story-teller delivering a historical novel is like HG Wells with his time machine. The vehicle is the page or stage or painting – any platform where we can tell a story --that takes us back in time (or forward) and provides endless possible scenarios, as many as our imagination can create for us!

Stephanie is a master at research and uses that knowledge creatively to deliver a believable tale. She helps us see what her characters saw, feel their emotions—their upheavals, the various seasonal stages in their lives and setting changes. They each learn how to tackle the ghosts of the past, to interpret the perceptions of the present and to conquer their visions of the future.

Written from three perspectives, we get a well-rounded picture of the dilemmas each character faces. I enjoyed the journey of Remi, Pascal, and Saskia. They each had a distinct voice with one point of view written in first person and the other two in third: a unique artistic angle in distinguishing one character from another.  

Although I have tried to convey some of the things I saw and felt, (without giving away the plot) this novel defies description really. It must be read, realised, inhaled and absorbed through its words for it has obviously been lovingly created, masterfully written and poetically delivered in its vision and purpose. 

Lovers of books by Kate Forsyth, Lauren Chater, Natasha Lester and Meg Keneally— to name a few— will be enraptured by this finely spun tale that begins with fact but then explodes into powerful fiction while it entertains, enlightens and inspires. As mentioned, this novel (particularly the ending) gave me goosebumps. I highly recommend The Freedom of Birds by Stephanie Parkyn and her first two novels, as there are some wonderful connecting threads between them all. 5 Stars for its Story-Telling Perfection. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Stephanie and the publisher Allen and Unwin for a copy to review.

Copies of this review can be found on Amazon AU, Goodreads and all social media sites.