The Red Bird Sings, Aoife Fitzpatrick
The Red Bird Sings, Aoife Fitzpatrick
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The Red Bird Sings
A chilling and gripping historical gothic fiction debut, winner of the Kate O'Brien Award 2024*

Author: Aoife Fitzpatrick

Narrator: Julia Locascio

Unabridged: 10 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/06/2023

Synopsis

A prize-winning, spine-tingling gothic suspense novel based on a real-life murder trial in 1897 West Virginia
A SUNDAY TIMES BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF 2023

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 IRISH BOOK AWARDS

'A novel that demands you turn the pages' THE TIMES, BEST HISTORICAL FICTION
'A gothic mystery pulsing with suspense' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'An intense, memorable tale' SUNDAY TIMES
'Brilliant' IRISH TIMES
'I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page' JO BROWNING WROE, author of A Terrible Kindness
'Compelling' ANNE ENRIGHT
'A glorious tour de force - gorgeous and moving' IRISH AMERICA
'Truly superb' VICTORIA MACKENZIE, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

West Virginia, 1897. Young newlywed Zona Heaster Shue is found dead in her house, in what seems to have been a tragic accident. However, her mother, Mary Jane, is convinced Zona was murdered - and by none other than Zona's husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town.

But when Trout is put on trial, no one believes he could have done it, apart from Mary Jane and Zona's best friend Lucy, who was always suspicious of Trout. As the trial raises to fever pitch and the men of Greenbrier County stand aligned against them, Mary Jane and Lucy must decide whether to reveal Zona's greatest secret in the service of justice. But it's Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make.

*The Red Bird Sings was announced as the winner of the Kate O'Brien Award 2024 on 25/02/24

Readers love THE RED BIRD SINGS:

'Amazing' READER REVIEW ★★★★★

'This book has so much: feisty feminist characters ahead of their time, ghosts, historical drama, justice,
beautiful writing' READER REVIEW ★★★★★

'Very compelling . . . not one to be missed!' READER REVIEW ★★★★★

'A haunting story of love, revenge and grief' READER REVIEW ★★★★★

'Difficult to put down' READER REVIEW ★★★★★

About Aoife Fitzpatrick

Aoife Fitzpatrick is a native of Dublin, Ireland. Her debut novel, The Red Bird Sings, won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2020. The winner of the inaugural Books Ireland short-story competition, her work has also been recognised by the Séan O'Faoláin Prize, the Elizabeth Jolley Prize and by the Writing.ie Short Story of the Year award. Aoife received an MFA in Creative Writing at University College Dublin in 2019 and in 2020, she was the recipient of a literature bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Louise on March 28, 2023

West Virgina, 1897. when young Zona Heaster Shue dies only a few months after her wedding, her mother Mary Jane becomes convinced that Zona was murdered - and by none other than her husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town. But when Trout is put on trial, no one b......more

Goodreads review by Emma on June 19, 2023

I found this book difficult to engage with and confusing to follow. The beginning was slow and the characters did not feel fully drawn. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.......more

Goodreads review by Intelektualios on February 17, 2025

Tikrai gera istorija, perskaičiau gana įsitraukus. Gaila, kad per daug nuspėjama. 3 žvaigždutės dėl turinio lengvumo.......more

Goodreads review by Kate on March 20, 2023

4.5 stars: I'm only knocking off the half point because the start was quite slow and until I was a third in did I get totally invested in this book. After that I was so hooked that I sat (quite literally) on the edge of my seat until I finished it. The whole book is about the death of Zona Heaster, a......more

Goodreads review by Kristina on September 18, 2024

Man ši nelabai patiko ir skaitėsi nuobodžiai.......more

Quotes

A sparkling, unusual novel that demands you turn the pages. The spirits tell me that this Irish debut author is a talent to watch Antonia Senior, The Times

Written with a compelling, lyrical intensity, The Red Bird Sings is a historical drama whose characters are full of a a suppressed fury, and haunted by a need for justice. A deeply felt and accomplished debut Anne Enright

A gothic mystery pulsing with suspense, it highlights domestic abuse and the silencing of women's voices Mail on Sunday

Truly superb... Compelling and lyrical in equal measure Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page Jo Browning Wroe, author of A Terrible Kindness

An atmospheric debut that keeps you turning pages right until the end. Loved it Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl

Beautifully crafted ... wholly convincing in its historical detail and tone Sarah Gilmartin, author of Dinner Party

Exceptional... What a treat. It's that rare beast: beautiful and literary with an extremely compelling and readable plot Nicola Garrard, author of 29 Locks

An absolutely beautifully written story. Aoife Fitzpatrick's prose just lifts straight off the page and transports you to 1897 Virginia, where Zona Heaster's Shue's story is told by the women who loved her, despite efforts to silence her forever Cailean Steed, author of HOME

I was spellbound by this incredibly accomplished piece of historical feminist fiction. Thrilling and beautifully written Jennie Godfrey, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS

Awards

  • McKitterick Prize
  • Irish Book Awards
  • Kate O'Brien Award
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