A lonely, isolated young woman looking for remnants of her mother’s life, a place to belong, moves to a quiet island off the coast of South Carolina . On Mallow Island she connects with several other residents of the condo she has inherited. All of them are looking for something more in their lives. If you are not willing to accept a little bit of the imaginary, you might want to skip this book, but you’d be missing out on 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. The characters in Sarah Addison Allen’s Other Birds are grappling with their pasts. Zoey Hennessey is eighteen years old, an innocent, with a heart open to everyone. Starting college in Charleston soon, she wanted to spend some time at the condo that her mother had left her. Paloma used to bring her here for weekends and getaways. It carries the warmth of those memories. Mom had died when Zoey was a child. Her father did not have anything good to say about her, and her step-monster was not exactly her number one fan. Perhaps I just wasn't 'seeing them' clearly, but Sarah Addison Allen's tale of magical realism, love, and a found family just didn't quite take flight for me.

Other Birds: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen, Paperback Other Birds: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen, Paperback

I received an ARE of Other Birds from St. Martin’s Press in return for a fair review. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating. How did the chapters from the point of view of the various ghosts affect your reading of the novel? How would the story have been different without these chapters? What do the ghosts represent, both literally and metaphorically, for each of the characters? This book is about the grief, the ghosts of the people who shaped and reformed the main characters’ lives and power of learning how to let go and believe in yourself to start over! A motley group of eccentric characters find the true meaning of love, loss, and friendship in Other Birds.

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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. 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.

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

I loved the characters and the setting was oh so lovely, it was easy to picture it all, the descriptions of the native plants, the birds, especially the dellawisps that is native to the island. Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, Allen attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville and graduated with a degree in literature. [3] Charlotte, Mac, Zoey and Oliver were all on a trajectory to finding family, acceptance and ultimately love in the oddball Dellawisp community. Frasier's employer was the unwitting master hand that set the stage years ago when he gave the mentally unwell Lizbeth a job and a place to live in the Dellawisp condominium complex that Frasier managed. Frasier saw a kindred tortured spirit in Lizbeth's young son, Oliver.Children, don’t hold on to old love so hard you forget to live. Old love isn’t the only love you’ll ever have. And I can tell you from this side that it never really goes away, anyway. So let go. Whatever you’re holding on to, let go.” A lush and vivid setting is integral to Sarah Addison Allen’s novels, and Mallow Island is no different. How real did you find Mallow Island? Is it a place you’d like to visit? Were you surprised by how marshmallows got their name? 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. I don't always know what to think of stories that deal with magical realism but this one is a winner for me. The Dellawisps are the tiny turquoise birds that the five unit, well hidden, apartment building in Mallow Island, South Carolina, is named after. This birds inhabit the courtyard garden of the apartment complex, and they can be found around and on the apartment manager, Frasier, too. These little birds seem to have a lot to say, strong opinions about everything, and are every bit as scary, for some folks, as they are tiny. Oh,” she said. “Yes.” The birdcage rattled in disagreement, but she ignored it this time. It was her first trip. The first trip she could remember, anyway.

About 1 — Sarah Addison Allen

New York TimesBestselling 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. Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sarah 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." 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. 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. 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. Frasier, the old man knows everyone in the building, getting used to connect with the birds and ghosts, hiding his own skeletons in the closet.Sarah Addison Allen has reminded me once again why I love Magical Realism so much. How can I not love a book whose main character has an invisible bird named Pigeon and who resides in a condo complex with several ghosts and some curious little turquoise birds called dellawisps? It’s not really a question, because of course I’m going to love that!! Like TJ Klune, Allen captures the human spirit so well in a way that both charms and makes you feel for all the characters, while gently giving focus to some pretty heavy topics - in this case childhood trauma and healing old wounds. Think about the aspects of magical realism in OTHER BIRDS. In chapter 9, Zoey says, “Invisible did not always mean imaginary,” and in chapter 22, she says, “Not everything has to be real to be true.” How is this evident in the novel? Do you agree? How have you experienced these sentiments in your life? I might have passed up this book if it wasn’t for my friend Diane’s wonderful review. Thanks, Diane. The fictional location of Mallow Island, near Charleston, SC, is a delight. Ms. Allen shines when she describes the healing powers of food and she has done it again in Other Birds. I can practically smell the marshmallows and confections. I can almost taste Mac’s cornmeal-based, love-infused dishes. The Dellawisp condos are a charming haven out of time. The dellawisp birds themselves are adorable little scolds and thieves. Add this to the list of fictional places I wish I could visit. Lucy's story, when you finally get to read it, will make you moan: this brutal, harsh world spares no one, it seems. Everyone looked the other way and young lives were damaged forever.

Sarah Addison Allen Sarah Addison Allen

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. Sarah Addison Allen (also known by the pen name Katie Gallagher) is an American and New York Times bestselling author. [2] Biography [ edit ]I was completely blown away with this book. After so many disappointing books, this novel was like a ray of sunshine and I was willing to go wherever it took me. Oliver Lime has done his best to get as far away from his mother, Lizbeth, as possible. But when she dies, he is dragged into dealing with what she left behind. And that brings me to another theme of the book that I appreciated–letting go. Whether it’s holding a bit less tightly to the memory of a loved one, or leaving emotional or physical trauma in the past, letting go is sometimes the healthiest choice we can make for ourselves. The author doesn’t imply that it’s easy–one character has seen a therapist for years. Another becomes more and more lost as she doesn’t seek the help she needs. But the message that it’s okay and even necessary to move on shines through.