Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray*

What a story! Filled with loops and cliff hangers and the beloved art of poetry, sort of!

Morgan Murray, raised in Alberta and now settled in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia makes a splash with his first novel and a tale surrounded by poetry, music and romance plus some heartache. This all pales in comparison to a different look at the late, great Leonard Cohen in a work of fabulous fiction and meaning.

A #ReadAtlantic Book!

Milton Ontario, the character, not the place, can’t find himself in Bellybutton, Saskatchewan so takes himself to Montreal in hopes of finding himself, his idle Leonard Cohen and a career in poetry. What he found instead was a whirlwind of new friends, enemies and some substance for his writing. Oh, and some bird shit.

Dirty Birds, the title is explained quickly enough, is filled with substance, pictures, an escape plan and a return home. A weird and wonderful novel with two pages of – you caught me, I’m speechless and need to read this again and again – wisdom (page 488 if you’re interested) that makes the whole story so poignantly beautiful that it will live on in my heart for many, many years.

A literary mix of romance, confusion, mystery and wonder, Dirty Birds had characters I grew to love and sympathize with as they lay on their bare mattress in Montreal, using winter coats as blankets but the warmth actually came from the people themselves.

PS: It was super fun to have Morgan himself make an appearance, in a strange manner, in the story, too.

“Satirical, cleverly written, unrestrained and funny, Dirty Birds, made a great read.”
Lana Shupe, Atlantic Book Reviews.

*This review by Sarah Butland is reproduced here with her kind permission. Her website is here.

About the author: Morgan Murray was born and raised on a farm near the same west-central Alberta village as figure-skating legend Kurt Browning (Caroline). He now lives, works, plays, writes, and builds all sorts of crooked furniture in Cape Breton.

Publisher : Breakwater Books; Illustrated edition (July 31 2020)
Paperback : 432 pages
ISBN-10 : 1550818074
ISBN-13 : 978-1550818079

*Please note if you choose to purchase this book through Amazon using the link below we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you cannot see the Amazon ad below (if you are using an ad blocker, for instance) here is the link: https://amzn.to/3q3AmuD Thanks!

Sarah Butland

Website

I am a struggling artist, a challenging and challenged mother who always thinks she is failing, an emerging freelance writer and reporter, an author with my name on several books crossing genres and always hoping to find more readers who enjoy them.

I am also a successful artist, a wonderful and thriving mother of one, a reacher towards both people and dreams despite all of the turned backs and obstacles in my way. I am a thriving freelance writer and reporter, an author loved by enough readers to make it worthwhile and a discombobulated conundrum who loves to hear new music, tell new tales and meet new authors. And I’m doing something I always dreamed of doing – reviewing books to support others as well as myself and my family.

Sarah Butland

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