Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern #BlogTour @Cecelia_Ahern #Lyrebird @fictionpubteam

She will change your life forever…

In the south-west of Ireland, rugged mountains meet bright blue lakes and thick forests. Deep in the woods, a young woman lives alone, forever secluded from the world, her life a well-kept secret. She possesses an extraordinary talent, the likes of which no-one has seen before: a gift that will earn her the nickname Lyrebird.

When Solomon stumbles into Laura’s solitary existence, her life is turned on its head. Pulled from her peaceful landscape to the cacophony of Dublin, she is confronted by a world desperate to understand her.

But while Solomon knows the world will embrace Laura, will it free her to spread her wings – or will it trap her in a gilded cage? Like all wild birds, she needs to fly free…

Lyrebird is a thoughtful, deeply moving love story; a story of the wild heart in us all and the quiet that lies underneath the world’s noise.

Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern was published in hardback by Harper Collins on 3 November and is the author's fourteenth novel. I'm delighted to host the #BlogTour for #Lyrebird here on Random Things today.

I have to admit that it's been a long time since I read a novel by Cecelia Ahern, but the premise of
Lyrebird intrigued me, I'm really happy to report that I was totally entranced by this book. I'm not sure quite what I expected if I'm honest, but I enjoyed every single page of what can only be described as an intriguing and wonderfully thoughtful story.

Solomon and his girlfriend Bo, along with their colleague Rachel, have returned to Gougane Barra, a small, quite isolated settlement in the Cork countryside. They've returned to attend the funeral of Tom Toolin. Tom and his twin brother Jack were the subjects of their award-winning documentary where Bo and Solomon spent a year following and filming them. Tom has died and Jack is now alone.

Whilst in Gougane Barra they discover a young woman living in the forest in a hidden cottage. None of them, including Jack, had any idea that Laura existed. She's lived there, in secret for the past ten years. The discovery is startling and shocking, but when it becomes apparent that Laura has a very special gift, and can mimic any sound that she hears, Bo seizes the opportunity for an even greater documentary. They will take Laura and show her to the world.

Nicknamed Lyrebird, after the Australian bird, that just like Laura, can mimic the sounds that surround it, Laura is whisked away to the city. Away from everything that she knows, unable to properly process and deal with her losses, and thrust into the bright lights of celebrity as the stand-out contestant on Ireland's biggest TV talent show.

What follows is an extraordinary time for Laura, but also for Solomon and for Bo. Cecelia Ahern has very cleverly exposed the dirty side of TV celebrity, she does not shy away from the selfish and corrupt behaviour that goes into making an unknown person into someone who is then owned by the production company, and the public.

Lyrebird is very well written. The author excels with her characterisation; gently exposing their layers as the story progresses. There are touches of humour and great dollops of sadness, but this story is, at its heart, a love story. From large Irish families, to small isolated communities. From celebrity nightclubs to the vulnerabilities of Laura's co-contestants on the talent show; all of these are portrayed so beautifully and so vividly.

Lyrebird is a novel that shows us who are really are, and how we can become that person. There are secrets and family bonds, it is up to the minute and totally relevant. A wonderful read, I enjoyed it so much.




Cecelia Ahern was born and grew up in Dublin. She is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over twenty-five million copies of her novels worldwide.
Two of her books have been adapted as films and she has created several TV series.
She and her books have won numerous awards, including the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction for The Year I Met You.
She lives in Dublin with her family

For more information visit www.cecelia-ahern.com
Find her Author page on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @Cecelia_Ahern

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