Other Birds

Product Information

In my zeal to read a new book by Sarah Addison Allen, I found that I had inhaled this book in two sittings. Oops. No savoring the prose here. But a friend sent me an ARC so I feel the need to write a more reasoned review and I wanted another chance to take my time with the book anyway. So I’ve read this twice within about two weeks. It was just as good the second time. In addition to Zoey’s, multiple perspectives are shared by the residents of the Dellawisp (and their ghosts). There’s Mac, an executive Chef, Charlotte, a henna artist, hoarder Lizbeth Lime, and her shut-in sister, Lucy Lime, as well as Oliver, Lizbeth’s son. The community is run by Frasier, the caretaker who holds a special affinity for the Dellawisp birds. I loved all of the characters, but there was something about Mac’s story that touched my heart. Allen stirs up a bewitching brew". Greensboro News & Record. September 23, 2007 . Retrieved 3 November 2013. There’s Max, a world-class chef, Charlotte, a young woman who never settles for long, and plenty of ghosts. Throw in a death and mysterious cornmeal and you have a fascinating story! A master of her craft, Sarah Addison Allen draws you in with her whimsy and poetic language, only to lay bare the deep emotional truths of being human.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen | Book Club Discussion Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen | Book Club Discussion

Languid and peaceful, gentle and comforting, Allen’s newest showcases her talent for tender stories of near magic. Carrying Pigeon in her birdcage, Zoey Hennessey has arrived at her new home left to her by her late mother years ago. In the coastal town of Mellow Island, S.C., her condo is part of a secluded cobblestone building known as 'THE DELLAWISP'. It's named after the tiny turquoise birds that inhabit the island, the trees, and the air surrounding the small, private complex. A wrought iron gate is the only entrance and, along with the wispy birds, makes it feel like a secret, magical place.

It took me time to connect, especially with Zoey’s character, but when I finally did, I was completely immersed. I could not put this book down; it made me want to move to the fictitious Mallow Island and meet the dellawisps.

Sarah Addison Allen Author — Sarah Addison Allen

The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother. I was immediately absorbed by this story (and only later could the internet finally convince me that this was fiction, not fact) - North Carolina, Mallow Island, home of the original marshmallow, and dellawisps. Birds are throughout the book, stories and theories propounded by knowledgeable characters. Soon, a reader realizes, they are joined by haunts, ghosts, spirits of place and people. Zoey, 18-yrs old and now seeking her inheritance - a condominium left by her deceased mother - finds a community of living and dead to settle her into her new life. Zoey is a reader, and there is a reclusive author it is rumored living amongst them. The path of the book unravels one delicious clue after another, stories within stories. There are no mistakes in this world and it’s no mistake that I finished this book on the same day as the full moon eclipse in Taurus when it’s time for me to let go of the ones I’ve been holding on to The magical realism and surrealism matched with angsty dramatic stories of the people who find themselves at the Dellawisp sits- a stunning cobblestone building shaped like horseshoe : a place located in Mallow Island/ South Carolina. The characters in this book are Zoey, a girl on the run, two estranged middle aged sisters, a lonely chef, a legendary writer, and three ghosts along with Zoey's quirky and secretive neighbors.Zoey Hennessey finds herself moving from Tulsa to Mallow Island in South Carolina. She'll be there until she starts college. The condo was left to her by her mother, Paloma who died when she was young.

Other Birds - Sarah Addison Allen - St. Martin’s Press Other Birds - Sarah Addison Allen - St. Martin’s Press

Allen’s gift for whimsical, poetic language, makes Other Birds one of our most-anticipated books for 2022. You’re going to want to read this one with your book club.”—Reader's Digest year-old Zoey moves from Tulsa to Mallow Island in South Carolina months before she starts college. The island holds a special place in Zoey’s heart, as it is where her mother lived when she first immigrated from Cuba. Zoey moves into her mother’s studio in a quirky condo community, Dellawisp Condo, named after the dellawisp birds that call the grounds home. When one of the residents dies, the building works in mysterious ways to bring the residents together.New York Times Bestselling novelist Sarah Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction -- a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility. Sarah Addison Allen and the worlds she creates are always so warm and welcoming, and Other Birds was no different. I always love the sense of family you feel in her books, whether it's found family or the one you're born into. Other Birds is set on an island near Charleston, SC, and reading this book during the summer was the perfect time to read it and imagine life on a coastal island.

Other Birds: A Novel: Allen, Sarah Addison: 9781250019868

This story is so magical, beautiful and wise, with a wonderful cast of eclectic characters, and even a few ghosts. It filled my heart." — Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT An enchanting tale filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won’t let you go sums up the book! Zoey has been summoned to the enchanted and unique Mallow Island, just outside of Charleston, after her mother's passing to clean out her things and claim her apartment. When she arrives at the Dellawisp condo, home to the tiny turquoise birds that give it its name, she meets an interesting group of neighbors, from a grieving chef to a sister who loses her sister unexpectedly right when Zoey first settles in, as well as a caretaker named Frasier. Zoey will get to know the other owners of the condos including Charlotte (henna artist), Mac (chef), Lizbeth (eccentric, hoarder), Lucy (Lizbeth's sister and a recluse), Frasier, and Lizbeth's son. The readers will also meet the ghosts too. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **Ghosts with untold stories and guests with long-buried secrets reside in Mallow Island’s mysterious Dellawisp condos. Lizbeth Lime (no relation to Liz Lemon) had issues. She was a hoarder, but with a story to tell. Problem is that she was never able, amidst all the clutter, to locate the diaries that held the tale she needed told. A bookcase falls on Lizbeth on the day of Zoey’s arrival, which leaves another spirit wandering the premises. Her sister, Lucy Lime lives in a separate condo. The sisters had been, to put it mildly, not close. Lucy serves as a Boo Radley figure here, mostly seen peeking out from behind her curtains, watching, always watching, but never engaging. There is some darkness. There’s nothing very graphic but child abuse, neglect, and abandonment definitely make an appearance. So do drug abuse and untreated mental illness. I don’t think any of this is described to a degree that would bother most people but particularly sensitive readers should be aware.