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Go Home Birdie Brown
- Author
- Laura Blake
- Narrator
- Sara Powell
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 18 June 2026
- Run Time
- 11 hours 12 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Family saga / generational saga fiction, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems, Narrative theme: politics / economics, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Narrative theme: diversity, equity, equality, inclusion, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages, Family life fiction / Stories about family
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What to expect
'A tender, powerful and emotional novel … wonderfully moving' Platinum Magazine
'A vital and emotional read' Fabulous Magazine
Birdie has come too far to go quietly … A powerful and emotional novel inspired by the Windrush Scandal. This is a story about being told you don’t belong. This is a story about knowing you do. This is a story about Birdie.Birdie Brown’s life is held together by family — her sharp-witted daughter Carmen, her son Scott who no one mentions, and five grandkids who keep her on her toes. Retirement is bingo nights, babysitting, and TV with her granddaughter Saffie — until a letter from the Home Office arrives.
It says she’s here illegally. That she must return to Jamaica — a country she hasn’t seen since childhood.
As the system threatens to erase her, Birdie must confront buried truths and fractured ties. Can she hold on to the life she built — and the family that built her?
‘Such a moving story and so well told’ *****
‘An important, compassionate and thought-provoking read’ *****
‘It’s a story with heart and life and I’d recommend it to anyone who can read’ *****
'A self-assured debut …A wonderful story of family, community, and the importance of recognising people instead of categories.' Louise Hare author of This Lovely City
'A tender, powerful and emotional novel … wonderfully moving' Platinum Magazine
'A vital and emotional read' Fabulous Magazine
Netgalley readers love Go Home Birdie Brown:
‘It’s heartbreaking but uplifting too, a … brave voice that deserves to be heard’
‘This book broke my heart’
‘An excellent book’
‘Brilliant’
Critics Review
-
'A self-assured debut …A wonderful story of family, community, and the importance of recognising people instead of categories.' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City
-
'A tender, powerful and emotional novel … wonderfully moving' Platinum Magazine
-
'A vital and emotional read' Fabulous Magazine
-
Netgalley readers love Go Home Birdie Brown:
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
‘It’s heartbreaking but uplifting too, a … brave voice that deserves to be heard’
-
‘This book broke my heart’
-
‘Such a moving story and so well told’ *****
-
‘An important, compassionate and thought-provoking read’ *****
-
‘It’s a story with heart and life and I’d recommend it to anyone who can read’ *****
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Laura Blake
- Narrator
- Sara Powell
- Duration
- 11 hours 12 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008775889
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Family saga / generational saga fiction, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems, Narrative theme: politics / economics, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Narrative theme: diversity, equity, equality, inclusion, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages, Family life fiction / Stories about family
Synopsis
'A tender, powerful and emotional novel … wonderfully moving' Platinum Magazine 'A vital and emotional read' Fabulous Magazine Birdie has come too far to go quietly … A powerful and emotional novel inspired by the Windrush Scandal. This is a story about being told you don’t belong. This is a story about knowing you do. This is a story about Birdie. Birdie Brown’s life is held together by family — her sharp-witted daughter Carmen, her son Scott who no one mentions, and five grandkids who keep her on her toes. Retirement is bingo nights, babysitting, and TV with her granddaughter Saffie — until a letter from the Home Office arrives. It says she’s here illegally. That she must return to Jamaica — a country she hasn’t seen since childhood. As the system threatens to erase her, Birdie must confront buried truths and fractured ties. Can she hold on to the life she built — and the family that built her? ‘Such a moving story and so well told’ ***** ‘An important, compassionate and thought-provoking read’ ***** ‘It’s a story with heart and life and I’d recommend it to anyone who can read’ ***** 'A self-assured debut …A wonderful story of family, community, and the importance of recognising people instead of categories.' Louise Hare author of This Lovely City 'A tender, powerful and emotional novel … wonderfully moving' Platinum Magazine 'A vital and emotional read' Fabulous Magazine Netgalley readers love Go Home Birdie Brown: ‘It’s heartbreaking but uplifting too, a … brave voice that deserves to be heard’ ‘This book broke my heart’ ‘An excellent book’ ‘Brilliant’
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