Preview
  • The Birdcatcher

  • By: Gayl Jones
  • Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
  • Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
  • 3.1 out of 5 stars (14 ratings)

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The Birdcatcher

By: Gayl Jones
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
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Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST 2022

Publishers Weekly Top 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2022

“Gayl Jones’s work represents a watershed in American literature."
—Imani Perry

Legendary writer Gayl Jones returns with a stunning new novel about Black American artists in exile

Gayl Jones, the novelist Toni Morrison discovered decades ago and Tayari Jones recently called her favorite writer, has been described as one of the great literary writers of the 20th century. Now, for the first time in over 20 years, Jones is publishing again. In the wake of her long-awaited fifth novel, Palmares, The Birdcatcher is another singular achievement, a return to the circles of her National Book Award finalist, The Healing.

Set primarily on the island of Ibiza, the story is narrated by the writer Amanda Wordlaw, whose closest friend, a gifted sculptor named Catherine Shuger, is repeatedly institutionalized for trying to kill a husband who never leaves her. The three form a quirky triangle on the white-washed island.

A study in Black women’s creative expression, and the intensity of their relationships, this work from Jones shows off her range and insight into the vicissitudes of all human nature—rewarding longtime fans and bringing her talent to a new generation of listeners.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Gayl Jones (P)2022 Beacon Press
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Critic reviews

“Wows listeners with characters who are unique and appalling yet captivating.”
AudioFile

“[A novel with] the plush scenery of a travelogue, the misshapen soul of a noir, and the anarchic spirit of a trickster tale.”
The New Yorker

“This is a brilliant and unsparing examination of the burdens we place on friendship and marriage, the way that creative genius is misperceived as madness, the clumsy way mental health is addressed, the scourge of racism, and the alchemy of folklore and legacy bound in the secrets we hide.”
—Lauren LeBlanc, Boston Globe

What listeners say about The Birdcatcher

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Relationship loyalty

Reader was not the best. Emphasized the wrong things. Not too much of a story. Feminism ideas were not up to date. Very surprised this was selected for an award.

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