This Bird Has Flown
A Novel
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3.9 • 147 Ratings
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
This delightfully funny and steamy novel about music, fate, and love from beloved songwriter and Bangles co-founder Susanna Hoffs is "a total knockout" and "the smart, ferocious rock-star redemption romance you didn’t know you needed" (New York Times Book Review).
"This Bird Has Flown is SO GOOD. If you liked Daisy Jones & The Six or Juliet, Naked, I feel like you will love this one." —Taylor Jenkins Reid
Jane Start is thirty-three, broke, and recently single. Ten years prior, she had a hit song—written by world-famous superstar Jonesy—but Jane hasn’t had a breakout since. Now she's living out of four garbage bags at her parents’ house. Rock bottom.
But when her longtime manager Pippa sends Jane to London to regroup, she’s seated next to an intriguing stranger on the flight—the other Tom Hardy, an elegantly handsome Oxford professor of literature. Jane is instantly smitten by Tom, and soon, truly inspired. But it’s not Jane’s past alone that haunts her second chance at stardom, and at love. Is Tom all that he seems? And can Jane emerge from the shadow of Jonesy's earlier hit, and into the light of her own?
In turns deeply sexy, riotously funny, and utterly joyful, This Bird Has Flown explores love, passion, and the ghosts of our past, and offers a glimpse inside the music business that could only come from beloved songwriter Susanna Hoffs.
"Hoffs nails the life and heartbreak of rock and roll, academia, and our soul-nourishing connection to our very own soulmate so expertly she must have carved it in Norwegian Wood! And isn't it good!" —Tom Hanks
"A sweet and tender romance—and a valentine to music." —NPR
"This book will hook you like the best pop song you can't stop playing—something Susanna knows a little something about!" —Molly Ringwald
"This isn’t just a book, it’s a love song, and it should come as no surprise that Susanna Hoffs has crafted the perfect one to put on your playlist.” ―Christina Lauren
“This book is a blast . . . about art and new beginnings and love and friendship and taking risks, it’s such a fun read.” ―Jasmine Guillory
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Susanna Hoffs first enraptured fans singing hits like “Manic Monday” with legendary ’80s band the Bangles, but her debut novel proves she’s a talented author as well. Her rom-com follows singer Jane Start, who scored one smash hit single 10 years ago. Now 33, Jane’s stuck playing tacky Vegas private shows and singing TV jingles, but her luck turns around during a flight to England, when she’s seated next to charming Oxford University literature professor Tom Hardy. Hoffs layers her twisty and sexy love story with lots of references to her twin passions of rock music and classic literature, making her book feel like a winning mashup of Nick Hornby and a Brontë sister.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This lighthearted debut from Hoffs, former guitarist and singer for the Bangles, follows Jane Start, a down on her luck musician who becomes embroiled in a whirlwind romance with an Oxford professor. Ten years earlier, Jane struck gold covering a song written by the mysterious pop star Jonesy. Now, in her early 30s, she's playing bachelor parties. Her fortunes change after she sits next to Tom Hardy on a flight to London and they hit it off. Less than a month later, Jane has moved into Tom's place, and the couple are in the throes of new love. Jane is shocked when Jonesy asks her to perform with him at the Royal Albert Hall, and her newly blissful domestic life is threatened by the frequent mentions of Tom's beautiful and accomplished ex-girlfriend by others in their orbit. As a romance, the narrative hits all the expected marks, though most characters other than Jane are one-dimensional, even Tom. Still, Hoffs crafts a convincing portrayal of a musician, whether on the big stage in a climactic scene or spontaneously harmonizing with a pub singer, providing "the humble puzzle piece that goes unnoticed, but to , makes the song"; and she enlivens the proceedings with playful irreverence (a chapter dedicated to Tom is called "Hot for Teacher"). When Jane hits the stage, Hoffs finds her groove.
Customer Reviews
Delightful debut!
THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN is an entertaining, charming read with real and fun characters. I loved the witty humor and the style of writing. I so appreciated that instead of following the money, fame, and security, the main character Jane follows the path where she feels free and can spread her wings. And how appropriate that Jane and Tom meet on an airplane. What a delightful debut for the author!
Laugh Out Loud Page-turner!
Loved reading this book laughed a lot! Often very difficult to but down. Just read it!
Scrumptious Debut Novel
You can’t buy help but fall in love with Jane Start and the well-placed lyrical references that create the harmonious backdrop to this magnificent debut novel. To see these characters brought to life in film will be a tantalizing feast for the senses.