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Crow Talk
Nationally bestselling author of The Music of Bees Eileen Garvin returns with a moving story of hope, healing, and unexpected friendship set amidst the wild natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old, Aiden, who refuses to speak.
At Beauty Bay, a community of summer homes nestled on the shores of June Lake, in the remote foothills of Mount Adams, it’s off-season with most houses shuttered for the fall. But Frankie, adrift, returns to the rundown caretaker’s cottage that has been in the hardworking O'Neill family for generations—a beloved place and a constant reminder of the family she has lost. And Anne, in the wake of a tragedy that has disrupted her career and silenced her music, has fled to the neighboring house, a showy summer home owned by her husband's wealthy family.
When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy. Crow Talk is an achingly beautiful story of love, grief, friendship, and the healing power of nature in the darkest of times.
Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old, Aiden, who refuses to speak.
At Beauty Bay, a community of summer homes nestled on the shores of June Lake, in the remote foothills of Mount Adams, it’s off-season with most houses shuttered for the fall. But Frankie, adrift, returns to the rundown caretaker’s cottage that has been in the hardworking O'Neill family for generations—a beloved place and a constant reminder of the family she has lost. And Anne, in the wake of a tragedy that has disrupted her career and silenced her music, has fled to the neighboring house, a showy summer home owned by her husband's wealthy family.
When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy. Crow Talk is an achingly beautiful story of love, grief, friendship, and the healing power of nature in the darkest of times.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 699 reviews
May 11, 2024
3.5 stars. I like this author's books and was excited for this new one but I have to admit it took me a long time to get into it. I feel like it took Garvin half of the book to set the stage for the book. The two main characters, Anne and Frankie, both have recent issues in their past that are affecting their lives but Garvin plays with us and doesn't actually come clean with what the conflicts are until 3/4 of the way through the book, which I found annoying. I feel like she spent more time alluding to the characters' pasts than she did writing about their budding friendship.
I think there were a lot of missed opportunities for showing us the resolution of conflict instead of just telling us it was done, which I found to be lacking in depth. One of the main conflicts in the book for Frankie stems from her relationship with her advisor, Dr. Grant. I would have liked to see her confront Dr. Grant and find out why he treated her so badly. And Anne never really confronted her in-laws - her husband did but we don't see that scene, we just hear about him telling Anne that he confronted his parents.
The part I liked best about the story was the character of Aiden, Anne and Tim's autistic son (obviously so to me at least so Garvin did a good job with character creation there). But even there I feel like the conflict there wrapped up way too easily and was not quite believable.
I think there were a lot of missed opportunities for showing us the resolution of conflict instead of just telling us it was done, which I found to be lacking in depth. One of the main conflicts in the book for Frankie stems from her relationship with her advisor, Dr. Grant. I would have liked to see her confront Dr. Grant and find out why he treated her so badly. And Anne never really confronted her in-laws - her husband did but we don't see that scene, we just hear about him telling Anne that he confronted his parents.
The part I liked best about the story was the character of Aiden, Anne and Tim's autistic son (obviously so to me at least so Garvin did a good job with character creation there). But even there I feel like the conflict there wrapped up way too easily and was not quite believable.
July 29, 2024
Two women find themselves neighbors on a remote lake in the Pacific Northwest. Frankie (Mary Frances) is an ornithologist whose dissertation is going down the tubes. Anne is an Irish expat, a singer/songwriter taking a break to care for her five-year-old boy who suddenly stopped talking a few months ago. Both experienced a recent death of someone close, and both have associated family issues. They come together when Frankie takes care of an injured baby crow with the help of Anne’s son, Aiden.
Come for the descriptions of nature, of bird calls, of the subtly placed lessons wildlife has to give. Stay for the complex, beautiful, and realistic family interactions.
It has a ton of long paragraphs and ornate detail of the outdoors, which might otherwise put me off. Not this time. There was a delicacy, a poetry to Garvin’s writing that’s simply compelling. I smelled the musty, forest air; I felt the gentle breezes; I saw the ripples on the lake; I cringed at the force of the storms.
I also realized I never pay attention to bird calls. I really should. We have a family of mourning doves nesting in our awning, and starlings and sparrows race along our Brooklyn street. Either Garvin is an ornithologist herself, or she did some serious homework. She seemed to know the call of every bird from here to Oregon, and she placed them so expertly and carefully into the speech and thoughts of her characters.
Finally, all this science and nature is backdropped so artfully into a dramatic, emotional, and heart-warming dual family drama. I love books that detail the struggle of parenting, and wow! She totally nails it. Anne’s fears and anxieties about her son, and how she feels about in-laws telling her what to do are described almost flawlessly. The characters and their situations feel so true, including what Aiden experiences. (I also loved his chapters!) The rivalries and jealousies and secrets in each family are entirely believable and interesting. Thus, it’s hard to classify this as just a nature book. No, it’s a prize-worthy drama within a nature story.
The leader in the clubhouse for best 2024 book of the year!
Come for the descriptions of nature, of bird calls, of the subtly placed lessons wildlife has to give. Stay for the complex, beautiful, and realistic family interactions.
It has a ton of long paragraphs and ornate detail of the outdoors, which might otherwise put me off. Not this time. There was a delicacy, a poetry to Garvin’s writing that’s simply compelling. I smelled the musty, forest air; I felt the gentle breezes; I saw the ripples on the lake; I cringed at the force of the storms.
I also realized I never pay attention to bird calls. I really should. We have a family of mourning doves nesting in our awning, and starlings and sparrows race along our Brooklyn street. Either Garvin is an ornithologist herself, or she did some serious homework. She seemed to know the call of every bird from here to Oregon, and she placed them so expertly and carefully into the speech and thoughts of her characters.
Finally, all this science and nature is backdropped so artfully into a dramatic, emotional, and heart-warming dual family drama. I love books that detail the struggle of parenting, and wow! She totally nails it. Anne’s fears and anxieties about her son, and how she feels about in-laws telling her what to do are described almost flawlessly. The characters and their situations feel so true, including what Aiden experiences. (I also loved his chapters!) The rivalries and jealousies and secrets in each family are entirely believable and interesting. Thus, it’s hard to classify this as just a nature book. No, it’s a prize-worthy drama within a nature story.
The leader in the clubhouse for best 2024 book of the year!
June 1, 2024
Rating: 4.25
Ms Garvin's ability to engage and charm the reader was obvious in her debut The Music of Bees With this book themes of family, loss and redemption, she immerses the reader into the lives of divergent souls brought together on a small island in Washington.
Francis Mary O'Neill, aka Frankie grew up in the Mount Adams area and recently lost her beloved father in an accident. Close with her brother Patrick, yet emotionally distant from her mother, she works on her master's dissertation in a summer cottage on June Lake. Since its been in the family for generations its decrepit, yet homey and perfect for Frankie's ornithology studies due to the countless species of birds. While getting settled, she's surprised at the sight of an affluent neighbor's boat docking at the pier. She watches as Tim and Anne exit with their 5 year old Aiden and make their way to the Magnusen summer home nearby.
While hiking the area, Frankie comes across a baby crow unable to walk and carefully cradles it in a her jacket and makes her way back to the cottage. While her master's dissertation is focused on owls, she's always been fascinated by the crow.
Originally from Ireland, Anne is a college music instructor and choral leader on sabbatical, her husband Tim, an executive with his father's Seattle based publishing empire. Their red-headed son Aiden suffers social disorders and emotional outbursts, which will surface when least expected. With the O'Neill cabin a short distance from the Magnusen home, Frankie's unpleasant experiences with the parents were reason to stay clear until she encounters Anne and Aiden when hiking. Unlike her husband, Anne is genuine and loving and a bond forms when her son is drawn to Frankie. Noticing the child's fascination with birds, Frankie invites them to the cottage and introduces Aiden to Charlie Crow who had grown acclimated to Frankie's 'mothering'
From here the divergent stories of the O'Neil and Magnusen families are enhanced with bird oriented poems, facts and book quotes that show parallels and differences similar to the families.
The first half was fun, immersive and light handed, but as family difficulties surface, it becomes overly dark and depressing to the point where I was tempted to quit. Having loved her debut, I pushed on and was delighted how she shifts from darkness to light toward the end. I would have rated the story higher, but felt the depth of the darkness, affluent parent influence meme and child/parental struggle somewhat ordinary and felt it took away from the beauty and wonder of the first part
Unlike most reviewers, I feel it important to hold 'plot/character cards' close to the chest rather than spoil the reading experience. That said, this is a well crafted story of family, struggle and salvation enhanced by the parallels to the world of birds. Ordinary elements aside, this is a tribute to the author's talent.
Ms Garvin's ability to engage and charm the reader was obvious in her debut The Music of Bees With this book themes of family, loss and redemption, she immerses the reader into the lives of divergent souls brought together on a small island in Washington.
Francis Mary O'Neill, aka Frankie grew up in the Mount Adams area and recently lost her beloved father in an accident. Close with her brother Patrick, yet emotionally distant from her mother, she works on her master's dissertation in a summer cottage on June Lake. Since its been in the family for generations its decrepit, yet homey and perfect for Frankie's ornithology studies due to the countless species of birds. While getting settled, she's surprised at the sight of an affluent neighbor's boat docking at the pier. She watches as Tim and Anne exit with their 5 year old Aiden and make their way to the Magnusen summer home nearby.
While hiking the area, Frankie comes across a baby crow unable to walk and carefully cradles it in a her jacket and makes her way back to the cottage. While her master's dissertation is focused on owls, she's always been fascinated by the crow.
Originally from Ireland, Anne is a college music instructor and choral leader on sabbatical, her husband Tim, an executive with his father's Seattle based publishing empire. Their red-headed son Aiden suffers social disorders and emotional outbursts, which will surface when least expected. With the O'Neill cabin a short distance from the Magnusen home, Frankie's unpleasant experiences with the parents were reason to stay clear until she encounters Anne and Aiden when hiking. Unlike her husband, Anne is genuine and loving and a bond forms when her son is drawn to Frankie. Noticing the child's fascination with birds, Frankie invites them to the cottage and introduces Aiden to Charlie Crow who had grown acclimated to Frankie's 'mothering'
From here the divergent stories of the O'Neil and Magnusen families are enhanced with bird oriented poems, facts and book quotes that show parallels and differences similar to the families.
The first half was fun, immersive and light handed, but as family difficulties surface, it becomes overly dark and depressing to the point where I was tempted to quit. Having loved her debut, I pushed on and was delighted how she shifts from darkness to light toward the end. I would have rated the story higher, but felt the depth of the darkness, affluent parent influence meme and child/parental struggle somewhat ordinary and felt it took away from the beauty and wonder of the first part
Unlike most reviewers, I feel it important to hold 'plot/character cards' close to the chest rather than spoil the reading experience. That said, this is a well crafted story of family, struggle and salvation enhanced by the parallels to the world of birds. Ordinary elements aside, this is a tribute to the author's talent.
September 3, 2025
A folktale of friendship
Set in the Pacific Northwest in the 90s, following two different women, who end up having some parallels in their story lines. It is delicately interspersed with Crow folklore and symbols throughout. The scenic descriptions really made me feel like I was in the natural surroundings of the PNW. I could practically hear the bird calls. It was a very beautiful and sweet story of friendship, and a connection between a nonverbal boy and animals. The ending got tied up a little too neatly like a happy storybook ending, but still a satisfying wrap up for the characters I care so much about. I am obsessed with crows now, and how intelligent and symbolic they are.
Set in the Pacific Northwest in the 90s, following two different women, who end up having some parallels in their story lines. It is delicately interspersed with Crow folklore and symbols throughout. The scenic descriptions really made me feel like I was in the natural surroundings of the PNW. I could practically hear the bird calls. It was a very beautiful and sweet story of friendship, and a connection between a nonverbal boy and animals. The ending got tied up a little too neatly like a happy storybook ending, but still a satisfying wrap up for the characters I care so much about. I am obsessed with crows now, and how intelligent and symbolic they are.
November 28, 2023
This book is exactly what the title says: crow communication. If there’s anything you want to know about how crows communicate with each other, this is the book for you!
Having thoroughly enjoyed the story of human characters in The Music of Bees, I was eager to read another book by Eileen Garvin. Yes, there are human characters in Crow Talk, but they’re not the point of the book. The whole point of the book is about how crows (birds) communicate.
The plot (involving people) moved very slowly. It was repetitive and, quite frankly, boring. The reader was told the same thing, multiple times and often using the same words. The book is long. Was there a climax? Not really. It just droned on to the end and suddenly the light shined, leopards changed their spots and everyone lived happily ever after.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did finish it, but only because I had enjoyed The Music of Bees so much.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the story of human characters in The Music of Bees, I was eager to read another book by Eileen Garvin. Yes, there are human characters in Crow Talk, but they’re not the point of the book. The whole point of the book is about how crows (birds) communicate.
The plot (involving people) moved very slowly. It was repetitive and, quite frankly, boring. The reader was told the same thing, multiple times and often using the same words. The book is long. Was there a climax? Not really. It just droned on to the end and suddenly the light shined, leopards changed their spots and everyone lived happily ever after.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did finish it, but only because I had enjoyed The Music of Bees so much.
July 25, 2024
I really enjoyed Music of Bees, the first book that I have read by Eileen Garvin (who is a beekeeper living in my beautiful state of Oregon.) I loved Crow Talk even more, however. There is so much to this book! It tugged at my heart so many times and in so many ways as it beautifully and realistically covered grief, unexpected and life-altering friendships, family misunderstandings and estrangement, neurodiversity as well as alcoholism. My favorite quote from the book is, "By sharing our sorrow, we can give it wings, lighten its weight, and let it fly." Even though this book covers serious topics, it is also filled with hope and inspiration and the healing power of nature. Speaking of which, I would be remiss if I didn't admit that I loved learning some interesting facts about crows! (I think my favorite fact though was learning that a group of hummingbirds is referred to as a glittering. Love that term!) Highly recommend this book--for so many reasons!
May 22, 2024
There is no real romance in the novel, yet it is a perfect love story. The author paints the natural world in the PNW in the most wonderful way. It's a book that checked all of the boxes for me. There are engaging characters and well developed relationships between parents and children, friends and neighbors and their partners.The environment shapes the characters as both a healing force and something to be reckoned with. Most of all, the crows carried the book for me, the tiny fables interspersed with information about the birds made the pacing perfect. A sweet book without being too much. Delightful!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
September 29, 2024
4.5 stars.
"Frankie understood friendship now. There was nothing complicated about it all. You listened, you talked. You remembered the other's important stories, private joys and wounds, and shared yours. You tended these small things."
To be honest, I wasn't sure I would enjoy this in the beginning, but with each page, it got better and better. Oh how I loved the friendship that developed between Frankie and Anne, the descriptions of nature, and learning so much about birds. What fascinating creatures they are, especially crows. Fall is the perfect time to pick this one up. Do yourself a favor and purchase a physical copy. The cover is breathtaking!
"By sharing your sorrow, we can give it wings, lighten its weight, and let it fly."
"Frankie understood friendship now. There was nothing complicated about it all. You listened, you talked. You remembered the other's important stories, private joys and wounds, and shared yours. You tended these small things."
To be honest, I wasn't sure I would enjoy this in the beginning, but with each page, it got better and better. Oh how I loved the friendship that developed between Frankie and Anne, the descriptions of nature, and learning so much about birds. What fascinating creatures they are, especially crows. Fall is the perfect time to pick this one up. Do yourself a favor and purchase a physical copy. The cover is breathtaking!
"By sharing your sorrow, we can give it wings, lighten its weight, and let it fly."
March 18, 2025
4.5 stars. 📖🎧
April 29, 2024
Where's the last place you traveled to from the comfort of your couch? I recently visited the PNW ✈️
Thank you, Dutton Books + PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of Crow Talk {partner}
Genre: Fiction
Format: 📖
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 4.30.2024
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5
Like Garvin's last novel, The Music of Bees, Crow Talk was full of stunning descriptions of birds and nature. Garvin is talented at bringing the world around us to life with vivid details and hypnotic prose. The story itself was beautiful, and the cover of Crow Talk might be my favorite cover for this year 🤩
However, I didn't love Crow Talk as much as I wanted to. Again, it was beautiful, and I loved learning about birds (specifically crows), but the characters in the story fell a little flat for me.
I especially had a hard time with Anne and her decisions towards the end of the book relating to her husband. It was indicative of the setting/time of the book, but it still bothered me. Then, I also struggled with the author's decision regarding Anne's son, Aiden.
I understand that every story is different, but the overall ending of the book just felt like it all came together too perfectly and was rushed.
✌🏼 Dual POV
🐦⬛ Ornithology
🏔️ PNW setting
☺️ 1990s nostalgia
I recommend reading Crow Talk if you're a bird lover at heart like me.
______
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Thank you, Dutton Books + PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of Crow Talk {partner}
Genre: Fiction
Format: 📖
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 4.30.2024
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5
Like Garvin's last novel, The Music of Bees, Crow Talk was full of stunning descriptions of birds and nature. Garvin is talented at bringing the world around us to life with vivid details and hypnotic prose. The story itself was beautiful, and the cover of Crow Talk might be my favorite cover for this year 🤩
However, I didn't love Crow Talk as much as I wanted to. Again, it was beautiful, and I loved learning about birds (specifically crows), but the characters in the story fell a little flat for me.
I especially had a hard time with Anne and her decisions towards the end of the book relating to her husband. It was indicative of the setting/time of the book, but it still bothered me. Then, I also struggled with the author's decision regarding Anne's son, Aiden.
I understand that every story is different, but the overall ending of the book just felt like it all came together too perfectly and was rushed.
✌🏼 Dual POV
🐦⬛ Ornithology
🏔️ PNW setting
☺️ 1990s nostalgia
I recommend reading Crow Talk if you're a bird lover at heart like me.
______
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on StoryGraph:https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
June 14, 2025
After a false start when I tried to read this several months ago, I came back to Crow Talk and found it the right book at the right time. I absoluely loved it — five stars! I loved seeing how easily Frankie, a natural scientist, related to young Aiden's autistic behaviors and nonverbal communication, and how she could communicate with him when others couldn’t. I think this book provides a beautiful look at honoring nature, the process of grief and healing, and a tribute to friendship. In addition to these themes, it also provides interesting educational information on the life of crows and bird communication + cultures. I loved the characters and was entertained throughout.
October 18, 2024
I liked this! It was fun to read something set around here. I expected it to be gay for some reason but after rereading the back of the book I don’t know where I got that from. I thought this was a really touching book affirming the importance of other people and relationships in our life, and encouraging us to maintain and fight for those relationships instead of giving in to hard times. It felt like the ending worked out a little too well after reading about these issues forever, but also felt a little true to how easy fixing issues can be if you actually reach out instead of sitting in how much it sucks. The writing didn’t totally work for me at times, feeling a bit flowery or repetitive at times, by the end I got a bit tired of a characters anguish being described the same way for the fifth time, but it didn’t drag down the reading experience too much. I think the biggest thing though, is this books depiction of a nonverbal child. I think I am not quite sure if this is ‘good representation’ or not, but I do feel it was written with best intentions and love and empathy for the character. I would be interested to hear what parents of nonverbal children or people who were nonverbal children would feel.
July 16, 2024
I really wish I liked this book more than I did. The plot was not very substantial to me, as a lot of it was inner conflict within the 2 main female characters. The book told more than showed, and that made the characters seem more two dimensional.
January 3, 2025
I stayed up way too late to finish this as I became completely engrossed in the story. A touching page turner about friendship, family, marriage, science, social class, music and more. Garvin so perfectly captures living in the northwest: it’s not so much that you are doing activities in nature, but rather you are engulfed by and appreciate it. I find this to be a big difference between living in the PNW and mountain west that I can’t quite articulate but Garvin really made me feel back at home. Not to be dramatic, but this book broke my heart and mostly put it back together.
August 6, 2025
Absolutely LOVED this book!! I wish I could rate it higher than 5 stars😊 I borrowed it from the library, but I’m going to buy a copy so I can add to my personal collection! Top favorite books for sure.
September 4, 2025
The writing and story in this book are beautiful. I loved how the author represented and integrated the PNW setting so accurately.
One thing I will say: I read this book at the wrong time. I do not recommend reading this book after someone in your life has died bc this has a LOT of grief/death come out of nowhere 1/3 of the way through. It was so hard to finish and took a long time, just because I didn't really want to read about ppl dying since I was already going through that.
Really lovely book, wrong time to read it for me.
One thing I will say: I read this book at the wrong time. I do not recommend reading this book after someone in your life has died bc this has a LOT of grief/death come out of nowhere 1/3 of the way through. It was so hard to finish and took a long time, just because I didn't really want to read about ppl dying since I was already going through that.
Really lovely book, wrong time to read it for me.
October 22, 2023
A slow, but engaging read . Unfortunately due to time retstraints I read this book quickly, but it is really a book to take slowly and savour along the way. I suppose this book is about grief , but it is also about relationships with family and friends and communication .Both Anne and Frankie have their own far reaching problems in their work and personal lives when they meet each other iat a remote location inWashington state. This book is written from each of their viewpoints in turn . The writing is believable and thoughtful . Descriptions of the wildlife and countryside interesting and well done.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I hope to reread this book sometime
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I hope to reread this book sometime
May 17, 2024
This one is hard for me to rate, loved some sections of it but felt like overall it was a bit disjointed, and the ending seemed too clean cut somehow. After a lot of intense drama that happens with the two main characters, it just seemed to be wrapped up too neatly.
I loved the authors The Music of Bees book so was a bit disappointed with this one. But I seem to be an outlier feeling this way.
I loved the authors The Music of Bees book so was a bit disappointed with this one. But I seem to be an outlier feeling this way.
June 9, 2024
I would give it barely 4 stars. The book is very well written and the characters are fairly likeable. I liked the frequent references to birds and their socialization. The parallels were well drawn. The book held my attention and I was anxious to finish it. However finishing it was disappointing. I felt the story was building to a climax that never happened. I enjoyed the reading but not the ending.
May 16, 2024
One of the best books I have read this year. I have a thing for reading books that deal with grief, I guess. This achingly sad emotion we live with many times.
Garvin weaves in nature, autism, mental health, and friendship into this beautiful, meditative book. I could hug this book because that's how much I loved it.
Garvin weaves in nature, autism, mental health, and friendship into this beautiful, meditative book. I could hug this book because that's how much I loved it.
June 15, 2024
The lack of nuance around alcoholism and autism was insulting and aggravating
October 10, 2025
Eileen Garvin's Crow Talk is not my usual cup of tea, but I've been trying new book clubs lately and this was the pick for one at my public library. I liked the cover and I like crows, so I jumped right in without reading the synopsis as usual.
And honestly... I really liked this book!
To my surprise, a large part of the narrative here revolves around a mother's struggles with accepting her young son's autism diagnosis and navigating a path forward for their family.
For the most part, I thought the discussion around disability here was handled well. My one issue contains a spoiler, so I'll refrain from discussing it, but I'm probably nitpicking anyway.
I will say I was nervous early on when the R slur was used once, but this is set in the 90's, and I'm not opposed to depictions of problematic things when it's clear that they are a problem. I get why the author used that word here.
My main complaint is that the end of this felt rushed and had far more telling than showing. It was almost like the author became disinterested in this story and chose to summarize it all just to get it over quickly.
Also, it all wrapped up very neatly in a big, saccarine bow, which honestly felt a little absurd.
But overall, I really liked Garvin's Crow Talk and likely would have really enjoyed discussing it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to the book club due to work emergencies the day of that nearly drained the life out of me.
Nevertheless, I'm glad I stepped outside my comfort zone for this.
4 out of 5 stars
And honestly... I really liked this book!
To my surprise, a large part of the narrative here revolves around a mother's struggles with accepting her young son's autism diagnosis and navigating a path forward for their family.
For the most part, I thought the discussion around disability here was handled well. My one issue contains a spoiler, so I'll refrain from discussing it, but I'm probably nitpicking anyway.
I will say I was nervous early on when the R slur was used once, but this is set in the 90's, and I'm not opposed to depictions of problematic things when it's clear that they are a problem. I get why the author used that word here.
My main complaint is that the end of this felt rushed and had far more telling than showing. It was almost like the author became disinterested in this story and chose to summarize it all just to get it over quickly.
Also, it all wrapped up very neatly in a big, saccarine bow, which honestly felt a little absurd.
But overall, I really liked Garvin's Crow Talk and likely would have really enjoyed discussing it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to the book club due to work emergencies the day of that nearly drained the life out of me.
Nevertheless, I'm glad I stepped outside my comfort zone for this.
4 out of 5 stars
July 6, 2024
I so enjoyed Eileen Garvin's The Music of Bees, that when I spotted her recently released Crow Talk at the library, I grabbed it. I am really glad I did because I found it to be outstanding.
Garvin has a way of presenting interesting but flawed characters in natural environments of the northwest. In Crow Talk we have ornithologist, Frankie O'Neill, musician and instructor Anne Ryan and Anne's 5 year old son, Aiden who doesn't talk.
As they meet and begin forming friendships, their back stories unfold and I enjoyed watching them.
Garvin has a way of presenting interesting but flawed characters in natural environments of the northwest. In Crow Talk we have ornithologist, Frankie O'Neill, musician and instructor Anne Ryan and Anne's 5 year old son, Aiden who doesn't talk.
As they meet and begin forming friendships, their back stories unfold and I enjoyed watching them.
October 5, 2024
This book just touched my heart. Grief, loss, nature, healing and listening to your inner voice.
Just a lovely read.
Just a lovely read.
August 16, 2025
This was so heart warming 💗 all the call backs to the PNW made me feel right at home too
July 5, 2024
Frankie o’Neill and Annie Ryan are both stuck in grief. They are both recently arrived at cabins at Beauty Bay, a place people summer at.
Frankie, an ornithologist, is also dealing with the frustration of a vindictive professor thwarting her research and hope for a career, while Annie has a son who has gone mute and is overwhelmed by stimuli. The two women become friends through Frankie’s nurturing of a baby crow whose parents were killed by a violent man, and Frankie connecting with Aiden, who is fascinated by the baby bird.
Together, they learn to open up and care for each other, finding strength in their friendship. It’s a heartwarming story, with three wonderful characters at its heart.
Frankie, an ornithologist, is also dealing with the frustration of a vindictive professor thwarting her research and hope for a career, while Annie has a son who has gone mute and is overwhelmed by stimuli. The two women become friends through Frankie’s nurturing of a baby crow whose parents were killed by a violent man, and Frankie connecting with Aiden, who is fascinated by the baby bird.
Together, they learn to open up and care for each other, finding strength in their friendship. It’s a heartwarming story, with three wonderful characters at its heart.
June 8, 2024
I loved this book so much!! A moving story about the way two women's lives become intertwined in a small lake community as they share a connection with a special young neurodivergent boy. Garvin does such a great job exploring what it's like to parent a nonverbal, autistic child and the guilt and depression that can come with motherhood. I was also really fascinated with the focus on crows and the "language" of crows. Excellent on audio narrated by Helen Laser and perfect for fans of authors like Richard Powers. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
September 28, 2024
I almost didn't read it. Some reviews made it sound boring, despite high ratings. And to be sure, this will not satisfy a thirst for fast-paced adventure. Instead, the plot is perforated by inner dialogue, feelings, introspections.... so it takes awhile. BUT...
I saw myself. I was in there, in Anne, a questioning mother of a neurodiverse son, with internal and external conflict and grief... so much of what she thinks and feels, I have thought and felt.
Garvin does this deep internal dive with multiple characters and weaves them together, showing how connection, even in our pain, makes life better.
I saw myself. I was in there, in Anne, a questioning mother of a neurodiverse son, with internal and external conflict and grief... so much of what she thinks and feels, I have thought and felt.
Garvin does this deep internal dive with multiple characters and weaves them together, showing how connection, even in our pain, makes life better.
September 11, 2024
I gave this three stars because I felt like there was too much reliance on "big reveals" for both the main characters. There kept being all these hints that something bad happened to both of them but we had to wait a long time to find out what it was. Felt a little gimmicky. And then -- happily ever after for both characters at the end!
Things I liked: the PNW mountain setting and descriptions (WA pride baby!), all the bird information and details, and a baby crow one of the characters rescues named CHARLIE CROW. I want to meet a baby crow!
Things I liked: the PNW mountain setting and descriptions (WA pride baby!), all the bird information and details, and a baby crow one of the characters rescues named CHARLIE CROW. I want to meet a baby crow!
July 13, 2024
This recipe of this book was almost perfect for me—birding, lakes and boats, human-centered stories. That said, this wasn’t as satisfying of a dish as I had hoped, with an ending that felt a bit overwritten.
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