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Byrd
In this debut novel, 33-year-old Addie Lockwood bears and surrenders for adoption a son, her only child, without telling his father, little imagining how the secret will shape their lives. Told through letters and spare, precisely observed vignettes, Byrd is an unforgettable story about making and living with the most difficult, intimate, and far-reaching of choices.
228 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2014
11 people are currently reading
1031 people want to read
About the author
Kim Church
3 books38 followersKim Church is the author of Byrd (Dzanc Books), winner of the Crooks Corner Book Prize, a Chautauqua Prize finalist, and longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the SIBA Book Award.
Her new novel, Lena and Rae, a story of sisterhood set during the deadly textile strikes of the 1920s and 30s, is coming from Dzanc Books in 2027.
Kim's short work has appeared in The Sun Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Shenandoah, Painted Bride Quarterly, Mississippi Review, The Great Books Foundation Short Story Omnibus, and elsewhere. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she has received fellowships from the North Carolina Arts Council and residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Millay Colony for the Arts, and Vermont Studio Center. She lives with her husband, artist Anthony Ulinski, in Raleigh.
Her new novel, Lena and Rae, a story of sisterhood set during the deadly textile strikes of the 1920s and 30s, is coming from Dzanc Books in 2027.
Kim's short work has appeared in The Sun Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Shenandoah, Painted Bride Quarterly, Mississippi Review, The Great Books Foundation Short Story Omnibus, and elsewhere. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she has received fellowships from the North Carolina Arts Council and residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Millay Colony for the Arts, and Vermont Studio Center. She lives with her husband, artist Anthony Ulinski, in Raleigh.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
February 17, 2023
A story close to home for me, adopted at six weeks, born in September of 1961, adopted in November. Grew up in a happy home, loved my mother intensely, still do. Located my natural father in 2005, and we have a great relationship. Natural mother did not wish to have any personal contact as she has not disclosed my birth to her husband and children. Nevertheless, my father knew where she was, and later I introduced myself to her at her florist business. It was a weird conversation in which she blamed everything on my father and his family. I simply wanted to tell her I was alright and did not want to cause her any problems. My cousin, a daughter of my mother's sister, tracked me down and we have a relationship. She cannot believe my mother's callousness. I attribute it as a defense mechanism. I understand. Anyway, it's more time I get to devote to my Dad, uncomplicated. It's nice to finally discover who has the same sense of humor, to look at the man you resemble, and other similarities. It's also interesting to look at his photograph as a boy and compare it to my son's photo at that age and to see how much my son looks like him, too.
Kim Church's book, kept me interested throughout. I wanted to read it in one sitting, but I had to sleep, but put it down with over half read. I finished the rest quickly, moved by the sweeping plot that reminded me of my own experience. Church's approach to her characters was beautifully molded and evoked. Her style matched the melancholy of the plot. I enjoyed this novel and sincerely recommend it.
Kim Church's book, kept me interested throughout. I wanted to read it in one sitting, but I had to sleep, but put it down with over half read. I finished the rest quickly, moved by the sweeping plot that reminded me of my own experience. Church's approach to her characters was beautifully molded and evoked. Her style matched the melancholy of the plot. I enjoyed this novel and sincerely recommend it.
March 18, 2014
I didn't know what to think about this book at first. When learning the characters in the beginning, the paragraphs would jump around from person to person. I tend to get frustrated when I can't keep up from the start. But I soon changed this thought once I knew the characters. I enjoyed the fast pace of the book, as that is exactly what I needed on that specific day.
I may be a bit biased of the book in the sense that it takes place in North Carolina and she speaks of areas that I have lived in. I also lived in Los Angeles where another character lived, so it was easy for me to connect to the atmosphere of the book and I found that it sucked me in. I love books that take me back in time to a place that I have been and memories just come through the floodgates and this book accomplished this for me.
"Byrd" basically follows Addie from her younger years up until she is well into her 50's. She struggles to find her place in life and doesn't really know how to love or really what it is. She had a deep longing for a friend in high school, Roland, that seems to follow her throughout her life and maybe this is the reason for her confusion with men.
Roland is basically a guy who went out west to chase a dream that never happens. He adopts a cocaine addiction and seems to have trouble doing basic survival functions and usually calls on the help of a woman to get him by. He, as well as Addie, don't understand their path or how to love or even want to. Maybe that is why he keeps telling her that she is the only one who "gets" him.
When Addie goes to visit Roland in Los Angeles on a whim, she finally does the deed and ends up pregnant. After a botched abortion she gives birth to a boy and gives him up for adoption and the only person she has told about this is her boss. As a mother probably would, she feels a deep connection with her child and writes letters to him (that she never sends) filling him in on the happenings in her life.
I loved this book, although I can't say why exactly. Maybe because it seemed real to me and the outcome also seemed real. Maybe it is because it took me to a place in my mind that made me feel comfortable. I don't know, but I did enjoy this read very much. I definitely recommend.
Thank you Netgalley and to the publisher of the book for the advanced copy!
June 9, 2014
The narration of Byrd has an easy friend-talking-to-friend tone that I found to be quite inviting. In a mix of narration and letters, it's the story of lives happening between around 1964 and the present, and within these lives, within this time frame, there are several stories that bubble up, stories of people who are flawed, real, sometimes filled with hope, at other times just doing what they have to do or all they know how to do to get by. These are ordinary people who feel like neighbors or friends you might have grown up with. There are dreams, missed chances that were probably best left that way, a baby given up and longed for, and relationships that are urged on by need and comfort rather than passion and love. This is a quirky debut novel that I just couldn't put down.
September 29, 2014
This book easily wins the prize for my favorite book of 2014. The writing is lovely and lyrical and the story is riveting. I was entranced by Addie's story from the first page. The gentle passing of time and the subtle changes of the characters were deftly handled by this talented first-time author. I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on Ms. Church in future.
May 11, 2014
Enjoyed the tight unbloated writing and all the references to familiar Triangle places. The last few chapters really pull it together- this woman who over so much time finds love and seems satisfied.
March 6, 2021
One of the most beautiful books I have read in a while. I have lived in Raleigh, NC all my life, and her descriptions of local places were reminiscent of my daily life. The story was beautiful and I could also connect with it, as my husband is adopted. The idea that life doesn’t always turn out as planned rang true, as did the gradual acceptance of this fact.
August 6, 2014
I liked this book so much that it made me change my schedule for Booktopia Asheville. There is not one single thing that resonated with me, there was just a lot of commonality. The protagonist came of age in the 70's which I did also and like her, I was a fan of Joni Mitchell and Carole King. I could hear those old songs in my head as I read. I remembered the rootlessness and lack of direction of my younger days. I felt the unrequited love. Even the title of the book reminded me of a pet name given to me by a former love, "Birdie". I'm a mother of sons. The protagonist's brother moved to Bisbee, AZ which is not far from my home in Phoenix....it's a hippie town and I feel drawn there every now and then. The writing is beautiful, lyrical. The protagonist is a booklover, immersed to the point of becoming a bookseller and I added some of the books mentioned to my TBR. Also the Gwyneth Paltrow film is now in my Netflix queue. So it seemed fitting that I should change my Booktopia schedule so I could meet Kim Church and thank her for that.
April 16, 2014
Addie Lockwood's unexpected pregnancy is just the first surprise in Kim Church's Byrd (Dzanc Books, paperback ARC), a beautifully written first novel about love, choice and chance. Growing up in a small North Carolina town in the 1980s, bookish Addie finds a soulmate in musician Roland Rhodes. They go their separate ways after high school, pursuing their own dreams with mixed results. When they briefly meet again in their early 30s, Addie becomes pregnant. She decides to have the baby -- Byrd -- and give him up for adoption without telling Roland. The secret will reveberate through their lives and those close to them.
Church tells her story, past and present, through vignettes, longer set pieces and several letters. The narrative seems a bit disjointed at first, but then Church's seductive prose takes hold and doesn't let go.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever, http://patebooks.wordpress.com
Church tells her story, past and present, through vignettes, longer set pieces and several letters. The narrative seems a bit disjointed at first, but then Church's seductive prose takes hold and doesn't let go.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever, http://patebooks.wordpress.com
March 1, 2021
A watercolor of a book: lovely lyrical prose, muted emotions swirling in vingettes underscore universal themes of love & loneliness, lost connections & rerouted lives, choices & consequences. Open to interpretation.
August 27, 2014
“I have hopes but no expectations.”
When we first meet Addie Lockwood, she is a girl, living in a small town in North Carolina. It is the mid-60s. This is when she first meets Roland Rhodes, a boy, who will become an integral part of her life, for many years. During a visit to California, she hooks up with Roland again, they have a “thing” and she comes back home pregnant. She does not tell him and decides to give the baby up for adoption. This is a difficult and haunting decision. Since the baby is removed immediately, she never, officially names him but she thinks of him as Byrd and will write many letters to him, that she will never send.
As a reader, I had an immediate crush on Addie. She is smart. She loves books, particularly The Grapes of Wrath and she adores Joni Mitchell. She also ends up owning a bookstore. Sighs...
This is a beautiful debut novel and what this author manages to convey, in just over 200 pages, is truly remarkable. I sure hope Church has a few more books in her, because she sure nailed this one and we could sure use more prose like this:
“Neither of them thinks of love like they used to, as something to be fallen into, like a bed or a pit. It isn't big and deep and abstract. Love is particulate. It's fine. It accumulates like dust.”
When we first meet Addie Lockwood, she is a girl, living in a small town in North Carolina. It is the mid-60s. This is when she first meets Roland Rhodes, a boy, who will become an integral part of her life, for many years. During a visit to California, she hooks up with Roland again, they have a “thing” and she comes back home pregnant. She does not tell him and decides to give the baby up for adoption. This is a difficult and haunting decision. Since the baby is removed immediately, she never, officially names him but she thinks of him as Byrd and will write many letters to him, that she will never send.
As a reader, I had an immediate crush on Addie. She is smart. She loves books, particularly The Grapes of Wrath and she adores Joni Mitchell. She also ends up owning a bookstore. Sighs...
This is a beautiful debut novel and what this author manages to convey, in just over 200 pages, is truly remarkable. I sure hope Church has a few more books in her, because she sure nailed this one and we could sure use more prose like this:
“Neither of them thinks of love like they used to, as something to be fallen into, like a bed or a pit. It isn't big and deep and abstract. Love is particulate. It's fine. It accumulates like dust.”
July 14, 2014
I thought this book was very well-written, it just didn't really connect with me. The characters were slightly distant from the reader and they never display any strong emotions. Everyone involved goes through some pretty important life events, and we are given insight into their reactions, but there isn't much vitality present.
The story is told from many perspectives, and that was interesting. At times, this served to further us from Addie, the main character. Some of her most important confessions are told from another's POV. I did like getting insight into characters that other writers might not see as very important. There was one chapter that really made me dislike one of them, but I won't reveal who. No spoilers!
I would still recommend this book because I think Church has a very beautiful writing style. I think this is her first novel. I will be attending Booktopia Asheville in a few weeks, where I will meet her, so I might be updating my review.
The story is told from many perspectives, and that was interesting. At times, this served to further us from Addie, the main character. Some of her most important confessions are told from another's POV. I did like getting insight into characters that other writers might not see as very important. There was one chapter that really made me dislike one of them, but I won't reveal who. No spoilers!
I would still recommend this book because I think Church has a very beautiful writing style. I think this is her first novel. I will be attending Booktopia Asheville in a few weeks, where I will meet her, so I might be updating my review.
February 21, 2016
What a surprise and delight this book is. I met Kim Church a year ago or so, at VCCA in Virginia. She read a few pages from this book and I liked her a lot. She seemed funny and smart and had a nice southern accent, and so I went ahead, bought her book (THIS book) and put it on my bedside table.
Well, it's turn came up yesterday, which was a Saturday. My husband can sleep in a bit, so I picked up Byrd to read the 1st few pages, and read to page 60, hardly moving. This book is un-put-down-able! No kidding. It's understated, heartbreaking without trying to be, fresh and original and I loved it.
Today I got my Sunday chores done early so I could dive back in, which I've done. I just finished the last word on the final page, and my my my. I feel I've been in a world, gotten to know an entire family, and I am just moved and pleased, and now I hope for her next book, whenever it come.
Well, it's turn came up yesterday, which was a Saturday. My husband can sleep in a bit, so I picked up Byrd to read the 1st few pages, and read to page 60, hardly moving. This book is un-put-down-able! No kidding. It's understated, heartbreaking without trying to be, fresh and original and I loved it.
Today I got my Sunday chores done early so I could dive back in, which I've done. I just finished the last word on the final page, and my my my. I feel I've been in a world, gotten to know an entire family, and I am just moved and pleased, and now I hope for her next book, whenever it come.
April 8, 2016
Addie and Roland meet in middle school and their friendship continues into adulthood. Addie thinks Roland is mysterious and creative, but soon after they graduate high school, he heads out West to pursue his musical ambitions.
One night Addie calls Roland and he convinces her to visit. They are now thirty-three and the magic happens. Addie ends up pregnant and decisions have to be made
Portions of the story are letters to her son. She calls him Byrd. These are honest letters that make an attempt to explain the huge decisions made. The ramifications of these decisions.
This is a short book filled with thoughtful prose on parenthood, forgiving, and family. I loved it.
One night Addie calls Roland and he convinces her to visit. They are now thirty-three and the magic happens. Addie ends up pregnant and decisions have to be made
Portions of the story are letters to her son. She calls him Byrd. These are honest letters that make an attempt to explain the huge decisions made. The ramifications of these decisions.
This is a short book filled with thoughtful prose on parenthood, forgiving, and family. I loved it.
July 10, 2017
I think what I like most about this book is its beauty. The writing is artistic without being ostentatious. I don't think that this beauty is technical in its origin, although I can think of a favorite passage: "Neither of them thinks of love they way they used to, as something to be fallen into, like a bed or a pit. It isn't big or deep or abstract. Love is particulate. It's fine. It accumulates like dust." No, the beauty of the book is in its treatment of the characters. It's both harsh in its truth and forgiving in its judgment, especially of the main character, Addie. It is about dreams, and dreams dashed, and what you can recover after that. I loved reading this book.
May 6, 2014
Nothing is more satisfying than picking up a random book off the library shelf and having it be a winner. I loved the writing in this, it was straight to the point and moved the story quickly, without sacrificing the emotional connection. I can't believe this book isn't more popular, I would highly recommend it.
July 23, 2014
I didn't expect to like this book nearly as much as I did - subject matter not my thing, blah blah blah. But then, suddenly, I was reading it in one sitting and ... I found myself in tears. Highly recommend. Looking forward to hearing Kim Church talk about it at Booktopia Asheville next month!
February 5, 2014
I think of Kim Church's first novel as a book that carries light, like a painting. It makes the reader’s life more worthwhile.
June 7, 2014
Wow! Loved this book from start to finish.
September 8, 2025
My book -- of course I have to give it all the stars I can!
March 7, 2021
I enjoyed this book...both the story and the writing style. The writing felt like different friends telling a story, with just the right amount of details, and beautiful descriptions. I found the author creative and witty with using just a simple phrase at times to show much more about unique personalities of characters or true feelings for the characters.
November 15, 2021
Such a poignant novel. And I'm always a fan of books that involve my hometown of Raleigh, NC.
February 5, 2021
The story of a mother who gave her son up for adoption, told in a unique format of her letters to him and flashbacks of her story. This book is honest and emotional, and portrays many ways that motherhood can be approached.
April 25, 2014
Set in Carswell North Carolina the dye is cast to Addie Lockwood's life during the 1970s. Byrd is a story about connections. Reading this novel focused my attention on upbringing, relationships, and how early personal connections can set the course of a life.
The novel begins with the lines of destiny being drawn. A letter to a character named "Byrd" wistfully outlines the circumstance of Byrd's paternity—the tenuous relationship of parents Addie and Roland. The first chapter describes the childhood friendship between these two, beginning in the fourth grade, which becomes a constant thread in Addie's life. The novel is about this life; Addie growing up among friends and family who later she feels little in common with; the disappointment of love, high school reunions (remarkable for the ordinariness of the lives of her classmates) and the changing relationships around her. Throughout the story there is a sense that Addie is finding herself; who she really is, who she wants around her and what kind of life she desires. Her notes to Byrd, sometimes addressed to “Baby”, continue through the novel as she considers the baby's life and adjusts to how her own is turning out.
I grew up believing that nobody can take care of anybody. I was wrong. People take care of each other all the time. Just maybe not the people you expect.
Byrd is beautifully written. The prose is bare bones stuff, cutting through, communicating, without need for clever literary technique. The sense that 'you don't choose the life you have, rather it chooses you' is a theme which resonates in Addie's thoughts. The commonality of this theme among the characters, each on their own diverging paths, is conveyed simply. And then there are the sections in the novel that just 'paint a picture'.
Rows of wooden houses squinting like drunks in the late sun. Women in dresses propped in open doorways. Men inside laughing, glass jars clanking. Every now and then a whiff of reefer. Children and dogs running circles in dirt yards. Tonight the children will stay up late while the grown-ups get high, because it's the weekend, no school tomorrow.
Simply told, in an engaging present-tense narrative, Kim Church's debut novel is an absorbing read. The characters in Addie's upbringing have little ambition, are ordinary, flawed, yet seen through her eyes remain imbued with love and understanding. This could be regarded as a sad story but such is the insight learned along the way it remains optimistic to the end. The ending—and what an ending it is—brought this reviewer a lot of satisfaction.
Byrd is as outstanding as it is understated. It's a novel of exceptional clarity that reaches into hidden corners. It left me feeling I understood my own life better. I'd recommend it to any reader from young adults to those who've had a full life of their own.
The novel begins with the lines of destiny being drawn. A letter to a character named "Byrd" wistfully outlines the circumstance of Byrd's paternity—the tenuous relationship of parents Addie and Roland. The first chapter describes the childhood friendship between these two, beginning in the fourth grade, which becomes a constant thread in Addie's life. The novel is about this life; Addie growing up among friends and family who later she feels little in common with; the disappointment of love, high school reunions (remarkable for the ordinariness of the lives of her classmates) and the changing relationships around her. Throughout the story there is a sense that Addie is finding herself; who she really is, who she wants around her and what kind of life she desires. Her notes to Byrd, sometimes addressed to “Baby”, continue through the novel as she considers the baby's life and adjusts to how her own is turning out.
I grew up believing that nobody can take care of anybody. I was wrong. People take care of each other all the time. Just maybe not the people you expect.
Byrd is beautifully written. The prose is bare bones stuff, cutting through, communicating, without need for clever literary technique. The sense that 'you don't choose the life you have, rather it chooses you' is a theme which resonates in Addie's thoughts. The commonality of this theme among the characters, each on their own diverging paths, is conveyed simply. And then there are the sections in the novel that just 'paint a picture'.
Rows of wooden houses squinting like drunks in the late sun. Women in dresses propped in open doorways. Men inside laughing, glass jars clanking. Every now and then a whiff of reefer. Children and dogs running circles in dirt yards. Tonight the children will stay up late while the grown-ups get high, because it's the weekend, no school tomorrow.
Simply told, in an engaging present-tense narrative, Kim Church's debut novel is an absorbing read. The characters in Addie's upbringing have little ambition, are ordinary, flawed, yet seen through her eyes remain imbued with love and understanding. This could be regarded as a sad story but such is the insight learned along the way it remains optimistic to the end. The ending—and what an ending it is—brought this reviewer a lot of satisfaction.
Byrd is as outstanding as it is understated. It's a novel of exceptional clarity that reaches into hidden corners. It left me feeling I understood my own life better. I'd recommend it to any reader from young adults to those who've had a full life of their own.
March 30, 2014
Byrd by Kim Church is a very highly recommended novel that explores the feelings of Addie, the birth mother of Byrd, and how her decision to give him up for adoption shapes her life.
Church has given us an amazing gift with her novel Bryd. She provides us with keen insight into Addie's thoughts as we follow her through her choices and her life. Addie's story is told through reflection and letter which Addie is writing to Byrd to tell the story of her life and his beginning. Although part of the life of the birth father, Roland, is also explored, this is definitely Addie's life story as she tells it to Byrd, the son she gave up for adoption.
Byrd showcases excellent writing on Church's part. Her ability to capture a person's inner voice is credible and makes Addie feel like a woman you know who has had to make difficult decisions in her life and has lived with the consequences of her choices. Church endows Addie with complex emotions. She manages to simultaneously capture Addie's lowered expectations of a stunted career choice with the struggle to make sense of her life choices and the path she is following.
This is a real character study of one woman's life. But it is a multifaceted and brilliantly layered story of how her choices affected her life. For how much I loved this novel, I'm finding it a struggle to fully express why I loved it so much. Perhaps because it felt like it truly captured someone's inner life and Addie feels like a real person, someone I know.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Dzanc Book via Netgalley for review purposes.
Church has given us an amazing gift with her novel Bryd. She provides us with keen insight into Addie's thoughts as we follow her through her choices and her life. Addie's story is told through reflection and letter which Addie is writing to Byrd to tell the story of her life and his beginning. Although part of the life of the birth father, Roland, is also explored, this is definitely Addie's life story as she tells it to Byrd, the son she gave up for adoption.
Byrd showcases excellent writing on Church's part. Her ability to capture a person's inner voice is credible and makes Addie feel like a woman you know who has had to make difficult decisions in her life and has lived with the consequences of her choices. Church endows Addie with complex emotions. She manages to simultaneously capture Addie's lowered expectations of a stunted career choice with the struggle to make sense of her life choices and the path she is following.
This is a real character study of one woman's life. But it is a multifaceted and brilliantly layered story of how her choices affected her life. For how much I loved this novel, I'm finding it a struggle to fully express why I loved it so much. Perhaps because it felt like it truly captured someone's inner life and Addie feels like a real person, someone I know.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Dzanc Book via Netgalley for review purposes.
May 30, 2014
I'm possibly biased in that this book is set in North Carolina (albeit in a part of NC I've never been), and I'm nostalgic. However, I do believe it has other merits. Strong prose, a flawed but relatable main protagonist, excellent pacing. A book I'm glad I requested for at NetGalley.
We never meet the eponymous Byrd, but we connect to him through the letters his biological mother writes to him of her life. Addie Lockwood gives up the son she conceives with her childhood flame and now deadbeat Roland Rhodes, and not because of the usual "circumstances". But even when she's carrying him she writes a set of letters, describing her life, and continues through to the day her son turns eighteen. Those letters, and a few asides detailing the life of other, minor characters form the book.
It's a slim book, and doesn't waste too much time navel-gazing. Its language puts across Addie's confusion and Roland's disillusionment effectively. It's easy to hate all characters of this book, they've all got flaws. But I ended up hating none of them, and that's due to how realistically portrayed they were. I did want some more pages though, which is the only reason I'm not giving it all five stars. But other than that, this is pretty perfect. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this book for review, via NetGalley.
We never meet the eponymous Byrd, but we connect to him through the letters his biological mother writes to him of her life. Addie Lockwood gives up the son she conceives with her childhood flame and now deadbeat Roland Rhodes, and not because of the usual "circumstances". But even when she's carrying him she writes a set of letters, describing her life, and continues through to the day her son turns eighteen. Those letters, and a few asides detailing the life of other, minor characters form the book.
It's a slim book, and doesn't waste too much time navel-gazing. Its language puts across Addie's confusion and Roland's disillusionment effectively. It's easy to hate all characters of this book, they've all got flaws. But I ended up hating none of them, and that's due to how realistically portrayed they were. I did want some more pages though, which is the only reason I'm not giving it all five stars. But other than that, this is pretty perfect. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this book for review, via NetGalley.
June 18, 2014
A sweet little book, partially composed in letters, about a woman who gives up her baby son, Byrd, for adoption but never forgets about him. The writing reminded me of Anne Lamott’s or Barbara Kingsolver’s in places. Even at novella length, though, there is a lot that feels unnecessary, including some of the family backstory. Rather than branching out into California and Nevada, I wished Church had stuck with Addie’s storyline in small-town North Carolina.
I especially appreciated Addie’s career in bookshops: the bookstore scenes and adoption theme are handled much better here than in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry! There are plenty of fun elements, such as Addie’s objection to there being no female Beats, her brother’s membership in the school Apathy Club, and the idea of retrocausality. But there’s a melodramatic death I don’t think belongs, and the overall story feels pretty thin. Despite a very nice last chapter, I didn’t think the novel quite came together.
I especially appreciated Addie’s career in bookshops: the bookstore scenes and adoption theme are handled much better here than in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry! There are plenty of fun elements, such as Addie’s objection to there being no female Beats, her brother’s membership in the school Apathy Club, and the idea of retrocausality. But there’s a melodramatic death I don’t think belongs, and the overall story feels pretty thin. Despite a very nice last chapter, I didn’t think the novel quite came together.
April 21, 2014
"Byrd is a book about unrequited love, but also something deeper than that, because Addie Lockwood’s real unrequited love--if it can be called anything as simple as that--is her love for the son she gave up, a boy she calls Byrd, and the ideas and ideals she gave up with him. This story of a mother giving up her child for adoption is an unusual one because Addie is 32 when she decides to give up Byrd for adoption. Not to say that any story of giving up a child for adoption is typical, but Addie is at an age when a lot of married women start having children—or worrying about having children, with that proverbial biological clock tick-tocking, so her point of view is different than say, a high school or college student in the same position."
Read my full review here:
http://wp.me/pg3go-A1
Read my full review here:
http://wp.me/pg3go-A1
August 14, 2015
I flew through this book, absolutely loved it. And i've been trying to figure out why i just couldn't put it down, because it's written in a very quiet, careful, almost spare narrative voice, not at all the kind of paced story that tends to result in the pageturner experience.
Some of it, i'm sure, is that it's set in various North Carolina locations, split with LA and Nevada, and i do currently live in NC and have lived/worked in LA and the general west. But i also just found the characters to be very compellingly flawed people, in a sense of...i dunno, them being alternate-universe versions of myself and my friends. Very much a book that felt like "here's a life that could easily have been mine, or that of friend A or ex B."
Highly recommended.
Some of it, i'm sure, is that it's set in various North Carolina locations, split with LA and Nevada, and i do currently live in NC and have lived/worked in LA and the general west. But i also just found the characters to be very compellingly flawed people, in a sense of...i dunno, them being alternate-universe versions of myself and my friends. Very much a book that felt like "here's a life that could easily have been mine, or that of friend A or ex B."
Highly recommended.
March 4, 2016
There is something very human about this wonderful first novel. The characters are true and rich in their complexity, beautifully drawn and believable. Addie's letters to Byrd provide a narrative for her life journey and the complicated relationships that challenge her. I found the situations and experiences described here amazingly poignant and moving. Kim Church has written in a style that is almost lyrical and spiritual in its descriptive power. The reader is drawn along, caught up in the flow of her writing. There is an open-endedness in the book's conclusion that leaves the rest of the story to the reader's imagination. I read this book on the recommendation of a friend and am so thankful I did.
April 6, 2014
A joy to read from beginning to end. It is hard to believe a book of this quality is author Kim Church's freshman attempt. I didn't think I would like the main character, Addie, but her struggle to make peace with her decision to give up for adoption her only child turns you into her cheerleader. Church creates a story of real people making bad decisions and trying to recover from them. Brillanty written with a tight, prose like language that will connect you with the characters deeply. It's a riveting story that will stay with you long after the last page is read.
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