Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary
Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary
by Laura Stanfill
"A virtuosic, richly layered saga. . . . Every turn of this intricate music box produces heartache and wonder."
—Eli Brown, author of Cinnamon and Gunpowder
As a firstborn son of a master craftsman, Henri Blanchard is expected to inherit the family barrel organ workshop, but he would prefer to make bobbin lace like his best friend Aimée. In an effort to put his misgivings aside and prove himself a worthy heir, he attempts dramatic feats that draw derision from the townsfolk and finally land him in jail, accused of murder. Threatened with the hangman’s noose, he is forced to flee the cozy village of Mireville—and discover a world beyond that may be big enough for even the rarest bird to find a nest.
Suspenseful and heartwarming by turns, Laura Stanfill’s debut is a whimsical journey full of friendship, adventure, and self-discovery.
A Rumpus Book Club selection, March 2022
Praise for Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary
“Alive with complex characters and mesmerizing settings, Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is a spell-binding tale of love, art, and growing up.”
—Juhea Kim, author of Beasts of a Little Land
“With delicacy, precision, and a luscious sense of place, Stanfill captures the once-upon-a-time moment at the end of an era, and an unforgettable family.”
—Michelle Ruiz Keil, author of Summer in the City of Roses
“Stanfill’s deft plot, laced with sparkling flashes of magical realism, keeps us turning the pages to find out, and her prose thrums with the joy she has found in creating this charming, masterful fable.”
—Stevan Allred, author of The Alehouse at the End of the World
“Equal parts hero's journey, French farce, feminist manifesto, and music lesson, Laura Stanfill's Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is a bird’s-eye view of how rule-breakingly imaginative a modern novel can be.”
—Robert Hill, author of The Remnants
