Little Wing: A beautifully written, emotional and heartwarming story

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I enjoyed the characters and while it was hard to make out quite what was going on in the beginning, come the middle and end, I was able to relax into the different story lines. Learning about Flora and her journey was so beautiful and heartbreaking, her storyline was definitely my favorite. I really loved Gordon who is such a loving and caring father figure to Dougie. The ending really wrapped it up for me and warmed my heart. I was smiling to myself constantly with sheer happiness for our main characters. As the past begins to close in on them both, they find themselves travelling to a remote village called Harris in the Outer Hebrides; Nell to explore her family connections that have been long-buried with the woman she learns is her real mother; Dougie, for a long overdue stay to reconnect with his father, Gordon, and confront events that he has tried to ignore for too long. Inevitably, their paths are destined to cross! North has crafted her characters so boldly, so intricately; endowed them with qualities so inherently human, you cannot help but take them into your heart. I cared for all of three. For Florence and her exile to a foreign place. For Nell and her heartbreaking search for the truth. And for Dougie and the scars that refuse to heal. I liked the MCs and the storyline. It was interesting and the characters felt real, unlike many recent CRs where the same cheesy, vulgar characters seem to keep on popping up. I don't want to say much about the story itself - IMO it's better to go in blind and let the story unfold.

Little Wing: A beautifully written, emotional and Little Wing: A beautifully written, emotional and

North gets to the heart of relationships very well. They are messy, glorious, heart-breaking, soul soothing and complex. Nell's relationship with her mum Wendy (who had very challenging mental health issues) gave so much more depth to Nell's personality and patience. Nell was overflowing with love and kindness, she had dedicated her life to working with and supporting those who needed it most. It was this inherent kindness that made me really fond of Nell. Florence Lawson, a 16-year-old schoolgirl who dreams of being an artist, finds herself pregnant and banished to one of the most remote parts of the UK. Little Wing is a lovely read about family and the importance of place. It unfolds in dual timeframes. In 1969, a sixteen year old girl gets pregnant and is sent away to live with a relative in the Scottish Hebrides. In 2005, we meet Nell and Dougie, both in their 30s and living in Colchester and London respectively. Nell is running a cafe and dealing with her mother's early onset dementia. Dougie is a photographer who is battling depression. It's apparent that the three storylines will connect, but it's unclear how that will happen. Also, this is the second book I've read recently with a young mother raising a baby completely on her own in an isolated location and absolutely revelling in every minute of it. I have to admit I think that would be my idea of hell and I'm not sure it would have been helpful for me to read this when my kids were little. Maybe that's just me?In Little Wing, Freya North gives us three unforgettable characters across two timelines: pregnant schoolgirl Florence, who is banished in 1969 to one of the farthest outposts of Scotland to deliver her baby; lonely, untethered Nell, who divides her time between care in the community and visiting her mentally impaired mother; and photographer Dougie, a man estranged from his roots and troubled by a painful past. Between the sprawl of London, suburban Essex, and the wild, unpredictable Outer Hebrides, three lives collide and interweave as questions are asked and secrets surface. What happened to Florence? Why is Dougie now so reluctant to return home? How can Nell make peace with the lies she's been told? I think some individuals might be more concerned about their past than others. My husband lived decades before he felt compelled to find answers. In Little Wing, Nell is determined to find answers. The book has two timelines - the late 1960s/early 197os, and the early 2000s. The book jumped between the two timelines, which isn't my favourite type of book structure. As I read on and got to know the characters better, I got used to the time jumps and in the end didn't mind it.

Little Wing by Freya North | Waterstones Little Wing by Freya North | Waterstones

I loved the characters in this book and I cared about them all. I also loved the sound of windswept and beautiful Harris in Scotland and was sorely tempted to jump on a plane and go there until I thought to look up the weather forecast which for this week in February is 7 straight days of rain, short days and highs of 7 degrees.A couple of things bugged me. Firstly, I question whether someone could really be in their mid 30s and have never seen their own birth certificate/know where they were born. Having a passport or a birth certificate for ID is a pretty standard requirement in this day and age, so that's something you have to suspend disbelief about.