About the Author:
Clive Woodall lives in a village in rural Cambridgeshire with his wife and two sons (for whom this story was originally written) and a garden full of birds. One for Sorrow, Two for Joy is his first novel.
From Publishers Weekly:
At the start of "One for Sorrow," the opening half of British author Woodall's savage first novel, Birddom's very existence is threatened. Magpies, under the dictatorship of the treacherous Slyekin, have ruthlessly wiped out many bird species. A wise old owl, Tomar, asks plucky young Kirrick—evidently the sole robin to survive the holocaust—to undertake three dangerous journeys in order to enlist the aid of feathered allies. Kirrick proves that one brave little bird can make a big difference against "planned systematic genocide." The second section, "Two for Joy," allows Kirrick's mate, Portia, to prove her mettle. Contrary to the hype in the U.K. press, this avian fantasy lacks the depth of that modern animal classic, Watership Down. Nor, with its scenes of defecation, disembowelment and magpie rape, does it have much in common with The Lord of the Rings. Even the good birds execute summarily and employ mass murder. Still, given the compelling plot of "One for Sorrow" in particular, one can understand why Disney has optioned the novel "in a million-dollar deal." It should make a wonderful Disney feature-length cartoon, suitably sanitized.
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