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More importantly, I loved her granddaughter Ellie. Ellie was a sweetheart. Cautious, honest, and sweet, I could clearly see what Ann loved her so much. Though, what I liked most about both characters was the bond they began to form over the course of the novel, because not only did it play an important part in making this The Bird House an amazing book, but it was admirable and relatable to any girl or boy whose been close to a grandparent, in my opinion.
I also really enjoyed the way Kelly Simmons told this story in diary entries of past and current times, because not only did she effortless tie everything together in a picture perfect way that never left me feeling like I wasn't getting a clear image, but she did so in a way that it made The Bird House compelling and full of dirty little secrets I couldn't wait to find out more about. Lastly, as I'm sure you can already guess, I loved Simmons' writing.
It's beautiful, poignant, and eloquent and it made this novel flow in a perfect pace. Also, she did such a suburb job of getting the voices of her many characters and setting down in a way that I could easily picture everything and feel like I was right there. In all, The Bird House is most ways a nearly perfect novel, in my opinion. I simply can't wait to read more by Simmons, as I'm sure she has many, many more fabulous novels and ideas up her shelves. Oh, and while this novel is labeled adult fiction, I don't see any reason why older teens wouldn't enjoy it.
Feb 24, Kathy rated it it was amazing. Marry the fun one when there is a choice to be made. Feb 07, Marie rated it it was amazing. What is forgotten and what can never be erased? In a lifetime of good intentions we all have our share of secrets, regrets, and undiscovered passions. And digging through old letters, connecting the importance of a ring with something said long ago, really looking at what is around you, well, it can change your entire view of your world.
The characters are real, the situations at once startling yet believable. How many novels are good enough for that? The lingering of images and emotions.
The sadness, as if parting from a very dear friend…. Simmons writes of a granddaughter who is brutally honest, and who needs to do a family heritage project with her grandmother. She takes us into the head of Ann, a seventy-something woman of high intelligence and so-so memory, who skips us back and forth through time. Her past is a life full of promise, then terrible loss and guilt. In her present Ann finds her heart being won over by her granddaughter, a child who asks all the wrong questions in just the right way.
The story is at once heart-wrenching and hilarious. Ann has a tart tongue and a sharp eye, making her the ideal narrator casting a witty eye on everything from egocentric architects, Main Line Philadelphia elite, the claustrophobic existence of a new mother, the horrors of those tacky birthday party activity joints, and the temptations of a forbidden lover.
The author quickly envelops you with sharp imagery, true tension, mystery, passion and deeply-felt love. So read The Bird House, love it, share it. Your friends will be glad you did! Aug 03, Diane Dachota rated it it was ok. I read this book in one day and was interested enough to finish but in the end cannot really recommend it.
It is the tale of Ann a 73 year old woman who is said to be starting to have symptoms of alzheimers, a disease which killed her mother. It alternates between present day Ann and her diary as a young wife and mother in The problem I had was that neither Ann nor any other character in the book is a nice person. Ann herself is cold, and described not caring for her children, and then not I read this book in one day and was interested enough to finish but in the end cannot really recommend it.
Ann herself is cold, and described not caring for her children, and then not caring about her granddaughter Ellie until she was 8 years old. Ann's daughter in law is humorless and mean, the men are all one dimensional. We hear from the beginning that Ann is forgetful and has dementia, but there are little to no signs of this. She forgets one or two things over the course of a summer, but how is that different than any one else? It also is mentioned that her mother had been confined in a nursing home from age 50 on, but the information is presented as though it is a natural occurrence for one to have dementia at age All of the women in the book cheat on their husband too and we cannot really understand why because everything is from Ann's viewpoint and she is just not a nice narrator.
Jan 17, Gina rated it it was ok. The opening pages make the reader feel like something big has happened, but in reality, the book was just "there". No big turn of events worth telling over again. The only good news is that it was only pages and an easy enough read that I didn't feel too annoyed that I wasted a few days reading it. But for those of you who were on the fence about it?
Watching the birds from your window may be more interesting. Sep 12, Carol rated it it was amazing Shelves: Even though Kelly Simmons wrote The Bird House so that story can switch back and forth between and , this book was easy to keep the time periods separate. There are clues in the chapters on that answer the questions the Ann Biddle had in This book is full of symbolism and straight forward clear writing. I love the author's style and know that story would succeed if Ann was not the sole narrator.
Ann Biddle has a family secret and as soon as I read that I knew that I wanted to Even though Kelly Simmons wrote The Bird House so that story can switch back and forth between and , this book was easy to keep the time periods separate. Ann Biddle has a family secret and as soon as I read that I knew that I wanted to find out the truth. My family on both sides have secrets. I have mild cognitive impairment so I have memory problems too.
So I immediately connected with this story. Ann Biddle's memory is failing and she worries about a death in the past because she cannot remember the important parts of truth connected to the death.
The author not only keeps you reading even when you really don't have the time but she has developed fascinating characters in her story. Ann spends time with her granddaughter Ellie who is 8 years old, smart, full of life and perceptive.
It seems that all her other relationships were gone, her husband died in the past, her mother and father are long gone. So she and Ellie explore family stories. Ann is selective about what she tells Ellie but sometimes things happen to jolt Ann's memory back. They care about each other. Ann reminds me of my grandmother when she was slipping dementia.
I highly recommend reading this book. Apr 02, Sandra rated it really liked it. Like a previous reviewer I had my doubts about the main theme being that Ann had Alzheimers, if anything it was a very mild or very early form since Ann telling the story was very lucid and clear, apart from a couple of occasions when she appeared to get times wrong we can all do that!! Feb 27, Staci rated it really liked it Recommended to Staci by: It may take a while-decades perhaps-not for your excavation, mind you, but for your desire to appear; for that childlike curiosity to float up again.
Indeed, you may need an actual child to summon it, as I did. But this is what drives us--the historians, the trash pickers, the gossips, the shrinks. And yes, the readers of books. We're all rooting around, teasing out other people's hidden reasons. I abs "Beneath the surface of any problem, if you scrabble a bit, you'll find a secret. I absolutely fell in love with the opening sentences of The Bird House. Because as a reader I do want to find out that deep, dark secret someone is hiding or learn what motivated someone to betray a friend or a lover.
This is one of the biggest reasons why I love to read. Is to find wonderful gems that touch me emotionally as this one did. I could go into detail about the book and why I found it to be a stellar read, but I really feel that would be robbing you, the new potential reader, of experiencing this one without knowing much beforehand. Suffice it to say that you will come to love Ann and her granddaughter Ellie.
I really enjoyed seeing this story unfold through Ann's eyes because you were never quite sure if what you were seeing had actually taken place or not, due to her dementia.
Ellie became the grounding force for me. She was sort of the guiding light in the story and helped fill in the gaps or missing pieces. I thought the author's use of a family project was genius in bringing two generations together. The author took this plot device and really worked it seamlessly into the story. I finished this book over the period of hours. In fact, I had a hard time turning the light off Sunday night to go to bed and couldn't wait until my free time on Monday to finish the book.
I know that my review really didn't go into depth and honestly I hate to tell a reader too much about any book I read. I will say this, I loved the characters, even the ones I didn't care for very much daughter-in-law because the author made them REAL. The story could happen and has happened to many, many people. I was intrigued, captivated, and couldn't put this one down!! Jul 24, Sara Strand rated it really liked it. This book was so unbelievably good in a really subtle way. I love how the story line was being played out so quickly but you didn't even know it until you were almost done with the book, which I thought was so cool.
I mean, it's like you didn't even know it was happening and then- BAM! It all came to get perfectly. I really adored the characters. I really felt like Ann could be anybody's Grandma and it makes you appreciate the wisdom and knowledge a person has just from living life. Having worke This book was so unbelievably good in a really subtle way. Having worked with seniors previously I know from first hand experience how interesting hearing the life story of another person can be.
I mean, it's just an ordinary life but it's so different from the next person. What I really loved about this book was how the author really described, in a believable way, what it's like to be in the early stages of dementia and how they feel when a family member "checks up" on them. If you have ever had a family member or friend develop dementia this would be an interesting read for you.
What also is interesting is how Ann chooses to tell Ellie the grand daughter family "secrets". Which really aren't secrets- they are just events that happen over the course of life, but somehow, people believe that by not talking about it everyone will be better off. Which, families are built on success, tragedy, ups and downs. And I think that younger generations should learn about their family history. This is such an excellent book and would make a fabulous Mother's Day gift for your mom or Grandma.
Jul 06, Elise Hamilton rated it it was ok. This is one of those books where I ask myself, "Is it me? Almost all the other reviewers like this book a lot. Am I missing something they saw? First, the reviews did give me an expectation that this would be a wonderful book, so the fact that I felt it was only "OK" was a letdown. Second, the first chapter sets the reader up to expect some dark revelation and gain of some deep self-awareness by the narrator. I don't think it delivered on that promise. The elements This is one of those books where I ask myself, "Is it me?
The elements of story are, in my opinion, trite. Once I got far enough into the book to realize it wasn't going to be the book I had thought it would be, I knew all the "secrets" and small awarenesses that the narrator, Ann, would come to. I knew them fairly early into the book, so the rest of the book was simply confirmation. Last, I wanted beautiful prose. Sadly, this book didn't have any. The writing sounded like that of an inexperienced and not very talented writer's. It also sounded like something written for a Young Adult audience, though I cannot see young readers being able to relate to the narrator.
I'm not knocking that audienceYAs can be sophisticated readers. I mean that the language seemed consciously geared down to a young reader's level. It's not a book I'd recommend to my reading buddies, and it didn't encourage me to read anything else by the author. Feb 24, Paula rated it really liked it. Very much enjoyed this read about Ann, a grandmother who is linked to the past through her 8 year old granddaughter Ellie. The secrets and the guilt of Ann's family all come tumbling through in this well written story of disappointment and heartbreak.
It keeps the pages turning from the very first one. Really enjoyed the unravelling of secrets within this small family. Jun 29, Danielle rated it it was amazing. Beautifully written story about family secrets, relationships and tragedy. Couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read her first book. May 21, Arlene rated it really liked it Shelves: This book examines the lives of its characters through genealogy and psychology. What makes us who we are? Are the conclusions we reached as young people entirely accurate? Does time influence memory? Ann is a well to do Main Line Widow who enjoys spending time with her eight year old granddaughter, Ellie.
Working on a school project with Ellie, Ann is faced to recall her life, the choices she made and the responsibility she must take for the lives of her children. Ann's life is rather like an o This book examines the lives of its characters through genealogy and psychology.
Ann's life is rather like an onion as layer after layer reveals her true character. Along side the story of Ann's fears for her son's family, she is anxious over lapses of memory, worried that the dementia that claimed her mother, waits at the door for her.
It has been a while since a book has captured my attention like The Bird House did I will be reading more of Ms Simmons work. This novel grabbed me from its first pages and didn't let me go. A novel told from the perspective of a strong woman with a checkered past and an unsure future. I loved the characters the story and would have loved to read more pages. Absolutely outstanding, Kelly Simmons. This novel is one of the best books I've ever read!
I enjoyed reading this book, especially the interaction between Ann and her granddaughter Ellie; however, for me, the ending left too many unanswered questions for the ending to be completely satisfying. The author's style of writing is excellent and I will read more of her books.
Feb 16, Bonnie Combs rated it it was amazing. I will definitely read more from this author! Mar 24, Ktbird rated it it was ok. Just not very memorable. I think I accidentally read this a second and almost a third time. May 12, Maybaby rated it liked it. Jan 24, Pam Wiebe rated it it was ok. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters in this book. I'm not a big fan of books that go back and forth between two time periods and I found this one didn't flow well.
Dec 06, Nina rated it it was amazing. Jan 03, Coppermama rated it really liked it. I love simple stories told skillfully. I love that the writer didn't crowd the book with overdone characters and excessive issues. Every word seemed carefully and perfectly chosen, it was mesmerizing and unpredictable. I only disliked the unresolved key at the end of the story.
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