“Lovers of music, France, and good storytelling will find much to enjoy in “Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary,” and in these dark times, joy is worth seeking out.”

—The Oregonian

“Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is an elegant wonder of a novel. A coming of age fable about an entire family line—with a patriarch who may affect the weather and a son who can sometimes raise the dead—Stanfill’s story of the serinette makers of a small French village bursts with life. Even more magical is Stanfill’s radical compassion as she writes the interior lives of her characters. New mothers, neurodivergent children, and grandmothers who dwell in the clouds live with equal vitality and grace in Stanfill’s world. 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. I can’t wait to read what Stanfill writes next!”

—Michelle Ruiz Keil, author of Summer in the City of Roses

"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

"The writing is whimsical but transcends whimsy. The story is magical but transcends magic. Laura Stanfill's Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is deceptively delightful, exploring real-world themes of connection, loss, feminism, death, and identity, all wrapped up in lyrical language, bountiful cleverness, and endless wit. Resplendent and transcendent."

—Gigi Little, bookseller, Powell’s Books

“While the plot focuses on the legacies of sons, it is women’s friendships and alliances that hold this book together. Stanfill writes with such lightness that even the heaviest parts of this novel float. A charming debut.”

—Wendy J. Fox, Buzzfeed

“With so many delightful turns of phrase on every page, it's impossible to believe that this is the work of a debut novelist. It's almost as incredible that its author is not a resident of the marvelous 19th-century French village in which the story is mainly set, so filled with loving detail as the book is of the lives of the community's lace artisans and music makers. A perfect balance of earthiness and whimsy, Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is un veritable plaisir.”

—James Crossley, Madison Books

“A moving debut about the worlds that open when a parent dares to love their child without reserve.”

—Michelle Anne Schingler, Foreword Reviews

“This lovely, whimsical, humorous, smart, and fantastical book brightened up my winter reading (lucky enough to read an advanced copy). Take yourself out of this wearisome world and into Laura Stanfill's magic.”

—Doug Chase, Powell’s Books

“I adore this book because it is a sensation. Because it has lifted me in a cold, white winter. Because I lived inside its sun.”

—Beth Kephart, Cleaver Magazine

“This tale of generational tension, adolescent growing pains and jealousy occasionally gets mired in despair. But it is leavened with historical curiosities and magical realism, not to mention canaries. Henri pursues a future where the sun may not shine every day, but optimism is the prevailing wind.”

—The Bookmonger, Discover Our Coast

"Enchanting historical fiction that pulls you into its world from the very first page. Alive with complex characters and mesmerizing settings, Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is a spell-binding tale of love, art, and growing up. I loved it."

—Juhea Kim, author of Beasts of a Little Land

“A virtuosic, richly layered saga, Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is a remarkable achievement. With prose dipping effortlessly into deeply drawn characters, Stanfill strikes the notes of the human condition so deftly that outrage and empathy harmonize in an intoxicating rhapsody. Every turn of this intricate music box produces heartache and wonder.”

—Eli Brown, author of Cinnamon and Gunpowder

“Vivid characters, carefully detailed scene setting, and delicately gilded writing.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, embellished with subtle echoes of folktales, and written in the voice of a born storyteller, Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary is an utter delight. Set in the small French village of Mireville, mid-19th century, Singing Lessons is a novel for anyone who has ever felt they were born into the wrong family. Laura Stanfill’s plucky young characters refuse to be reduced to the roles that village life has given them, the roles their parents have succumbed to, willingly or not.  But will their pluck be enough to allow them to make their way into the larger world, where they can become their true selves? 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

“Stanfill’s tale spans generations of a single family of craftsfolk, capturing that eclectic whirr one so often finds in French storytelling. Honest, warm, and heart-shattering all at once; this is the kind of book that makes you happy to be alive. A joyous experience all around!”

—Jonah Barrett, author of Moss Covered Claws

A lovely, lilting, entrancing novel! The historical details and French village setting reminded me of when I first fell in love with "Chocolat," and the in-depth details about canaries and the intricate devices used to teach them new songs for competitions (!) entranced me, but the unique characters and magical elements blew me away. What a delight!

—Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Co.