Blackbird, The
Nominated for Gmund Award 2021, for excellence in book design & print
'There’s loss, heart-break, turmoil, grief wrapped in its pages, but it’s also a story of how the past remains within us, construction of the physical and the spiritual, and how relationships form and break. I loved this historical character led novel and would highly recommend it.' - Leigh, Books.Tea.And.Me
| Weight | 0.380000 |
|---|---|
| ISBN13/Barcode | 9781999797409 |
| ISBN10 | 199979740X |
| Author | Claire Allen |
| Binding | Paperback |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 6th June 2020 |
| Pages | 288 |
| Publisher | Henningham Family Press |
Hope nurses a husband with Alzheimers, a retired civic sculptor. A secret he has kept for her threatens the fragile peace she has made with her parents memory: the truth of what happened to her mother while her obsessive father built Liverpool Cathedral as the bombs still fell. Hope brings in Louise to be home-carer. A young mother struggling alone on the Blackbird Estate with an abusive ex-partner. Together, can they build a place where the past can't hurt them?
Allen resists glorification of the Blitz with the sights, sounds and smells that surround helpless citizens. Hope's story weaves together two little-known histories: The Liverpool Blitz (WW2) and a contemporary community living in the post-War architecture of Allens London 'Blackbird Estate'.
It is 1941. Hope's father, Jenner, builds Liverpool Cathedral while the Luftwaffe's bombs fall. It is 2014, and Hope cares for her husband Robert as Alzheimer's destroys his personality.
Hope's husband Robert is a retired civic sculptor. As Alzheimer's unravels his mind, a secret he has kept for her threatens to emerge, breaking the fragile peace she has made with her parents’ memory: the truth of what happened to her mother during the Liverpool Blitz.
Hope brings in Louise to be home-carer. A young mother, the last resident of the Blackbird Estate, harassed by her ex-partner. But now they are together, can they find a way the past can't hurt them?
Allen tells the overlooked story of the Liverpool Blitz, but resists its glorification with the sights, sounds and smells that surround the desperate citizens.
Praise for The Blackbird:
"Claire Allen really nails what it's like to Care for someone... Her descriptions throughout the book are just so perfect." - Clare Reynolds, Years Of Reading Selfishly
"Jealousy and blame pervade... Layered and nuanced yet never heavy." - Jackie Law, Never Imitate
"It serves as a potent reminder that violence, in all its forms, is not restricted to working class males." - Sarah Crewe, author of Floss
"Claire Allen’s writing is cinematic. I could picture every character, scene and action clearly... The Blackbird is a work of art, filled with top quality print and gorgeous illustrations but also has a strong story to complement the high aesthetics." - Robert Pisani, The Bobsphere