Und die Vögel verstummten

by Mary McCarthy

Die Psychoanalytikerin Eleanor Ross beschließt nach einem schweren Schicksalsschlag für ein Jahr aufs Land zu ziehen und ein Buch zu schreiben, um einen Neuanfang zu wagen. Nicht weit von dem einsamen Haus entfernt, wo sie sich eingemietet hat, wurde vor fünf Jahren die Frau des örtlichen Zahnarztes vergewaltigt und erdrosselt aufgefunden. Der Mord konnte nie aufgeklärt werden, aber es kursieren die seltsamsten Gerüchte in der kleinen Gemeinde. Eleanor richtet sich in ihrer neuen Heimstätte ein und macht sich an die Arbeit an ihrem Buch. Doch der Mordfall von einst läßt sie nicht los - und auch nicht die seltsame Familie der Laffans, bei denen sie sich eingemietet hat. Bereits vor zwanzig Jahren gab es nämlich in dieser Familie ein weiteres ungewöhnliches Geschehen. Schließlich erkennt Eleanor seltsame Zusammenhänge zwischen den beiden Vorfällen. Die Lage im Dorf wird zunehmend explosiver - und für sie bald lebensgefährlich.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Mary McCarthy (1951-2013) was an Irish novelist from Glasnevin in Dublin, the author of five novels: Remember Me, And No Bird Sang, Crescendo, Shame the Devil and After the Rain with Poolbeg Press.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McC...

Reviews

[➸ Gwen de Sade]

I found this on my old bookshelf at my mom's place and I think I read it like 10 years ago, but I completely forgot what it was about so I decided to re-read it.

This book may not be the best book but I just love the atmosphere of it. It's about a woman taking some time off to write a book in a little forest house, isn't that cute? Well, things are getting mysterious and creepy in the dark forest very fast.

[Julie]

First read this book when it was published nearly 30 years ago and I'm afraid to say it seems a bit dated now. Some books easily stand the test of time, others not so much.

Like the previous reviewer I found this book on my old bookshelf in my bedroom at my parents house. I've been rereading a lot of my old books so decided to give this one a go. Funny, I couldnt remember a single thing about it, even while I was reading it, not even the ending. It was like reading a new book - which maybe isnt a good sign.

The book is hard going. The dialogue is extremely stilted. It isnt written in the style of almost all irish womens fiction, or chick lit of the time, which is always free flowing and chatty style. This one, I couldnt even work out what exactly the story was about til near the end.

Eleanor Ross a middle aged widow is the main character. And boy, does middle aged mean middle aged in this book! She must have only been in her 40s - by todays standards she'd still be considered young. Maybe another sign of the book being dated. Anyway Eleanor decides to give up her psychotherapy practice in the outskirts of Dublin, rent out her home and takes off for a 3 month stay in a rural backwater of Coill. The landlady of the b&b is a prim, standoffish woman and her mother resides there too - with obvious signs of dementia. Before long the landlady has roped Eleanor into looking after the old lady in the afternoons and it soon becomes clear there is a big backstory there. Added to this Eleanor soon becomes firm friends with other residents of both the b&b and the village. While out one night who should she meet but her very first teenage romance, Aidan and before long she falls head over heels again. Some of the scenes between the two are just way too stomach churning for me, Mills and Boon eat your heart out.

So the book is almost like two stories intertwined. Her romance with Aidan and the mystery of the goings on in the village.

Overall it's not a bad story but god does the dialogue go on and on.