Other Birds

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Zoey is immediately mesmerized by the beauty of the island and it’s unusual birds, the Dellawisps! They are beautiful and very vocal turquoise birds. Zoey has traveled with her bird, called simply Pigeon, and is anxious to move into the condo. She loves the beauty of the condo but was hoping to find some signs of her mother, Paloma, there, but she does not. years old Zoey, talking with her invisible bird Pigeon moves to this place to experience the life of her mother left for her as soon as she got her trust fund, leaving his neglectful father and criticizing stepmother behind. She wants to learn more about her mother’s past to start her new life.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen - Publishers Weekly Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen - Publishers Weekly

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.Zoey and Oliver both leave home at pivotal times of transition and self-exploration in their lives. Discuss the themes of self-discovery and growth and their importance in the novel. What does Zoey’s self-discovery look like? What about Oliver’s? How does their self-discovery and growth affect their relationships with the other characters and each other? How did each character change from the beginning to the end of the novel? The story opens with Zoey arriving at a remote tiny island off the coast of South Carolina named Mallow Island. Zoey’s mother, Paloma, owns a condo there secreted in the middle of town where Zoey intends to stay. She came for the summer to attempt to find information about her mother, who died years ago. Zoey brings an empty bird cage which holds her imaginary bird, Pigeon. The condo building is horseshoe-shaped, and maintained by an elderly man named Frasier who is written like Saint Francis because of the turquoise dellawisp birds that follow him. Those characters are lonely, carrying their baggages for so long! Zoey’s sudden move and Lisbeth’s death change their lives. They realize their stories are connected and power of friendship, forgiveness can heal all the damage they’ve been getting through!

Sarah Addison Allen - Wikipedia Sarah Addison Allen - Wikipedia

Addison transported me to Mallow Island. I not only felt like I was in another place while reading this but also that I was in another time. Magical realism is woven throughout seamlessly, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. The dellawisps, the island, and all of the characters warmed my heart. Food also plays a special role in this story and unites the characters. 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.

Words cannot explain how I felt about these amazing characters – they were so original, flawed, but ultimately full of love. Their stories were all unique and all of their secrets came out in the end.

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

Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It’s called The Dellawisp and it is named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. The story takes place in Mallow Island, a tourist area in the Carolinas whose history is unique in many ways. Having learned she'd become owner of her deceased mother's condo unit at the Dellawisp, Zoe uses her trust fund to move there since she'd enrolled in a college nearby. Originally a historical mansion and named after the tiny indigenous birds, Roscoe Avenger, a local author took possession, and sold the units after a remodel. Among the residents were Paloma Hennessy, Zoe's mother, estranged sisters Lizbeth and Lucy, Mac a local chef, Charlotte, a henna artist and Frasier, the resident manager. Her published books to date are: Garden Spells (2007), The Sugar Queen (2008), The Girl Who Chased the Moon (2010), The Peach Keeper (2011), Lost Lake (2014), First Frost (2015) and Other Birds (August 30, 2022). Did you know that marshmallows were originally made from the mallow plant which was said to grow on the island, hence the name Mallow Island. An excellent buddy read with Mary Beth. And can't wait to read the thoughts of Jayme and Marilyn too.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. Mac, a talented chef, still finds himself covered in corn flour in the morning when he gets visits from the woman he owes everything good in his life. He still holds onto her, resisting to let her go. Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Allen grew up with a love of books and an appreciation of good food (she credits her journalist father for the former and her mother, a fabulous cook, for the latter). In college, she majored in literature -- because, as she puts it, "I thought it was amazing that I could get a diploma just for reading fiction. It was like being able to major in eating chocolate." Allen stirs up a bewitching brew". Greensboro News & Record. September 23, 2007 . Retrieved 3 November 2013.