Kim Church

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Byrd was a different book experience for me. It was written in a tense that wasn't entirely comfortable for me to read as it just didn't seem right to me. It was almost as if I was reading someone else's narration of the story. I don't know, it was odd. The story itself was told in letters and excerpts from each character's life. The book felt disjointed to me and while I see how everything fits together, I just don't think it worked for me.

… (más)

I didn't know what to expect going in to this book and I have to admit it took me a little while to get in to the rhythm of the story and the writing. I didn't understand exactly what Church was doing and what was happening. But then it clicked and everything made sense. Not only did everything make sense but the story became heartbreaking and I kept hoping that everything was finally going to work out for Addie and she'd find peace. I liked the epistolary style of the book. It made everything seem more personal and private like I was looking in on someone's diary. Lauren Fortgang did a wonderful job with the narration and the audiobook is well worth listening to.… (más)

I think what I like most about this book is its beauty. The writing is artistic without being ostentatious. I don't think that this beauty is technical in its origin, although I can think of a favorite passage: "Neither of them thinks of love they way they used to, as something to be fallen into, like a bed or a pit. It isn't big or deep or abstract. Love is particulate. It's fine. It accumulates like dust." No, the beauty of the book is in its treatment of the characters. It's both harsh in its truth and forgiving in its judgment, especially of the main character, Addie. It is about dreams, and dreams dashed, and what you can recover after that. I loved reading this book.… (más)

There can surely be no more poignant moment than the relinquishment of a birth child for adoption. This is the story of Addie who calls that birth child Byrd in unsent letters explaining her life and her memories. The love of her young life is Roland, a musician, who occasionally shares his bed with Addie, but doesn't return her commitment to their love. The book follows Addie through some difficult moments when Byrd is always in her heart and on her mind. It also follows Roland, who marries someone else and has a son, unaware that Addie has had their child and given him up for adoption in a selfless, generous gesture. Everyone in this novel is a good person doing his or her best with the resources they have. The ending is haunting.… (más)