Your review A well written, unusual story that takes place in present time in New York city. Margaret and her husband Charles, a professor at Columbia are avid bird watchers. Margaret's grandfather had introduced her to the art at an early age and it was a great influence in her life. Margaret's husband was quite a bit older than she but they had a very happy marriage. The other main protagonist in the story is her long time best friend Emily who is very involved in the art scene in New York and these two interests merge as the story unfolds, with a surprising twist. Margaret herself dresses windows for Sacks Fifth Avenue which is extremely creative and described in detail so thorough and wonderful that I could picture each one, a constantly changing view showcasing different products. I had no idea it was such an art and have new admiration and appreciation for what goes into window dressing. Margaret experiences the tragedy of her husbands sudden death ultimately finding a path through her grief which involves birds. I was quite surprised to find that what she chose to do, something she also learned by watching her grandfather, is illegal.
This is a slow moving, careful, well thought out and executed story, but also one you need to be patient with. There were times that I felt it lagged a bit, especially the extended conversations about art, yet they two were necessary for the pace and timing of the plot. The art of bird watching itself is an exercise in patience and persistence so the carefully measured unfolding story felt exactly right.
Lovely use of language and metaphor, lilting in the same way a rare bird's call is. Altogether well done!!

Share/Like this Review?

Loved the layers in this story. There are many parts to our lives and Jacobs did a great job of telling the story of love and loss in this one. A bird lover, nature lover, an artist. That's Margret, the NYC woman who dresses windows at Saks Fifth Avenue. She has more depth to her than I would have normally imagined of a "city gal" in the uppity parts of NYC who tugs at nature and art and the rights and wrongs involving the two. I'm a bird/nature lover myself, so reading a book that entwines that love really sold me. Although I didn't care for the opening chapter (too wordy), I persevered and was glad I did. Sad and heartbreaking, but done gracefully. This book was a surprise to me. I hadn't heard of it before and on a whim, decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did.

Share/Like this Review?