The Half Bird

Discover the incredible story of one woman's solo journey, from Land's End to the shores of Greece, exploring the unexpected joy of solitude, self-discovery and resilience

'It’s hard to read The Half Bird without wondering whether you could do it too. It may be better to start by pondering Smillie’s wider message – that to work out what will truly make you happy, you first need to stop and smell the air around you' Guardian

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'We have no idea how much resilience there is inside us until we have to draw on it. We learn that we grow through adversity only as we go through it. That we crave happiness like plants leaning toward the light'

When Susan quit her job in London and set sail off the south coast of England on her beloved sailboat, Isean, she was unaware this spontaneous departure would lead to a three-year journey spanning several countries across the continent.

With only the very basics on board, resourcefulness becomes an unexpected source of joy and contentment. The highs and lows of living in such an extreme way awakens a newfound appreciation for the beauty of her surroundings, for being safe - for just being alive.

For all the physical and navigational challenges of her journey, the other side of her story reveals a more important change - an inner journey - that took place along the way.

This wasn't merely a challenge, a mid-life adventure or gap-year career break; it was much gentler than that, but much greater too.

She was seeking nothing less than an entirely different life, having left the land far behind to call the wild, unbiddable sea home.

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Praise for The Half Bird

'I didn't know a love song between a woman and her boat could transport, and transfix me. The Half Bird made my heart whole' Rhik Samadder, author of I Never Said I Loved You

'A beautiful, wise and open-hearted odyssey through life, loves and the sea' Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles

'Told with all the invigorating energy of a crisp wind under a cloudless sky' Charlotte Higgins, Chief culture writer, Guardian