Beryl W. reviewed on 9/14/2010 + 44 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Your review A well written, unusual story that takes place in present time in New York city. Margaret and her husband Charles, a professor at Columbia are avid bird watchers. Margaret's grandfather had introduced her to the art at an early age and it was a great influence in her life. Margaret's husband was quite a bit older than she but they had a very happy marriage. The other main protagonist in the story is her long time best friend Emily who is very involved in the art scene in New York and these two interests merge as the story unfolds, with a surprising twist. Margaret herself dresses windows for Sacks Fifth Avenue which is extremely creative and described in detail so thorough and wonderful that I could picture each one, a constantly changing view showcasing different products. I had no idea it was such an art and have new admiration and appreciation for what goes into window dressing. Margaret experiences the tragedy of her husbands sudden death ultimately finding a path through her grief which involves birds. I was quite surprised to find that what she chose to do, something she also learned by watching her grandfather, is illegal.
This is a slow moving, careful, well thought out and executed story, but also one you need to be patient with. There were times that I felt it lagged a bit, especially the extended conversations about art, yet they two were necessary for the pace and timing of the plot. The art of bird watching itself is an exercise in patience and persistence so the carefully measured unfolding story felt exactly right.
Lovely use of language and metaphor, lilting in the same way a rare bird's call is. Altogether well done!!

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