Growing Wings

by Laurel Winter

"Linnet waited with her eyes closed for the door to open and her mother to peek in. Waited for her to touch Linnet's shoulder blades lightly...Linnet knew that touch in her bones, as if it had happened every night of her life. An imprint, a memory of the skin itself."

So begins this startling first novel about an eleven-year-old girl who suddenly begins to grow wings -- wings with soft auburn feathers, which only at first can be hidden with long hair and loose clothes. Funny, sad, and hopeful, this remarkable story captures a girl's shock at feeling alone in life, as it follows her journey to answer a most important how can a girl with wings ever fit into the world?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Magical Realism, Childrens, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2000

About the author

Laurel Winter (born Laurel Anne Hjelvik) is an author of fantasy, science fiction, and poetry. In childhood she attended a one-room schoolhouse. Her first published fantasy story was "Mail Order Eyes" in 1988. She has since won two Rhysling Awards and a World Fantasy Award for Best Novella. She has also written Young-adult fiction.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a child, I was obsessed with the idea of people with wings (come to think of it, I still am). Not angels, just normal people with wings. I'd always search for books with such a thing in mind; I'd get really excited if I found a book with a winged person on the cover. I'd read it frantically, waiting for the bit where the wings burst forth, only to be dissapointed by metaphorical wings (you know, "woo I'm emancipated from slavery! I'm free! So I have wings of liberty!" etc.)

This book is different.

In this book, the girl, as the title states, actually, and quite literally, grows wings. Awesome! They addressed it quite well - the author never truely explains, scientifically, why the people have wings (which probably would have fallen short of the length we are willing to stretch our believability, as readers). Instead, she addresses the social and emotional consequences of growing wings. I mean, the poor girl can no longer go to school.

The whole thing is addressed in such a realistic way (for all the growing feathery appendages thing), and in a way that makes the inner girl in my (the one that always wished to have wings) squee.

Highly reccomended.

[Cassie G · Rating 1 out of 5]

So it’s 3am and I just remembered I read this book when I was like 9 in the 3rd grade and let me tell you - I am pretty sure this is the first book that I ever developed a negative opinion over. Like, when you’re a child it’s easy to just consume whatever books are popular/your parents read to you/you bought at the Scholastic Book Fair & not really ever ‘hate’ or criticize a book (I mean, cmon, you’re NINE!)

But this book...I vividly remember reading it on my living room couch & I was genuinely frustrated at how weird and stale the book was. I think I had some innate fear of disliking books so I stuck it out & finished this book but damn. I really spent a Friday evening as a 9 year old wanting to fight this book. Anyways, wouldn’t recommend, just thought I should share as this occurred like 12 years ago xoxo

[Michelle Carlsen]

I suddenly remembered that I read this book decades ago - no rating because it probably wasn’t great but it stuck with me.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Linnet is growing wings from her shoulder blades. She is shocked, but her mother Sarah expected it; after all, she began to grow wings at about the same age -- but her mother cut them off. Linnet and Sarah don't know what to do, but Linnet stumbles into a community of people like her, who live in a secluded place in the mountains, under the threat of exposure. I thought the premise was unusual and interesting, but it wasn't developed enough to really grab me. It's probably meant more as a coming-of-age novel, but I wanted more worldbuilding, particularly near the end; the ending relies too heavily on a deus ex machina which isn't sufficiently explained and therefore isn't convincing.

[Nicole Romine · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Growing Wings" is a young adult fantasy with a very intriguing plot about a young woman growing wings. Unfortunately, the plot developed at a painfully slow pace. In fact, just as the story became interesting, the novel abruptly ended. "Growing Wings" felt like a good short story that was tortured into becoming a young adult novel. In the Kindle version, there are multiple grammar and spelling errors. Given the problems with the plot, these errors made it even more difficult to immerse myself in the heroines journey. Overall, an interesting idea, which failed in execution.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book as a young teen. For some reason, it really resonated with me when I was going through puberty and also realizing I was pretty dang different from other kids. I mean, I definitely don't have wings, obviously, but wouldn't that be cool?
Anyway, if you're pubescent, I highly recommend this book. I haven't read it since, but it's stuck with me for years (I'm 25 now, so at least 12 or 13 years), and I just really recommend at least giving it a try.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good middle school to young adult read, written by a dear friend of mine. I got a signed copy!

I dreamed of flying a lot when I was a kid, but I swam through the air. Suddenly, I stopped thinking about it. I’m sure all little girls wanted a winged horse too, but this is an altogether different story. I would like to read the whole series. I hope more of her stories get published. She also writes poetry. :-)

[Bryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for this book forever! I remember being addicted to reading it over and over in junior high from my teachers bookshelf and I forgot the name of it. After a long search I have finally re discovered it and plan on ordering it for myself. Such a great book! Love it!!!

[Bre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Love. This. Book.
I've always wanted wings. Big ones, small ones, black ones, brown ones, anything would do. So when I found this book, I was head over heels. I ate this novel up in an hour, and not just because it's a fairly quick read.
The characters each have their own, in-depth personalities and back stories. Characters who had to have their wings bound or chopped off, characters who want to run away and join a circus, characters who don't want their wings, and some who do. One of the main reasons I love this book is because it shares and explains different reactions to having or growing wings. Some are mad, some are excited, and some are sad. To each their own, and I'm SO glad that every character isn't super happy or super angry with their wings.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fantasy read. It's a glorious novel.

P.S: If you want to read another book like this, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is quite similar, but a bit more poetic. It's about a girl who was born with wings and a boy who thinks he's divine, and thinks she's an angel. It is, however, quite malicious and intense, so I wouldn't recommend this to young or easily upset readers. Be warned that there is a triggering scene somewhere in the last few chapters, so I'd have someone flip through it for you before you read it and dog-ear the page if that's something that might trigger or upset you.

[Anila · Rating 1 out of 5]

A reread, since I vaguely remember reading this when I was a kid, though my faulty memory insisted that Linnet was actually able to fly - she isn't able to by the end of the book.

It was very eh. The mother especially was super wishy washy, which I suppose could be a character flaw but even the way her (apparent) abandonment of Linnet was explained was so... conveniently inconceivable.

I'm also eh on Andy being the angry, impulsive one when she's also apparently the only non-white character (I'm guessing? She has dark skin but also red-gold hair so who knows) - Andy is not likeable and I fail to see why Linnet keeps trying to befriend her. Not that you can't be a bully if you're a POC, but if the only POC is a horrible person... *makes face*

Plot is slow and meandering, the author manages to use the 'lost outside in the dark without a working flashlight' idea twice, and there's apparently an organised secret society of winged people that gets introduced basically a few paragraphs before the ending.

I suppose it's alright when you're a kid and just reading without going too far into thought. But this reread has placed this book firmly into the meh category for me.

[Hannah]

I'll admit it, a cool enough illustrated cover will make me read a book, especially when it's short. Sad to say that in this case, the story didn't live up to the cover. It's what it says on the tin: a middle grade novel about a girl growing wings, and we get very little more than that. Character development is nil and the plot kind of just...happens. Is this on me for expecting more from a kids book? Don't kids deserve better than this?

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for 25 cents and I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I didn’t have anything better to do because I had no friends and nothing to care about, so I started reading. My eyes skimmed through the first page and I was instantly hooked. I couldn’t put the book down and I connected with the main character so much, I felt like the character and I had were both out of place in society and pushed away by everyone. This book gave me a reason read and actually enjoy it.

[Ria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book so much more as a kid. Good idea but the ending seemed shoved into the last two chapters, it was rushed and there were loose ends that hadn't been tied up. With no sequel it feels incomplete. Even the beginning was rushed & felt as if the characters never developed. It had a good premise but the execution fell off.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for the first time as a teen and something about it felt like home <3 I've come across a few times in book stores and I buy them every time so I can recommend to anyone I come across who I think may enjoy it.

Great read for anyone 10+ (or younger, depending on attention span to a book with no images)

[Sumayyah]

I read this book years and years ago, when I was....10-11 and didn't understand most of what I was reading, emotionally. I remember it being very sad, and the cover haunted me ever since, which is how I found it again. I don't know if I'll ever re-read it

[Emilou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't the "fast-paced and suspenseful fantasy" that SLJ said it was. I felt it was slow and predictable, but it was written well, had good characters and storyline, but I wished there was more to it than what I read.

[CAK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was fine. I read it a long time ago when I was in a bit of a reading slump. It held my attention. It's a rainy day type book, not to immersive, a little lazy. I liked it, it was appropriate.

[David Ly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really interesting premise and a fast-paced YA fantasy novel that can easily be read. However, I think the plot falls short. As soon as things start to become interesting and you feel like some burning questions will be answered (e.g. "why do they have wings?"), the novel abruptly ends.

[Ava]

For whatever reason, I vividly remember reading this book as a kid, especially the detail about the emergency blanket. Reread it to see if there was anything else special about the book. The dysfunctional family stuff might have stood out to me, but overall it's a cute YA book.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story, but it was ruined by the ridiculous number of typos. The main character’s name is spelled wrong frequently, random capitalization mid-sentence, incorrect punctuation. This author needs a new editor.

[Sandra Freed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, Laurie did a good job making it believable

[Judith Chelekis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. For a younger crowd than Patterson's Maximum Ride but very similar without the genetic experimentation.

[Hanadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book for so long now
so it was nice to finally experience it.

[KJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed after the 60 page mark, too short to really be anything and quiet boring, not terrible but just not a lot happened to really care

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not been able to stop thinking about this book since I read it at least 10 years ago. It has stuck with me and changed how I write.

[Danielle Woolard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a very enjoyable read. Compelling without being overly complicated. It's not really suspenseful or action-pact or thrilling - but it is a good little short novel, I liked it.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2002, Growing Wings was clearly intended for an audience younger than me. This was never a concern for me: the best such books, after all, can be enjoyed by all ages. That was certainly the case here and I don’t regret reading this book in the slightest.

My main reason for buying this, put simply, was that the concept sounded utterly fascinating. In short, this book tells the story of 11-year-old Linnet as she learns to live with the wings that have begun to develop on her back. When the wings become too big to hide, she moves into a sanctuary populated both by winged people and those who have lost their wings, who refer to themselves as “cutwings”. From this point onwards, the story focuses on Linnet’s changing relationship with those around her as well as her wish to fly. Ultimately, she comes to decide whether or not to spend her whole life in hiding.

I liked Linnet a lot. She is a well-written, sympathetic protagonist who manages to influence the story without utterly dominating it. Her development felt real and believable and her dialogue, on the whole, rang true; this, incidentally, was a quality shared by almost all of the book’s characters. Of particular note was Andy, Linnet’s rival-turned-friend, whose impulsiveness and strong will frequently lead her to clash with the others.

I also thought the writing itself was excellent. The writing style was clear and concise without being overly simplistic and could therefore be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences.

This book is not entirely without problems, mind. The plot moves slowly at points and is often without focus, only really coming together in the last third-or-so of the novel. The ending of the book is very abrupt, as is the beginning, and I honestly felt at times as though I’d been tossed into the middle portion of a larger storyline.

Given the premise, actual flight takes up surprisingly little of the novel. The book goes through great lengths to point out the impracticalities of placing wings on a human body, which is something I wish would be considered more often. Linnet’s wings quickly become too large to hide under her clothes and she accidentally bangs them into objects several times before properly getting used to them being there. Furthermore, even Linnet’s tiny body is too heavy to easily fly and Andy is the only other member of the sanctuary who even stands a chance at flight.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It is a brisk and satisfying read that I feel could be enjoyed by people of variety of ages.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Holly Owen for TeensReadToo.com

Forget about the awkward stages of puberty. At age eleven, Linnet is going through something no other human has ever experienced - she's growing wings. And on top of that, her mother reveals a secret she's hidden from Linnet all her life - a set of scars on her shoulder blades from the wings that had been brutally cut from her back by her own mother. So maybe Linnet isn't the only one, after all.

Masking her blossoming wings with her long hair and loose-fitting shirts, Linnet manages to get through the remainder of the school year without having her secret uncovered. But the pain of keeping her wings confined is nearly unbearable, and her mother finally takes Linnet away from their home, where the young girl suddenly finds herself among strangers - strangers with wings.

Now that she's able to reveal her true form, Linnet becomes consumed by a desire to fly, even though the prospect of accomplishing it seems rather slim. Only one other, a girl named Andy, is just as determined to fly, driven by her yearning to escape the confines of the highly secretive stronghold. But Andy is moody and unpredictable, and as Linnet attempts to forge their relationship, she isn't completely sure she's willing to take the same risks as Andy to get what she wants.

GROWING WINGS is more than a fantastic tale of humans with wings, it's a story of the human spirit and the heights one can reach with a bit of courage. Through vivid details, both in her settings and characters, Laurel Winter has done a splendid job of bringing this book to life, giving us, the readers, a chance to feel what it might be like to experience the freedom of flight.

[Julie Decker · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Linnet mysteriously starts growing wings at age eleven, her mother finds out and explains that in their family, that happens sometimes. She had them herself until Linnet's grandma cut them off. Because her mother felt some longing and loss over losing her wings, she knew she could never do that to her daughter if she had the same condition, but it's also making it impossible for her to fit into normal society anymore, so when she can no longer hide her wings, Linnet goes to a community for others like her. Their wings are different sizes, and some of them no longer have wings, but none have really been able to actually fly--a sad and ironic thing to have to deal with the inconveniences of wings and then not be able to touch the sky with them.

The plot was meandering and formless, which occasionally worked for the characters but mostly just irritated me because there was no substance. There was an awful lot of angsting, sorrow, and alienation for a book that never took it anywhere, and of course, I also feel like actually growing significant appendages late in your life doesn't make a bit of sense biologically (but we're supposed to ignore that, even though there isn't any magic hinted at here). I like that some nod toward realism was present regarding the size of their wings being too insignificant to actually carry a human body, though. In any case the characters WERE their situations and had not much else going on. It felt false.

[James Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story enters around a number of people, almost all younger, who have wings. None of them are actually capable of flying, at least at first, and there are those whose wings were cut off or otherwise damaged by their parents or other relatives.

They take refuge in a house in the woods where those who still have the ability to fly can try learning how to manage to do that. Some noisy reporters complicate matters, and later two of the people end up lost in the woods and get rescued by a helicopter pilot who is, himself, a cutwing (someone who had their wings cut off at an early age).
There is some historical/mythological references given to winged people, but where did this group come from? Genetic mutation and other possibilities are given, but that's about all the speculation. There is some secret group mentioned that serves to help those with wings, and a couple of the members want to reveal their existence openly to the public.

This is a novel that I simply did not find interesting enough to keep reading a lot of it at any one time. It's sort of interesting, but for some reason I never really ended up caring about the characters that much. Maybe it's meant as some kind of metaphor about those who have differences from others that are just as problematic but more realistic; I don't really know. It's just a book I don't feel very strongly about one way or the other.