This book is set in a world in the (hopefully distant future) when animals have essentially become extinct. Humanity has overfished, global warming has messed with the ecosystems and only one last species of birds is left on earth. McConaghy sets the scene in this terrifying future and then drops in unlikely and broken protagonists attempting a quest they are likely to fail. And yet, I rooted for them every step of the way.

I flew through this book, trying to piece together the puzzle of each character's life. There's a lot of jumping between timelines and locations but it lead to a nice reveal that left me satisfied once I reached the final few pages.

This is the story of Franny, a woman who had deep ties to the oceans, and heeded the innate need for wildness inside of her. Her wanderings and sparse work life, intersect with a college proffessor whose passion is birds and their migrations. This story takes place when most species have died off, and very few are left. A barren time for those who are desperate to rescue them.
Franny is an intense personality, and the author does an amazing job of letting us feel the turmoil and inner life of her. Her character vibrates off the pages. The other characters are also very well drawn and very interesting. The adventure of being married to Niall, is pitted against her need to wander free. She doesn't trust her needs, or the love in their marriage, and one of the questions I kept coming back to , is why does she need to leave, to migrate away and back so often? Beyond all this, we are with her as she convinces the captain of a fishing boat to take her south to follow these three Arctic terns that she has tagged. A last and riveting adventure. Migration, and the storms and the beauty, and a focus of purpose is the start and the end of this book. I loved it.

What a stunning and atmospheric book. One part cautionary tale, one part literary thriller. I could not get through this book fast enough to better understand the complexities of the characters while at the same time wishing it wouldn’t end. The writing was absolutely incredible and the story well researched. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a copy of this book. I will be sharing my full review on my blog closer to the publishing date.

An absolute masterpiece. Breathtaking and heartbreaking, a character study that was as riveting as any plot-driven novel I’ve ever read. Franny will live with me for a very long time; I am blown away.

This book is an absolutely stunning (US) debut for the author. This story is set in the (not so) distant future where all wildlife is on the edge of full extinction. We follow the narrator, a woman full of love, heartache, and mystery, as she tracks the last known terns on a very long migration. The relationships she forms with the band of "misfit" crew on the ship she finds to take her on the journey is so interesting, and the love story with her husband is beautiful. The writing in this novel just carried me away - it was descriptive but not cumbersome - and I couldn't help but see a piece of me in Franny, and left with a renewed awareness of our planet at risk. Many thanks to the author and publisher and Netgalley for the advanced read (all opinions are my own). I absolutely loved this book.

There are times that a novel will make me laugh out loud. There are others that will make me cry. But I don’t ever remember a novel make me audibly gasp. As in “gasp so you need to stop reading, stand up, and walk around for a while”. That is not until “Migrations” by Charlotte McConaghy. What a remarkable book by a new super talent making her 1st forray into adult literary fiction.

I will always remember that I read “Migrations” at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. We are living in times where we clearly see the results of what we have wrought. “Migrations” is set in the not-too-distant future when flora and particularly fauna are disappearing at an ever more alarming rate. Scientists continue to argue about how to best stem the tide. Protests abound, some violent. Enter Franny, a most remarkable protagonist. Her past has made her uniquely suited to play a key role.

There’s the ice-cold sea and the Arctic terns – the wonderful, wondrous Arctic terns. "Migrations" is much more than an apocalyptic adventure novel. It is deeply touching as the lives of the characters slowly unfold. There are deep themes of abandonment and commitment, bravery and fear. Please read "Migrations”. You may gasp.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for the eARC.

What a stunning, melancholy, visceral book. A young woman, with a wandering soul in search of meaning in her life coincides with her study of the migration of the Arctic tern. The atmospheric writing is amazing and there is enough unspoken secrets to keep you immersed.

This book will touch your soul.