‘Sandra Rivett’s history has long been dismantled and dismissed by a press in thrall to the flashy Lucan lifestyle. Dawson’s insistence that she take prominence with this novel goes some way to achieving a balance, even as the aristocratic carelessness and coldness at the heart of the book prevails.’ – Catherine Taylor, Financial Times. Read… Continue reading…
‘In her highly engrossing new novel, Dawson gives powerful voice to someone silenced in history – the murdered nanny at the heart of the notorious case of Lord Lucan, who disappeared on the night of the murder.’ – iNews. Read the full review here. Continue reading…
‘The narrative’s progress towards the terrifying evening in the dark basement kitchen has the ineluctable pull of tragic myth. We know what must come, but this knowledge never detracts from the memorable beauty and intelligence of the novel. By focusing on the victim, Dawson allows us to completely rethink the original story in a way… Continue reading…
‘All in all, this beautifully written novel achieves its aim: it gives the victim back her voice.’ Read the full review here. Continue reading…
**** ‘Lady Morven and Mandy are superbly drawn characters…this is a sensitive and often beautifully written novel…Dawson’s greatest achievement is to breathe life into Sandra, emphasising that she would deserve our attention even if she had not met such a tragic end.’ Continue reading…
JILL Dawson is an award-winning novelist and poet. The Language Of Birds is based on the story of Lord Lucan and is set in 1970s London. Mandy and Rosemary work as nannies for aristocratic families and the book explores the freedom enjoyed by the young women escaping small villages to enjoy the anonymity of the… Continue reading…
‘Jill Dawson’s fictional take on the affair quietly but firmly redresses the balance as she makes her heroine, Mandy River, a warm, intelligent and life-filled delight who is not a victim but a woman who clear-sightedly sees a family beset by problems and Lord Morven for exactly who he is. Conjuring a world of class… Continue reading…
‘In The Language Of Birds, Jill Dawson weaves a heartbreaking story of a young woman arriving in London to start afresh and look after the children of Lord and Lady Morven but soon finds herself a pawn in a bitter custody battle.’ Read the full review here. Continue reading…
Read the Daily Mail‘s review of LANGUAGE OF BIRDS here. ‘…this book is in a class of its own.’ Continue reading…
Great review for LANGUAGE OF BIRDS in The Observer. ‘Mandy is a gorgeous creation, a character so warm and vivid you half wish you could take her out for a drink.’ Read the full review here. Continue reading…