Review: The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen

The Bird Sisters

by Rebecca Rasmussen

Publication Date:  April 12, 2011

Crown Publishing

304p

SYNOPSIS

Love is timeless. So too is heartbreak.

 Whenever a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds' heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can't, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who've brought them. The two sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to health.

But back in the summer of 1947, Milly was known as a great beauty with emerald eyes and Twiss was a brazen wild child who never wore a dress or did what she was told. That was the summer their golf pro father got into an accident that cost him both his swing and his charm, and their mother, the daughter of a wealthy jeweler, finally admitted their hardscrabble lives wouldn't change. It was the summer their priest, Father Rice, announced that God didn't exist and ran off to Mexico, and a boy named Asa finally caught Milly's eye. And most unforgettably, it was the summer their cousin Bett came down from a town called Deadwater and changed the course of their lives forever.

REVIEW

Ever eager to try my hand at new authors I quickly snatched up the opportunity to check out the debut novel from author Rebecca Rasmussen and am pleased to report that the story inside is just as lovely as the cover outside.

The Bird Sisters tells the story of two spinster sisters, Milly and Twiss, known as the Bird Sisters in their small town. Their twilight days pass quietly, mostly spent in reflection that old age summons, with the odd person bringing them an injured creature. Twiss tends to the birds while Milly tends to the humans – hearing their problems and feeding their souls. Told in chapters that alternate between the present and past, Milly reminisces back to the summer of 1947 - the summer when their fearless and bewitching cousin Bett visits and their world gets turned upside down.

Readers can’t help but be charmed by the sisters, who share a special bond despite their differences in personality and aspirations. Milly is the pretty, amenable sister who daydreams of love, a husband and children. And Twiss, the stubborn tomboy who prefers playing golf with her father and rebelling against her mother. The summer of 1947 is a time of great change for them both as they deal with events that will shape their futures.

Sweet and thoughtful, The Bird Sisters is an exquisitely written novel that will pull at the heart strings and keep you up late into the night reading. Rasmussen’s talent shines in her debut and I am eager to see what her next project will be!

Favorite quote: “You don’t have to believe in God to be a good person.”


For more information please visit Rebecca Rasmussen's WEBSITE.

FTC:  A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.