Vita and the Birds
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βA poignant page-turning story, beautifully writtenβ Leonora Nattrass, author of Blue Water
βHugely evocative and beautifully writtenβ Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl
βPolly Crosbyβs writing is exquisite and this latest book is every bit as evocative as her previous novelsβ My Weekly Top pick of the month May 2023
βA thoroughly compelling mystery meets a poignant love story, all wrapped up in beautifully lyrical writingβ Frances Quinn, author of The Smallest Man
βA beguiling mystery from a gifted storytellerβ Louise Fein, author of People Like Us
1938: Lady Vita Goldsborough lives in the menacing shadow of her controlling older brother, Aubrey. But when she meets local artist Dodie Blakeney, the two women form a close bond, and Vita finally glimpses a chance to be free.
1997: Following the death of her mother, Eve Blakeney returns to the coast where she spent childhood summers with her beloved grandmother, Dodie. Eve hopes that the visit will help make sense of her grief. The last thing she expects to find is a bundle of letters that hint at the heart-breaking story of Dodieβs relationship with a woman named Vita, and a shattering secret that echoes through the decades.
What she discovers will overturn everything she thought she knew about her family β and change her life forever.
βLuminous and captivating ... Polly Crosbyβs shimmering writing veils a dark hint of the gothicβ Kate Griffin, author of Fyneshade
What readers are saying about Vita and the Birds'A beautiful and haunting tale of family, love, control and connections. This book and its characters will stay with me for a long time' Netgalley reviewer
'A lush and evocative novel of loss and forbidden love' Netgalley reviewer
'Beautifully written, a dark and moody yet intriguing story' Netgalley reviewer
'An extraordinary book that I read in a 4 hour straight session without stopping for food or drink . . . A spellbinding read' Netgalley reviewer
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Polly Crosby grew up on the Suffolk coast, and now lives with her husband and son in the heart of Norfolk.
In 2018, Polly won Curtis Brown Creativeβs Yesterday Scholarship, which enabled her to finish her debut novel, The Illustrated Child. Later the same year, it was awarded runner-up in the Bridport Prizeβs Peggy Chapman Andrews Award for a First Novel. Polly received the Annabel Abbs Creative Writing Scholarship at the University of East Anglia. Her new novel, Vita and the Birds, is out in May 2023.
