What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hummingbird's Cage
What if your husband wanted you dead...
Joanna has spent ten years married to a monster.
Everyone thinks she has the perfect life, but behind closed doors she lives in constant fear of her husband.
Escape seems impossible - and then a stranger offers her a chance to flee.
On the run with her young daughter, Joanna finds herself in the mysterious town of Morro. With no memory of how she got there. And no idea of what the town truly is.
Joanna faces a rare and terrible choice - stay safe, or return to face the fight of her life, to save herself and her little girl.
Joanna has spent ten years married to a monster.
Everyone thinks she has the perfect life, but behind closed doors she lives in constant fear of her husband.
Escape seems impossible - and then a stranger offers her a chance to flee.
On the run with her young daughter, Joanna finds herself in the mysterious town of Morro. With no memory of how she got there. And no idea of what the town truly is.
Joanna faces a rare and terrible choice - stay safe, or return to face the fight of her life, to save herself and her little girl.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2015
11 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 30, 2015
3.5 Everyone needs a little magic in their life at one time or another, non more so than Joanna. Married to an abusive man, Joanna's days are spent trying to please him, to do nothing wrong that will set him off and to try to keep the terror of their relationship from rubbing of on their young daughter.
The beginning is a explicit rendering of the abuse. mental and physical at the hands of her police officer husband. She sees no way out until a stranger offers her a way. After things don't work out the way she planned, she finds the magical little town of Morro. She doesn't remember how she got there, nor does she know where she is at or even how this town exists, but she knows that the people there are wonderful. It provides her with the respite she need to go on and the strength to plan and future for herself and her daughter.
Wish Morro really existed or a town just like it. Just a magical little place that is there when needed. Just thinking about it and its characters puts a smile on my face.
The beginning is a explicit rendering of the abuse. mental and physical at the hands of her police officer husband. She sees no way out until a stranger offers her a way. After things don't work out the way she planned, she finds the magical little town of Morro. She doesn't remember how she got there, nor does she know where she is at or even how this town exists, but she knows that the people there are wonderful. It provides her with the respite she need to go on and the strength to plan and future for herself and her daughter.
Wish Morro really existed or a town just like it. Just a magical little place that is there when needed. Just thinking about it and its characters puts a smile on my face.
March 5, 2017
A surprising novel that took me into places I never imagined. I loved a lot about this book. Full review to follow.
January 20, 2016
The beginning of this book was upsetting to me. Joanna is abused by her husband, and finally flees with her 7 year old daughter. She ends up in a small town called Morrow, where they are welcomed in by a sweet elderly couple. There's a bit of magic to this place and it kept me wondering where she was.
This is a debut novel. I look forward to her next!
This is a debut novel. I look forward to her next!
August 6, 2016
The Hummingbirds cage was a game of two halves for me. Well a beginning, middle and end.
The beginning I thought was stunningly good -as an authentic, hard hitting and hugely emotional look at domestic violence and control told by one of its victims I was immediately horrifed and engaged by the story flowing out in front of me. Joanna is caught in a web and escape seems impossible until one day she just goes for it taking her young daughter with her. In this part of the novel Tamara Dietrich uses the little nuances, the small details seemingly dropped into the narrative to make you feel every moment of Joanna's anguish both physical and mental - clever immersive writing indeed.
Then the story took a turn that I thought was very clever but ultimately took me a step away from the emotional core of what had gone before. I became interested more in the construction and where the author might be going and speculated somewhat wildly which actually for me personally didnt work as well. My interest waned as things became clearer instead of the other way around. The quality did not dip it was one of those things where its not doing what you want it to do so you get vaguely grumpy with it. Subjective - a writer can only write their story and a reader can only take what they do from it. Still I wish the initial WOW had stuck with me.
Back on track later and Tamara Dietrich gives us a mixed but emotive ending which pulled me right back in so overall I would recommend this one as everyone else may read it differently. The writing is beautiful, the character building is quirky in places but excellent and the story is for the most part an addictive rollercoaster ride of emotion.
A lot of big sellers based on domestic violence this year. The Hummingbirds Cage sits somewhere in the middle of the pack for me - the subject matter is tackled sensitively and realistically but the direction the story went was different (probably a good thing I will say you won't read one like this) and didn't quite hit all the sweet spots for me as a reader.
Give it a go. An interesting one for discussion...
The beginning I thought was stunningly good -as an authentic, hard hitting and hugely emotional look at domestic violence and control told by one of its victims I was immediately horrifed and engaged by the story flowing out in front of me. Joanna is caught in a web and escape seems impossible until one day she just goes for it taking her young daughter with her. In this part of the novel Tamara Dietrich uses the little nuances, the small details seemingly dropped into the narrative to make you feel every moment of Joanna's anguish both physical and mental - clever immersive writing indeed.
Then the story took a turn that I thought was very clever but ultimately took me a step away from the emotional core of what had gone before. I became interested more in the construction and where the author might be going and speculated somewhat wildly which actually for me personally didnt work as well. My interest waned as things became clearer instead of the other way around. The quality did not dip it was one of those things where its not doing what you want it to do so you get vaguely grumpy with it. Subjective - a writer can only write their story and a reader can only take what they do from it. Still I wish the initial WOW had stuck with me.
Back on track later and Tamara Dietrich gives us a mixed but emotive ending which pulled me right back in so overall I would recommend this one as everyone else may read it differently. The writing is beautiful, the character building is quirky in places but excellent and the story is for the most part an addictive rollercoaster ride of emotion.
A lot of big sellers based on domestic violence this year. The Hummingbirds Cage sits somewhere in the middle of the pack for me - the subject matter is tackled sensitively and realistically but the direction the story went was different (probably a good thing I will say you won't read one like this) and didn't quite hit all the sweet spots for me as a reader.
Give it a go. An interesting one for discussion...
June 19, 2015
Sometimes there comes a novel that surprises the heck out of you. When you think you have it all figured out, a story like this one comes and changes your thoughts and then leaves you impacted in ways you never realize.
It will be hard to tell you much without giving away the plot, but let me say that what you think this story is about is soooo Not what this story is about.
This new author has an amazing ability to tell a haunting story that is full of foreshadowing and your perception of the truth may come out being a bit skewed. This book takes you through the life of abuse into freedom, but the journey is like none other you have read before.
Don’t be afraid of the topic in this book but know that you will feel it all – heartbreak, powerlessness, confusion, anger, whimsy, celebration, happiness. This book is an easy read that will give you ups and downs, but you will come out feeling peaceful and wondering if you really know what happens in life, as we know it.
I am not one to give 5 stars typically, but this book made an impression on me. That is what I look for when reviewing a book. For a first time novelist, I was amazed at the uniqueness of the story and detail. Definitely one to pickup!
Read more at http://twoclassychics.com/2015/06/the...
It will be hard to tell you much without giving away the plot, but let me say that what you think this story is about is soooo Not what this story is about.
This new author has an amazing ability to tell a haunting story that is full of foreshadowing and your perception of the truth may come out being a bit skewed. This book takes you through the life of abuse into freedom, but the journey is like none other you have read before.
Don’t be afraid of the topic in this book but know that you will feel it all – heartbreak, powerlessness, confusion, anger, whimsy, celebration, happiness. This book is an easy read that will give you ups and downs, but you will come out feeling peaceful and wondering if you really know what happens in life, as we know it.
I am not one to give 5 stars typically, but this book made an impression on me. That is what I look for when reviewing a book. For a first time novelist, I was amazed at the uniqueness of the story and detail. Definitely one to pickup!
Read more at http://twoclassychics.com/2015/06/the...
June 16, 2015
Had you asked me a week ago if I believed in magic, I'm not sure how I might have answered. I probably would have asked for clarification, such as your definition of "magic" or even your definition of "belief"--a stalling tactic, pretty much, to give me time to think.
Since then I've read The Hummingbird's Cage. I am now ready to answer.
For me a good novel is a ticket to ride. To journey to someplace unexpected. Reading a good novel is by no means a passive experience. But for me this does not involve reading with a critical eye. Before I can expect to enjoy a novel I must close that eye, open my mind and let the author's imagination in to play awhile with mine. And if our imaginations get along, they can take me to a world I'd never dreamed of.
And when that happens...magic.
The Hummingbird's Cage opens amid a nightmare, or, more accurately, a nightmarish reality:
My husband tells me I look washed up. Ill favored, he says, like old bathwater circling the drain. If my clothes weren’t there to hold me together, he says, I’d flush all away. He tells me these things and worse as often as he can, till there are times I start to believe him and I can feel my mind start to dissolve into empty air.
Reading that paragraph—the very first one—started a sorrowful anger building in me that by the time I'd come to the end of it I already wanted justice to be done to that cruel, heartless bastard. The violence in word and deed he heaps upon his wife, Joanna, builds in tandem with my rage as Joanna narrates her heartwrenching story. She had me trembling with fury. I turned page after page as the evil grew.
The physical abuse and the crushing of her spirit oppressed me, as well. My feeling of helplessness merged with hers, with no relief in sight. And then...
With the encouragement of a wild and wily biker chick--her husband's former girlfriend--Joanna and her young daughter make their escape. Or so it seems.
I'm reluctant to tell you much more than I have, as I would hate to spoil the adventure your imagination can share in league with the author's. I can safely say this story has no modern comparison, for me anyway. I'm no professional critic with experience in any particular canon of fashionable modern literature. The Hummingbird's Cage has been mentioned in association with "new age." I've only a vague idea what that might be, and have no interest in venturing there. I don't do literary analysis, nor am I keen on what's in and what's not.
The only novel I've read that came to mind while I was immersed in The Hummingbird's Cage is James Hilton's Lost Horizon. And that's too old to be "new age."
I love fascinating characters, seductive writing and stories I can get lost in. When these three loves come together for me, it's magic. There are dreams one is glad to awaken from and others one resents having to leave behind. I found both in The Hummingbird's Cage.
You'd probably like for me to tell you what the title means. I was prepared to do just that when I started writing this report. I've since decided to let you find out for yourself. It's a humdinger of a title.
Magic.
Since then I've read The Hummingbird's Cage. I am now ready to answer.
For me a good novel is a ticket to ride. To journey to someplace unexpected. Reading a good novel is by no means a passive experience. But for me this does not involve reading with a critical eye. Before I can expect to enjoy a novel I must close that eye, open my mind and let the author's imagination in to play awhile with mine. And if our imaginations get along, they can take me to a world I'd never dreamed of.
And when that happens...magic.
The Hummingbird's Cage opens amid a nightmare, or, more accurately, a nightmarish reality:
My husband tells me I look washed up. Ill favored, he says, like old bathwater circling the drain. If my clothes weren’t there to hold me together, he says, I’d flush all away. He tells me these things and worse as often as he can, till there are times I start to believe him and I can feel my mind start to dissolve into empty air.
Reading that paragraph—the very first one—started a sorrowful anger building in me that by the time I'd come to the end of it I already wanted justice to be done to that cruel, heartless bastard. The violence in word and deed he heaps upon his wife, Joanna, builds in tandem with my rage as Joanna narrates her heartwrenching story. She had me trembling with fury. I turned page after page as the evil grew.
The physical abuse and the crushing of her spirit oppressed me, as well. My feeling of helplessness merged with hers, with no relief in sight. And then...
With the encouragement of a wild and wily biker chick--her husband's former girlfriend--Joanna and her young daughter make their escape. Or so it seems.
I'm reluctant to tell you much more than I have, as I would hate to spoil the adventure your imagination can share in league with the author's. I can safely say this story has no modern comparison, for me anyway. I'm no professional critic with experience in any particular canon of fashionable modern literature. The Hummingbird's Cage has been mentioned in association with "new age." I've only a vague idea what that might be, and have no interest in venturing there. I don't do literary analysis, nor am I keen on what's in and what's not.
The only novel I've read that came to mind while I was immersed in The Hummingbird's Cage is James Hilton's Lost Horizon. And that's too old to be "new age."
I love fascinating characters, seductive writing and stories I can get lost in. When these three loves come together for me, it's magic. There are dreams one is glad to awaken from and others one resents having to leave behind. I found both in The Hummingbird's Cage.
You'd probably like for me to tell you what the title means. I was prepared to do just that when I started writing this report. I've since decided to let you find out for yourself. It's a humdinger of a title.
Magic.
July 29, 2016
Joanna is abused by her husband and finally after trying to do everything to please him manages to escape with their daughter.
They find themselves in a small town called Morro where they are taken in by by an elderly couple.
Joanna does not remember how she got there or even that the town had existed but it gives her the respite she so desperately needed for herself and her daughter.
This novel has a lot of abuse at the beginning of the story which might upset some readers.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Tamara Dietrich for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
They find themselves in a small town called Morro where they are taken in by by an elderly couple.
Joanna does not remember how she got there or even that the town had existed but it gives her the respite she so desperately needed for herself and her daughter.
This novel has a lot of abuse at the beginning of the story which might upset some readers.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Tamara Dietrich for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 29, 2016
An emotional story of how Joanna, by the skin of her teeth, manages to escape the grip of an abusive husband. Joanna and Jim meet in a whirlwind of romance and very quickly become deeply involved. After ignoring her friend's warning about Jim, Jo believes Jim's story of Terri's jealousy and of making a pass at him. Jim controls every aspect of Jo's life until she is friendless and defenceless. Jo is both mentally and physically abused by him and, as Jim is the town's Deputy Sheriff, she has no one and nowhere to turn.
When Jo snatches an opportunity of freedom a spark of magic enters the book. Jo and her daughter, Laurel, chance upon the town of Morro and after a few days and few incidents, Jo realises that the people and events in Morro are not quite as they first seemed.
I don't want to give too much of the story's plot away but at this point in the book I felt it almost had a paranormal feel to it. Though strange things did seem to happen, nothing was over the top unbelievable and all is revealed at the end.
Tamara Dietrich is a good and fluid writer, the pages turned themselves I was so engrossed, although the story and interest did drop a little in the middle. Her characters are realistic and likeable, with the exception of Jim, of course, and the storyline is a popular abuser v abused but with its own unusual twist. Overall, a very good and tense read and an author I shall watch out for in the future. I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Reading Copy of this book in return for an honest review.
When Jo snatches an opportunity of freedom a spark of magic enters the book. Jo and her daughter, Laurel, chance upon the town of Morro and after a few days and few incidents, Jo realises that the people and events in Morro are not quite as they first seemed.
I don't want to give too much of the story's plot away but at this point in the book I felt it almost had a paranormal feel to it. Though strange things did seem to happen, nothing was over the top unbelievable and all is revealed at the end.
Tamara Dietrich is a good and fluid writer, the pages turned themselves I was so engrossed, although the story and interest did drop a little in the middle. Her characters are realistic and likeable, with the exception of Jim, of course, and the storyline is a popular abuser v abused but with its own unusual twist. Overall, a very good and tense read and an author I shall watch out for in the future. I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Reading Copy of this book in return for an honest review.
April 6, 2023
This book to me to magical places I never could’ve imagined. The world often overlooks people like Joanna in unhealthy relationships but the good apples come in clutch. The sweetness of this book in the end kept me going and I rate it 4.3 stars.
July 13, 2016
Also find my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-review...
Firstly I’d like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
”You used to be only two colors. Maybe three, on good days,” Laurel said, as if she were drawing me in crayon. “Now you’re all of them.”
Love how this got straight into the story, author didn’t bother feeding us extra details we didn’t need, which was great!
The short chapters definitely make this feel like a really quick read. It’s not a particularly long book but because of the choppiness of the story it felt like it was even shorter (in a good way). I liked how the chapter names started with days and then changed to certain events within the days. I think this was a very clever literary technique - with Jim, the days were just days, one after the other, nothing notable happened. Without Jim days were separated by what happened within them, because life was becoming more meaningful.
Although there were dark themes in this novel, , this is actually more of a feel-good kind of novel as it’s about overcoming your darker past and looking towards a brighter, happier future. I was really setup to think this was going to be a fast paced, edge of the seat thriller, which it was, for about 20% but then it became this beautifully slow paced reflection-on-life kind of story.
Each character in the story was presented beautifully and it was really easy to be pulled into the story and lose yourself in the characters and their lives.
I hate the term “women's fiction” - 1. Men can read this kind of stuff if they so desire. 2. I’m a woman who loves American Psycho and other horrible, gory, grotesque kind of novels, don’t claim this as my type of book by sticking a gender onto it’s genre… But this book kind of does fall into that lovey-dovey dreamy happy go lucky category that “women’s fiction” is associated with… and I did enjoy it for a while.
Towards the end, this novel does become quite romantic and mushy, which isn’t my cup of tea but it was more tolerable than some of the other stuff I’ve read, but it had me a little bit bored. But it was still a sweet little read, Laurel was very cute - ”’It looks happy,’ she said quietly. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier fireplace.’” Also, sometimes the way sentences were structured had me a little confused and I sometimes got a bit lost with the storyline, I guess the choppiness of the chapters may have had something to do with that.
I was quite upset by the ending to be honest, , but I guess the ending was the ending this book was most worthy of. It was refreshing and heart warming. Overall, I was unsatisfied with this book in the end, I enjoyed it to begin with, but it wasn’t my kind of book at all.
Firstly I’d like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
”You used to be only two colors. Maybe three, on good days,” Laurel said, as if she were drawing me in crayon. “Now you’re all of them.”
Love how this got straight into the story, author didn’t bother feeding us extra details we didn’t need, which was great!
The short chapters definitely make this feel like a really quick read. It’s not a particularly long book but because of the choppiness of the story it felt like it was even shorter (in a good way). I liked how the chapter names started with days and then changed to certain events within the days. I think this was a very clever literary technique - with Jim, the days were just days, one after the other, nothing notable happened. Without Jim days were separated by what happened within them, because life was becoming more meaningful.
Although there were dark themes in this novel, , this is actually more of a feel-good kind of novel as it’s about overcoming your darker past and looking towards a brighter, happier future. I was really setup to think this was going to be a fast paced, edge of the seat thriller, which it was, for about 20% but then it became this beautifully slow paced reflection-on-life kind of story.
Each character in the story was presented beautifully and it was really easy to be pulled into the story and lose yourself in the characters and their lives.
I hate the term “women's fiction” - 1. Men can read this kind of stuff if they so desire. 2. I’m a woman who loves American Psycho and other horrible, gory, grotesque kind of novels, don’t claim this as my type of book by sticking a gender onto it’s genre… But this book kind of does fall into that lovey-dovey dreamy happy go lucky category that “women’s fiction” is associated with… and I did enjoy it for a while.
Towards the end, this novel does become quite romantic and mushy, which isn’t my cup of tea but it was more tolerable than some of the other stuff I’ve read, but it had me a little bit bored. But it was still a sweet little read, Laurel was very cute - ”’It looks happy,’ she said quietly. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier fireplace.’” Also, sometimes the way sentences were structured had me a little confused and I sometimes got a bit lost with the storyline, I guess the choppiness of the chapters may have had something to do with that.
I was quite upset by the ending to be honest, , but I guess the ending was the ending this book was most worthy of. It was refreshing and heart warming. Overall, I was unsatisfied with this book in the end, I enjoyed it to begin with, but it wasn’t my kind of book at all.
August 21, 2016
Every so often, a book comes along that manages to horrify and tears your heart out at the senseless cruelty that humans impose upon each other. When it is a story concerning Domestic Abuse, you tend to wonder why do people not learn from past experiences and why they continue to be passive victims. When they turn to the authorities for help and they are betrayed by them,you can almost see the hope drain from their very soul, and so it is in this book.
Joanna West is in an abusive marriage. She is married to the local sheriff and he is surrounded by like minded work colleagues who see her problems as part of the rough and tumble of marriage.
Joanne and her young daughter pluck up courage to escape, but they are chased down by her husband Jim and then suddenly, they find themselves in a peaceful rural location called Morro, with no memories of how they got there, all they know is, they are safe.
Morro is a quiet place with kind people who help to heal the spirits of traumatised folk, but there is an air of mystery here. Questions are never fully answered, it is implied that although you will find peace and healing, you are always aware of the unfinished business that must be resolved before you find complete peace and tranquillity.
I really enjoyed this intriguing book. I had worked out that Morro is like a heavenly half way house where you follow your preferred pathway, but you have to face up to your demons before you find resolution. Thoughtful and comforting book about the power of love that heals all suffering. I loved the parts that related to Native American spirits and the role of the hummingbird. Be aware that there are some upsetting parts in this book, especially if you are an animal lover, that part is nauseating but gripping in that it conveys so much without being sensational. I thought this book was intriguing and a strangely uplifting read about Domestic Violence. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book, I hope you like this honest review.
Joanna West is in an abusive marriage. She is married to the local sheriff and he is surrounded by like minded work colleagues who see her problems as part of the rough and tumble of marriage.
Joanne and her young daughter pluck up courage to escape, but they are chased down by her husband Jim and then suddenly, they find themselves in a peaceful rural location called Morro, with no memories of how they got there, all they know is, they are safe.
Morro is a quiet place with kind people who help to heal the spirits of traumatised folk, but there is an air of mystery here. Questions are never fully answered, it is implied that although you will find peace and healing, you are always aware of the unfinished business that must be resolved before you find complete peace and tranquillity.
I really enjoyed this intriguing book. I had worked out that Morro is like a heavenly half way house where you follow your preferred pathway, but you have to face up to your demons before you find resolution. Thoughtful and comforting book about the power of love that heals all suffering. I loved the parts that related to Native American spirits and the role of the hummingbird. Be aware that there are some upsetting parts in this book, especially if you are an animal lover, that part is nauseating but gripping in that it conveys so much without being sensational. I thought this book was intriguing and a strangely uplifting read about Domestic Violence. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book, I hope you like this honest review.
August 25, 2016
The Hummingbird's Cage is an unusual read, which starts with Joanna's account of her abusive marriage to Jim and how she shields her daughter. When given an opportunity to get away from Jim, Joanna takes it, but finds herself in a strange little town called Morro, with no recollection of how she got there.
I wasn't expecting this thriller to go the way it did initially it felt like Morro was going to be like an idyllic refuge for Joanna a bit like Harrison Ford grinding the Amish in the old eighties flick, Witness. However, Morro turns out to be more mysterious and magical but before we settle and get too familiar with the place we are warned that Joanna has unfinished business.
I actually quite easily adapted to the possibly supernatural/spiritual feel of this read but the climax for me was a little underwhelming. However, this is a great read for those who like thrillers that are more unusual than the traditional fare and definitely hooked me until the end.
I wasn't expecting this thriller to go the way it did initially it felt like Morro was going to be like an idyllic refuge for Joanna a bit like Harrison Ford grinding the Amish in the old eighties flick, Witness. However, Morro turns out to be more mysterious and magical but before we settle and get too familiar with the place we are warned that Joanna has unfinished business.
I actually quite easily adapted to the possibly supernatural/spiritual feel of this read but the climax for me was a little underwhelming. However, this is a great read for those who like thrillers that are more unusual than the traditional fare and definitely hooked me until the end.
September 28, 2018
Wow, a very vivid imagination wrote this book. Well written & a belief in miracles restored.
February 26, 2017
I picked this one off the library shelf as I was intruiged by the cover art, and then the blurb on the back. I had visions that this would be some psychological thriller - a genre I love.
A psychological thriller it isn't. It's about a woman with a young child who is suffering terrible domestic abuse (is there any other kind?) - she sees no escape until one day, she meets someone who offers her a way. She tentatively grasps this ray of hope.
From there, the story gets a little weird and delves a little too much into a fantasy world. Not what I had expected that's for sure. But, overall, an ok read.
A psychological thriller it isn't. It's about a woman with a young child who is suffering terrible domestic abuse (is there any other kind?) - she sees no escape until one day, she meets someone who offers her a way. She tentatively grasps this ray of hope.
From there, the story gets a little weird and delves a little too much into a fantasy world. Not what I had expected that's for sure. But, overall, an ok read.
September 17, 2016
I have mixed views on this book, as while it was extremely well written and moving, it took me places I really did not want to go.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love thrillers, especially psychological thrillers. This novel began like a psychological thriller, as the protagonist finds herself trapped in a violent, abusive and loveless marriage, but just as you start to get emotionally involved in the story and you long for Joanna to escape with her daughter the story takes an unexpected twist and you find yourself in the land of make believe.
Generally I do not read fantasy. I like my stories grounded in reality, and while reality was so bleak for Joanna and her daughter I shouldn't have been so surprised at where this book ended up.
I had a difficult task deciding what score I would rate this book, tossing and turning from 3 stars to four. In the end I decided to award 4 stars, because as books go this was a really good book. It kept me gripped from start to finish, and I had to finish it, I really had to know what happened in the end. Did I love this book? No. It went places I didn't want it to go, and I really wasn't happy with the ending, but then, I didn't write it, Tamara Dietrich wrote it, and it was a really good debut novel by an extremely talented writer, and despite myself, I will be reading her next book as i'm really curious to see where she will go with it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Publishers, and the author Tamara Dietrich for my free e-ARC in return for an honest review.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love thrillers, especially psychological thrillers. This novel began like a psychological thriller, as the protagonist finds herself trapped in a violent, abusive and loveless marriage, but just as you start to get emotionally involved in the story and you long for Joanna to escape with her daughter the story takes an unexpected twist and you find yourself in the land of make believe.
Generally I do not read fantasy. I like my stories grounded in reality, and while reality was so bleak for Joanna and her daughter I shouldn't have been so surprised at where this book ended up.
I had a difficult task deciding what score I would rate this book, tossing and turning from 3 stars to four. In the end I decided to award 4 stars, because as books go this was a really good book. It kept me gripped from start to finish, and I had to finish it, I really had to know what happened in the end. Did I love this book? No. It went places I didn't want it to go, and I really wasn't happy with the ending, but then, I didn't write it, Tamara Dietrich wrote it, and it was a really good debut novel by an extremely talented writer, and despite myself, I will be reading her next book as i'm really curious to see where she will go with it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Publishers, and the author Tamara Dietrich for my free e-ARC in return for an honest review.
November 28, 2015
The Hummingbird's Cage, a debut novel by Tamara Dietrich, is the story of Joanna who, along with her young daughter Laurel, is trapped in a violent marriage. Her husband Jim is a deputy sheriff and all the folks in town see is an ideal marriage. But Joanna just wants to save her daughter from this environment.
Joanna does escape with Laurel and arrives in Morro, an idyllic town in the middle of the desert. There is a sense of wonder and magic in Morro and Joanna begins her healing on the emotional journey. However, her fear of Jim is always haunting her. Does she stay wherever Morro is or return to Wheeler to face her fears?
I enjoyed this book. The author does not gloss over the abuse in any part of the book. Morro did confuse me. I couldn't decide if it was a holding pattern between life and death, a figment of Joanna's imagination, or the author's magical creation. Whatever you decide it is, I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
Go Cards! L1C4!!
Joanna does escape with Laurel and arrives in Morro, an idyllic town in the middle of the desert. There is a sense of wonder and magic in Morro and Joanna begins her healing on the emotional journey. However, her fear of Jim is always haunting her. Does she stay wherever Morro is or return to Wheeler to face her fears?
I enjoyed this book. The author does not gloss over the abuse in any part of the book. Morro did confuse me. I couldn't decide if it was a holding pattern between life and death, a figment of Joanna's imagination, or the author's magical creation. Whatever you decide it is, I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
Go Cards! L1C4!!
August 7, 2016
Sometimes, a book comes along and evokes such powerful emotions, it leaves you completely unsure about how you can even begin to sum up your feelings about it. For me, this is one of those books. It is so perfect, so beautifully written, I cannot believe it is Tamara Dietrich's debut novel. The first quarter gives an utterly terrifying yet compelling account of Joanna's life with her incredibly abusive husband, Jim, and their six year old daughter, Laurel. It is probably the most difficult fictional account of domestic abuse I have ever read. Then, off the back of an unexpected offer of help, Joanna escapes and finds herself in the town of Morro. And this is where the magic happens. From here on in, you start to question your own beliefs about one or two things, and I can't explain what these are for fear of leaving spoilers. The ending is quite something. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Orion Publishing and Tamara Dietrich for the absolute pleasure of this advanced copy of The Hummingbird's Cage. This will be a massive bestseller when published, and it gets a very, very easy five stars from me.
June 22, 2015
THE HUMMINGBIRD’S CAGE wasn’t an easy book to read – stories with gawd-awful abusive husbands never are – but at the same time it pulled me in and wouldn’t let go. For Joanna to have survived so long with this a-hole is amazing. Finally, a stranger comes along and offers to help her escape, and Joanna and her young daughter end up in an idyllic town called Morro.
I can’t say much about the plot without giving away spoilers, other than Morro was a curious place, and Joanna was drawn there for a reason. While the beginning of the book was suspenseful and gut-wrenching, the pace slowed down during her time in Morro. There was much for Joanna to take in and process, but it seemed her husband’s threatening presence was always close by. I thought that the ending was great, very dramatic, and also a bit sad – though in a bittersweet way.
I enjoyed Tamara Dietrich’s engaging writing style and complex characters. Joanna’s story is a haunting one, and one that I won’t soon forget.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I can’t say much about the plot without giving away spoilers, other than Morro was a curious place, and Joanna was drawn there for a reason. While the beginning of the book was suspenseful and gut-wrenching, the pace slowed down during her time in Morro. There was much for Joanna to take in and process, but it seemed her husband’s threatening presence was always close by. I thought that the ending was great, very dramatic, and also a bit sad – though in a bittersweet way.
I enjoyed Tamara Dietrich’s engaging writing style and complex characters. Joanna’s story is a haunting one, and one that I won’t soon forget.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 9, 2018
The writing style and underlying theme of Magic Realism highly resembled that of Alice Hoffman.
It was an emotional read at times but other times it was a bore. I skimmed through the pages while I was in the 80% range because I felt like the ending was approaching but it was being prolonged.
I'm still on the fence with all these characters. It was a bit much but it made the story a bit more deep and wholesome. It was overwhelming at times trying to keep up with the new characters.
I recommend this book to Alice Hoffman fans or just anyone who has an interest in the magic realism and general adult genre.
Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
It was an emotional read at times but other times it was a bore. I skimmed through the pages while I was in the 80% range because I felt like the ending was approaching but it was being prolonged.
I'm still on the fence with all these characters. It was a bit much but it made the story a bit more deep and wholesome. It was overwhelming at times trying to keep up with the new characters.
I recommend this book to Alice Hoffman fans or just anyone who has an interest in the magic realism and general adult genre.
Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
August 17, 2016
Joanna is married to Jim who is a deputy sheriff but the old saying that 'we never know what happens behind closed doors' is very true in this case. Jim is a violent bully and the story is told by Joanna who tries to escape from him and his 'friend' on the force who turns a blind eye to the cuts and bruises. The violence is very graphic at the beginning of the book but it doesn't carry all the way through as Joanna attempts an escape with their daughter Laurel after been downtrodden for years and isolated a chance meeting makes her think she can get away. Things turn out quite different than she thought and the lovely town of morrow where she settles is magical and just what she need to recover but will the past ever leave her behind.
I loved the book and will definately look out for others by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
I loved the book and will definately look out for others by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
October 3, 2025
I wasn't sure what to make of this book when I started it, but, as I read on, it drew me in. The depth and messages in it were amazing. Folks could fuss about it being fantasy, sci-fi, religious, etc - I found it to be a "life lesson" book with out the boredom I generally feel with formal 'self help'. For me, understanding - interpreting what I felt was symbolic (ie, the word for the town "Morrow")
This book is being put on my shelf of books I want to read again - which consists of about 20 of 1000s of books I've read over the years.
This book is being put on my shelf of books I want to read again - which consists of about 20 of 1000s of books I've read over the years.
September 5, 2015
I went back and forth on the grade for this book. On the one hand, it was definitely above average. On the other hand, there was a plot device I thoroughly disliked and the rest of the novel, while well written, was nothing I hadn’t seen before. I finally decided on the grade I did because I figured it conveyed my mixed emotions perfectly. See the rest of my review at http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/boo...
wishlist
May 6, 2015considering, but: does it have a HEA? Is it actually a romance? I'll wait until I know before deciding to read this one.
Read
December 10, 2023DNF
December 3, 2019
This was one of my “listening while sewing“ audio books – they really fit into a sub genre all of their own. Go into a library one day and see what audio books they host (in CDs) – the shape of the collection pivots from romance to crime with slim pickings in between.
Anyway. I thought this was OK. There’s one section I listened to while driving that was absolutely compelling – it’s a scene between Joanna and her abusive husband Jim. It was so hard to listen to that I wanted to turn it off. The writer Tamara Dietrich was apparently inspired by the stories of abused wives – and she definitely conveys what it is like to live in a violent household and how it impacts on a person’s self esteem and agency, and a little of the impact on children born into that scenario.
SPOILERS ahead.
The novel plays with the question of whether it is better to be alive but living in a strange kind of half-way house context with kind strangers (like purgatory but more loving) – destined never to age but also never to leave the community – or to face your own life with conflict, inevitable death and the ageing process. It’s an interesting question – I thought that Dietrich could have problematised it more than she did however. For example – if you had a chronic illness – which situation would be better?
Joanna and her daughter Laurel escape and end up being cared for (and loved) by strangers near the mountain town of Morro. Jo must then make a difficult decision – whether to stay or go back to the situation she left and face up to it. I felt that apart from the actual ending, the novel peters out a bit. This reviewer has probably assessed it correctly: “However, the magical aura around Morro never quite clicks for readers. There are hints of spiritual elements from a variety of cultures, but they don't gel properly, and no one ever quite acknowledges what Morro is, even the residents. This frustratingly takes readers out of the narrative.” (https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...)
Anyway. I thought this was OK. There’s one section I listened to while driving that was absolutely compelling – it’s a scene between Joanna and her abusive husband Jim. It was so hard to listen to that I wanted to turn it off. The writer Tamara Dietrich was apparently inspired by the stories of abused wives – and she definitely conveys what it is like to live in a violent household and how it impacts on a person’s self esteem and agency, and a little of the impact on children born into that scenario.
SPOILERS ahead.
The novel plays with the question of whether it is better to be alive but living in a strange kind of half-way house context with kind strangers (like purgatory but more loving) – destined never to age but also never to leave the community – or to face your own life with conflict, inevitable death and the ageing process. It’s an interesting question – I thought that Dietrich could have problematised it more than she did however. For example – if you had a chronic illness – which situation would be better?
Joanna and her daughter Laurel escape and end up being cared for (and loved) by strangers near the mountain town of Morro. Jo must then make a difficult decision – whether to stay or go back to the situation she left and face up to it. I felt that apart from the actual ending, the novel peters out a bit. This reviewer has probably assessed it correctly: “However, the magical aura around Morro never quite clicks for readers. There are hints of spiritual elements from a variety of cultures, but they don't gel properly, and no one ever quite acknowledges what Morro is, even the residents. This frustratingly takes readers out of the narrative.” (https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...)
March 20, 2020
So what would you do? If your husband wanted you dead! If he was a sadistic abuser, a wife beater! What would you do? Stay and take your chances or run? Joanna ran ..........
Its a ten year marriage and gradually things have gone from bad to worse and when the story opens Joanna is living in terror. Afraid for herself, for her daughter. There is no where to go for help, no family, no friends she can reach out to. Things are grim and she is terrified, helpless and alone. There is no escape. Then a kind stranger offers to help and knowing this may be the only chance she will ever get, she takes her daughter and flees.
She ends up in this really nice town called Morro, at a farmhouse where a lovely kind elderly couple take good care of her and her daughter. The only puzzle is she has no recollection of how she got there, try as she might she can't remember. What she does realize is that finally, finally, she and her daughter are safe and that they are happy. But there is a decision to be made, to stay safe and happy or to go back and confront the demon she left behind. A difficult, nearly impossible choice.
The Hummingbird's Cage by Tamara Dietrich was a real humdinger of a book and I "loved" it. A big reason for loving it was the twist in the tale. And it is this twist that made me give the fifth star to this book. It was unexpected, it was imaginative, it was fabulous and for me it worked. You may or may not like the twist but for me it was the tipping point.
This book is a thriller but then there are so many thrillers out there about battered and abused wives these days, so what made it different? You will have to read it to find out wont you
Its a ten year marriage and gradually things have gone from bad to worse and when the story opens Joanna is living in terror. Afraid for herself, for her daughter. There is no where to go for help, no family, no friends she can reach out to. Things are grim and she is terrified, helpless and alone. There is no escape. Then a kind stranger offers to help and knowing this may be the only chance she will ever get, she takes her daughter and flees.
She ends up in this really nice town called Morro, at a farmhouse where a lovely kind elderly couple take good care of her and her daughter. The only puzzle is she has no recollection of how she got there, try as she might she can't remember. What she does realize is that finally, finally, she and her daughter are safe and that they are happy. But there is a decision to be made, to stay safe and happy or to go back and confront the demon she left behind. A difficult, nearly impossible choice.
The Hummingbird's Cage by Tamara Dietrich was a real humdinger of a book and I "loved" it. A big reason for loving it was the twist in the tale. And it is this twist that made me give the fifth star to this book. It was unexpected, it was imaginative, it was fabulous and for me it worked. You may or may not like the twist but for me it was the tipping point.
This book is a thriller but then there are so many thrillers out there about battered and abused wives these days, so what made it different? You will have to read it to find out wont you
November 9, 2017
Bollocks! Not the book but the fact that I had a review written out and then I deleted it by accident so I really can not be bothered to rewrite all that so this one will be a lot briefer.
It had a good beginning, captivating and fast paced, Joanna is living a nightmare with her abusive husband Jim and can only dream of escape, will she ever manage to get away and will anyone ever believe her. The ending is good too, though it has me divided on whether I think it is sad or actually a happy ending, it could be either whatever way you look at it.
The middle is where it lost me as it goes from a fast paced gripping story then takes a totally unexpected and bizarre u-turn. Joanna and her daughter Laurel find themselves in a strange town with strange people who eventually become friends and more. What is the story behind this little town..it’s definitely not what you might think!
It had a good beginning, captivating and fast paced, Joanna is living a nightmare with her abusive husband Jim and can only dream of escape, will she ever manage to get away and will anyone ever believe her. The ending is good too, though it has me divided on whether I think it is sad or actually a happy ending, it could be either whatever way you look at it.
The middle is where it lost me as it goes from a fast paced gripping story then takes a totally unexpected and bizarre u-turn. Joanna and her daughter Laurel find themselves in a strange town with strange people who eventually become friends and more. What is the story behind this little town..it’s definitely not what you might think!
July 8, 2021
The Hummingbird's Cage kept me engaged. I read it in one day. From the beginning, I knew that Joanna had a battle to fight. I rooted for her to escape and when she woke from what seemed like a coma, I thought she had. Then I fell in love with Simon. He is, in a mysterious, legendary way, her savior but as you read you're not sure if it's all real or if you are in heaven. (not telling)
The ending surprised me too.
Throughout the book, Tamara steadily buils a case against Joanna's husband which has me hoping for him to die. He certainly deserved to. I don't often wish for someone to die.
The book reminds me of Old Native American Legends and how people used mystical stories to deal with reality. It was entertaining and heartfelt.
The ending surprised me too.
Throughout the book, Tamara steadily buils a case against Joanna's husband which has me hoping for him to die. He certainly deserved to. I don't often wish for someone to die.
The book reminds me of Old Native American Legends and how people used mystical stories to deal with reality. It was entertaining and heartfelt.
August 14, 2020
This is a really great book and I’ve definitely never read anything like it. It is from the POV of Joanna an abused wife with a small child and it is about her journey of leaving her abusive husband and the aftermath of that.
Now don’t get discouraged, although the author does not shy away from describing the abuse and it’s affects this is far from a depressing novel.
About a third of the way in the whole story takes a wonderful twist that the author does with such subtle brilliance that the book was immediately a 5 star for me. I had high hopes that the ending wouldn’t let me down and I’m happy to say it didn’t.
Read this book ASAP
Now don’t get discouraged, although the author does not shy away from describing the abuse and it’s affects this is far from a depressing novel.
About a third of the way in the whole story takes a wonderful twist that the author does with such subtle brilliance that the book was immediately a 5 star for me. I had high hopes that the ending wouldn’t let me down and I’m happy to say it didn’t.
Read this book ASAP
January 23, 2018
Imbuing the cultural differences of Germans and Navajo, The Hummingbird’s Cage takes you deep into the recesses of domestic violence and the awakening strength a person must find to face the end, be it there own or the enemy’s. Cultures may differ in some cases but in others they are very much the same, to look inward towards the proof of what we as humans have found to sustain our souls and carry on in spite of what we believe to be our last moment of life. In finding her freedom, Joanna also finds her courage. ❤️
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews