“The golden garden bird of peace”
- Book: The Bird That Sang In Color
- Location: Jersey
- Author: Grace Mattioli
Having followed Grace’s career as a writer, almost from its inception, I have watched this author of contemporary literary fiction, hone and finesse her writing style, as this family saga series has unfolded, into this latest episode, the highly polished artistic prose and quality of narrative and dialogue, which is the unique and unconventional, “The Bird That Sang In Color”.
Whilst the series does feature the same family, with each ongoing episode being narrated from a different perspective by the individual members, each book can be read in isolation as a stand alone story, as the backstory is seamlessly woven into the narrative, in an unobtrusive, yet totally cohesive way.
The family are the continuous story, their experiences the ever evolving premise, their outcomes the never ending changes of lives well lived in.
This is definitely not a static story, but one which evolves fluidly; with great heart and humour; terrible tragedy and loss; desperate sadness and intense love; lives and time lost and ever-lasting memories found, over a period of several decades, and ultimately asks the question:
“What pictures will you have of yourself by the end of your life?”
A consummate exponent in the art of storytelling and skilled in the imagery of words, Grace offers, in this well constructed timeline and study of human behaviour, a glimpse into the highly textured, multi faceted, multi aspect, daily lives which most of us lead and which many of us rarely have the time to analyse or reflect upon.
Grace perceptively highlights and unpicks for scrutiny, everyday actions, deeds and conversations, between members of what I would consider to be, this close-knit, rather volatile, insecure and highly emotionally charged family and whilst Donna may provide the central focus of Grace’s observations, it is almost impossible to separate her feelings from those of her siblings, parents, husband and children, as their lives are so closely woven together and inextricably linked. Without exception, the characters are all emotionally complex and the dynamics between them are complicated, not always making them easy to connect with, or for them to connect with each other. This can lead to some genuine friction between them, albeit that they are still a very close family unit, which I was completely invested in.
With total authority, maturity and confidence, Grace observationally questions the way in which Donna almost attempts to live her life through that of her brother Vincent, often trying to change and influence his lifestyle and decision making processes, albeit with the best of intentions and with his supposed happiness at heart. To some extent Vincent and Donna are two of a kind, as they have a mutual love of art and music, which means that interaction between them is intimate and engaging, with a genuine depth of feeling and mutual respect. This synergy is actually quite surprising, as their personalities and emotional intelligence are vastly different, as Donna realises only when it is too late for her to make amends. She finally understands from Vincent’s legacy to her, that he never really needed or wanted the ‘help and advice’ she was wont to dish out all too frequently. He had already made peace with himself, as his lifetime of pictures made abundantly clear and all he ever really wanted was for Donna to make that same emotional connection with her own life, to reconcile past, present and future, in a life lived in full and wonderful colour!
Once she understands that Vincent, with his genuine depth of character, has left her the key to free herself from the shackles in which she has voluntarily chained herself for so long, Donna’s world of opportunities and new experiences, opens up before her eyes. She is finally free to look back on her life and forward to her future, comfortable in her own skin and at peace with the war which had been raging inside her for so long.
As I immersed myself in this lyrical and lovingly written, character driven narrative, I unexpectedly discovered my own answer to Grace’s profound and thought provoking question begin to unfold, in the highly charged and personal memories I found myself uncovering along the way, revealing the true, long forgotten pictures, I had buried in the past.
I think that whilst hoping every reader will eventually arrive at the same destination, Grace has written this story in such a way that each will take their own uniquely individual and personal journey to get there. I know I did, and that’s what makes reading so wonderful for me!
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