Little Bird Of Heaven. Joyce Carol Oates (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
I honestly can't remember if this took over six months to read but I've lost track of time and haven't done a very good job updating my lists here! I do know that it seemed like this book stayed on my nightstand for quite some time. I initially picked it up at the end of my local library's book sale...one of those fill a bag for $1 kind of sales. I've read (and enjoyed) Joyce Carol Oates other books so I figured it was a safe bet. I'm not sure if this was a case of wrong time, wrong circumstances (like when you are not in the mood for a particular kind of book but are stuck reading it anyway) or if I just didn't love this. It was tricky to follow and none of the characters were particularly likeable or relatable. The author grew up and was educated in upstate NY so I appreciate she uses that as a setting for several of her stories. Here's my brief summary:A woman is brutally murdered (is there any other way?) and two primary suspects are named-her estranged husband and her boyfriend. Both suspects have teenage children who become obsessed with one another. They both believe the others' father is guilty and yet they are drawn to one another. The book trades off between the two children's voices and ends with the as adults confronting their pasts.Read this if:You are a Joyce Carol Oates fan and if you're not one yet...then I highly recommend starting with "Foxfire". I loved that one. Most of the book was, in my view, a well done mystery, with good character studies. The thing which annoyed & confused me throughout, however, were the endless interjected lines, switchbacks, & repetitions. I had the feeling that the book could've probably been done in half the pages. I guess the mystery was sort of resolved by implication towards the end, though even that didn't seem entirely well-defined to me. The last chapter or so, which dealt with Krista & Aaron in the present ended rather abruptly & really didn't seem to provide much resolution for these key figures of the story.
What do You think about Little Bird Of Heaven. Joyce Carol Oates (2000)?
The book's pace ebbs and flows, but if you stick it out the prose will knock you off your feet.
—Bana
Not one of her best, but finished just the same as I am a loyal fan.
—aromapie
This book has done the unforgivable. It has put me off my porridge.
—ashleyhicks
