Songbirds by Christy Lefteri, another historical fiction novel, about the disappearance of a Sri Lankan nanny and how the most vulnerable people find their voices. From the best selling author of 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo'. This is the first book I have read by the author, and I must say being a historical fiction the writing is very smooth. In August 2021, Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake revealed that the film was in pre-production with filming expected to begin in early 2022 for a targeted release of "either late fiscal 2023 or early 2024." [14] On April 28, 2022, it was announced that the film will release on November 17, 2023. [15] Beautiful cover, beautiful writing but the subject matter was difficult, heartbreaking to read. The second book I've read set in Cyprus and in both books the eating of songbirds is a delicacy. In this book the trapping if the birds was given in more, heart-rending detail. The Hopetrapping of the birds is in juxtaposition to the trapping of women, or rather the traps they are led into. Nisha had left her home in Sri Lanka, left her young daughter in the care of her mother and came to Cyprus to earn money to send home. Like many necessary workers she is not really seen as a person but as someone to take advantage of without any recourse in a country that is not her own. And in that dismissal, people are treated as less than human. Animals are treated as expendable. Nature is treated as though it has no expiration date. A story that holds a magnifying glass to abhorrent practices, even if performed by people who are not so much evil, as trapped. When the police refuse to pursue the case, Petra takes on the investigation herself, a path that leads her to Nisha's friends- other workers in the neighbourhood-and to the dealers side of a migrant's life, where impossible choices leave them vulnerable, captive, and worse.

Nisha's lover, Yiannis, had also been in economic trouble when an acquaintance involved him in illegally poaching songbirds as they fly between Europe and Africa. But Yiannis finds that the organization does not allow anyone to leave. Hunger Games Prequel Movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Officially Set by Lionsgate". Den of Geek. April 21, 2020 . Retrieved May 18, 2020. Nisei becomes integral to Petra , taking care of her young daughter and household, when after the death of her husband she is unable to cope. After eight years Petra knows little of Nishas life and it doesn't concern her until Nisha goes missing. The authorities don't care, after all these are foreign women, they come and they go. As we learn Nishas story, we also uncover Petra's story as well as that of Yiannis, the man who had come to love Nisha. A pedigree scheme worth every penny for helping children get to grips with words, sounds and spelling patterns, and to inspire a love of reading. . . . a high quality, powerful storytelling scheme written by one of the best." Teach Primary It’s his sad duty to trap and kill songbirds illegally, for his intimidating employer (and childhood friend), Seraphim. An Uneasy CoalitionLucy Gray Baird - The female tribute from District 12 for the tenth Hunger Games. Lucy Gray is a member of the Covey, a nomadic musical group forced to settle in District 12 after the war. She wears a beautiful rainbow dress to her reaping and draws the Capitol's attention with her charm, talent and by slipping a snake down the District 12 mayor's daughter's dress. She's a smart and calculating free spirit, and eventually develops a romantic connection with Snow. Her fate at the end of the book is unknown, though she is presumed to have died by the beginning of the original series. Ultimately a story about traps; bird traps, human traps, grief traps. On one level the story of a woman who goes missing, and the man and woman who search for her. Descending into the depths of this disappearance, we catch glimpses of the inter-connectedness of all; the life cycle of animals, the threads that connect all living life...or the beliefs that compartmentalize if we allow them to, a compartmentalization that allows mistreatment and dismissal. Inspired by the real-life disappearance of domestic workers in Cyprus, Christy Lefteri has crafted a poignant, deeply empathetic narrative of the human stories behind the headlines. With infinite tenderness and skill, SONGBIRDS offers a triumphant story of the fight for truth and justice, and of women reclaiming their lost voices."

Goldsbrough, Susannah (May 19, 2020). "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, review: less Hunger Games, more sixth-form philosophy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235 . Retrieved May 20, 2020. I am still thinking about Nisha and her journey, the way she affected those around her. She's a character we can all learn from; a fighter, a lover, a helper, a friend.Songbirds brings to light the plight of migrant domestic workers in Cyprus and the writing of this story was partly influenced by real life events, where five migrant domestic worker women and two children went missing. Their disappearances were ignored because they were foreign, and it was only when one of the bodies was found two years later that the murders of these women and children were brought to light. In this story, thirty eight year old Nisha left her native Sri Lanka, nine years ago, to find work in Cypress so that she could earn money to support her daughter who she had to leave with relatives in Sri Lanka.