The Birdcage

This is the first novel I have read by this author. What a find! Marcia Willett is an outstanding English author. Her prose is so far above the average contemporary writer, that the critics seem to compare her to. Moving, and deep, this is a story that will linger on your mind for months after you finish this book. I hated to finish the last page and leave these characters. I could see and feel the English countryside. This is a must read. I will immediately buy more books from this author and will look forward to any new books in the future.

If you have not yet discovered Marcia Willett, I urge you to pick up this book, you have a major treat in store. Reminiscent of Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy but very much her own woman, Willett writes painstakingly and lovingly of everyday lives that are anything but ordinary. "The Birdcage" spans two generations of very nice people caught up in circumstances that have far-reaching repercussions. It begins in the 50s, in the loveless marriage of Felix and Marina, whose only thing in common is their precocious young son Piers. Marina is a stiff, unyielding woman who stifles her natural adoration of her husband and son beneath a strict, mean exterior that manifests itself in insane jealousy of Felix, and overbearing discipline toward Piers. When Felix meets lovely, fey, bubbly Angel, a beautiful actress who lives with her roommate Pidge and young daughter Lizzie in a charming house they have named "The Birdcage," the outcome is inevitable. For years, Felix travels on business to Bristol, where he shares a joyous and lively life with the Birdcage household. Angel is his mistress and their love is unchanging. Until Angel pushes the envelope and tragedy ensues. Fast forward 40 years. Felix is an elderly and frail man; Piers a divorced adult; and Angel and Pidge are long gone. It takes about two chapters to sort out all the new people and figure out their relationships to one another and to the people of the past, and that is the only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. But no matter. In an enchanting second half, Lizzie, now grown and an actress on her own, comes back to find Felix--and to ground herself with some understanding of her past. It's a beautiful story that can stand on its own, but when the past meets the present and old wounds are opened and then healed, it makes for a simply lovely story. Highly recommended.

I've always wondered what I would do without Rosamunde Pilcher to soothe my reading mind....now it seems that Marcia Willet is a good...I don't want to say substitute, because no-one can replace RP, but she comes VERY close! This is a good read - I enjoyed it. The flow is great, the characters are well done and it is enough to encourage me to read another of MW's books. If I had to use one word I would use SOOTHING. Well done Marcia! thanks!

Marcia Willett delivers another wonderfully romantic tale set on the English coast. From the tall house in Bristol, nicknamed the Birdcage, to the lush setting in Exmoor, this story plays out in an enchanting, multi-generational saga that will leave her fans, and all fans of women's fiction, deeply satisfied. Angela Blake is the passionate actress who falls in love with Felx Hamilton. He comes to love the life Angela, her daughter Lizzie, and their housemate Pidge live and becomes a vital part of that life. Lizzie longs for him to be the father she never knew, but Felix has other obligations. He has a family in Exmoor, a wife he no longer loves but a beloved son, Piers, who he cannot forsake. Or can he? Which life will Felix choose and what will be the repercussions for him and the next generation? The story plays out in two time frames: the 1950's when Angela and Felix first meet, and later in the 1990's when the fall-out from their love affair must be dealt with. This is, above all, Lizzie's story as she seeks to connect the past and the present in order to face her uncertain future. Rich with the local color of her beloved England, warm with characters you come to love, and heartrending in its plot, this is another five-star read from Marcia Willett.

In 1956 Dunster, though married to Marina and raising a son Piers together, Felix is unhappy with his loveless life though he loves his son. He meets Angelina when he attends the theater as she is performing on the stage. They begin a tryst as he visits her often at the Birdcage. He is falling in love with his Angel and cherishes her delightful young daughter Lizzie, who thinks Felix is the dad she never met. When Marina learns about her husband's infidelity, she forces him to decide between his second family and his son. Four decades later, a grieving Lizzie, whose mom just died, needs to understand why Felix abruptly dumped them. When she catches up to the man who was so kind to a girl that needed attention, she hides the truth that she is married to a philanderer. Felix is happy to see Lizzie and introduces her to Piers. With Lizzie as the catalyst the estranged relationship between father and son heals, but she knows she lives a lie from the two men she cares so much about. The vital element in this deep relationship drama is the significant cast members seem genuine whether it is the 1950s or the 1990s. The story line focuses on the characters especially Felix in the first half and Piers and Lizzie in the latter segment of this profound drama. Readers will emphasize with Felix as he chooses his beloved son which means Marina over his treasured Angel and her dearly loved daughter. Fans will be pleased with this strong family drama starring wonderful fully developed protagonists regardless of the decades that the subplots occur. Harriet Klausner