Review: The Bird Sisters

The Bird Sisters
by Rebecca Rasmussen

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literature
Publisher: Crown Books
Publish Date: April 12, 2011
Format: Hardcover | 304 pages
Rating: 5 of 5

Milly and Twiss are spinster sisters living in the small town of Spring Green, Wisconsin, in the same house where they grew up. They spent their lives mending birds and the hearts of others, but they could not do the same for themselves. As young girls this was not the way they imagined their lives would end. Milly wanted to marry and have a family; Twiss wanted to travel and see the world, but that was not to be. One fateful summer in 1947 the course of history was set for the sisters, and they could not change their destiny any more than they could stop the sun from rising each morning.

Most of the story takes place in 1947. It is told from the present in short chapters alternating with longer chapters in the past. I like this technique as it reinforces the perspective of the sisters as elderly women who have lived their lives and are reflecting back on the past. We know the end and now, layer by layer, the events of that summer are revealed. The accident that cost their father his job as a golf-pro, their priest who ran off to Mexico and cousin Bett who came to visit and turned their world upside down.

I didn’t realize what a beautiful and heartbreaking story this would be. In their own way the sisters are as damaged as the birds they try to heal. The characters were beautifully drawn and the vivid descriptions of Spring Green made the town come to life. Although I live in a suburb, I am a small town girl at heart and delighted in the picturesque scenes of nature. Rebecca Rasmussen writes with a wisdom and grace far beyond her years.

I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of my copy of The Bird Sisters for months. When it finally arrived I gazed at the beautiful glossy cover with it’s lovely birds and placed it on the top of my stack of books. I finished it last week and although I’ve moved on to read a few other books, I’m still thinking about it, digesting it and enjoying it in my mind.

My favorite character was Twiss and not just because she was ‘the bird lady’. I could relate to her on multiple levels. Like me, she wanted to be an explorer or scientist, but never did; she helped birds instead. She didn’t approve of Mrs. Bettle keeping her parrot in a cage; birds should be free. She never did get to travel and see the Continental Divide, “her memories were her suitcase, and her mind her passport”. She has empathy for both birds and people. She chose the lacy dress to please Adele, “who like every other childless woman in Spring Green had probably always wanted to dress a little girl”, and said “It’s like happiness can be sewn”. Twiss appears to have accepted her life and her choices.

This is a wonderful book that has something for everyone. A great selection for readers young and old. Highly recommended and one of my favorites this year.

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Visit Rebecca Rasmussen at her blog, The Bird Sisters.
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Source: Copy provide by the publisher for review.
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