Granted Night Flying, one of my all time favorite books, is a very tough act to follow but I had high hopes for Bird: flying, a quirky house, rural setting. This book was okay, not great but certainly an easy and adequate read. It is very light on plot and details but still contains nice prose. So much was vague, the era it takes place, the imagery. one part that really confused me is that the banks of lake Champlain were refereed to as "the sea" and there was sand to be played in and outcroppings of rocks. There is a captain in the story and his tales from around the world. There are clipper ships seen in the distance. Does this happen on a lake? I know the lake is HUGE but this confused me because when sea was mention I though there was a change in place. Maybe this is my own confusion. Rita Murphy's Bird rides the line of whimsy and fantasy, gliding, languidly, on a wind of poetically written prose. While fascinating and captivating enough for an adult with patience for slow moving literature, as a novel for young adults, its metaphor of escaping the confines of the familiar may be lost in its slow-moving pages. I read several pages for my sixth grade students and they were definitely not overly interested, which isn't to say they would never be interested, but i can absolutely understand their reluctance to find interest. Recommended to patient adults/young adults looking for a quick, breezy read.
What do You think about Bird (2008)?
It has many good gothic elements. A good short read.
—Heyhihello42
Very unique, quick read! I definitely recommend it!
—Nicole214
