Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler

Published in 1996 and made into a movie in 1997, I had this copy on my shelf to read for awhile.  I finally opened it in September.  What a wonderful story, to me it has some of the same feelings as Where the Crawdads Sing though the stories are not alike.  268 pages. 

 This review excerpt is from Goodreads online:        "My name is Avocet Abigail Jackson. But because Mama couldn't find anyone who thought Avocet was a fine name for a child, she called me Bird. Which is okay by me. She named both her children after birds, her logic being that if we were named for something with wings then maybe we'd be able to fly above the shit in our lives. ". ..  So says Bird Jackson, the mesmerizing narrator of Connie May Fowler's vivid and brilliantly written, Before Women Had Wings   Starstruck by a dime-store picture of Jesus, Bird fancies herself "His girlfriend" and embarks upon a spiritual quest for salvation, even as the chaos of her home life plunges her into a stony silence. In stark and honest language, she tells the tragic life of her father, a sweet-talking wanna-be country music star, tracks her older sister's perilous journey into womanhood, and witnesses her mother make a courageous and ultimately devastating decision.   Yet most profound is Bird's own story--her struggle to sift through the ashes of her parents' lives, her meeting with Miss Zora, a healer whose prayers over the bones of winged creatures are meant to guide their souls to heaven, and her will to make sense of a world where fear is more plentiful than hope, retribution more valued than love. . . .

 

Page 1  The story begins

Pgs 28-29  Catholic   Baptist

There is a lot of good writing and almost lyrical descriptions of emotions, forgiveness, grief.  On pages 28-32 Bird relates how her sister Phoebe becomes Catholic just like Mama and Bird so wants to do the same.  But Mama insists no she must be Baptist like her non church going Baptist declared father .Bird is not happy about this.  

On to Page 77 where Bird is somewhat dealing with the grief over her father's death though she is almost in denial.  "Daddy's death didn't seem final to me."    

Pages 76-77  Grief from death denia;

 I noted her impression of forgiveness as the "mystery of love" pages 103-105  Bird hears  her Mama talking with Mr. Ippolito and decides that "just maybe forgiveness exists not to excuse the sinner but to heal those who suffered. "    

Here are pages 103  and 105 which I cannot align side by side

Their lives unfurl and Bird has found respite and rescue with Miss Nora.  Bird has been beaten often by Mama who is clearly out of control.  Finally Miss Nora comes to tend Birds strap marks and then meets up with Mama.  Pg 255. Birds emotions--

Pages 254-255

Mama gives in and agrees to let Miss Nora take Bird away with her while Mama heals and gets rehab. Though Bird wants to stay to help Mama realizes she must face and conquer this alone. Page 261  "when you can't imagine the future and the past is too powerful..."

Pages 260-261 Future, past

This is a wonderful book to read though it can  bring tears.  I give it 5 *****  I just  found in researching more about this book that a movie was made and I will try to get it on Amazon or Netflix.  Now that I've reviewed the book it would be interesting to watch the movie.  

 

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Front cover paperback

In May the local library hosted this MN author who is extremely popular locally  as throughout the state. The author is well known, acclaimed, and lives in the Twin Cities.    I had never read any of his books so I purchased this one at the others in  talk because it is a stand alone novel compared to his Cork O'Conner mystery series.  The bookseller suggested  this would be a good start for me.    It was first published in 2013, 307 pages and a reading guide with discussion questions in the back.  The writing is easy to follow and the story is well developed.  However for me there was not enough action/intrigue.  Possibly because this is the story of a family and primarily that of a 13 year old boy, Frank Dunn, preacher's son.  

The novel begins in summer 1961,  in New Bremen, MN and mentions that it was a summer" in which death in visitation, assumed many forms."  The prologue  2nd paragraph references the Greek ancient playwright Aeschylus, "He who learns must suffer.  And even in our sleep pain, which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."  So we are beginning to know this will be about  death, mourning and twists.  

Back cover

Pg 175, "Loss once it s become a certainty is like a rock you hold in your hand.  It has weight and dimension and texture.  It's solid and can be assessed and dealt with.  You can use it to beat yourself or you can throw it away."  

Pg 196, "I think we just keep going on.  We keep doing what we always do and someday it'll feel right again."  

Pg 302, "It seems to me that when you look back at a life, yours or another's, what you see is a path that weaves into and out of deep shadow.  So much is lost.  What we use to construct the past is what has remained in the open, a hodgepodge of fleeting glimpses.  Our histories like my father's current body are structures built of toothpicks."  

Author Krueger at the La Crescent Library.

The quotes show the depth and breadth of the writing.  Solid, contemplative perhaps and well matched to impart the story. This book about the death, finding the body and how there is a wrong accused.  the father is a Methodist pastor of 3 small rural churches.  The reference to Lutherans in MN being as "ubiquitous as ragweed," page 45.  There would be other deaths that summer including the sister, which will test the family beyond faith.  It is a Midwestern MN tale over all.  

I did enjoy hearing the author talk about his books and his writing journey.  So many there had read nearly everyone of his books, I was likely the only new reader of this author.  He is very personable.  There is nothing negative I can say about the book but it  just did not grab m.  I read it yet,  I am  not enticed to read others nor to begin the O'connor series.  I give it 3 & 1/2 stars, perhaps 4 ****