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Birds in the Nest
Minnie, a timid thirteen-year-old, clutches her little sister as she cautiously descends the gangway of a migrant ship. They stand on the threshold of Brisbane, Australia—a fledgling, humid city that feels worlds away from their rural home near Belfast. The air is thick with the promise of a new beginning, yet it carries the weight of everything they have left behind. Fleeing from the shadows of death, disease, and religious intolerance that plagued their homeland, Minnie's family arrives with hearts brimming with hope, eager to carve out a better future in this distant land.
However, the path to their dreams is fraught with unforeseen challenges. World War One engulfs nations in conflict. Relentless droughts ravage the land, and the Great Depression looms ominously on the horizon. With only her unwavering grit and fierce determination to guide her, Minnie must navigate these seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Will she find the strength to overcome the hurdles and realise her dreams?
One enthusiastic Goodreads reviewer hailed this poignant tale as Australia's answer to the beloved classic Little Women. It draws readers into a rich narrative of resilience and hope.
However, the path to their dreams is fraught with unforeseen challenges. World War One engulfs nations in conflict. Relentless droughts ravage the land, and the Great Depression looms ominously on the horizon. With only her unwavering grit and fierce determination to guide her, Minnie must navigate these seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Will she find the strength to overcome the hurdles and realise her dreams?
One enthusiastic Goodreads reviewer hailed this poignant tale as Australia's answer to the beloved classic Little Women. It draws readers into a rich narrative of resilience and hope.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2024
7 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Hart
1 book69 followersBirds in the Nest is the debut novel of the author, a retired lawyer. Over 20 years ago, Wendy’s life was turned upside down by a rare neurological disease that left her with speech articulation dysfunction and impaired mobility. Birds in the Nest draws inspiration from the life of the author's paternal grandmother.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
September 6, 2025
An absorbing historical saga about a family who emigrate from Ireland to Australia in the early 1900s. They experience a lot of hardship and grief, especially early on from the devastation of tuberculosis ("the graveyard cough"), and later the upheaval of WW1, drought, and the Great Depression. It was lovely when the daughters began to find some happiness in Australia, going to dances, embarking on their own families, and in one case making some "sprints to the barn" in the moonlight with her new love. As with many emigration stories, this is one of resilience.
I have to say that the author's note for this book was really touching, and put a new light on everything that had gone before. I had noticed in the blurb that 'Birds in the Nest' was inspired by Wendy Hart's own family history, but the author's note really brought this home - that Minnie, Jeannie et al were real people. The way that other descendants had helped with research and proofreading, during a writing project that took six years, also made this book feel like a labour of love.
I have to say that the author's note for this book was really touching, and put a new light on everything that had gone before. I had noticed in the blurb that 'Birds in the Nest' was inspired by Wendy Hart's own family history, but the author's note really brought this home - that Minnie, Jeannie et al were real people. The way that other descendants had helped with research and proofreading, during a writing project that took six years, also made this book feel like a labour of love.
October 14, 2024
George and Mary live in rural Belfast and Minnie their youngest is only two when her mother dies and her father no other option other than remarry. Her step-mother promises to treat his children as her own and she does, the Craig's have no idea the tuberculosis outbreak will spread and those who don’t succumb will immigrate to Australia.
Minnie arrives in the strange new land at the age of thirteen, she and her sisters start working at a factory sewing in Brisbane, Queensland she hates living in the noisy and dirty city. Minnie has had enough by the time she's sixteen, she leaves and travels to the country and eventually marries a banana farmer. They live in the remote hills and an isolated place, and Albert assures Minnie once he saves enough money they will buy a dairy farm.
Minnie and Albert traverse life’s ups and downs together, The Great War, outbreak of the Spanish Flu, a two year long drought and a depression and after living in Australia for over twenty years Minnie looks back at her life and she now lives on a dairy farm called Oakland, with her husband and children.
I was asked by Wendy Hart to read her debut novel Birds in the Nest, it’s based on the life of her maternal grandmother, spanning from the late 1890’s to 1932 and set in two countries and I learnt a lot from reading the narrative. A story about pregnancy and birth, large families, death and loss, tragedy and traumatic events, hardship and survival.
I knew Protestants and Catholics didn’t get on in Ireland and however I had no idea how violent it was, terrible tuberculosis outbreaks and how exposure to it affected infants, and death was no stranger to young children.
Living in a strange place started off as an adventure and when they arrived it was a shock, with a different climate, odd trees and vegetation, animals and snakes, bugs and spiders, dealing with bullying and trying to figure out what Aussie's were saying. Leaving everything familiar behind is hard, knowing you will never return and I did wonder what happened to her aunt Sarah?
Four stars from me, and Minnie was the epitome of resilient and I highly recommend this book if you’re interested Australian migration fiction and what life was really like at the time and for young women.
Minnie arrives in the strange new land at the age of thirteen, she and her sisters start working at a factory sewing in Brisbane, Queensland she hates living in the noisy and dirty city. Minnie has had enough by the time she's sixteen, she leaves and travels to the country and eventually marries a banana farmer. They live in the remote hills and an isolated place, and Albert assures Minnie once he saves enough money they will buy a dairy farm.
Minnie and Albert traverse life’s ups and downs together, The Great War, outbreak of the Spanish Flu, a two year long drought and a depression and after living in Australia for over twenty years Minnie looks back at her life and she now lives on a dairy farm called Oakland, with her husband and children.
I was asked by Wendy Hart to read her debut novel Birds in the Nest, it’s based on the life of her maternal grandmother, spanning from the late 1890’s to 1932 and set in two countries and I learnt a lot from reading the narrative. A story about pregnancy and birth, large families, death and loss, tragedy and traumatic events, hardship and survival.
I knew Protestants and Catholics didn’t get on in Ireland and however I had no idea how violent it was, terrible tuberculosis outbreaks and how exposure to it affected infants, and death was no stranger to young children.
Living in a strange place started off as an adventure and when they arrived it was a shock, with a different climate, odd trees and vegetation, animals and snakes, bugs and spiders, dealing with bullying and trying to figure out what Aussie's were saying. Leaving everything familiar behind is hard, knowing you will never return and I did wonder what happened to her aunt Sarah?
Four stars from me, and Minnie was the epitome of resilient and I highly recommend this book if you’re interested Australian migration fiction and what life was really like at the time and for young women.
October 12, 2024
This is a fabulous debut, a story about the author’s family a story of tragedy, heartbreak and resilience we meet Minnie and travel with her from rural area outside Belfast to the vast lands of Queensland Australia.
When Minnie is two she lost her mother to tuberculosis which has been raging through Ireland, leaving her father to care for the farm and three young girls, with help he copes but soon he takes a new wife and Minnie has a stepmother, Charlotte and soon more sisters and a couple of brothers, but at eleven her Da passes to the terrible disease as well and then her half-brothers, Charlotte decides that they need to immigrate to Brisbane where her sister lives and get away from Ireland the religious troubles and the white plague that is taking so many lives.
Minnie arrives to this new land at the age of thirteen with her two sisters and three half-sisters to start a new life and it is very different from what she has known, the weather, the insects all very different, working in a sewing factory Minnie dreams of her own farm and at sixteen she takes off on her own to make her dreams come true.
She is soon married to Albert and at first working on a banana farm and with a couple of children soon her dream has come true they have a dairy farm and Minnie works hard more children arrive as does World War one times are hard and the Spanish flue arrives with devastating results, then there is a drought and then the terrible depression, Minnie shows her strength and keeps going, will she ever find the true happiness that she craves?
This story shows the hardships that they all went through in these very tough times and Minnie stood her ground no matter what was thrown in her path, this is a story that I do highly recommend to anyone who loves a good historical fiction based on true fact, getting to know Minnie and her family was emotional and my heart went out to them all. I would have liked to have known what happened to the other family members as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
When Minnie is two she lost her mother to tuberculosis which has been raging through Ireland, leaving her father to care for the farm and three young girls, with help he copes but soon he takes a new wife and Minnie has a stepmother, Charlotte and soon more sisters and a couple of brothers, but at eleven her Da passes to the terrible disease as well and then her half-brothers, Charlotte decides that they need to immigrate to Brisbane where her sister lives and get away from Ireland the religious troubles and the white plague that is taking so many lives.
Minnie arrives to this new land at the age of thirteen with her two sisters and three half-sisters to start a new life and it is very different from what she has known, the weather, the insects all very different, working in a sewing factory Minnie dreams of her own farm and at sixteen she takes off on her own to make her dreams come true.
She is soon married to Albert and at first working on a banana farm and with a couple of children soon her dream has come true they have a dairy farm and Minnie works hard more children arrive as does World War one times are hard and the Spanish flue arrives with devastating results, then there is a drought and then the terrible depression, Minnie shows her strength and keeps going, will she ever find the true happiness that she craves?
This story shows the hardships that they all went through in these very tough times and Minnie stood her ground no matter what was thrown in her path, this is a story that I do highly recommend to anyone who loves a good historical fiction based on true fact, getting to know Minnie and her family was emotional and my heart went out to them all. I would have liked to have known what happened to the other family members as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
September 18, 2025
Historical fiction based on Wendy Hart's grandmother's life. Not an easy read by any means as historical fiction rarely is when difficult times are involved. Minnie was born in Northern Ireland in the late 1890's when consumption was too common, and Minnie and her family were particularly hard hit. But the love of her sisters made this time more than bearable. An epic sea journey to Brisbane when she was 13 was entertaining and fun, but life in Australia, while not as dire as Ireland, was difficult in human, animal and land tragedies. But Minnie is a survivor and an inspiring figure, we're left at the end looking good with her six surviving children.
A hard read, but worth it indeed. 3+ stars.
A hard read, but worth it indeed. 3+ stars.
October 15, 2024
Several weeks ago, author Wendy Hart, asked me if she could send me a copy of her book, Birds in the Nest. I was touched and so very grateful that she had chosen to send me a copy of her book. I am voluntarily providing this honest and unbiased review in response.
Birds in the Nest began on a farm in Ulster, Ireland in the late 1800’s where George and Mary and their three daughters lived. George and Mary had been high school sweethearts and their love for one another was very strong. George called Mary his butterfly, a special endearment that he had for his wife. Jeannie was the oldest daughter, Lizzie was the next oldest and Minnie was but a baby when her story began. It’s not long before Mary, Minnie’s mammy, started to exhibit signs of the deadly and dreaded “white plague” or consumption. Minnie had just turned two when she lost her beloved mother to that dreaded disease. Mary had only been twenty-seven years old when she died of consumption. George did all he could to keep the farm running while providing his three toddler daughters with all the love he could muster. He was a very devoted father but needed help. His sister Sarah and her two daughters, Frances and Katherine, helped George with the caring of his three daughters while he worked on the farm. Minnie had a very special relationship with her Da from a very young age.
Minnie’s Da, George, remarried a woman named Charlotte from Derry eventually. Together they had three more daughters and two sons. Tragedy was not finished with Minnie’s family yet. In the next several years, Minnie watched as the “white plague “ took the lives of both of her older and beloved cousins, Frances and Katherine. The hardest deaths for Minnie to accept was that of her Da and her two younger brothers, Sam and George Jr. How much tragedy could one child endure? Why had this incurable disease attacked the people Minnie loved most? Minnie had been extremely close with her Da. She missed his presence in her life, his treasured advise and his unconditional love. On top of the sadness and loneliness Minnie felt after her Da’s death, she was not prepared for the way the neighbors and townspeople treated her and her family. Minnie and her family lived in complete isolation. No one wanted to be anywhere near them. They were believed to be cursed by the “white plague “. Minnie and her family were avoided at all costs. Charlotte knew that she and her daughters had to leave Ireland. She made arrangements and secured assisted passage to Australia where her sister Annie and her husband Bill lived.
Minnie, her sisters and Charlotte made the trip to Australia aboard the Rippingham Grange. Mixed feelings flooded Minnie’s heart. Ireland was her home. Her Da and Mammy were buried there but it was getting harder and harder to make the farm work for them and be profitable. Why Australia though? It was so far away from anything Minnie was familiar with. Minnie was only thirteen when she and her sisters arrived in Brisbane, Australia. For her whole life she had lived in the country on the farm. Here she was in a foreign country with strange, unfamiliar trees and flowers and smack in the middle of a big city. It was all so foreign and strange to Minnie. To Minnie’s horror, her stepmother, Charlotte, expected Minnie and her two older sisters to work in a sewing factory. She was the youngest worker at the factory being just thirteen years old. Minnie hated every second she spent working there. After Minnie’s sister Jeannie got married to Ben, a dairy farmer from Kobble Creek, Minnie was more determined than ever to leave the factory and the city. When Minnie was just sixteen years old, she left Brisbane for good. Somehow, Minnie found her way to the farm where her sister and her husband, Ben lived. After some time, Minnie met Albert, Ben’s brother, and the two married.
Minnie’s life was not about to get any easier after she married Albert. She began her life with Albert on a remote banana farm. The terrain was dangerous with steep inclines and cliffs that just dropped off. Minnie feared for the safety of her young son and daughter. Minnie’s dream was to buy a dairy farm that was closer to a town and neighbors. Over those years, Minnie and Albert experienced droughts, floods, the Spanish Flu, World War I, the depression, the loss of a child and several births. It was not always easygoing but Minnie persevered. Minnie had lived in Australia for twenty years by the time she was able to call Oakland Farm her home. She finally got the dairy farm she had always dreamed of.
Birds in the Nest was a book that will stay with me for a long time. i still find myself thinking about Minnie and all that she was made to endure. My heart went out to Minnie and her sisters. Their childhood was robbed from them. They had to grow up faster than children were meant to. Minnie was exposed to and witnessed more deaths in her lifetime than any person should ever have to. Wendy Hart masterfully told the story of her paternal grandmother in a way that tugged at my heart. I did not know a lot about life in Ireland during the late 1800’s or that children as young as thirteen were permitted to work in factories in Australia. I enjoyed this book even more knowing that it was based on the true experiences of author, Wendy Hart’s, family. Birds in the Nest focused on family, hardships, grief, loss, sickness, sisterly love, father/daughter relationships, respect, resentment, trust, survival, obstacles in farming and love. It was well written and the pacing was perfect. All my emotions were touched by this book. I can’t wait to see what Wendy Hart writes next. I highly recommend Birds in the Nest to readers that enjoy historical fiction based on true events and people and family sagas.
Birds in the Nest began on a farm in Ulster, Ireland in the late 1800’s where George and Mary and their three daughters lived. George and Mary had been high school sweethearts and their love for one another was very strong. George called Mary his butterfly, a special endearment that he had for his wife. Jeannie was the oldest daughter, Lizzie was the next oldest and Minnie was but a baby when her story began. It’s not long before Mary, Minnie’s mammy, started to exhibit signs of the deadly and dreaded “white plague” or consumption. Minnie had just turned two when she lost her beloved mother to that dreaded disease. Mary had only been twenty-seven years old when she died of consumption. George did all he could to keep the farm running while providing his three toddler daughters with all the love he could muster. He was a very devoted father but needed help. His sister Sarah and her two daughters, Frances and Katherine, helped George with the caring of his three daughters while he worked on the farm. Minnie had a very special relationship with her Da from a very young age.
Minnie’s Da, George, remarried a woman named Charlotte from Derry eventually. Together they had three more daughters and two sons. Tragedy was not finished with Minnie’s family yet. In the next several years, Minnie watched as the “white plague “ took the lives of both of her older and beloved cousins, Frances and Katherine. The hardest deaths for Minnie to accept was that of her Da and her two younger brothers, Sam and George Jr. How much tragedy could one child endure? Why had this incurable disease attacked the people Minnie loved most? Minnie had been extremely close with her Da. She missed his presence in her life, his treasured advise and his unconditional love. On top of the sadness and loneliness Minnie felt after her Da’s death, she was not prepared for the way the neighbors and townspeople treated her and her family. Minnie and her family lived in complete isolation. No one wanted to be anywhere near them. They were believed to be cursed by the “white plague “. Minnie and her family were avoided at all costs. Charlotte knew that she and her daughters had to leave Ireland. She made arrangements and secured assisted passage to Australia where her sister Annie and her husband Bill lived.
Minnie, her sisters and Charlotte made the trip to Australia aboard the Rippingham Grange. Mixed feelings flooded Minnie’s heart. Ireland was her home. Her Da and Mammy were buried there but it was getting harder and harder to make the farm work for them and be profitable. Why Australia though? It was so far away from anything Minnie was familiar with. Minnie was only thirteen when she and her sisters arrived in Brisbane, Australia. For her whole life she had lived in the country on the farm. Here she was in a foreign country with strange, unfamiliar trees and flowers and smack in the middle of a big city. It was all so foreign and strange to Minnie. To Minnie’s horror, her stepmother, Charlotte, expected Minnie and her two older sisters to work in a sewing factory. She was the youngest worker at the factory being just thirteen years old. Minnie hated every second she spent working there. After Minnie’s sister Jeannie got married to Ben, a dairy farmer from Kobble Creek, Minnie was more determined than ever to leave the factory and the city. When Minnie was just sixteen years old, she left Brisbane for good. Somehow, Minnie found her way to the farm where her sister and her husband, Ben lived. After some time, Minnie met Albert, Ben’s brother, and the two married.
Minnie’s life was not about to get any easier after she married Albert. She began her life with Albert on a remote banana farm. The terrain was dangerous with steep inclines and cliffs that just dropped off. Minnie feared for the safety of her young son and daughter. Minnie’s dream was to buy a dairy farm that was closer to a town and neighbors. Over those years, Minnie and Albert experienced droughts, floods, the Spanish Flu, World War I, the depression, the loss of a child and several births. It was not always easygoing but Minnie persevered. Minnie had lived in Australia for twenty years by the time she was able to call Oakland Farm her home. She finally got the dairy farm she had always dreamed of.
Birds in the Nest was a book that will stay with me for a long time. i still find myself thinking about Minnie and all that she was made to endure. My heart went out to Minnie and her sisters. Their childhood was robbed from them. They had to grow up faster than children were meant to. Minnie was exposed to and witnessed more deaths in her lifetime than any person should ever have to. Wendy Hart masterfully told the story of her paternal grandmother in a way that tugged at my heart. I did not know a lot about life in Ireland during the late 1800’s or that children as young as thirteen were permitted to work in factories in Australia. I enjoyed this book even more knowing that it was based on the true experiences of author, Wendy Hart’s, family. Birds in the Nest focused on family, hardships, grief, loss, sickness, sisterly love, father/daughter relationships, respect, resentment, trust, survival, obstacles in farming and love. It was well written and the pacing was perfect. All my emotions were touched by this book. I can’t wait to see what Wendy Hart writes next. I highly recommend Birds in the Nest to readers that enjoy historical fiction based on true events and people and family sagas.
August 26, 2025
A story that is profoundly human. I liked the title of the book ! Initially how birds rest, how they leave… either fly away in this world or leave the world ! A story about courage, sacrifice, hope, struggles about trials and tribulations. A story about a family that goes right from Ireland to Australia for a better future in the early 1900’s. The characters are very well portrayed and sometimes leaves one wondering about the onset of tuberculosis during that era and the loss of lives but the will to survive, the resilience, the moral values and principles that stand the test of time when patience, perseverance reign supreme. Initially during the beginning in the book there is supposedly an orange day that’s celebrated to commemorate the victory of the Protestants over the catholics. “Be faithful to the religion you were born into and respect all others” it is said in the book and this is worth mentioning, though the book is set more than a century ago but respecting old age, religion and law still is the need of the hour ! I liked the story of a family with bonding, understanding, caring, compassion. Human nature is complex but very well written and relationships very well dealt with. It’s 4 stars from me !
Dr. Javed Rasheed
Dr. Javed Rasheed
October 7, 2025
‘Birds in the Nest’ is a family saga inspired by the life of the author's paternal grandmother. This caught my attention, as I prefer historical fiction based on real characters as it gives an added layer of interest. The setting, Ulster in the late 1890s, where protagonist, Minnie, spends her childhood, was a reading highlight as it is where I live. The long hours of arduous labour on a farm in County Antrim, and the spread of tuberculosis were well portrayed, as was the religious divide, the intolerance and hatred between Catholics and Protestants. Minnie's story is one of courage and resilience and the reader becomes engrossed in her life's struggles; the thirteen-year-old emigrates to Australia, hoping the tragedy and hardship she is fleeing will not follow her to the other side of the world.
What I admired about this book was that despite the often bleak and seemingly hopeless subject matter, it is an uplifting read, because Minnie doesn’t allow herself to wallow in despair, is determined to make the best of every situation. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Birds in the Nest’, a well-written saga about love and endurance, the strength of family ties, and the importance of never giving up on your dream.
What I admired about this book was that despite the often bleak and seemingly hopeless subject matter, it is an uplifting read, because Minnie doesn’t allow herself to wallow in despair, is determined to make the best of every situation. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Birds in the Nest’, a well-written saga about love and endurance, the strength of family ties, and the importance of never giving up on your dream.
October 27, 2025
Resilience Across Oceans
Hart’s storytelling is both intimate and sweeping, capturing the emotional weight of migration, loss, and hope. Minnie’s transformation from a timid child to a resilient matriarch is deeply moving, offering readers a window into the trials and triumphs of early 20th-century life.
Hart’s storytelling is both intimate and sweeping, capturing the emotional weight of migration, loss, and hope. Minnie’s transformation from a timid child to a resilient matriarch is deeply moving, offering readers a window into the trials and triumphs of early 20th-century life.
November 29, 2024
A beautifully told coming of age story that follows the life of Irish born Minnie - from her early childhood in Northern Ireland to Australia, where we witness the hardships and suffering that shapes her life and those of the family she loves. At times heartbreaking, as one tragedy seems to follow another, and yet Minnie does not break, she only grows in resilience and strength. The most poignant part of Minnie’s trials and tribulations is the fact that it is a true story and based on the life of the author’s paternal grandmother.
I can only offer my praise to Wendy for her debut novel that is so passionately and eloquently written.
I can only offer my praise to Wendy for her debut novel that is so passionately and eloquently written.
September 4, 2025
Love love this book! It's a wonderful story from the point of view of the author's Irish ancestors. The story starts in 1800s Ireland and follows the family's life of love, tragedy and loss as they emigrate to Australia to look for a new, brighter and happier future.
I was so caught up in the story I could not put the book down. It made my cry and cheer. It also gave me more of an insight into the times of my own ancestors. Thank you for writing such a lovely book!
I was so caught up in the story I could not put the book down. It made my cry and cheer. It also gave me more of an insight into the times of my own ancestors. Thank you for writing such a lovely book!
October 14, 2025
A touching and raw yet beautifully written family story! The story pulls you in with its heartfelt characters and rich history. The story captures love, loss, and resilience in a way that stays with you long after reading. It also makes you see life differently today. I would recommend this book.
October 23, 2025
Birds in the Nest is a moving and beautifully told story that truly captures the immigrant experience in the early 1900s. As someone who has studied Australian history, I found Wendy Hart’s portrayal of hardship, hope, and adaptation both accurate and deeply emotional. It gave me a deeper appreciation of what the average family in Australia was handling during this time.
Minnie’s journey from losing both her parents in Ireland to tuberculosis and being plagued by the effects of war, drought, and the Great Depression after starting over in Australia was hard to read at times. Her courage and resilience shine through every page, reminding us of the strength of those who built new lives in an unfamiliar land.
I couldn’t put it down, and I’ll be thinking about Minnie and her story for a long time to come.
Minnie’s journey from losing both her parents in Ireland to tuberculosis and being plagued by the effects of war, drought, and the Great Depression after starting over in Australia was hard to read at times. Her courage and resilience shine through every page, reminding us of the strength of those who built new lives in an unfamiliar land.
I couldn’t put it down, and I’ll be thinking about Minnie and her story for a long time to come.
October 15, 2025
A great read!
This was a well written and interesting book. It was based on the life of the author's paternal grandmother. It was partly fiction, except for Minnie's family. Minnie's family had a rough life and she lost her mother as a youngster. They originally lived in Ulster, Ireland. But when her father died, their stepmom decided to move to Australia for better opportunities and less disease. There were six sisters including Minnie originally. They were a strong, resilient family and suffered through WWI and various other traumatic events. I enjoyed reading this book of faith, strength and courage. A great book!
This was a well written and interesting book. It was based on the life of the author's paternal grandmother. It was partly fiction, except for Minnie's family. Minnie's family had a rough life and she lost her mother as a youngster. They originally lived in Ulster, Ireland. But when her father died, their stepmom decided to move to Australia for better opportunities and less disease. There were six sisters including Minnie originally. They were a strong, resilient family and suffered through WWI and various other traumatic events. I enjoyed reading this book of faith, strength and courage. A great book!
September 3, 2025
Excellent story—grab tissues and snacks, you'll be glued to your chair
As an emigrant in Australia, I was drawn to this book because it resonated with me. I also haven't been to Queensland, so reading helped me better understand life in the 1900s.
This story is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
I could feel the author's compassion and dedication, and I enjoyed her prose.
I have so much respect for Minnie; she was remarkable.
As an emigrant in Australia, I was drawn to this book because it resonated with me. I also haven't been to Queensland, so reading helped me better understand life in the 1900s.
This story is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
I could feel the author's compassion and dedication, and I enjoyed her prose.
I have so much respect for Minnie; she was remarkable.
November 5, 2025
Adventurous Life Story from Down Under
Follow the challenges and hardships of this woman’s life journey! As an immigrant fresh off the ship in Australia, she rises from destitute circumstances, overcomes a multitude of setbacks, while managing to be the heart and the core strength to her children. This is a feel good story from a woman with grit!
Follow the challenges and hardships of this woman’s life journey! As an immigrant fresh off the ship in Australia, she rises from destitute circumstances, overcomes a multitude of setbacks, while managing to be the heart and the core strength to her children. This is a feel good story from a woman with grit!
October 14, 2025
If you like your historical fiction with both grit and grace, Minnie will get under your skin and stay there. From the moment thirteen-year-old Minnie steps off that migrant ship into the sticky heat of early 1900s Brisbane, you can feel the air shimmer with both fear and promise. The author has the rare gift of conjuring an entire world through small, vivid details: the creak of the ship’s gangway, the weight of a sister’s hand, the smell of dust before a drought.
What follows is not some gauzy tale of colonial charm, but a raw and heartfelt portrait of survival. Through war, loss, and the cruel whims of history, Minnie’s determination feels almost tangible. She’s not idealized, she’s human, hesitant, and heartbreakingly brave in quiet ways. The comparisons to Little Women make sense: both stories center on women finding their moral and emotional footing in turbulent times. But this novel has its own distinct pulse: harsher, more sunburned, and deeply Australian.
There’s an honesty here about migration, poverty, and the fragile hope that drives people to start again. Yet it’s never bleak. By the final pages, you don’t just admire Minnie; you believe in her.
I highly recommend it!
What follows is not some gauzy tale of colonial charm, but a raw and heartfelt portrait of survival. Through war, loss, and the cruel whims of history, Minnie’s determination feels almost tangible. She’s not idealized, she’s human, hesitant, and heartbreakingly brave in quiet ways. The comparisons to Little Women make sense: both stories center on women finding their moral and emotional footing in turbulent times. But this novel has its own distinct pulse: harsher, more sunburned, and deeply Australian.
There’s an honesty here about migration, poverty, and the fragile hope that drives people to start again. Yet it’s never bleak. By the final pages, you don’t just admire Minnie; you believe in her.
I highly recommend it!
September 29, 2025
This story follows Minnie, an Ulster girl who has lost both her parents and is brought to Australia by her stepmother. They settle in Brisbane and then in a remote valley of Queensland. Her husband seems a little odd; he has a banana plantation in a remote valley and is obsessed with horse racing, but she endures and survives. Some of her siblings and children do not. WWI comes and goes and we experience it from her point of view. I found it remarkable and it definitely transported me to another world.
October 2, 2025
unforgettable
From the first chapter, this book pulled me right in. Birds in the Nest doesn’t feel like fiction—it feels like stepping into someone’s real family memories. Wendy Hart tells the story with honesty, showing both the heartache and the resilience that come with family life.
What stuck with me most is how genuine it all felt. You can tell it’s written from the heart, and it reminded me of the stories my own family shares. Some parts are tough, but overall it’s a touching reminder of strength, love, and survival.
If you enjoy true stories that make you feel connected to the people on the page, this one is worth the read.
From the first chapter, this book pulled me right in. Birds in the Nest doesn’t feel like fiction—it feels like stepping into someone’s real family memories. Wendy Hart tells the story with honesty, showing both the heartache and the resilience that come with family life.
What stuck with me most is how genuine it all felt. You can tell it’s written from the heart, and it reminded me of the stories my own family shares. Some parts are tough, but overall it’s a touching reminder of strength, love, and survival.
If you enjoy true stories that make you feel connected to the people on the page, this one is worth the read.
September 8, 2025
Birds in the Nest by Wendy Hart is an absorbing family saga which incorporates immigration and its challenges.
Its a tale of a family who emigrate from their motherland to Australia where they are faced with grave challenges which includes an outbreak of disease, World War, drought and many more problems and the story highlights the resilience of the family in dealing with these hardships and then being triumphant.
It is a very touching and emotional ride that strings directly to your heart. The tale makes your cry, smile, laugh and be hopeful; something that one rarely finds in a book.
The author had put a lot of effort in description be it the characters or the settings so much so that one feels one is living the book. The author has a true gift of storytelling and I keenly look forward to her next work.
Its a tale of a family who emigrate from their motherland to Australia where they are faced with grave challenges which includes an outbreak of disease, World War, drought and many more problems and the story highlights the resilience of the family in dealing with these hardships and then being triumphant.
It is a very touching and emotional ride that strings directly to your heart. The tale makes your cry, smile, laugh and be hopeful; something that one rarely finds in a book.
The author had put a lot of effort in description be it the characters or the settings so much so that one feels one is living the book. The author has a true gift of storytelling and I keenly look forward to her next work.
September 14, 2025
Wendy Hart’s Birds in the Nest is classic immigrant-family storytelling with real grit. We follow Minnie from Belfast to steamy, early-1900s Brisbane, where hope collides with hard seasons—war, drought, the Depression—and the daily work of starting over. The setup is drawn from true family history, and it shows: the details feel lived-in, the stakes humble but heavy. Hart keeps the focus tight on bonds between sisters, small acts of courage, and the push-pull of faith and fear in a new land. The pacing is steady, the prose plainspoken, and the sense of place strong enough to smell the river air. If you want an uplifting, historically grounded saga that reads like memory set to paper, this hits. It’s a debut, and a good one.
September 6, 2025
Birds in the Nest is a calm but stubborn book about how endurance becomes a legacy. The plot is based on the details: the humidity of tropical Brisbane, the pre-dawn chores at the stove, the bitter years of drought and the small victories that help the family stay afloat. Minnie is drawn without heroism: vulnerable, hardworking, sometimes self—willed - the kind of heroine whose strength you only notice when you look back and see how far she has come.
The narrative is conducted in a measured manner: it is more a chronicle of life than an exciting novel. If you need speed in the thriller genre, some episodes may seem unhurried, but it's this everyday rhythm that gives the book its weight. I liked the balance between the personal and the historical — wars, epidemics and crises are not the background, they change daily life and character. A small caveat: sometimes I wanted more concise scenes, but it didn't spoil the overall impression.
The narrative is conducted in a measured manner: it is more a chronicle of life than an exciting novel. If you need speed in the thriller genre, some episodes may seem unhurried, but it's this everyday rhythm that gives the book its weight. I liked the balance between the personal and the historical — wars, epidemics and crises are not the background, they change daily life and character. A small caveat: sometimes I wanted more concise scenes, but it didn't spoil the overall impression.
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September 15, 2025I read this because my grandma used to tell me stories about coming to the UK and working on farms and it honestly felt a bit like that. OK, maybe UK is differnet from Australia, but you get the point ! I really connected with Minnie, especially her struggles raising kids in such wild conditions. The cliffs and the banana farm sounded so stressful!
I felt for her when she finally got her dream of owning a dairy farm, it took her twenty years! That’s some serious patience.
The book was easy to get into, even for someone like me who’s not reading all the time. Tbh I’m not sure why more people aren’t talking about this one. The mix of real history and personal stories really worked for me, well done !
I felt for her when she finally got her dream of owning a dairy farm, it took her twenty years! That’s some serious patience.
The book was easy to get into, even for someone like me who’s not reading all the time. Tbh I’m not sure why more people aren’t talking about this one. The mix of real history and personal stories really worked for me, well done !
August 14, 2024
Birds in the Nest is a story overflowing with emotion.
Minnie has had a life plagued by sorrow, but despite tragic events she always looks for brighter days.
Starting with her childhood in Northern Ireland and ending with her new found life in Australia, Wendy Hart takes you on a journey of a lifetime.
Minnie is the paternal grandmother of the author, which gives the book a whole new life. Once I came to terms with the events being real, my admiration for Minnie grew.
This story takes you from the ice cold snow to the sweltering sun. As the years progress throughout this book, you become attached to the many lovable people who fill these pages.
I thought it was a wonderful historical fiction that I would highly recommend to lovers of this genre.
If I am entirely honest, Birds in the Nest brought tears to my eyes on a few occasions. The raw misfortune of this story is conveyed beautifully.
All I can say is that Wendy Hart has done her family proud.
Minnie has had a life plagued by sorrow, but despite tragic events she always looks for brighter days.
Starting with her childhood in Northern Ireland and ending with her new found life in Australia, Wendy Hart takes you on a journey of a lifetime.
Minnie is the paternal grandmother of the author, which gives the book a whole new life. Once I came to terms with the events being real, my admiration for Minnie grew.
This story takes you from the ice cold snow to the sweltering sun. As the years progress throughout this book, you become attached to the many lovable people who fill these pages.
I thought it was a wonderful historical fiction that I would highly recommend to lovers of this genre.
If I am entirely honest, Birds in the Nest brought tears to my eyes on a few occasions. The raw misfortune of this story is conveyed beautifully.
All I can say is that Wendy Hart has done her family proud.
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September 2, 2024I didn’t want to put this book down, it worked for me on so many different levels, the writing evoking place and time, putting me right there and the story, the social history, the grit of this character Minnie who we see from a tiny girl into a grown woman, but most of all I think knowing this was all true, this Minnie lived this extraordinary life and that she was the grandmother of the author, this story so close in time, that stories would have been told to the author by her father about his mother. This is the story of many who left Ireland, who left many places, many migrants in fact but also the real story of the author’s grandmother.
August 30, 2025
Wendy Hart’s Birds in the Nest is a powerful and emotionally rich debut that brings to life the remarkable journey of her grandmother, Minnie. From the pastoral landscapes of Ireland to the sweltering unfamiliarity of colonial Australia, Minnie’s path is marked by sorrow, courage, and an unwavering will to endure.
Orphaned young and burdened by the relentless toll of tuberculosis on her family, Minnie is forced to confront adulthood far too soon. Her early years are filled with hardship—grief, isolation, and factory work in a foreign city—but her dream of a better life never fades. From Brisbane’s sewing floors to the rugged banana farms and, finally, her own dairy property, Minnie’s journey is one of grit and grace.
Set against a vivid historical backdrop—World War I, the Spanish flu, severe droughts, and the Great Depression—this story feels both intimate and expansive. Through clear-eyed, compassionate prose, Hart captures not just the trials of a turbulent era, but the quiet strength of a girl who refuses to be broken.
Orphaned young and burdened by the relentless toll of tuberculosis on her family, Minnie is forced to confront adulthood far too soon. Her early years are filled with hardship—grief, isolation, and factory work in a foreign city—but her dream of a better life never fades. From Brisbane’s sewing floors to the rugged banana farms and, finally, her own dairy property, Minnie’s journey is one of grit and grace.
Set against a vivid historical backdrop—World War I, the Spanish flu, severe droughts, and the Great Depression—this story feels both intimate and expansive. Through clear-eyed, compassionate prose, Hart captures not just the trials of a turbulent era, but the quiet strength of a girl who refuses to be broken.
August 6, 2025
A story about tragedy for an Irish family
This is a heart wrenching story about an Irish family fighting for survival while battling tragic circumstances including the white plague. Those that survive immigrate to Australia where a new beginning results in long days of hard work, war, and more challenges. The main character, Minnie, is desperate to own a farm one day. After she achieves this dream, the Depression indicates that life will never be easy. The story reminds us of the hardships many families endured. It is told as if the author is sitting next to you and sharing some of her family’s history.
This is a heart wrenching story about an Irish family fighting for survival while battling tragic circumstances including the white plague. Those that survive immigrate to Australia where a new beginning results in long days of hard work, war, and more challenges. The main character, Minnie, is desperate to own a farm one day. After she achieves this dream, the Depression indicates that life will never be easy. The story reminds us of the hardships many families endured. It is told as if the author is sitting next to you and sharing some of her family’s history.
August 28, 2025
Wendy Hart’s novel of historical fiction is based on the perceived life of her great-grandmother, Minnie from Minnie’s youth in Northern Ireland through her life in Australia. Having lost both parents at a young age Minnie, her sisters and her stepmother leave NI for a better life in Australia. But life in Australia also presents hardships and difficulties. This is a compelling story and the reader cannot help but admire Minnie and her personal strength.
August 18, 2024
I have no words for how much I loved this book! The characters were good, the description the author added made me clearly picture what I was reading. I don't have anything negative to say about Birds In The Nest! I read this book in a day and a half, I couldn't put it down!!
Thank you for this amazing ARC!
Thank you for this amazing ARC!
November 19, 2024
This story of hard lives centuries ago in Scotland
I am truly enjoying this book, my heritage is Scottish and it gives you the feel of being there with little Minnie and her sisters, hope there will be more! I enjoy historical fiction, this book gives merely a glimpse of what life was like in the late 1800’s and beyond.
I am truly enjoying this book, my heritage is Scottish and it gives you the feel of being there with little Minnie and her sisters, hope there will be more! I enjoy historical fiction, this book gives merely a glimpse of what life was like in the late 1800’s and beyond.
September 7, 2024
Birds in the Nest is a well-crafted story offering a fascinating insight into what it was like to live in the religiously divided Ulster, Northern Ireland. When the father passes away and the family immigrate, we are shown what life was like for “assisted migrants” in Australia in the early 1900’s, especially the challenges faced by 4 women unaccompanied by a man. Their tenacity and resilience is inspirational. By the end of the story, the youngest girl is all grown up with children of her own and I was left wondering what came next? Maybe a sequel is in order? I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
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