To the Birdhouse

by Cathleen Schine

Alice Brody, the bed-ridden heroine of Alice in Bed, is finally up and about--and getting married. But Alice's dreams of the serene family life are disrupted by her mother's inane choice of Louie Scifo, a strange bird who ruffles everyone's feathers.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, New York

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Cathleen Schine is the author of The New Yorkers, The Love Letter, and The Three Weissmanns of Westport among other novels. She has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, and The New York Times Book Review.

Reviews

[Marcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disappointing. I've read other books by this author and really enjoyed them (The Love Letter, The New Yorkers, and The Three Weissmanns of Westport). But I found this one annoying and without purpose -- could not wait for it to end.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly written, uninteresting book about uninteresting people. Shows the folly of getting a book because you enjoyed another one by the same author.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was a hand-me-down from a friend. The continual, unrealistic rambling was a huge disappointment. Not recommended.

[Nicole Hunter-Mostafa · Rating 2 out of 5]

i just didn't connect with the characters in this book. i mean, i guess i did on some level, because i finished it. but all the characters felt distant and unrelatable to me throughout the whole thing. i was especially baffled by the descriptions of the graphic threats that louie scifo made toward alice's mother, and no one seemed to be particularly alarmed by any of it (and why did the author constantly refer to louie by his full name? louie scifo, louie scifo...there was only one louie in the book, so that felt like overkill). that kind of sums up how the book felt to me...drowsy and dull even when there should have been a reasonable bit of tension. but Iike i said, couldn't stop reading it..so i'm going to keep an eye out for schine's other books.

[Stephanie Herrlinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

weird fucking book. maybe it would have read better if I visualized it as a cartoon, where stalking an entire family is considered comedy, and not insanely inappropriate. Chaotic writing. What was even happening? yeeshkabobs.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book in one word? Dull. Uninspired. Aimless.

This book was so bad, it reminded me of those crappy B movies you watch late at night and get sucked into only for the hope that they will get better. But, they never do.

I kept hoping it would get better. Surely, something exciting would happen and soon. But, alas, no. There were a lot of climbs, but no notable climax or resolution.

Unless you are a fan of birds and random lists of bird throughout a book that do nothing to move the story forward, save your time and pass on this book.

[Gabriella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedious

The author seemed to be aiming for maximum charm and humor in this book but hit a bullseye for maximum annoyance instead. The same ploys, jokes, and quirks in plot and characters repeating over and over. I slogged through and actually felt relieved when this reading experience had ended.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few books with majorly dysfunctional families in them, but I must say, I think I liked this one the best. It was a fun read. I kept laughing at the visions I had of Louie and all his antics. An easy read to start the summer of with. I'm glad I picked it up.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a lot of detail about nothing, unfortunately. I made it about 50% through and then decided there was not a plot to be had and stopped. Although, Alice is adorable and her marriage to Peter sounds great and I do love birds - there was literally not a plot.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice writing, lulling, sweet

[The Farmer's Wife · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really? The "humor" fell flat. The characters were one-dimensional. A creepy, macabre tale. I kept waiting for the punch line, turning every page. And. Bother.

[Llyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointing second book...

[Karenj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining.

[Pammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author does write well. The book cover alludes to a "delicious sense of humor".
I guess I just didn't appreciate the delivery or the characters.

[Zarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish book. I gave it my best but I just couldn’t finish it. Very dry and slow.

[Emily Kestrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast-paced novel about Alice, a newly married bird photographer, who becomes obsessed with the man who is obsessed with her mother. The tone is light and humorous; at its best, for some reason, it made me think of a Jewish Bridget Jones (even though this one is not told as a diary). But the plot soon grew a bit thin--after a while, I simply did not care what Louie, the jilted suitor who is stalking Alice's mom, would do, or how Alice and family would respond to it. Also, I wanted more birds--there were just enough birding references to baffle and annoy non-birders, without having enough to satisfy the bird nerds in the audience. In sum: three stars, but that's including an extra star for the birds.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice is delighted with her new marriage. In fact, the only cloud on her horizon is her mother Brenda's unsuitable boyfriend Louie. Even that cloud is removed when Brenda breaks up with Louie--until he starts to harass and stalk the whole family. The beleaguered group retreats from New York City to Westport, CT, but Louie follows them. Then Alice decides it's time for the family to strike back. Hysterically funny and touching at the same time, Alice grows a bit more over the course of the book, ultimately accepting (well, coming closer to accepting) her Canadian stepmother.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky and really enjoyable. Fun, easy read. I'll check out more by this author.

[chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

the sequel to alice in bed. what a hoot!

[Crubano410comcast.comnone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish it, Neither did the friend who gave it to me!!!

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd little book

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time caring about these characters and their story. I kept reading, hoping it would get better. It didn't.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not going to lie and say this was a good book, but I didn't have to roll my eyes and I read it in a day.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book is meant to be funny and it is, I was bothered by the relentless stalking and the apparent impotence of the victims.

[Pam]

09/02/08 purchase at a thrift store

[Janis Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surely this is one that everybody will get for Christmas. I laughed and laughed and laughed.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very weird. Hard to follow. Did not understand the point of the book. Was disappointed, since I had just finished The Three Weismanns of Westport and loved it.