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A review by amys_hygge_reads
Wild Geese by Soula Emmanuel
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wild Geese is the debut novel by the Greek Irish author Soula Emmanuel.
The Story 📚
Phoebe is an Irish trans woman, who moves to Scandinavia to pursue further education, and the freedom to create a new life with no history attached. Living in Copenhagen and commuting to Lund in Sweden, Phoebe’s weeks are quiet. Her little dog Dolly being her main companion in life.
But, that quiet life changes when one day her ex-girlfriend Grace arrives on her doorstep in Copenhagen for an unannounced visit. Phoebe has not seen Grace since she left Ireland – and since she transitioned. Set across the weekend visit, the two women embark on a tour of Copenhagen. Filled with conversations of the past, and getting to know the present, what will change for these two women as a result of their meeting?
The Review 👩🏻💻
I was instantly drawn to this book with connection to both Ireland and Denmark. Irish humour and wit in the setting of Copenhagen was just perfect reading for my current life set up! I’m really glad that I did pick this up as it was a lovely book. The language and flow was beautiful. The weekend timeline worked perfect for the story, almost as if you were right there with the two ladies during their weekend. It felt like a privilege to read Phoebe’s story, which was also written by a trans author.
I chose to listen to the audio book. The narration was great - Clara Harte was brilliant at setting the tone of the book, and creating distinguishing voices for the two protagonists. However, and I’m being picky here, the Danish pronunciations were not good. The Swedish ones were potentially a bit better (but I don’t speak Swedish so could be wrong!) which could be due to the author spending some time living in Sweden. But a simple listen to the google translation voice would have been a good idea for improving the narration a little bit. Someone who doesn’t speak a Scandinavian language won’t notice, but for me with a little Danish, it did take away from aspects of the story.
My personal favourite quote by Grace - “Copenhagen is Ballykissangel compared to London.”
Wild Geese is the debut novel by the Greek Irish author Soula Emmanuel.
The Story 📚
Phoebe is an Irish trans woman, who moves to Scandinavia to pursue further education, and the freedom to create a new life with no history attached. Living in Copenhagen and commuting to Lund in Sweden, Phoebe’s weeks are quiet. Her little dog Dolly being her main companion in life.
But, that quiet life changes when one day her ex-girlfriend Grace arrives on her doorstep in Copenhagen for an unannounced visit. Phoebe has not seen Grace since she left Ireland – and since she transitioned. Set across the weekend visit, the two women embark on a tour of Copenhagen. Filled with conversations of the past, and getting to know the present, what will change for these two women as a result of their meeting?
The Review 👩🏻💻
I was instantly drawn to this book with connection to both Ireland and Denmark. Irish humour and wit in the setting of Copenhagen was just perfect reading for my current life set up! I’m really glad that I did pick this up as it was a lovely book. The language and flow was beautiful. The weekend timeline worked perfect for the story, almost as if you were right there with the two ladies during their weekend. It felt like a privilege to read Phoebe’s story, which was also written by a trans author.
I chose to listen to the audio book. The narration was great - Clara Harte was brilliant at setting the tone of the book, and creating distinguishing voices for the two protagonists. However, and I’m being picky here, the Danish pronunciations were not good. The Swedish ones were potentially a bit better (but I don’t speak Swedish so could be wrong!) which could be due to the author spending some time living in Sweden. But a simple listen to the google translation voice would have been a good idea for improving the narration a little bit. Someone who doesn’t speak a Scandinavian language won’t notice, but for me with a little Danish, it did take away from aspects of the story.
My personal favourite quote by Grace - “Copenhagen is Ballykissangel compared to London.”