The Bird Hotel

The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard is the story of the life of a woman, Irene, as she establishes a new life for herself in a different country. Irene was brought up by her grandmother after her mother disappeared, believed to have died in an explosion. The grandmother changed their lives and they moved home several times to avoid authorities from tracking them. Eventually Irene married and had a child but then another disaster occurred in her life. She was on the move again.

Eventually Irene found herself living at a small hotel in an isolated village in South America and her life changed for the better. There were still many challenges but, with the help of friends, she makes a new life. The book includes a rich assortment of characters who live in the village or visit the hotel.

The Bird Hotel is a well written, readable novel covering four decades that immerses the reader in the story as the plot is revealed. The Bird Hotel is the book read by the Monash Alumni Book Club in March 2025.