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When We Were Birds
- Narrated by: Sydney Darius, Wendell Manwarren
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
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When We Were Birds
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Mesmerising, mythic and timeless - the most unmissable debut novel of 2022 - for fans of Arundhati Roy, Toni Morrison and Monique Roffey.
Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the Trinidadian city of Port Angeles to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother and the Rastafari faith she taught him, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets.
Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, where the city meets the rainforest, Yejide's mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide: the power to talk to the dead. The women of Yejide's family are human but also not - descended from corbeau, the black birds that fly east at sunset, taking with them the souls of the dead.
Darwin and Yejide both have something that the other needs. Their destinies are intertwined, and they will find one another in the sprawling, ancient cemetery at the heart of the island, where trouble is brewing....
Rich with magic and wisdom, When We Were Birds is an exuberant, incantatory masterpiece that conjures and mesmerises on every line. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo weaves an unforgettable story of loss and renewal, darkness and light; a triumphant reckoning with a grief that runs back generations and a defiant, joyful affirmation of hope.
Critic reviews
"Exceptional. The originality of its premise, the power and beauty of its prose, the depth of its explorations of what it means to love and be loved." (Jacob Ross, author of Black Rain Falling)
"Combining the richness of myth with razor-sharp observation of contemporary life, When We Were Birds marks the emergence of a distinctive and powerful voice." (Pat Barker, author of The Silence of the Girls)
"Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a rising literary star from a region which gave the world three Nobel Laureates in literature. She conjures old magic and yet she is a strong, new voice." (Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch)
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- Liv
- 18-05-23
Just beautiful!
My favourite read for a long, long time. The language was so poetic and emotive and the characters so vivid that I feel like I will miss them and this world. Such a stunning depiction of the rawness of human experience and the parts of it we often seek to forget or push away were made beautiful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-01-24
A great story about living
The narration was great! I think it is difficult job to tell such a complex story as simply as the author did and it was done well. It is a story about loyalty and family and living (even with so much talk about death). I enjoyed it.
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- Alison
- 08-03-22
Fantastic!
I loved this book. The story telling made it all the more enjoyable. I could see the whole story through the characters.
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
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- ST
- 04-03-22
Comforting, entertaining, beautiful...
bright, dark, enlightening, thoughtful and thought provoking. A tale about death &/ the dead, in which love and and life are the vehicle.
Narration is a large part of the beauty of this story. The expression of the dialogue felt very honest and I hope the author is as impressed.
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- fred2020
- 30-07-22
great reading of a fantastic book
really brings the world alive. The collision of life and death, the plot expanded by the atmospheric writing and otherworldly touches
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- Jupiter
- 22-04-24
spooky
A tale set in modern day Trinidad in a land with a legacy of saves and plantations, thought provoking, atmospheric and spine tingling.
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- Annon
- 28-04-22
When we were birds 🐦
Loved it.
Life imitating art
An essential read, listen, scroll
Absolutely beautiful, warming and soulful
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lestón
- 14-02-23
beautifully written
Captivating story like poetry to read. The nareators are talented actors bringing the story vividly to live
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- Jacqueline
- 22-03-23
Refreshing
The story is told from an Afrocentric perspective. The narration was authentic and I throughly enjoyed this non formulaic approach to story telling.
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- Droltharris
- 20-03-22
Exquisite story expertly told.
Epic and intimate debut novel narrated by a stellar cast including living legend Wendell Manwarren. The details are so vivid and well-communicated that I felt I was at home in Trinidad. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
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