‘A secret ended their friendship. Now it’s time to unlock the past …‘
– The Last Song
Early last year I posted my review of a book that really resonated with me for various reasons and it was the gorgeous Whatever Happened to Birdy Troy? by Rachael English.
It has just been released by Hachette Ireland (January 16th) in paperback with a beautiful new cover and a change of title so I thought I would share the book details today with a link to my original review which you will find below.
[ About The Last Song ]
Stacey Nash is in search of a new mystery to engage listeners of her popular podcast Whatever Happened To . . . ?’. Her discovery of The Diamonds provides the perfect fit. Why did this all-woman rock band, on the verge of international stardom, disappear without a trace?
In 1980s smalltown Ireland, Birdy Troy is a talented young musician on a mission to pursue her dream with her three closest friends. The bright lights of London call, but the road to stardom is not what she expected. As Birdy waits in the wings for the performance of a lifetime, she battles with a truth that threatens everything.
Forty Years on, as Stacey Nash investigates, it seems as if the closer she gets to tracking down Birdy Troy, the more elusive she becomes. As Stacey pieces together fragments of a broken story, her determination deepens.
A moving and gripping story of two generations of women, each of whom, in their own way, is trying to be free.
Previously published as Whatever Happened to Birdy Troy?
[ My Review – The Intro… ]
With an opening line in the description of ‘In the early 1980s..’ and a mention of music I knew, beyond doubt, that I was going to lose myself in Rachael English’s latest novel about The Diamonds rock band and the elusive Birdy Troy. I grew up in a household surrounded by vinyls and guitars, as my older brother was a musician. The Diamonds, at the beginning of their career, were dubbed ‘the next U2’, a band that I distinctly remember surprising me, and the huge crowd in attendance, at a free outdoor music festival in Cork on 25th August 1985 when they did an unscheduled set. We were in heaven. I was fourteen years old, and this was the gig that sealed my life-long love of music….
You can read my full review HERE
[ Bio ]
Rachael English is a bestselling novelist and presenter on Ireland’s most popular radio show, Morning Ireland. During more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of RTÉ Radio’s leading current affairs programmes, covering a huge range of national and international stories.
In recent years Rachael has gained a loyal readership at home and abroad, with her six much-loved novels: Going Back, Each and Every One, The American Girl, The Night of the Party, The Paper Bracelet and The Letter Home.
Instagram ~ @rachaelenglishwriter
