From the author of Josephine’s Garden, this is a rather complicated but stirring tale set in the early 1800’s when Napoleon ruled .This is Stephanie Parkyn’s third historical novel .It is of medium size and thickness and divided into thirty nine chapters.
The detailed ,extensive research is amazing , the characterisation excellent – all is vividly written and presented . It is about the preservation of oral history , books, of theatre , of love and friendship and the search for identity and a place to call home. There is also sacrifice , grief , denial and betrayal.
The title comes from Saskia’s wish to be free and how she wants to turn into a Vela (a bird) . It is also a quest for personal identity as the three main characters have all lost their parents – or so they think. The horrors of war are depicted in a fractured, precarious world.
We jump from Paris to Venice and Austria. The book tells the story of Remi Victoire , a star among the company of theatre orphans he lives with , under the direction of Gianni Constantini at the Comedie-Italiene,and he dreams of a career on the stage in Paris. The orphans who were all part of Constantini’s company, behind the scenes with costumes etc or on stage, were all abandoned children of women of the theatre, who were themselves servants of the theatre’s male patrons.
Unforeseen events prevent Remi and Pascal from performing-they are forced into hiding to escape Napoleon’s conscriptors – and they flee Paris for good .They meet Saskia , a runaway orphan contortionist and circus performer , kidnapped by a priest from her St Petersburg circus family and abused, who might be her father, and form an itinerant busking trio , travelling through the countryside that is home to the Brothers Grimm , before ending up in Venice , reuniting with Gianni their beloved Parisian theatre troupe manager and learning more about Commedia del’Arte as he secretly performs his plays for his fellow Italians. As well, the explosion of books becoming available and how this influences the trio is explored as the stories they tell become available to the masses which means there are set versions of favourite tales. The trio have to be careful with what they say and do because of political repercussions. We see Napoleon’s huge Empire disintegrating and the trio ascertain that Paris itself is now threatened and they worry about their loved ones still there.
While women had a chance of freedom beyond the restrictive double standard of the patriarchy in the theatrical life , we also see how they face very difficult choices – do they sacrifice their freedom to care for their children or do they abandon their children to a convent orphanage or the streets ? The trio also seek freedom – from poverty, shame , abuse and a part of their identity that is missing.
Mention is made of Shakespeare and the book also utilizes the writings of Olympe de Gouges, the French playwright and feminist pamphleteer, executed by the Jacobins in 1793 for her radical politics, her fight for women’s rights and her opposition to the dominance of misogynistic policies within the leadership of the French Revolution. Her vision is vividly brought to life by Colombina, an actress in Constantini’s company in Venice, who campaigns for sexual equality, ignoring society’s customary conventions of male dominance and the binding rules of marriage for women. As well, we see how Saskia dresses as a young man and serves as a drummer boy in order to find her fiancé Cristo.
What I found takes a bit of getting used to is the jumping between first person (for Remi) and third (everyone else) .It is clearly distinguished but some might perhaps find it a bit difficult.
A stirring, adventurous historical tale set in troubled times wonderfully written . There are no real ‘ happy endings’ but perhaps the possibility of hope for the future.
https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/popular-fiction/The-Freedom-of-Birds-Stephanie-Parkyn-9781760879389
ISBN: 9781760879389
ISBN-10: 176087938X
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 432
Published: 30th November 2021
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Dimensions (cm): 23.4 x 15.3
Weight (kg): 0.57