Yellow Bird

by Linda Johnson

Shortly after a head injury leaves her struggling with debilitating nightmares, defiant 17-year-old Amanda Abernathy moves to the Yellow Bird, a rundown bookstore and farm she inherits from her overbearing grandmother. Cody Stone, after a brief stint in the army, returns stateside with acute combat stress. Broken and lost, he wanders from the foothills of his mountain home to the hollows along the Chalahume River. Inexplicably, Amanda and Cody’s disparate paths begin to mystically intertwine as they struggle to find their place among the eccentric people of Appalachia's South Mountain, where music, friendship, and hardship bind them to century-old traditions. With the increasing neglect and gross mismanagement of the coal mines upriver, Amanda, Cody, and the people they come to love, find themselves on the brink of a disaster beyond anything they could ever imagine. "Yellow Bird" examines the thin and fragile line drawn between what excites our faith and breaks our hearts. It is a gentle healing hand, a familiar song from bygone days, a memory just beyond our reach. It is the story of faith on trial, an invitation to grapple, as the characters do, with what can never be explained.“ Johnson’s debut is, at its core, a pastoral tale, a celebration of the rustic music and rich traditions of the hills and hollows of Virginia and West Virginia and their ability to offer relief and purpose in a harsh, lonesome world. . . a charming story about a bygone time where even magic seems possible.”— Kirkus Reviews

162 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2010

Reviews

[Sarah Tollok · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a highly enjoyable read. I met the author at a book-signing at our local bookstore, Winchester Book Gallery. As soon as a read the description I said, "You had me a 'bookstore'". I liked the main character, her independence, and her progression. The community described was realistic and inviting. I would read more about this town and this cast of characters in a heartbeat.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful little book, two interesting characters who come together in a book club. Love stories set in the Appalachians, with all the music and folklore, superstitions and interesting people. Amanda suffering the after effects of a traumatic brain injury is left her grandmother house and bookstore and Cody who after a brief stint in the army is suffering from combat stress, both need to heal their minds and bodies. They need a little magic that is only available in these hills. Charming.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yellow Bird is a novel about two damaged people who go to a small town and find welcome. Amanda owns a bookstore and Cody is a musician and wounded war veteran. An ancient train runs through the town usually carrying tourists. The two main characters befriend or are befriended by others including an unmarried pregnant girl and a black reverend. The story concludes with the town all but destroyed by a flood.
I am giving it a low score because the story didn’t hold my interest.