Skyward [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Mary Alice Monroe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2003

A New York Times Bestseller

E.R. nurse Ella Majors has seen all the misery that she can handle. Burned-out and unsure of her next step, she accepts a temporary position as caregiver to Marion Henderson, a frightened five-year-old who suffers from juvenile diabetes. But Ella soon realizes there is more sorrow in that isolated home than the little girl's illness.

Available only in Basic 6 & 7.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A devoted naturalist and native of South Carolina's Low Country, Monroe is in her element when describing the wonders of nature and the ways people relate to it. In her previous book, The Beach House, she sprinkled information about loggerhead turtles throughout her romance. This time around, she caters to bird-watchers. Harris Henderson handles injured birds with ease at his birds of prey rehab center, but he has no idea how to manage his diabetic five-year-old Marion. Enter Ella Majors, a pediatric nurse-turned-nanny. As Ella cares for the girl, she becomes an integral part of the Hendersons' lives and, before long, Harris begins to see her as more than a plain caretaker. Hauntingly beautiful relationships between birds and people add texture to the story. Most notable are the connections among an elderly black man named Lijah and his eagle, Santee, and a rooster that appears to guard both the center and Brady, a troubled teen working off a community service sentence. Monroe (aka Mary Alice Kruesi) successfully combines elements of women's fiction and romance in this lyrical tale. While it follows a more romantic arc than her previous book, it has enough depth and sophistication to appeal to a broad base of readers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Harris Henderson is a man with a mission. Almost single-handedly, he's built a sanctuary for injured birds of prey in the wilds of the South Carolina coast. But the birds aren't the only wounded creatures in this book. Harris is so involved with the birds, he has lost much of his ability to connect with humans. And Ella Majors, a nurse Harris has employed to care for his daughter, who has juvenile diabetes, is consumed with overwhelming guilt. There's a strong sense of place in this lyrical tale of two damaged souls who find healing with each other, and although it's not often that education and entertainment are so closely intertwined, this tale is one of those rare exceptions, filled as it is with myriad facts about eagles, owls, ospreys, and many other birds of prey. Another unique feature of this remarkable work is Elijah, a character who hails from the African American Gullah tradition. Monroe's novel is a fascinating, emotion-filled narrative that's not to be missed. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 618 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (October 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786258691
• ISBN-13: 978-0786258697
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Large Print > Romance

More About the Author

Mary Alice Monroe is known for her intimate portrayals of women's lives and for drawing parallels with nature and human nature. An active environmentalist, she draws on her own experiences to bring to life the seductive southern coastline and her home--the sea, marshes, and maritime forests of the South Carolina low country.

Mary Alice wrote non-fiction and was teaching English when she was sent to bed for months during a pregnancy. Recognizing it was a gift of time, she wrote and wrote. "I gave birth to a baby and a book." She is currently writing her thirteenth novel.

Mary Alice has served on the faculty of numerous writer's conferences and retreats and is a frequent speaker. Her books have achieved several best seller lists, including SIBA, USA Today, and the NY Times. Her first children's book received several awards, including the ASPCA Henry Bergh award. In 2008 Monroe was awarded the SC Center for the Book Award for Fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Low Country treasure..., February 7, 2006

By 

Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skyward (Mass Market Paperback)

My very favorite city is Charleston, South Carolina, and it's hard to find a bad book written about the Low Country. Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe is no exception.

Skyward takes place at the Coastal Carolina Center for Birds of Prey, owned and operated by Harris Henderson. Monroe provides us with much interesting information about the many birds treated at the center including eagles, hawks, ospreys, vultures, falcons and owls. But birds aren't the only injured creatures that inhabit the center. Harris suffers from an unhappy childhood, a failed marriage and the recently diagnosed disease of his five year old daughter. Daughter Marion has been wounded by her diabetes and her runaway mom. Nurse Ella Majors flees her native Vermont after seeing one too many children die at the hands of neglectful parents. She takes a job as Marion's fulltime nanny. Brady Simmons is a 16 year old with an abusive father. He's doing community service at the center because he shot an eagle. And Lijah, and elderly Gullah gentleman, has lost his wife and two young sons. He serves as the wise sage who mentors this odd bunch. Somehow, in learning to treat and heal the birds, these wounded souls also learn how to heal themselves and each other. They also discover that the techniques that lead to success in working with the raptors can also help in their interpersonal relationships.

Although I liked the storyline and what happened with the characters, I think that the birds made the book. They each had their own personality and although wild, each staff member had their favorite. Even though Harris doesn't believe in naming wild creatures, the staff was pretty clever at finding the proper name for the right bird. So Santee, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Buh Rooster, Cinnamon, etc. were just as much a part of the story as the human characters.

Monroe also provides an interesting look at the birds including their personalities, their histories, what brings them to the center, how they're treated, and efforts to release them back into the wild. Not all efforts are successful, and the Tweedles (two vultures) never did want to leave the nest. One story I had never heard involved the battlefield of Gettysburg. One day after the battle, vultures started arriving to pick apart the remains of the many dead horses. More arrived every day, and they never migrated for the winter, having enough food to see them through. Even today, over 900 black and turkey vultures return each year to the battlefield.

Finding Mary Alice Monroe has been like finding treasure, and I can't wait to read more of her Low Country tales.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An awe-inspiring novel., January 19, 2006

By 

Donna K. "bookcrosser" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skyward (Paperback)

As neither an outdoorswoman nor a lover of animals, particularly birds of prey, it's a testament to the remarkable talent of Mary Alice Monroe that this book fascinated me as profoundly as it did. Their struggle to be rehabilitated and their flight of freedom is such a powerfully beautiful metaphor, however the birds were not the only beings that found healing in this remarkable story. As a health professional, I was immediately drawn to Ella's character and the loving way she interacted with Marion, providing so much more than mere medical care. Harris was a bit more difficult to warm up to because he was so focused on his work that he seemed to neglect his daughter's emotional needs. Yet, he was a man of such great integrity that it wasn't long before he won me over. The secondary characters gave additional depth to the story - Lijah's Gullah folklore was a wonderful cultural immersion. The inspired way he interacted with Brady, the wayward teen who so desperately needed the guidance of a strong male role model to change the course of his life, was very admirable. And the low country of coastal South Carolina was a brilliantly described setting, making the story literally soar off the pages!

I genuinely appreciated this story and highly recommend it to all who wish to be enlightened.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monroe will capture your heart, July 14, 2003

By 

Caroline (Savannah, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skyward (Mass Market Paperback)

I recommend this book to everyone and anyone. After reading her last book The Beach House, I beacame much more aware with the status of our beloved sea turtles. Now after reading Skyward, I have a new appreciation for the birds of prey. Monroe skillfully intertwines the power and beauty of natural elements into her stories. Her novel was so captivating that I didn't even realize how I had come to better understand the low-country area that I'm from. Reading this novel will make you feel like a better person just for reading it. No matter where you are from, this novel will leave you speaking with a Southern drawl. I absolutely loved it.