Songbirds Are Free

by: p. m. terrell

Published by: Drake Valley Press

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

SPOILER ALERT: Don’t look at any of the photos because one gives away the ending.

It isn’t the end of the world because readers will pretty much figured out Songbirds Are Free ends, but it would be nice to hope for a twist.

Author p.m. terrell stretches her writing skills by moving from suspense novels to historical fiction. In her fourth novel, terrell writes about her ancestor, Mary Neely, who was captured by the Shawnee Indians in at Fort Nashborough (now Nashville) in 1780.

The books open with Mary’s capture and covers the next two years of her life as an Indian prisoner. Mary is given the Indian name of Songbird because of her beautiful voice, which often (supposedly) she uses to calm her fears and make her life bearable. However, there were only brief glimpses of Mary actually singing and as a reader, I never got a clear sound of her voice. There are three or four scenes that tell about her singing, but I couldn’t get an accurate portrayal of when, how often, and how she (and the band she was with) was comforted by her voice.

In what should be a highly skilled senior novel, the structure and syntax have the feel of a first-time writer. I think the problem is that terrell is trying to hard to be true to Mary’s story. While having to fill in dialogue and details, Songbirds Are Free is supposedly a historically accurate account of Mary’s harrowing journey. I believe terrell, or her father who stumbled upon the story, meticiously researched the story. I don’t know; given the circumstances, I’m not sure how such records were created and how they survived. For some reason, I just don’t buy it.

All-in-all, Songbirds Are Free lacks the intrigue and believability of terrell’s previous novels; I look forward to her return to suspense genre.

Armchair Interviews says: Heed the reviewer’s comments.

Author’s Web site: http://www.pmterrell.com