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Before Women Had Wings

Connie May Fowler

Paperback | Pages: 304 pages

Rating: 4.02 | 3390 Users | 312 Reviews

Specify Appertaining To Books Before Women Had Wings

Title	:	Before Women Had Wings
Author	:	Connie May Fowler
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Ballantine Reader's Circle
Pages	:	Pages: 304 pages
Published	:	April 22nd 1997 by Ballantine Books (first published May 7th 1996)
Categories	:	Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. American. Southern

Explanation Concering Books Before Women Had Wings

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. . . .                    

"A thing of heart-rending beauty, a moving exploration of love and loss, violence and grief, forgiveness and redemption."          
--Chicago Tribune                      

"There is no denying the depth of Connie May Fowler's talent and the breadth of her imagination."          
--The New York Times Book Review                      

"Brilliant."          
--The Boston Sunday Globe

Describe Books During Before Women Had Wings

Original Title:	Before Women Had Wings
ISBN:	0449911446 (ISBN13: 9780449911440)
Edition Language:	English
Literary Awards:	International Dublin Literary Award Nominee (1998)

Rating Appertaining To Books Before Women Had Wings

Ratings: 4.02 From 3390 Users | 312 Reviews

Judgment Appertaining To Books Before Women Had Wings

"Details are what I'm about - stacks and stacks of details - the bones of my family, calcified vessels, the marrow chock-full of wishes and regrets. In my mind I pick up the bones one by one - a leg bone, a hip, then a spine that looks like a witch's ladder. Before you know it, this skeleton made of memories is rattling me." So begins the tale of a six year old girl in 1965 Florida. The tale is rich in details that convey the stifling humidity, the salty scents, and the ring of the cidadas.

The narrative voice of Bird, the young protagonist of this amazing coming-of-age novel, strengthens after the first few chapters and quickly paints a deeply compelling, poignant, true-to-life portrait of a poor family's struggles. Bird grapples with her family's terrible poverty and circumstances, including the abuse she endures at the hands of her mother and the untimely suicide of her father. As she searches to understand her corner of the world and her place in it, she finds a type of

Loved this book! Sensitive treatment of a difficult subject and a triumph of the human spirit. I related so much to the little girl in the story and her daydreaming to escape the harshness of her reality. Also, appreciated the author's skill in portraying the parents in an empathetic light. Well written and authentic.

I'm not a big fan of the cover. Between that black and white photo of a wooden cabin and the blurb I had the sense it would read like Tobacco Road. So I had this feeling that it would read as if it were set in 1940, not 1960s and was startled when 60's items (orange juice can rollers, granny bags) were introduced. Fowler is a fine writer...but you know, I don't think I'll be reading other novels from her. The abuse is just too violent (and perhaps described too well.) In the back I read that

A young girl tries to "come of age" while her family collapses around her. She's rescued by a mysterious woman with seemingly magical powers. Similar story to Secret Life of Bees but way, way better.

This book is a page turner, but towards the end its nerve racking to turn them because youre afraid of what might happen! Bird is a sweet, innocent girl trying to grow up and learn what life is supposed to be about. Its sad how much violence she encounters yet she remains pretty hopeful overall. I wish her siblings couldve done more to help her along the way. I knew Miss Zora would be an angel the minute they met. It was hard to believe her stubborn, drunk Mama would take Miss Zoras advice so