Well, after all the dark stuff I've recently read, Bird Cottage was a welcome change of pace.
The story tells of (Gwendolen) Len's life, from her family home life as a child, her change into adulthood and her life changing decision to go to Bird cottage. A fiercely dedicated naturalist, she opens her home and life to the birds surrounding her.
It's a steady paced read, sometimes a bit melancholic and nostalgic. To be honest, after finishing this book, I found myself reflecting on my own life and family. (I don't think this was the author's aim, but it's what I got from it, and I loved it!). A heartfelt and warming read, it was the perfect tonic to clear my mind and slow down. Lovely!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley for my arc. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Gwendolen ‘Len’ Howard (1894-1973) was a woman of two great passions, birds and music. Her observations of bird watching were published in various periodicals and two books.

In 1938, Len Howard moves from London to a little house in Sussex, which she later calls Bird Cottage. There, she observes birds and gains their trust, thus creating a special bond.

The story shifts between present time to when she was a child and later an adult. It is also intertwined with stories about birds, which “have their origin in Howard’s own anecdotes in Birds as Individuals and Living with Birds.”

Wales, 1900. Len’s father brings home a small bird that has fallen from the nest. And this is the beginning of Len’s journey with the birds. Throughout the years, she collects more birds and goes bird-watching with her father.

The story gives a glimpse of her rich family, mother who is occupied with organizing the soirees and managing everyone. At her parties Len also plays her talents on violin. It seems as the parents are struggling with life. Father, who is a poet and struggles more and more to create something that would satisfy him. “Since the accident Mother has started drinking in the afternoons again. Father, however, has stopped.”

Her passion for music takes her to London, where she joins orchestra. But she misses the birds and to fill the gap, she takes long walks from her lodgings in order to observe birds.

It is a story of an incredible woman who pursues her two biggest passions, playing violin and observing birds. Her journey of bird-watching takes her from her passion through her research and being rejected by magazines for her articles as not being scientific enough to selling in the tens of thousands of her books worldwide.

The read is quick, but at the same time it’s very rich, textured with Len’s talents and dedications. Beautifully imagined and written. For those who appreciate nature and simple life, this might be a treasure read.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

Bird Cottage is a poetic, meditational sort of literary fiction novel. It explores the life Len Howard, a real woman who set aside her busy life as a professional violinist in London to live among and study birds in Sussex. In her time, she was a bestselling author, and also scorned as a witch-like recluse and not a genuine scientist because of her gender and lack of degrees.

The writing here is a joy to read. I encountered many turns of phrase I wish to absorb as my own. I related strongly to Len and could well understand why she came to prefer her home filled with birds over the company of humans. I think the mood of this book will linger with me a while yet.

A compelling story about a real-life naturalist, Gwendolen, or Len, Howard, born in 1894, who at the age of 40 gave up her life in London as a successful violinist and hid herself away in a cottage in the English countryside, devoting the rest of her life to the study of birds. This was no sentimental attachment but a serious study of the lives and habits of the birds that inhabited her garden, and she wrote two bestselling books as well as a number of articles. She was never fully accepted by the scientific community as her “experiments” weren’t rigorous enough, they objected, based as they were merely on her own experience and observations. I found Len a fascinating character and enjoyed finding out about her. The fictionalised account is sympathetic and feels very real and has been written with obvious empathy and understanding. I did find some of the “bird” passages repetitive and dull at times – but then my interest in birds is pretty minimal. Nevertheless, it’s a gentle and absorbing read and I’m sure many bird enthusiasts will now be keen to find Len’s books. I hope publishers are listening.

This book was available as a "Read Now" selection via Net Galley from Pushkin Press and was published in 2018. The subject matter intrigued me as I had never heard of this woman Len Howard who had made a radical decision to leave her position as a violinist in London and move to remote spot in Sussex where she could devote her life to studying birds.
The construction of the fictionalized account of her life moves between her early childhood in Wales through adulthood in London and her life at Bird Cottage as she gets to know and live with birds. She goes on to write many articles and from that interest then books.
Her family life was interesting, her dedication to her violin was as well, but her decision to act on changing her life dramatically based on her love of birds from childhood was unique.

This is a good book for lovers of nature...is sometimes melancholy and slow paced.