Reviews
Reviewer: Tina Gibbons
In ‘Song Bird’ by Christine M Knight, Mavis Mills is a working single mother trying to balance the responsibilities of motherhood with her career. Mavis is also known as Nikki Mills of the Nikki Mills band. She dreamed of the freedom and lifestyle that came with being a platinum record artist, and now she has become an international singing sensation. She still struggles with all the insecurities of her Mavis personality and the terrible things that happened because of her need to please. Life on tour is often glamorous, but home is where her heart is. Nikki is determined not to be defined by the fan and media circus that surrounds her. When some unscrupulous reporters unearth the past she is trying to overcome, Nikki attempts to withstand the media assault and maintain her equilibrium.
Christine M Knight gave me a look behind the scenes of a celebrity’s life that felt very real. The way Mavis’s new celebrity status and her lack of privacy affected her entire family almost made me feel sorry for her success. Even though I celebrated the ‘rags to riches’ part, I couldn’t help but feel the loss that came with it. ‘Song Bird’s tale of how Mavis struggled with her own identity, questioned her judgment based on her past decisions, and how she dealt with betrayal and disappointment from people she chose to trust made me think about how I’d feel in similar circumstances. It made me wonder if I’d welcome fame and fortune given its price tag.
The cast of characters was believable, and I liked the way they interacted as a family – even the band members who were close to Mavis. She was strong, and the way she learned from her mistakes made me like her very much. Her interactions with her son, “Dan the Man” were sweet, and he was one of my favorite characters. His need to know about his father, and the truth behind Mavis’s past added realism that I connected with on a personal level. Her response to reporters who uncovered her secrets and hinted at the truth about Dan’s father was the most seriously emotional point of the book for me. I was rooting for and against certain romantic relationships throughout the story that added an extra measure of conflict. ‘Song Bird’ painted a picture of parenting and relationships when success overwhelmed and it read like a true story. It was thought provoking as well as entertaining. I enjoyed it.
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