The Birdcage: A Novel

Marcia Willett

Macmillan, Jun 27, 2006 - Fiction - 400 pages

Marcia Willett's fans have fallen in love with the English countryside and the wonderful characters that inhabit its idyllic setting. Written with shining honesty and compassion, The Birdcage has every bit of the wonder that Marcia Willett's fans have come to expect...

THE BIRDCAGE

No one can foresee when life is about to change. For Felix Hamilton, it started with an evening at the theater. There, he first set eyes on the captivating actress Angel Blake, and knew he'd never be the same--an intense, forbidden love was about to turn his world upside down...

The Birdcage, Felix called it. For Angel and her daughter Lizzie, it was home. The funny old house played host to cozy nights and stolen, joy-filled days. Felix and Angel knew those days couldn't last. And little Lizzie couldn't understand how these times would shape her life. Until, years later, a holiday by the sea and a chance encounter reopen the doors to the Birdcage, secrets, and second chances...

Contents

• Act One: 1
• 1: 3
• 2: 8
• 3: 14
• 4: 23
• 5: 28
• 6: 36
• 7: 43
• 8: 48
• 9: 52
• 10: 57
• 11: 64
• 12: 70
• 13: 76
• 14: 80
• Act Two: 87
• 15: 89
• Act Three: 107
• 16: 109
• 17: 115
• 18: 122
• 19: 130
• 20: 137
• 21: 143
• 22: 150
• 23: 158
• 24: 163
• 25: 171
• 26: 179
• 27: 186
• 28: 192
• 29: 199
• 30: 206
• 31: 215
• 32: 221
• 33: 228
• 34: 234
• 35: 241
• Act Four: 249
• 36: 251
• 37: 258
• 38: 266
• 39: 272
• 40: 278
• 41: 284
• 42: 290
• 43: 297
• 44: 303
• 45: 308
• 46: 313
• 47: 319
• 48: 326
• 49: 334
• 50: 340
• 51: 347
• 52: 354
• 53: 359
• 54: 364
• 55: 370
• 56: 375
• 57: 381

About the author

Born in Somerset, in the West Country of England, MARCIA WILLETT was the youngest of five girls. Her family was unconventional and musical, but Marcia chose to train as a ballet dancer. Unfortunately her body did not develop with the classical proportions demanded by the Royal Ballet, so she studied to be a ballet teacher. Her first husband was a naval officer in the submarine service; their son, Charles, is now married and a clergyman. Her second husband, Rodney, himself a writer and broadcaster, encouraged Marcia to write novels. "The Birdcage" follows three earlier novels, "A Week in Winter," "A Summer in the Country," and "The Children's Hour."

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Birdcage: A Novel
• Author: Marcia Willett
• Publisher: Macmillan, 2006
• ISBN: 0312996497, 9780312996499
• Length: 400 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / General; Fiction / Romance / General