{"product_id":"birds-of-passage-robert-barclay-9798269336435","title":"Birds of Passage","description":"Fans of \u003cb\u003eLouis de Bernières\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eDaphne du Maurier\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eEmily Brontë\u003c\/b\u003e may enjoy \u003ci\u003eBirds of Passage. \u003c\/i\u003eIt is a masterwork of literary realism and a meditation on life's fleeting beauty and the courage it takes to truly live. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the peaceful English village of Boughton, situated in Hampshire's scenic Test Valley, a reclusive novelist named Robertson Sinclair lives a solitary life with his small black poodle. Once a celebrated author and war correspondent, Sinclair has long abandoned his pen-until a mysterious visitor arrives at his door with a request that will change the course of his final years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis visitor is a descendant of the last empress of the Manchu dynasty and the mother of a world-famous pianist. She pleads with Sinclair to write the story of Cassandra Spencer, a young environmental activist, and the granddaughter of Sinclair's only friend in the village-and a family friend of her own-who was brutally murdered in the rainforests of Borneo. Initially reluctant, Sinclair finds himself drawn into a web of memories and rediscovery that forces him to confront his long-buried past and the haunting presence of his first love, Kathleen Donegan, a fiery Irish girl he met sixty years earlier. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs he begins his writing odyssey, Sinclair's world opens once again to friendship, grief, love, and the fragile beauty of life itself. Through his eyes, we encounter extraordinary women whose half-lived lives of courage, artistry, and compassion shape the story: Cassandra, the fallen heroine; Clara, the haunted musician; and the indomitable spirit of \"Donegan,\" who sees service as her highest duty. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSet against stunning backdrops-from the misty meadows of Hampshire to the steamy rainforests of Kalimantan to the spectacular Swiss Alps-\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBirds of Passage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is a sweeping literary novel about loss, duty, faith, and the enduring search for meaning. With prose as lyrical as it is profound, Barclay delivers a deeply human story that celebrates love's persistence in the face of time and tragedy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Robert Barclay\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798269336435\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/22\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 354\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.04lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.74d","brand":"Robert Barclay","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47612083339519,"sku":"9798269336435","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_91a1c534-09c1-4aed-a512-b33054c266c9.jpg?v=1764518069","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/birds-of-passage-robert-barclay-9798269336435","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}