The Half Bird

by Susan Smillie

Discover the incredible story of one woman's solo journey, from Land's End to the shores of Greece, exploring the unexpected joy of solitude, self-discovery and resilience'It’s hard to read The Half Bird without wondering whether you could do it too. It may be better to start by pondering Smillie’s wider message – that to work out what will truly make you happy, you first need to stop and smell the air around you' Guardian__________'We have no idea how much resilience there is inside us until we have to draw on it. We learn that we grow through adversity only as we go through it. That we crave happiness like plants leaning toward the light'When Susan quit her job in London and set sail off the south coast of England on her beloved sailboat, Isean, she was unaware this spontaneous departure would lead to a three-year journey spanning several countries across the continent.With only the very basics on board, resourcefulness becomes an unexpected source of joy and contentment. The highs and lows of living in such an extreme way awakens a newfound appreciation for the beauty of her surroundings, for being safe - for just being alive.For all the physical and navigational challenges of her journey, the other side of her story reveals a more important change - an inner journey - that took place along the way.This wasn't merely a challenge, a mid-life adventure or gap-year career break; it was much gentler than that, but much greater too.She was seeking nothing less than an entirely different life, having left the land far behind to call the wild, unbiddable sea home.__________Praise for The Half Bird'I didn't know a love song between a woman and her boat could transport, and transfix me. The Half Bird made my heart whole' Rhik Samadder, author of I Never Said I Loved You'A beautiful, wise and open-hearted odyssey through life, loves and the sea' Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles'Told with all the invigorating energy of a crisp wind under a cloudless sky' Charlotte Higgins, Chief culture writer, Guardian

Genres: Memoir, Travel, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Adventure, Autobiography, Nautical

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2024

Reviews

[Lisa Grayston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing, inspiring, stirring. I should not have read it...

[Rita Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Half Bird
by Susan Smillie

There's something so joyful about finding a kindred spirit in memoir. I was immediately drawn to this book because of the idea of a spontaneous sailing challenge turning into a life affirming journey, and was held by the voice that feels so familiar to me and the truths that resonate.

In a mostly linear arc, Smillie reveals the way sailing became her obsession and the sea became her refuge. Studded with observations about the nature, references to mythology and poetry, transcripts of messages with the people who were her circle of support and creative soliloquy from her beloved boat Isean who becomes a natural extension of herself as her skills evolve and her understanding of the elements become second nature.

Deeply reflective and often vulnerable to the extreme, this is an exploration of grief, a search for a meaningful existence, full of insights about how strangers are greeted warmly and with kindness in some places, and feared, mistrusted and disdained in others. Its also about learning to trust your instincts and being true to yourself.

I was thrilled to explore the coastlines of Cornwall and Devon, the rocky shores of Brittany, the roiling waters of the Bay of Biscay and along the Portuguese harbours, the sparkly Spanish costas, the impossibly beautiful rugged Italian cliffs and the magnificence of the Greek Islands with Suse and Isean.

For anyone that always has their eye on the horizon, or who find themselves wondering what's around the next corner, this will be nothing short of delightful. Perfect for lovers of The Salt Path, The Wild Silence, Landlines by Raynor Winn.

Publication date: 21st March 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #MichaelJoseph for the ARC

[Nicola Whitbread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously written, heartfelt and poetic. It’s a good job I can’t sail otherwise I’d have long packed my bags and joined the waves.

“It was inevitable, perhaps, that I would eventually seek out a life closer to nature. It didn't take long, once I found my adult self immersed in that lifestyle, for those memories to resurface, that joy to rekindle; to find myself comfortable, a child again, at home in the wilderness, besotted with animals, wandering without fear, dreaming alone.”

[maddi1134 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful!

[Ieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Eventually I headed to Isean - the thought bringing more joy, turning the river bend to where I would find her, that first glimpse of the mast pulling my mouth into a smile. I arrived home. The dinghy full of leaves and branches, me studded with twigs and covered in mud. A mess, the pair of us, trailing river clay all over Isean's gunwales and deck. I thought I heard her sigh as she took us in. In these still moments I appreciated her quiet sanctuary as much as her strength in rough seas. My heart swelled with gratitude - that she had brought me to this special place, that she was there, as always, waiting to welcome me. I rinsed the mud from my feet, cooked a simple dinner and collapsed on my berth in a rush of happy exhaustion, an outdoorsy tired from a day spent on nothing but adventuring. I was completely at one with my surroundings, a thing in nature; my skin salty from the sea, my hair a tangled mess, turning blonde from the sun. I felt a snug, warm glow, reminiscent of childhood, I suppose, but with the agency of adulthood. I was rocked to sleep in an instant in the sanctum of Isean's maternal hull.”

“I love to see the different paths friends and family have taken, lives full of love and nature, houses and gardens, pets and community. Happy lives I could imagine inhabiting. I always return to my own life enriched and embrace the choice I've made all over again. There are so many good ways to live.”

[Tea Leaves and Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the impact that Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst a new love for real life stories of discover, loss and solitude was born. So I was delighted when The Half Bird by Susan Smillie arrived from Michael Joseph Books. When I tell you this book has energy - I’m not exaggerating. Through the pages there’s an underlying sea breeze that gives this book a lift and harmonises with the breezy, minimalistic living, that it describes.

The Half Bird brings to life the joy of living with the basics and fending for oneself. Stories of people living on the sea, making it a wild and unrelentless home, can be both horrifying and invigorating. The Half Bird doesn’t sugarcoat the experience but makes it as natural as bricks and mortar living whilst also telling a deeper story and an inner journey.

Sailing, it is clear, is Susan’s obsession and the sea is the refuge that holds her. There are brilliant and vulnerable reflections, historical and mythological references and stunning coastlines explored from the vantage point of the sea. This book is both unique and familiar as it paints a picture of recognisable landmarks and visions from a new perspective.

Perfect for fans of Maurice and Martyn, The Salt Path, Wintering, and Finding Hildasay to name but a few.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary book.

This is a true story of courage, on land and at sea. Of how the impossible can be made possible. It tells of struggle and reward; adversity and achievement; sorrow and bliss.

It almost mirrors great fictional fantasy journeys, encountering the unexpected, the unimaginable, and the stuff of nightmares. At the centre of it all is one woman, on a mission to find peace in the form of adventure, when giving up is simply not an option.

Courage, determination, resilience and strength — a remarkable achievement, and an extraordinary book.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
On the whole I really enjoyed this and I think what Susan Smillie managed to achieve is incredible. The audio book was a little let down by the sections from the point of view of the boat (which I felt were unnecessary anyway and interrupted the flow of the book) which were narrated so slowly I had to speed up the narration to twice the regular speed. As a reader, I felt that the inclusion of text messages was also not required but other than those small points this was a good listen/read.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It's harmful, I fear, to hold pain in, for it comes out somehow, in stress, anger or violence, anxiety or illness. We've done a lot of damage with those rigid gender roles, the burden of what we're supposed to do and be. Hopefully, that's beginning to change as younger people take a more fluid approach to life. Out at sea, where you draw on all your reserves - masculine and feminine - to get through, it's fluid too. There's only one role really, and it's human."

[Liz Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, an excellent combination of travel writing, nature observations, family history and adventure.
An inspiring read about resilience, and a good alternative if you aren't travelling yourself!

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book. So unlike many sailing trip stories. This is so much more. Highly recommended.

[Adam Della Rocca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the poetic nature of this book about a life on the water.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of Susan Smillie who sailed from Land's End to Greece. It was ok. I found it a tad boring.

[ALM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful writing. I’m not a sailor but I love the water and this book made me wish I have the skills and bravery to take to the sea!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

May just need to go buy a boat now!

[rubee ! · Rating 4 out of 5]

finished feeling like i personally know susan

[FelicityN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book. Read it from beginning to end and then regret that there's no more to read. A new classic.

[Dave Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My journey with buying and reading this one was as interesting as the read itself
I'm always on the look out for new travel books. Found this in the travel section of my local bookstore.

I'm equally drawn to the waterfront, be it ocean or lake. So this seemed to be checking some boxes. The only problem was, sailing isn't really my thing, and a cursory browse left me feeling like I wasn't going to connect with the author, for whom this book details her story.

So I set it back and went on with day, but I still had this nagging thought to add it to my to be read list on goodreads. So I did that, which is when I started to note some of the reactions. Widly positive. I dug a little deeper, and I started to get the sense that the book might read a little more universally than I initially thought. Found myself back at the bookstore and eventually in the checkout line, book in hand.

Only to have it sit on my shelf for a while. A spontaneous trip to Duluth, which was intended to be low key and relaxing, inspired me to bring it along. Felt like a decent enough time to try and crack the cover, being on the shores of Lake Superior surrounded by boats and lighthouses.

Which I did. And a chapter in I was hooked. The story, as it turns out, is about a woman and her boat, but it could just as easily translate across many different experiences. It taps into something that feels quintessentially human, Smillie finding herself facing loss and adversity and responding by doing something she had long wanted to do but just never found the time or the motivation- sail the coast of England, her hometown.

One day she finds herself on the boat doing what had been a checklist item she figured would stay more a thought than a realized accomplishment. Only when she finds herself on the boat she doesn't stop at England. She keeps going. Suddenly this singular activity has formed into a whole new life, using the ocean and the sea as a path to France, Spain and Italy.

As Smillie writes about her journey, what keeps it so accessible is the simple fact that she is just someone like you and I. What she is doing is not a feat of abnormal strength or ability. It isn't a lifestyle that remains detached from the familiarities of the daily grind and the routines of the world many of us know. It's simply that she finds herself in an unexpected place doing an unexpected thing, which becomes more about the introspection and learnings she discovers than a physical accomplishment. As a storyteller she shines, weaving reflections into the travels with an engaging and entertaining flow.

It's a book that is ultimately about finding light in the dark, life in the destruction, and beauty in the storm, with the simple encounters of her journey helping to keep it from getting weighted down in the negative. Perhaps most affecting is the relationship she builds with her boat, Isean, whom is not just a character in the book but is given a voice, a way to participate in the conversation and providing us with an outside perspective on Smillie who is struggling to find a way past the internal nature of her struggles. It's a narrative device to merits some surprising depth and reward, albeit a risky choice.

I never expected to like this one. I definitely did not expect to love it. Yet here I am, eager to keep it close by just so I can return to some of its passages from time to time

[Andrew Tseng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Smillie is a successful journalist. She has security, a good job. She’s on a success merry-go-round of promotions, achievements, ready for the next challenge. But is she happy?

‘But the thing no one tells you when you are young is not that you can achieve your dreams. It is the extraordinary fact that you outgrow them.’

Sometimes it takes stepping off the merry-go-round to find ourselves.

It is here that Susan begins her life affirming journey of self-discovery. With every intention of sailing around Britain, she decides to go left instead of right, sailing south through the Bay of Biscay and away from her comfortable life in England.

We can make plans with the best intentions, but life inevitably throws curveballs at us. How we deal with these challenges and whether we overcome them or are overwhelmed by them is our test.

What is striking is that Susan is no child prodigy. Even her sailing is a late development: learning in her thirties.

Her background is disarmingly common. No life transforming decision to be made. No brink of destitution or abuse to inspire change. She is ambling through life like the rest of us. She could be any of us.

Just someone who thinks life’s priorities need a change.

Sometimes to find yourself is to free yourself. To find purpose is to start a journey devoid of purpose. To discover who you really are, is to put aside everything you have been so far.

Resonating with Maurice and Marilyn, Salt Path and The Long Way, this is a story of the remarkable self-sufficiency in all of us, just waiting to break free.