The Snowbird [Paperback]

Patricia Culvert (Author)

Book Description

Following the murder of her parents Willanna faces an uncertain future as she and her younger brother move from Tennessee in 1883 to the Dakota Territory where she trains her first horse.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Signet (January 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451133536
• ISBN-13: 978-0451133533
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,715,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, March 28, 2011

By 

Agnes - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snowbird (Paperback)

The Snowbird introduces us to Willana, a girl whose name came into being from the merging of the names of her parents, William and Anna. People call her Willie for short. Willie and her brother's lives have both been upended. Their parents have recently died in a fire (Willie thinks it was murder), an event that was followed by their moving in with a Mr. Rich and his family. But the story truly begins with them entering a new family all over again and journeying to the Dakota Territory to live with their father's brother and his wife, Belle, who is noted as an eccentric by acquaintances (and who I also really hated).

It's a sad thing to see such a great book with so few reviews. Before the adding of this review, there were only two. Willana (aka Willie) is an extraordinary character. She has some uncommon grit. The closest and most apt comparison I can make is to Mattie in Charles Portis' True Grit (a character I loved just because she was so tough and deadset on the task at hand, not to mention her beliefs). In Willie's case, she's not afraid to speak her mind, and does so again and again. She also has her own share of uncommon wisdom for a girl so young as well as some spitfire. The very first time she opened her mouth in the book, I was pleasantly surprised and laughed because her hot temper is hysterical, and her choice of words were perfect.

Her arrival to her uncle's place is also marked by the arrival of a beautiful foal that they later name Snowbird (though The Snowbird is the title, the pony isn't in the story as much as one would think). And Willie is given the opportunity to train Snowbird with the help of the farmhand, July. Along with having a new life thrust upon her, Willie has some great aspirations for her future. She longs to be a writer, and Patricia Calvert's The Snowbird chronicles her time at her uncle's as she faces hardships and hard life lessons. And it will take all of her tenacity and will to stick to her guns and follow her dreams.

My plot summary does the story no justice. The writing is rich and there were numerous passages that I would reread merely because I loved the way they were written. Willie is truly a character who is both well-written but also very well spoken, and her voice is both unique and incredibly memorable. This character makes this story even better, and what really sets it apart are the events that take place. Forget the happy historical fictions that feel more like you're watching a Mary Sue get everything right and whose problems pass away like dust in the wind; Willie's story feels so realistic and true to life with some ends never being resolved, some left with too many words unspoken, some filled with disappointment, which both makes this story unique but also leaves a feeling of sadness when her story ends. After finishing the book, I still wonder what Willie's life turned out like later, because, by the end of the story, I cared about this character and was concerned about her future.

This is an incredible and sadly overlooked book. If it were more widely read (and I never say this), I would expect it to be a classic. I really hope someone will give it a chance, and pick it up. You might be surprised by what you find.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Growing to be Accountable, December 8, 2005

By 

Plume45 "kitka12345" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snowbird (Paperback)

Despite its young protagonist, this book is not your typical YA fare. The dark, brooding plot unfolds with tragic relentlessness in the harsh setting of the Dakota Territory of the mid 1880's. Thirteen-year-old Willanna Bannerman and her 9-year-old brother, TJ, must leave their Tennessee home, traveling by train to their only kin-an uncle after a disastrous fire in which their parents died. Haunted by private fury that her newspaper editor father was murdered because he uncovered a scandal, Willie refuses to accept the public version that it was just an accident.

Life at House Place with their kind uncle proves vastly different from all the orphaned siblings have ever known. Untamable Belle, with her questionable past, her red hair and Irish imagination, provides loving warmth, yet she is a restless dreamer--not cut out for the cruel realities of frontier living. Hired hand July earns Willie's respect and even her unspoken love, serving as her confident re her feelings for an older immigrant youth. This Polish American, so skilled in horse healing, realizes her need to be a Dreamer and a Teller of those dreams. Is headstrong Willie more like Belle than she cares to admit? Which of them is better suited to rugged
Life on the northern prairie?

The Bannermans hope their luck will change with the birth of the silvery filly-considered by international folklore to be a harbinger of good luck. Willie comes of age during the course of this short novel, as a result of a series of tragedies-which make this story much more serious than middle school readers normally enjoy. How to come to terms with her past, as well as carve out her own path for the future? The world will always need people who Dream, as well as people who can Tell those dreams. So what is the role of this silvery filly in Willie's
young life? Will it help her grow into Willanna someday? Serious fare which will captivate mature readers.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About this book.., September 7, 2003

By 

"ceci1988" (St.Charles,MO., USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snowbird (Paperback)

This book is one of my favorites. It's about a young girl and her younger brother that have become orphans and go to live w/ their uncle and aunt.She is on the road of discovery and she meets a teacher who she can connect w/ and talk to..Along meet new friends and falls in love w/ a horse which she names "Snowbird".A good classic.