Review: The Nature of Small Birds
The Nature of Small Birds
Susie Finkbeiner
Synopsis: When Linda and Bruce have trouble conceiving a second child, they decide to adopt Minh (Or Mindy, as she is called). Minh is one of thousands of children airlifted out of Vietnam after the war, to be adopted by families in the US. Told from three different perspectives, in three different time periods, The Nature of Small Birds tells Minh’s story as she grows up, struggling to understand who she is.
Rating: PG– Conversations about war.
Thank you to Susie Finkbeiner and The Baker Publishing Group for sending me a copy of The Nature of Small Birds in exchange for an honest review.
I have read several of Susie Finkbeiner novels. I’ve never read one that disappointed me, and this one is no exception. Finkbeiner is an emotional writer; she writes her characters from the heart. If she can’t make you feel whatever emotion her characters are feeling, I don’t know who could.
I was a little bit nervous about the story having multiple timelines. Sometimes, (in other books with a similar layout) I feel like I lose track of what time frame the book is in, and I end up going back to confirm where I’m at. Finkbeiner smartly gave each time frame a distinctly different narrator (Linda- Minh’s adoptive mom, Sonny- The adoptive older sister, and Bruce, the adoptive father). That made it a lot easier for me to follow. But there’s one other thing I really enjoyed about the way she wrote the book. Not only are all three timelines cohesive, but each timeline really has its own story as well.
My only critique is that this one doesn’t necessarily give you that strong feeling of, “I can’t put it down!”. But I think that simply has more to do with the type of story it is. It’s not a big, dramatic tale. It is a simple story about family. With that in mind, I don’t think it’s really a negative thing. The story doesn’t need a lot of added drama.
I haven’t read much historical fiction from the Vietnam era, but I don’t know that I’ve seen any other books about the children adopted out of Vietnam. The Nature of Small Birds is sweet, and compelling, and unique. I definitely recommend it!
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@bookworm.hairstylist