Customer Reviews

Winter Birds

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Sophia is a elderly woman who is living in the home of her nephew Patrick and his wife Rachel. She has chosen them as the place where she will live until she dies. She then proceeds to tell us about here life and what goes on inside this household. She reveals that her marriage wasn't what she had expected it to be. Her stepchildren hated her from the beginning, her husband treated her as just a mere companion, and denied her of any little happiness she had hoped would come from her marriage that she did not experience in her childhood. Plus she also found a devastating secret about her husband that he had kept hidden throughout their entire marriage until his death. Living with Patrick and Rachel has allowed her to view this small family and their lives as a quiet observer. They have lost their two children and may not have the greatest marriage but since they are Christians they still find the strength to get through any hardships that come their way. This puzzles Sophia as she struggles to understand the meaning of her life and how not to take everyone for granted.

This book was a very relaxing read for me. Have you ever seen the movie Junebug? This book reminded me of that movie, being down in the south where everything is just slow paced. You think it will be a long time before the story gets exciting, but before you know it you've already been drawn into this world. I felt that the characters were very real and the reader feels very connected to Sophia. Being still a young adult, it was fascinating for me to read the story through the eyes of an eighty year old. I never realize how really we treat the elderly, until I read about how Patrick treated his aunt IE talking to her loudly because he think she can't her or doing things because HE feels that it's best for her. I did like very much how Sophia changed throughout the course of the book as she starts to realize that she doesn't want to look forward to dying anymore. I also found the scene where she's caught eavesdropping by Rachel and to cover it up she pulls off the button from her dress on purpose very amusing. I love how all of Jamie Turner's books bring in characters from her other novels and while this story took place in a different setting from the others, we still have appearances from two memorable characters. This book is touching, hopeful, funny, sad, and manages draws you right into the story all at the same time. I highly recommend this book.

As I finished the last page of WINTER BIRDS yesterday, I softly exclaimed "oh...wow!" I have loved all of Jamie Langston Turner's rich and insightful books. All of her books have been jewels, but this one is the most beautiful. It is a well crafted, poignant tale of God's love and compassion shown thru the lives of everyday, imperfect people. Its message inspires me to be faithful in loving those around me through the seemingly insignificant things of a life filled with service. Who knows when a simple act will touch a life sorely in need of love. May my life be an instrument of God's grace and mercy inspired anew by the very real story of WINTER BIRDS.

Sophia Hess has lived to be 80 and now has found a place to settle for her last days. She isn't expecting happiness, as she has known so little of it in her life. She carefully selected a relative's home to reside in after petitioning and then visiting several relatives; her nephew, Patrick, and his wife, Rachel, offered the best prospects.

Sophia has endured great heartbreaks over the course of her life, as have Patrick and Rachel. She carefully watches and relates each aspect of their household as she sees them coping and dealing with the blows life has thrown at them. She also notices their faith, as Patrick and Rachel never waver in their faith no matter the circumstances.

WINTER BIRDS starts off achingly slow, as Sophia reveals details in an often meandering way. As the story progresses, one becomes drawn into the lives of the characters as their personalities and idiosyncrasies begin to emerge through the eyes of Sophia. WINTER BIRDS is definitely a character driven tale as the plot is a relatively slow developing one, with numerous looks back on the past as Sophia ponders over the events of her life.

Jamie Langston Turner makes good use of metaphors in WINTER BIRDS. The mention of the various birds, both at the introduction to each chapter and liberally sprinkled throughout the tale, provides a good point of reference to Aunt Sophia's perspective as it changes and grows. In some ways, the descriptions of the birds are Sophia as she gradually begins to see her value as a member of her family. The inclusion of quotes from various works of literature, focusing specifically on Shakespeare, only adds to the overall atmosphere of WINTER BIRDS. This is a tale that develops from a very melancholy and almost depressing story to one in which a glimmer of hope begins to emerge. The transition of focus from the older generation to the younger generation finalizes the shift.

Jamie Langston Turner tackles some sensitive issues in WINTER BIRDS. Not only is aging addressed, but racial issues play a large part in the storyline. Ms. Turner provides a careful and thoughtful balance, pointing out that everyone has faults but no one is beyond the hope of change.

A note of caution is in store, however, as WINTER BIRDS isn't a happily-ever-after tale. The characters deal with both trauma and the daily struggles of everyday living and there is no quick or easy answer for any of them. Perhaps that is the message the author wishes to convey, that faith can and does survive the reality of daily living.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Jamie Langston Turner's latest book isn't for those who like their fiction easy to chew. Turner's book starts off slowly with a character who isn't easy to like, even after you find out the source of her bitterness. Through her jaundiced eyes, the other characters appear less than appealing, as well -- one talks too much; the other almost never at all -- despite the great tragedy in their lives. But flawed though they are and broken by life, Patrick and Rachel still love God, and when Patrick's Aunt Sophia chooses to live out her last days with them, they see it as the beginning of the answer to a prayer. As the novel unfolds, the impact of their prayer begins to be felt not only in the lives of Patrick and Rachel and the friends and neighbors drawn into their orbit, but in the bitter life of Aunt Sophie herself. Writing with a literary style reminiscent of Brett Lott, Turner shows what the power of God can do in flawed human lives that, nevertheless, still bear his image. Hang in there until the end; you'll be richly rewarded.

Retired teacher widow Sophia Hess found her late husband's legacy quite a shocker as learns her spouse the professor had a deep penchant for pornography. The collection is quite a stunner, but also serves as a catalyst to look back on her life of never being loved and explains why they remained childless. She now realizes he only wed her because he needed an easy to control office assistant.

Not wanting to live alone and being wealthy, she offers her fortune to the family member that takes her into their home. In Greenville, Mississippi, nephew Patrick and his wife Rachel offer their home to Aunt Sophie. The octogenarian assumes they welcome her so they can get at her money. However, she wonders about the menagerie of visitors like the disabled child and though he is a bit pompous why Patrick and Rachel, hurt by personal tragedy, still deeply believe in the Lord while fully welcoming Sophie to do more than check the obituaries as they show her they care for one another and offer her the same affection.

Action fans will want to pass on this deep character study that uses the story line as a device to enable readers to look closely at Sophia. Initially the plot seems depressing and sort of dull as the elderly woman reflects on her life especially marriage. The tale picks up a bit as the skeptical Sophia moves in with her nephew expecting an avarice relative conducting a death watch. However, instead she gets a somewhat optimist nurturing caretaking couple who want the best for her as they teach this old dog new tricks about love for each other and affectionately caring for another by welcoming her into their nest. Great use of the story line to provide a profound relationship drama as few writers can achieve.

Harriet Klausner

For many years, Jamie Langston Turner's novels stood squarely in a class by themselves --- "in" the CBA market but in some ways not "of" it. Turner's writing is often so elegant, so detailed and so richly textured that her books have distinguished themselves in a category all their own. Recently, though, the quality of evangelical fiction has risen to a remarkable degree, and the field of high-caliber writers has likewise widened. With WINTER BIRDS, however, Turner proves she still has what it takes to stay one step ahead of the CBA pack.

The novel's opening premise sets the tone for what is to come. Accepting the fact that she has entered the winter of her life, Sophia Hess, a no-nonsense, relatively healthy but embittered octogenarian, has "auditioned" a number of extended-family members for the responsibility of caring for her for the rest of her life. In return, the selected candidate will be her sole heir. She settles on her nephew Patrick and his wife Rachel, who hold the greatest promise for providing her with the care, accommodations and independence she demands. She settles into their spare room, content to observe the birds that visit the feeder outside her window, watch reruns of vintage television shows on the one channel she can tolerate, and check out the obituaries of notables in issues of Time magazines, both current and past. Oh, and eavesdrop on conversations that take place elsewhere in the house.

We learn all this, and everything else in the book, from Sophia's perspective. And that makes for a languid pace --- exactly what you would expect from an elderly woman. Even so, the story never lags; it's told by someone who has no regard for time, but that someone is both so ordinary and so fascinating that we're easily lured into the running account of her daily routine in the present and the memories of her marriage to a literature professor in the distant past. That late-in-life marriage accounts for the bitterness that has poisoned Sophia's thinking and robbed her of every last shred of hope; the good Professor Hess, as it turned out, harbored a deep, dark and dirty secret throughout their 13-year marriage, prompting the dutiful Mrs. Hess to whisper curses in his ear as he lay in a coma shortly before his death.

Eventually, though, Sophia's world, until now pretty much confined to the four walls of her room, begins to expand as the well-intentioned but bombastic Patrick and the reticent and long-suffering Rachel open up their lives to a motley assortment of friends, co-workers and neighbors --- something they had been hesitant to do since the kidnapping and murder of their two young children years before. Among the newcomers is the rebellious teenager Mindy, whose overly protective parents have withdrawn her from public school and enlisted the help of Sophia, a former college instructor, to assist them in homeschooling their daughter.

In telling Sophia's story, Turner sidesteps the landmines that so many other Christian writers blithely stomp on. Patrick and Rachel are born-again Christians, but never does that fact feel intrusive, even when Patrick gets a bit long-winded in his praying and his expounding on the Bible. It's Patrick who is long-winded, not Turner. That's a distinction that makes all the difference between mediocre writing and the finely honed art of an author like Turner. The faith element is presented subtly, as simply a matter of fact in their lives. And yet, the way they live out their faith has a profound effect on everyone, including Sophia.

But let me repeat --- while "Christian" novels are littered with landmines, Turner deftly maneuvers her way around every one of them. And as in her other novels, in WINTER BIRDS Turner shows her undisputed skill in creating verisimilitude, which basically means --- in case it's been a while since you encountered that word in high school English class --- that everything rings true.

WINTER BIRDS is highly recommended for those who appreciate a character-driven story rich in profound insights into human nature.

--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford

Winter Birds differed a fair bit from the description offered on the back of the book.

The story begins with Aung Sophie living in a somewhat private apartment within her nephew Patrick and his wife's modest home. The story is written in the first person, by the plodding, bitter, very introspective but also sharply insightful Aunt Sophia. On one hand I despaired that that the story would never get moving - but on the other hand I gained much insight and sympathy towards not just elderly Aunt Sophia, but to the plight of the lonely aged everywhere.

Though slow moving, this is a beautiful in - depth study of several all too human characters. I came to love and appreciate both the strength and weakness of each person portrayed in the novel.

The very gradual change and softening of Aunt Sophie's heart happens as she observes the lives of others who are also shattered, but still trust and love Jesus. This change is very belivably and lightly done.

In summary, a slow beautiful read that warmed my heart. I loved this book - and plan to read all of Jamie Langston Taylor's books.

Winter Birds is a gentle novel, both melancholy and hopeful. It is the story of Sophie, an eighty-year-old woman who is spending the winter with her nephew Patrick and his wife Rachel. Sophie's outwardly placid and quiet demeanor hides much pain from the past and fear for the future.

Turner does an excellent job moving the story along from morbidity to a tremulous hope. She is a quality writer, and neither hides nor flaunts her Christian beliefs. Rather, they are an integral part of the story, responded to with honesty by Sophie - both bitterness and clarity characterize her responses.

In spite of how slowly the almost 400-page novel moves at times, I found it deeply absorbing, and finished it in five days. It is a truthful and gracious window into one woman's soul.

Winter Birds is a story about an elderly woman named Sophie Hess. Sophie decides to spend her "winter of discontent," as she calls the last years of her life, with her nephew Patrick and his wife Rachel. Although Sophie was married, she outlived her husband and his children did not like her, so she had no one else to live with. So her inheritance will be left to Patrick in exchange for food, clothing, and shelter.

Sophie's days are filled with watching TV, identifying birds at the feeder with the Book of North American Birds Patrick gave her, and the comings and goings of the mortuary across the street. Sophie also enjoys her privacy and does everything along that she possibly can. To Sophie, Patrick and Rachel seem to be very lonely people who have no friends at all. At least not until the new neighbors, Steve and Terri, move in next door.

Steve and Terri have two children--Mindy who's a teenager and Veronica who's only four years old. Veronica is a handicapped child who needs constant care. One day Terri comes over to Rachel's needing help with Veronica. After Rachel return home, she invites Steve and Teri over for dessert, and Rachel and Terri spark a friendship, as do Steve and Patrick.

As days turn into weeks, Sophie becomes involved in with the family and the events that surround them all more than she wants to. She begins to truly appreciate Patrick and Rachel and how they deal with life's situations. She even begins to love Rachel and Patrick. It's not until the end of the book we see a changed Sophie Hess. She lives for life rather than waiting to die and beings to understand the Christian beliefs Rachel and Patrick have.

Although the book may try the reader's patience with its very slow start, it is worth the wait in the end.

Armchair Interviews says: A nice mixing of the generations and their specific needs.

a retelling of the story of Ruth (as in the Old Testament), Winter Birds is about Sophia Hess, an older woman who moves in with her nephew and his wife so they can care for her. She asks for a room with a door she can close and bolt. Through the door, she listens to their conversations and their lives--when not watching daytime TV or the birds at her window.

Sophia came from a family whose sole focus on survival disabled loving relationship. She married a man who wanted a secretary rather than a wife. When he died, she discovered a sordid secret that marred any beauty she saw in the marriage.

Now, afraid of death, she moves in with Patrick and Rachel. As she sees how they deal with their past tragedy and how they care for those around them, she begins to lean more into their lives.

I adored this story for two reasons--first, the prose. Lyrical without being flowery, it draws you into Sophia's world. It unfolded her character and her understanding of what makes people tick. Yes, it breaks every rule in the book, but I'll not have you "fix" a single one! In fact, when I came to the last chapter, I put the book away. I wanted to live in Sophia's world one more day. I savored the last bits the following day.

Second, it's told from Naomi's perspective (meaning Naomi from the Book of Ruth). The Book of Ruth, though titled for the daughter-in-law, is actually about Naomi. God's loving kindness toward Ruth is the sub-plot, and too often we miss that. By retelling the story clearly in "Naomi's" perspective, it focuses on Naomi's bitterness and the kindess extended to her. It also reveals what Naomi always misses (and still misses in the end of the book, in my opinion.)

To sum up: read this book. Settle in and savor it. Let the words trickle down your spine. Love it.