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Flamingo
A novel of love, homelessness, and learning to be fearless
In the garden, there were three flamingos.
Not real flamingos, but real emblems, real gateways to a time when life was impossibly good.
They were mascots, symbols of hope. Something for a boy to confide in. First, there were the flamingos. And then there were two families. Sherry and Leslie and their daughters, Rae and Pauline - and Eve and her son Daniel.
Sherry loves her husband, Leslie. She also loves Eve. It couldn't have been a happier summer. But then Eve left and everything went grey. Now Daniel is all grown-up and broken. And when he turns up at Sherry's door, it's almost as if they've all come home again.
But there's still one missing. Where is Eve? And what, exactly, is her story? FLAMINGO is a novel about the power of love, welcome and acceptance.
It's a celebration of kindness, of tenderness. Set in 2018 and the 80s, it's a song for the broken-hearted and the big-hearted, and is, ultimately, a novel grown from gratitude, and a book full of wild hope.
In the garden, there were three flamingos.
Not real flamingos, but real emblems, real gateways to a time when life was impossibly good.
They were mascots, symbols of hope. Something for a boy to confide in. First, there were the flamingos. And then there were two families. Sherry and Leslie and their daughters, Rae and Pauline - and Eve and her son Daniel.
Sherry loves her husband, Leslie. She also loves Eve. It couldn't have been a happier summer. But then Eve left and everything went grey. Now Daniel is all grown-up and broken. And when he turns up at Sherry's door, it's almost as if they've all come home again.
But there's still one missing. Where is Eve? And what, exactly, is her story? FLAMINGO is a novel about the power of love, welcome and acceptance.
It's a celebration of kindness, of tenderness. Set in 2018 and the 80s, it's a song for the broken-hearted and the big-hearted, and is, ultimately, a novel grown from gratitude, and a book full of wild hope.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2022
49 people are currently reading
1924 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Elliott
3 books20 followersRachel Elliott is a writer and psychotherapist. She has worked in arts and technology journalism and her writing has featured in a variety of publications, from digital arts magazines to the French Literary Review. She has also been shortlisted for a number of short story and novel competitions in the UK and the US. Rachel was born in Suffolk, and now lives in Bath. Whispers Through a Megaphone is her first novel. It was longlisted for the 2016 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
April 3, 2022
I read this book due to its longlisting for the 2022 Women’s Prize.
I would describe it as a relatively simple uplifting, hard-wrenching and ultimately life affirming novel but written in a style which to me at least seems to be inspired by Ali Smith – kind of like Ali Smith writing a screenplay for a Richard Curtis movie.
The book takes place over two main periods: 1984 (in Norfolk) and 2018 (across Norfolk, Somerset and even the park in New York that I visit when I am there. Interestingly and for reasons not really clear to me the place descriptions in the UK – which also include the Norfolk coast, Derbyshire and Pembrokeshire – appear to be completely generic.
In 1984 a rather itinerant family the 22 year old Eve and her 6 year old son Daniel (who have been moving at random around the country after fleeing their Derbyshire home when Eve was born), rent the house next door to a “rambunctious” family of four: the mid 30s Sherry, her 15 year old and more serious husband Leslie, their introverted 9 year old daughter Rae and her more conventional 6 year old sister Pauline. Eve gets a job at a local rather eccentric off licence and art gallery, but she and Daniel are effectively absorbed as additional members of Sherry and Leslie’s family.
The rather stiff Leslie seems to regard Daniel as the son he has never had; and Daniel is clearly looking for a father/grandfather figure – his mother dismissing his conception as an example of why 15 year old’s should not drink too much cider and her own parents as evil people who did not want him;
Rea - rather crushed by the rest of her family, particularly her exuberant mother - finds in Eve someone prepared to give her quiet time and attention accompany her on her interior journeys – including to a deserted island she has constructed in her mind;
And Sherry and Eve begin a passionate affair which gives both the sexual energy they have been missing;
Pauline appears largely forgotten by the family and the author;
Eventually though a breach between Sherry and Eve causes Eve to resume her family’s wanderings leaving a never fully healed breach in all their lives.
Now some 34 years later in 2018:
Daniel is a 40 year old painter/decorator who is temporarily homeless after his girlfriend of a number of years splits with him at the same time their landlord gave notice to turn their Somerset cottage into an Air BNB;
Leslie has just turned 80 and the mutually observed difference in age and temperament between he and the power-ballad wailing Sherry is greater than ever;
Rea is as introverted as ever (albeit this is like Leslie and Sherry is not entirely convincing as we tend to be “shown” this family characters when they are transformed by Eve and Daniel’s presence but only “told” how they apparently are the majority of the time) – and deliberately distant from her family and particularly her extroverted mother - but has just gained a new lease of life having been offered a job with an gig-economy App firm for which she is the biggest customer; Stranger of Mine – which basically has non-judgemental, normal strangers available to hire as a purely platonic and only-ever one-off companion (for example to visit cinemas or parties – the book opens at Leslie’s 80th birthday party) but with a wider mission to combat the echo chamber of social media by manufacturing opportunites to mix with complete strangers.
Pauline (and her subsequent siblings) appear largely forgotten by the family and author.
And Daniel, whose life is adrift due to an encounter which has causes him to question his very life story, and inspired by the random kindness of a stranger in a library, decides to visit the one family who gave him real love when he was originally a stranger to them, and travels from Somerset to Norfolk, where his presence is, as before, a catalyst for that family (well Sherry, Leslie and Rea – the others appear largely forgotten) to resolve issues in their individual and collective lives.
But the unspoken element is Eve (now a professor in Edinburgh and New York, where she has moved with her wife) – a breach between her and Daniel which has moved to something of a chasm after a recent revelation – is painful, particularly for Sherry and Rea – and as Rea and Daniel begin a tentative, still platonic but deeply felt relationship, the family look to help understand and resolve this breach.
As I said the book to me seems very inspired in its style by Ali Smith - here for example is an excerpt from when Eve has first moved to her Norfolk and realises that she is already starting to take her new surrounds for granted, including an area where rubbish is illegally dumped in the corner of a car park
And this made the book fresher and more appealing in narrative style than I had expected from the genre to which I had, in my prejudice, expected it to conform.
What the book does not have is Smith’s heavy artistic references (albeit the book is strewn through with 1980s music – particularly power ballads), her sometimes acerbic political references to contemporary crises, her complex and sometime hard to resolve side-storylines (this is a story which is rather – perhaps too – neatly tied up) or her fey visitors (although Daniel does talk to with rivers and with a ceramic cow).
The passage ends
Because ultimately this is a book which believes that love (in all its forms) is more important than political crisis or art, and which explores the generational impacts when it is neglected.
Overall – 3*
I would describe it as a relatively simple uplifting, hard-wrenching and ultimately life affirming novel but written in a style which to me at least seems to be inspired by Ali Smith – kind of like Ali Smith writing a screenplay for a Richard Curtis movie.
The book takes place over two main periods: 1984 (in Norfolk) and 2018 (across Norfolk, Somerset and even the park in New York that I visit when I am there. Interestingly and for reasons not really clear to me the place descriptions in the UK – which also include the Norfolk coast, Derbyshire and Pembrokeshire – appear to be completely generic.
In 1984 a rather itinerant family the 22 year old Eve and her 6 year old son Daniel (who have been moving at random around the country after fleeing their Derbyshire home when Eve was born), rent the house next door to a “rambunctious” family of four: the mid 30s Sherry, her 15 year old and more serious husband Leslie, their introverted 9 year old daughter Rae and her more conventional 6 year old sister Pauline. Eve gets a job at a local rather eccentric off licence and art gallery, but she and Daniel are effectively absorbed as additional members of Sherry and Leslie’s family.
The rather stiff Leslie seems to regard Daniel as the son he has never had; and Daniel is clearly looking for a father/grandfather figure – his mother dismissing his conception as an example of why 15 year old’s should not drink too much cider and her own parents as evil people who did not want him;
Rea - rather crushed by the rest of her family, particularly her exuberant mother - finds in Eve someone prepared to give her quiet time and attention accompany her on her interior journeys – including to a deserted island she has constructed in her mind;
And Sherry and Eve begin a passionate affair which gives both the sexual energy they have been missing;
Pauline appears largely forgotten by the family and the author;
Eventually though a breach between Sherry and Eve causes Eve to resume her family’s wanderings leaving a never fully healed breach in all their lives.
Now some 34 years later in 2018:
Daniel is a 40 year old painter/decorator who is temporarily homeless after his girlfriend of a number of years splits with him at the same time their landlord gave notice to turn their Somerset cottage into an Air BNB;
Leslie has just turned 80 and the mutually observed difference in age and temperament between he and the power-ballad wailing Sherry is greater than ever;
Rea is as introverted as ever (albeit this is like Leslie and Sherry is not entirely convincing as we tend to be “shown” this family characters when they are transformed by Eve and Daniel’s presence but only “told” how they apparently are the majority of the time) – and deliberately distant from her family and particularly her extroverted mother - but has just gained a new lease of life having been offered a job with an gig-economy App firm for which she is the biggest customer; Stranger of Mine – which basically has non-judgemental, normal strangers available to hire as a purely platonic and only-ever one-off companion (for example to visit cinemas or parties – the book opens at Leslie’s 80th birthday party) but with a wider mission to combat the echo chamber of social media by manufacturing opportunites to mix with complete strangers.
Pauline (and her subsequent siblings) appear largely forgotten by the family and author.
And Daniel, whose life is adrift due to an encounter which has causes him to question his very life story, and inspired by the random kindness of a stranger in a library, decides to visit the one family who gave him real love when he was originally a stranger to them, and travels from Somerset to Norfolk, where his presence is, as before, a catalyst for that family (well Sherry, Leslie and Rea – the others appear largely forgotten) to resolve issues in their individual and collective lives.
But the unspoken element is Eve (now a professor in Edinburgh and New York, where she has moved with her wife) – a breach between her and Daniel which has moved to something of a chasm after a recent revelation – is painful, particularly for Sherry and Rea – and as Rea and Daniel begin a tentative, still platonic but deeply felt relationship, the family look to help understand and resolve this breach.
As I said the book to me seems very inspired in its style by Ali Smith - here for example is an excerpt from when Eve has first moved to her Norfolk and realises that she is already starting to take her new surrounds for granted, including an area where rubbish is illegally dumped in the corner of a car park
Funny what familiarity does to a person, a brain, the senses.
Funny that fly tipping is a term only applied to rubbish, when it’s usage could be wider
To throw things away in the fly, on the sly
Don’t we do that with human beings too? Discard them without care, as if they were trash that meant nothing to us?
She thinks of her parents, just for a minute.
I have fly tipped my parents, she thinks.
And the fly tipping of her parents, that too will blur over again. It’s happening right now as we speak. Like the graffiti on the wall that Eve will pass every day. See it now blurring? Catch it while you can, before it —
Hazy, soft focus, world obscured until something makes you look again, look closely, or see in a way you’ve never seen before.
Crisis makes us look.
Art makes us look.
And this made the book fresher and more appealing in narrative style than I had expected from the genre to which I had, in my prejudice, expected it to conform.
What the book does not have is Smith’s heavy artistic references (albeit the book is strewn through with 1980s music – particularly power ballads), her sometimes acerbic political references to contemporary crises, her complex and sometime hard to resolve side-storylines (this is a story which is rather – perhaps too – neatly tied up) or her fey visitors (although Daniel does talk to with rivers and with a ceramic cow).
The passage ends
Science makes us look.
That is what Eve thinks now, and what she will say to Daniel when hs ie old enough to understand such things as crisis, art and science.
And he will say Mum, there are other things too you know.
Like what? she’ll say
Like love, he’ll say.
And she will roll her eyes and say honestly, no need to get silly is there, when we’re having a serious conversation.
Because ultimately this is a book which believes that love (in all its forms) is more important than political crisis or art, and which explores the generational impacts when it is neglected.
Overall – 3*
February 21, 2022
Rep: lesbian mc, bi mc, gay side characters
CWs: ableism, toxic parents, implied suicidal ideation
CWs: ableism, toxic parents, implied suicidal ideation
February 6, 2022
This wonderful book is centered around themes of love, friendship, family and kindness. We all go through lots of struggles in life and the characters in this book aren’t any different, but the important things are to ensure that we learn from our actions. The choices and decisions we make all shape how our future will be, even our mistakes. A lot of people are shaped on how their childhood was, and the events that lead them to where they are now, and this book is no different. What’s important to remember is that no matter what you are going through, there will always be someone there for you, even in your darkest and most uncertain times.
This book follows Daniel and his mum, Eve, move next door to Sherry and Lesley, along with their daughters, and Eve and Daniel start to see them as the family they never really had. But one day something happens that rocks their world and family secrets come to light that affect them all, however not all of them are telling the truth. Daniel is desperate to uncover the truth behind it all, but in doing so he has to revisit his past childhood.
This book follows Daniel and his mum, Eve, move next door to Sherry and Lesley, along with their daughters, and Eve and Daniel start to see them as the family they never really had. But one day something happens that rocks their world and family secrets come to light that affect them all, however not all of them are telling the truth. Daniel is desperate to uncover the truth behind it all, but in doing so he has to revisit his past childhood.
March 12, 2023
Flamingo🦩
Daniel Berry, der Protagonist in Rachel Elliotts neustem Buch "Flamingo", wird von seiner Freundin Erica verlassen. Als er auch noch aus dem gemeinsamen Appartement ausziehen muss, weil der Vermieter es zu einem Airbnb machen möchte, verliert er den Boden unter den Füßen. Obdachlos geht er seiner Arbeit als Maler und Lackierer nicht mehr nach und verbringt seine Tage mit einem Porzellanschaf unter freiem Himmel.
In Rückblicken erfahren wir mehr über Daniels Kindheit und über seine Mutter Eve Berry, die mit 16 schwanger wird und deren Eltern sie zwingen wollen, das Baby Daniel zur Adoption freizugeben, die sich aber wehrt und mit Hilfe einer Lehrerin, ihr Kind alleine aufzieht. Jahr um Jahr steckt sie mit geschlossenen Augen eine Nadel in eine Landkarte, um einen neuen Ort zum Leben auszuwählen, damit die Eltern sie nicht aufspüren, bis die beiden schließlich in der Nachbarschaft der Familie Leslie und Sherry Marsh eine neue Heimat finden. Nach Jahren des nachbarschaftlichen, familären Zusammenlebens geschieht jedoch ein Ereignis, das Eve Berry zwingt, mit ihrem Sohn Daniel erneut aufzubrechen ... #nospoiler
An diesem Roman haben mich besonders die Charaktere fasziniert. Allen voran der liebenswerte Daniel, der mit dem Fluss und seinem Dekoschaf spricht und seine Mutter Eve, die stark und eigenständig vor ihren Eltern flüchtet, damit sie ihr das Kind nicht wegnehmen.
Die Nachbarstochter Rae, die bei einer Agentur fremde Menschen auf Zeit bucht, um ins Kino oder Konzert zu gehen und in der Phantasie mit einem Boot zu ihrer fiktiven Insel Petula aufbricht. Sherry, Raes Mutter, die dauernd und lauthals singt und alle Fanartikel der Beatles besitzt, inkl. Toilettenpapier und Leslie, der warmherzige Ehemann von Sherry, der immer den Überblick behält.
Zugegebenermaßen fand ich, dass Obdachlosigkeit hier etwas romantisiert wird, dass alle sehr sehr happy sind, als Daniel zu den Marshs zurückkehrt (Probleme werden hier völlig ausgespart) und auch das Ende ist (ich kann es nicht anders sagen) kitschig. Aber wer das gut ab kann und wen die narrative Vorhersehbarkeit nicht stört, dem wird der Roman gut gefallen.
Leseempfehlung für Wohlfühlbuch-Fans!
Ich hab es gerne gelesen, einfach weil ich Daniel sehr liebenswert fand.
#namethetranslator : Aus dem Englischen von Claudia Feldmann.
Daniel Berry, der Protagonist in Rachel Elliotts neustem Buch "Flamingo", wird von seiner Freundin Erica verlassen. Als er auch noch aus dem gemeinsamen Appartement ausziehen muss, weil der Vermieter es zu einem Airbnb machen möchte, verliert er den Boden unter den Füßen. Obdachlos geht er seiner Arbeit als Maler und Lackierer nicht mehr nach und verbringt seine Tage mit einem Porzellanschaf unter freiem Himmel.
In Rückblicken erfahren wir mehr über Daniels Kindheit und über seine Mutter Eve Berry, die mit 16 schwanger wird und deren Eltern sie zwingen wollen, das Baby Daniel zur Adoption freizugeben, die sich aber wehrt und mit Hilfe einer Lehrerin, ihr Kind alleine aufzieht. Jahr um Jahr steckt sie mit geschlossenen Augen eine Nadel in eine Landkarte, um einen neuen Ort zum Leben auszuwählen, damit die Eltern sie nicht aufspüren, bis die beiden schließlich in der Nachbarschaft der Familie Leslie und Sherry Marsh eine neue Heimat finden. Nach Jahren des nachbarschaftlichen, familären Zusammenlebens geschieht jedoch ein Ereignis, das Eve Berry zwingt, mit ihrem Sohn Daniel erneut aufzubrechen ... #nospoiler
An diesem Roman haben mich besonders die Charaktere fasziniert. Allen voran der liebenswerte Daniel, der mit dem Fluss und seinem Dekoschaf spricht und seine Mutter Eve, die stark und eigenständig vor ihren Eltern flüchtet, damit sie ihr das Kind nicht wegnehmen.
Die Nachbarstochter Rae, die bei einer Agentur fremde Menschen auf Zeit bucht, um ins Kino oder Konzert zu gehen und in der Phantasie mit einem Boot zu ihrer fiktiven Insel Petula aufbricht. Sherry, Raes Mutter, die dauernd und lauthals singt und alle Fanartikel der Beatles besitzt, inkl. Toilettenpapier und Leslie, der warmherzige Ehemann von Sherry, der immer den Überblick behält.
Zugegebenermaßen fand ich, dass Obdachlosigkeit hier etwas romantisiert wird, dass alle sehr sehr happy sind, als Daniel zu den Marshs zurückkehrt (Probleme werden hier völlig ausgespart) und auch das Ende ist (ich kann es nicht anders sagen) kitschig. Aber wer das gut ab kann und wen die narrative Vorhersehbarkeit nicht stört, dem wird der Roman gut gefallen.
Leseempfehlung für Wohlfühlbuch-Fans!
Ich hab es gerne gelesen, einfach weil ich Daniel sehr liebenswert fand.
#namethetranslator : Aus dem Englischen von Claudia Feldmann.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2022
I don’t think a book needs to necessarily be happy to be uplifting. In Flamingo, there are plenty of characters who are struggling with who they are, and the decisions they’ve made in the past. But that’s life, eh? What becomes important is learning, seeking out the truth & realising that our choices, decisions and mistakes, all shape our future.
Daniel & his mother, Eve, move around a lot. Eventually, they move next door to Leslie and Sherry, and their two daughters. Eve & Daniel’s new neighbours become the family they’ve never had, taking them under their wing & inviting them into their lives and home. It all seems so perfect, until one day…
What follows shapes the rest of Daniel’s life. Family secrets are revealed, but who is telling the truth? Daniel’s search for the truth takes him back to his past, where he may or may not find the answers he’s looking for.
Flamingo is a wonderful exploration of family & friendships & how covering up the truth can lead to unnecessary pain. But there are always those you can rely on, you just have to look for them. Beautifully written, it kept me gripped as truth began to unravel…!
Daniel & his mother, Eve, move around a lot. Eventually, they move next door to Leslie and Sherry, and their two daughters. Eve & Daniel’s new neighbours become the family they’ve never had, taking them under their wing & inviting them into their lives and home. It all seems so perfect, until one day…
What follows shapes the rest of Daniel’s life. Family secrets are revealed, but who is telling the truth? Daniel’s search for the truth takes him back to his past, where he may or may not find the answers he’s looking for.
Flamingo is a wonderful exploration of family & friendships & how covering up the truth can lead to unnecessary pain. But there are always those you can rely on, you just have to look for them. Beautifully written, it kept me gripped as truth began to unravel…!
May 29, 2022
Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com.
Flamingo is a book I picked up (like many others, I imagine) because I saw it on the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022 longlist, and then seeing so many other bloggers and reviewers rave about it. And it did not disappoint! This is a book that ignited so many feelings in me - it's incredibly emotional at times, and manages to be heartwarming and optimistic - yet so sad and poignant too.
The plot is a real mix. I thought perhaps it would be a bit abstract or pretentious but it absolutely isn't. I just sunk into it and found myself completely absorbed in the characters' development - which was no surprise, as the two main families in this are brilliant. I cared so much about Daniel, Evie, Sherry, Leslie, Rae, and everyone else, but particularly Daniel and his life with his mother Evie as a child and then as an adult, when I found the story incredibly moving. Plus, the plot was so much more intricate than I expected, addressing various important themes in a sensitive and honest way.
I don't want to give too much away but the novel flicks back and forth between timeframes, and we learn more about some of the characters' backgrounds and childhoods which I loved. Flamingo is a gem of a book, which is so worth giving a go - you won't regret it!
Flamingo is a book I picked up (like many others, I imagine) because I saw it on the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022 longlist, and then seeing so many other bloggers and reviewers rave about it. And it did not disappoint! This is a book that ignited so many feelings in me - it's incredibly emotional at times, and manages to be heartwarming and optimistic - yet so sad and poignant too.
The plot is a real mix. I thought perhaps it would be a bit abstract or pretentious but it absolutely isn't. I just sunk into it and found myself completely absorbed in the characters' development - which was no surprise, as the two main families in this are brilliant. I cared so much about Daniel, Evie, Sherry, Leslie, Rae, and everyone else, but particularly Daniel and his life with his mother Evie as a child and then as an adult, when I found the story incredibly moving. Plus, the plot was so much more intricate than I expected, addressing various important themes in a sensitive and honest way.
I don't want to give too much away but the novel flicks back and forth between timeframes, and we learn more about some of the characters' backgrounds and childhoods which I loved. Flamingo is a gem of a book, which is so worth giving a go - you won't regret it!
May 22, 2023
A slow burner for sure, but by the end I was so invested in the characters
April 3, 2022
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022, Flamingo is a contemporary novel that follows two families primarily over two different time periods. In the 1980s we see single-mother, Eve, and her son Daniel grow close to their new neighbours, while in present-day Daniel is sleeping rough and having a hard time with things. I found this to be a very strange book. The plot itself, though relatively interesting at the time, really comes to nothing in the end. Characters who play large roles are forgotten about in other timelines, and relationships develop up to certain points only to be abandoned. Essentially what I am saying here is that the book lacked any organic feeling growth, which was a real shame. The ending feels incredibly unresolved from almost every single angle. In the second half of the book, there's a lot of emphases put on the fact that a certain character has been lying, but we don't hear from that character again. It's strange that this feels like the driving force and yet it feels inconsequential/ The writing itself was perfectly fine, but it wasn't good enough to be able to ignore the lack of plot and care for the characters. If the author doesn't seem to care, then how can they expect us as readers to care?
April 22, 2022
4.5/5 because there was about 20% in the middle that could have been lifted out for me, but overall I really enjoyed this, and it was quite a surprise!
The story starts with a recently homeless man, and then snapshots of a few other people in Spring 2018. You’re not sure how they connect until several chapters in, and as we meet the families that become neighbors (Eve and her son Daniel; Leslie, Sherry, Rae and Pauline) and the best of friends in the 80s, we realize some sort of falling out occurred now that 30 years later they’re no longer in contact.
The structure of this book is really interesting… the first two sections are very long (75 and 120 pages respectively) and then there are 12 more sections with only 10-30ish pages, so I felt the second half really flew. Interesting choice, and I’m so glad that this was on the Womens Prize longlist because I wouldn’t have even heard of this one otherwise.
Literary, but very readable. Not too “lofty” in its writing to make it very accessible to me.
The story starts with a recently homeless man, and then snapshots of a few other people in Spring 2018. You’re not sure how they connect until several chapters in, and as we meet the families that become neighbors (Eve and her son Daniel; Leslie, Sherry, Rae and Pauline) and the best of friends in the 80s, we realize some sort of falling out occurred now that 30 years later they’re no longer in contact.
The structure of this book is really interesting… the first two sections are very long (75 and 120 pages respectively) and then there are 12 more sections with only 10-30ish pages, so I felt the second half really flew. Interesting choice, and I’m so glad that this was on the Womens Prize longlist because I wouldn’t have even heard of this one otherwise.
Literary, but very readable. Not too “lofty” in its writing to make it very accessible to me.
March 24, 2022
Longlisted for the 2022 Woman’s Prize. Absolutely delightful. Friendship, love, homelessness, it had it all.
I especially liked the way it was told, different dates and locations.
I especially liked the way it was told, different dates and locations.
April 25, 2022
Flamingo is a novel experience, full of quirky characters, who I mostly grew to care for. It is the story of two families, the Marsh family and the Berry family. The Marsh family is compelling, especially the mother, Sherry who draws the slightly adrift Berry family into their circle. It switches from 1980's and 2018 as well as bouncing from one character to another.
One of the themes of Flamingo, is kindness and while there are acts of kindness, I found more acts of endearing quirkiness and some not as endearing. Their doorbell plays the tune of I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside, they engage in food fights, they drink tea in mugs which say "the sloth is my spirit animal", they have flamingos on their front lawn and the list continues.
Sherry, 15 years younger than her husband, Leslie sings to him every year on his birthday:
As a gift for her husband on his eightieth birthday, Sherry is about to serenade him with her special a cappella version of ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ by Foreigner. Please no, not again, Leslie wants to say. Must you sing this every year on my birthday? It’s not special, it’s painful.
I love Rachel Elliott's style, it pushed me into the world in which a flamboyance flamingos on the front lawn was charming.
It’s the view from the window, gentle and forgiving, saying something now about the wider world, all the lives being lived, the mistakes being made, but there are fields and flowers and ancient trees, there are badgers and butterflies, and there is nothing as fertile as foolishness, and there is always the tender sky.
Flamingo has been nominated for the Women's Prize for fiction.
One of the themes of Flamingo, is kindness and while there are acts of kindness, I found more acts of endearing quirkiness and some not as endearing. Their doorbell plays the tune of I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside, they engage in food fights, they drink tea in mugs which say "the sloth is my spirit animal", they have flamingos on their front lawn and the list continues.
Sherry, 15 years younger than her husband, Leslie sings to him every year on his birthday:
As a gift for her husband on his eightieth birthday, Sherry is about to serenade him with her special a cappella version of ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ by Foreigner. Please no, not again, Leslie wants to say. Must you sing this every year on my birthday? It’s not special, it’s painful.
I love Rachel Elliott's style, it pushed me into the world in which a flamboyance flamingos on the front lawn was charming.
It’s the view from the window, gentle and forgiving, saying something now about the wider world, all the lives being lived, the mistakes being made, but there are fields and flowers and ancient trees, there are badgers and butterflies, and there is nothing as fertile as foolishness, and there is always the tender sky.
Flamingo has been nominated for the Women's Prize for fiction.
March 19, 2023
I loved this book, partly because it was so unexpected! I thought it would be a contemporary novel (which maybe it is) but the writing is unique and captures the characters internal monologues beautifully with some really interesting observations about humanity along the way.
The characters were very ‘real’ which I liked and they would be a great group of people to spend time with!
There’s some big themes in the book, mental health, loneliness, familial relationships, kindness, and love in all forms. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
The characters were very ‘real’ which I liked and they would be a great group of people to spend time with!
There’s some big themes in the book, mental health, loneliness, familial relationships, kindness, and love in all forms. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
November 27, 2023
⇝
3.5 stars
April 4, 2022
You know those books that exceed your expectations? Flamingo was that book for me. I absolutely adored this story from the first page to the very last.
Flamingo explores what it means to be human with themes of love, family, friendship and acceptance. It highlights the struggles we all go through in life and some that not all of us do such as homelessness. It's poignant and often relatable and I honestly could of read another 300 pages of this gorgeous novel.
Following Daniel and Eve, Mother and Son who move next door to Leslie and Sherry and their Daughters Pauline And Rae Flamingo is a story of how two families become interwoven, how they become so close they be default become family. Sherry loves her husband Leslie, but she also loves Eve. Daniel is the son Leslie never had and Leslie is Daniel's father figure. It's complicated and messy but also not because there is an abundance of love.
Eve and Daniel have always moved around, they have secrets that nobody knows, but when they up and leave one last time everything goes dark and Daniel is broken. Years later he turns up at Sherry's Door but where is his mother Eve?
Full of life, Flamingo is beautifully written, I laughed and shed a tear or two. It's full of hope and gratitude and oozes warmth. I wasn't expecting to love Flamingo as much as I did. The characters will definitely stay with me and I would wholeheartedly recommend Flamingo to everyone. It truly is a beautiful book.
Flamingo explores what it means to be human with themes of love, family, friendship and acceptance. It highlights the struggles we all go through in life and some that not all of us do such as homelessness. It's poignant and often relatable and I honestly could of read another 300 pages of this gorgeous novel.
Following Daniel and Eve, Mother and Son who move next door to Leslie and Sherry and their Daughters Pauline And Rae Flamingo is a story of how two families become interwoven, how they become so close they be default become family. Sherry loves her husband Leslie, but she also loves Eve. Daniel is the son Leslie never had and Leslie is Daniel's father figure. It's complicated and messy but also not because there is an abundance of love.
Eve and Daniel have always moved around, they have secrets that nobody knows, but when they up and leave one last time everything goes dark and Daniel is broken. Years later he turns up at Sherry's Door but where is his mother Eve?
Full of life, Flamingo is beautifully written, I laughed and shed a tear or two. It's full of hope and gratitude and oozes warmth. I wasn't expecting to love Flamingo as much as I did. The characters will definitely stay with me and I would wholeheartedly recommend Flamingo to everyone. It truly is a beautiful book.
February 7, 2023
FLAMBOYANCE
I reviewed this when I listened to the audible but forgot to save. Very Ali Smith with all the ‘says’ and ‘said’ which I find a tad irritating. It’s well written and I could tell the author is a psychotherapist. It was longlisted for the women’s prize but didn’t make the shortlist.
December 22: I’ve just won a copy from the motherload fb group so will read before the meeting in February. Hopefully the author will attend. I’ve now read the book and raised my score accordingly. I wonder why it didn’t make the women’s prize short list as it ticks a lot of boxes stylistically and has appropriate subject matter. I didn’t notice the ‘saids’ when reading it but did notice the use of symbols and the language more. The characters are more empathetic and although sad it definitely gets happier which surprised me. We had a good discussion at the online meeting although it was a shame we couldn’t ask the author why she ‘lost’ a few characters. Some didn’t like the ambiguous ending but generally the book was popular and considered well written with some likeable characters.
I reviewed this when I listened to the audible but forgot to save. Very Ali Smith with all the ‘says’ and ‘said’ which I find a tad irritating. It’s well written and I could tell the author is a psychotherapist. It was longlisted for the women’s prize but didn’t make the shortlist.
December 22: I’ve just won a copy from the motherload fb group so will read before the meeting in February. Hopefully the author will attend. I’ve now read the book and raised my score accordingly. I wonder why it didn’t make the women’s prize short list as it ticks a lot of boxes stylistically and has appropriate subject matter. I didn’t notice the ‘saids’ when reading it but did notice the use of symbols and the language more. The characters are more empathetic and although sad it definitely gets happier which surprised me. We had a good discussion at the online meeting although it was a shame we couldn’t ask the author why she ‘lost’ a few characters. Some didn’t like the ambiguous ending but generally the book was popular and considered well written with some likeable characters.
February 3, 2022
I loved this book so much, it made my heart sing and is all about love, kindness and being around people that accept you for who you are. We see the chapters flit back and forth from the 80's up to 2018 where the book is set. It is such an enchanting and charming read and the way it has been written was beautiful. It was a story that really got to me, and even after I had finished it I was still thinking about the characters. I think it is a relatable story that people may find comfort in, a tender story that in time will heal.
March 17, 2022
I have never loathed a peripheral character like I do Erica Yu.
April 15, 2022
I loved this book, full of kindness, hope and real life. As well as this great line "seems I always meet good people in libraries" as a librarian I couldn't agree more 🙂
February 24, 2023
4 Sterne von 5 - obwohl es eigentlich 5 verdient. Den ersten Stern hat das Buch auf den ersten Seiten verloren, denn ich habe tatsächlich überlegt, es sofort wieder zur Seite zu legen. Hätte ich vorab eine Leseprobe gelesen, hätte ich dem Buch wohl keine Chance gegeben. Kurze, abgehackt klingende Sätze, die nicht zu mir gesprochen haben, haben mich wirklich abgeschreckt. Aber ich breche selten Bücher ab und so durfte ich erfahren, dass ich geschätzt ab dem dritten Kapitel in einem durchaus interessanten und auch spannenden Buch gefangen war.
Abwechselnd wird aus der Sicht von Daniel und von Rae in der dritten Form erzählt. Eine Erzählform, die ich grundsätzlich gewöhnungsbedürftig finde und die es mir am Anfang auch so schwer gemacht hat, sollte sich als die perfekte Erzählweise für diese Geschichte herausstellen. Daniel lebt auf der Straße nachdem ihn seine Freundin verlassen und der Vermieter gekündigt hat. Rae erkauft sich die Gesellschaft von Fremden über eine Plattform. Daniel reimt und speibt wenn er sich unwohl fühlt. Rae findet es peinlich, wenn ihre Mutter singt. Beide Erzählungen sind vollkommen losgelöst voneinander - vorerst.
Aber worum geht es eigentlich in dem Buch? Schwierig zu sagen. Beide erzählen einfach ihre Geschichte, geprägt durch die Vergangenheit, ihre Kindheit, ihre Erinnerungen und auch durch Lügen. Teilweise ist es wirr, für mitten im Leben stehende Menschen auf den ersten Blick nicht nachvollziehbar, was hier geschieht. Für mich war das definitiv, dass Daniel auf der Straße lebt, nachdem er sein Hab und Gut gespendet hat. Aber dann erfährt man immer mehr über ihn und über seine Vergangenheit und plötzlich macht es irgendwie Sinn, dass die menschliche Psyche solche Dinge geschehen lässt. Es zeigt, dass es unterschiedliche Dinge oder Menschen braucht, um glücklich zu sein.
Das Buch hat mich oft zum Nachdenken gebracht, hauptsächlich über die Bedürfnisse von Menschen, über die Psyche und über Einsamkeit und Verluste. Für mich war es ein Buch, das tiefer geht, als man auf den ersten Blick vermutet.
Das Ende - nun ja - war sehr offen und auch wieder nicht. Was genau passiert, wird nicht verraten. Ich würde nicht sagen, dass es Interpretationsspielraum gibt, denn den gibt es eigentlich nicht. Es war einfach aus und man weiß nicht, was dann geschah. Es gibt mehrere Möglichkeiten. Ich rechne nicht damit, dass eine Fortsetzung der Grund dafür ist. Ein zweiter Band würde für mich nicht passen. Ich habe mich für mich jedenfalls für die positive Möglichkeit entschieden, und das macht mich glücklich.
Abwechselnd wird aus der Sicht von Daniel und von Rae in der dritten Form erzählt. Eine Erzählform, die ich grundsätzlich gewöhnungsbedürftig finde und die es mir am Anfang auch so schwer gemacht hat, sollte sich als die perfekte Erzählweise für diese Geschichte herausstellen. Daniel lebt auf der Straße nachdem ihn seine Freundin verlassen und der Vermieter gekündigt hat. Rae erkauft sich die Gesellschaft von Fremden über eine Plattform. Daniel reimt und speibt wenn er sich unwohl fühlt. Rae findet es peinlich, wenn ihre Mutter singt. Beide Erzählungen sind vollkommen losgelöst voneinander - vorerst.
Aber worum geht es eigentlich in dem Buch? Schwierig zu sagen. Beide erzählen einfach ihre Geschichte, geprägt durch die Vergangenheit, ihre Kindheit, ihre Erinnerungen und auch durch Lügen. Teilweise ist es wirr, für mitten im Leben stehende Menschen auf den ersten Blick nicht nachvollziehbar, was hier geschieht. Für mich war das definitiv, dass Daniel auf der Straße lebt, nachdem er sein Hab und Gut gespendet hat. Aber dann erfährt man immer mehr über ihn und über seine Vergangenheit und plötzlich macht es irgendwie Sinn, dass die menschliche Psyche solche Dinge geschehen lässt. Es zeigt, dass es unterschiedliche Dinge oder Menschen braucht, um glücklich zu sein.
Das Buch hat mich oft zum Nachdenken gebracht, hauptsächlich über die Bedürfnisse von Menschen, über die Psyche und über Einsamkeit und Verluste. Für mich war es ein Buch, das tiefer geht, als man auf den ersten Blick vermutet.
Das Ende - nun ja - war sehr offen und auch wieder nicht. Was genau passiert, wird nicht verraten. Ich würde nicht sagen, dass es Interpretationsspielraum gibt, denn den gibt es eigentlich nicht. Es war einfach aus und man weiß nicht, was dann geschah. Es gibt mehrere Möglichkeiten. Ich rechne nicht damit, dass eine Fortsetzung der Grund dafür ist. Ein zweiter Band würde für mich nicht passen. Ich habe mich für mich jedenfalls für die positive Möglichkeit entschieden, und das macht mich glücklich.
December 13, 2023
Watch me get a flamingo tattoo
August 3, 2025
Soviel mehr als ich erwartete.
Wunderbar.
Wunderbar.
August 10, 2023
This was the cosy book I needed, loved it!
December 16, 2022
I loved this book. Well written and made me feel good. Quietly satisfying ending. Brought a wee tear to my eye.
September 23, 2022
I read this because it was longlisted for the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction but unfortunately it was a disappointing read. It took a long time to get into it, a number of times I questioned whether I should keep persevering. There were characters from the central family in the story that essentially dropped off from the narrative, as if forgotten about by both their family and the author. Then one of the key characters, who actions set off the entire chain of events that we read about, isn’t given a voice which left me with more questions than answers. When the plot did start to pick up, I got into it, only to be let down with a largely unresolved ending. I rarely talk so negatively about a book but would be interested to hear from anyone who has read this as I’m sure there’s many that enjoyed it more than I did.
March 19, 2023
Perfektes Wolldeckenbuch, das der Seele guttut!
September 22, 2022
The book is a story of Eve, her son Daniel. And their neighbours, Sherry, Leslie, Rae. It's a story of love, loss, defiance, norms.. I wouldn't say story is extraordinary.. But I loved the way Rachel has used the words. Her writing is powerful, after a long time I came across words that I wanted to hold close, that made me marvel how someone can write so beautifully, that left an imprint on my brain and heart.
April 26, 2022
A beautifully written book which softly washes over you. Read more slowly & take time to reflect on the deeper messages the author is communicating.
Loved it & will keep as a nurturing story, about how life offers us opportunities for wider 'family' & friends & how their unconditional love & support & a secure attachment, can restoratively heal others. Story ceartly has a strong foundation of the author's professional insight.
Will read the author's other books too, as fantastic to read after a busy day, as settles the mind & reflects on deeper meaning of life.
Loved it & will keep as a nurturing story, about how life offers us opportunities for wider 'family' & friends & how their unconditional love & support & a secure attachment, can restoratively heal others. Story ceartly has a strong foundation of the author's professional insight.
Will read the author's other books too, as fantastic to read after a busy day, as settles the mind & reflects on deeper meaning of life.
September 15, 2022
I thought this was a great novel with likeable main characters. I was interested in them and wanted to know more. There aren’t any speech marks which I found ok after a little while. Would recommend this and read more by the author too 😊
June 1, 2023
Found this book a bit hard to get into but once I did found it thoroughly enjoyable and moving. Born in the same year as the main character, the chapters set in the 80's brought back happy memories 😊
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