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When A Red Bird Flies
Gold Winner of the 2015 Feathered Quill Literary Award for Best in Women's Fiction. First Place Winner of the 2015-2016 Reader Views Award in both the Historical Fiction and Southeast Region categories. Winner of The Garcia Memorial Prize for Best Historical Fiction Book of the Year, The Conversations Award for the Best Regional Book of the Year, The Tyler Tichelaar Award for Best Historical Fiction, and the Richard Boes Award. Cardinals, or red birds, are often seen as symbols of strength, feistiness, and faith and are also the state bird of Kentucky. In her debut novel, Karen Evancic weaves this symbolic bird into an endearing and inspiring tale about two women whose roots start out in the rich Kentucky soil but whose life paths quickly take very different turns. Unbeknownst to the other, each woman will find a way to understand what conviction, family, and perseverance are really all about.It's 1954 and Lillie lay alone on an empty hospital ward in the small farming town of Franklin, Kentucky. Abandoned there by her husband and left to die, she begs for death, welcoming it with every haggard breath. Day after day, when death does not knock, she lay with mountains of regret and without any hope for redemption. But she soon discovers that fate sometimes has other plans. Lillie is befriended by a young nurse named Elizabeth who proves to her that though she may lay dying, she still has importance and purpose. While recounting her life stories to Elizabeth, Lillie is visited by a small red bird, who whispers a sweet song in her ear and reminds her, and in turn Elizabeth, that it's never too late to change the course of your life.Catherine's journey from a sharecropper's daughter in Kentucky, to a depression era wife in Detroit, to an up and coming entrepreneur in Los Angeles is riddled with adventure, heartache and disappointment. But the feisty Catherine takes each and every heartbreak as a challenge to be conquered and an experience to be relished. Save one. Desperate to become a mother, Catherine's greatest struggle is one over which she has no control and requires something of her that she wrestles to embrace. Faith. As her exciting life unfolds she slowly journeys towards a deep abiding love and an understanding that sometimes life is just as it should be.What these two vastly different women have common will delight you and the way in which their paths eventually cross will fill you with hope, faith, and a deep understanding of what love truly is.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2015
8 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 24, 2015
WHEN A RED BIRD FLIES
Karen Evancic
Front Porch History (2015)
ISBN 9780985596996
Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (11/15)
“When a Red Bird Flies” by Karen Evancic is the story of Lillie Mae Woodard. After years of pain and hardship inflicted on her by her husband Clay, Lillie Mae is unceremoniously dumped outside the doors of the local sanatorium, where she will spend her final days, alone and dying from untreated diabetes. It is also the story of Catherine Otera. Catherine escapes her roots on a Kentucky farm for life in a big city, but will the deepest longing of her heart ever be fulfilled?
Wow. Just wow. I have not read such a heart-wrenching story in a long time, if ever. “When a Red Bird Flies” is a historical novel written by the granddaughter of one of the women in the story, and it will forever leave a mark on my heart. The writing is superb, with careful attention to details, and I felt like I was with these women on every step of their journeys, even though there were many scenes where I wanted to be anywhere else. The horrifying tragedy that is Lillie Mae’s life brings pain to my heart and tears to my eyes if I think about it too long. The utter yearning of Catherine to be a mom and the desolation she feels as she is brutally denied that experience time after time is almost too much to bear. However, I was compelled to read, the story demanding nothing less than my complete devotion. The way the author brings the stories of the two women together is almost magical and there is no denying the hand of a higher existence touching the lives of everyone involved with these courageous women.
I highly recommend “When a Red Bird Flies” by Karen Evancic. This book is definitely not for the weak at heart, as it defines the absolute best and the absolute worst of humanity. Readers will definitely walk away from the experience in awe of the inner strength and character of these two beautiful women.
Karen Evancic
Front Porch History (2015)
ISBN 9780985596996
Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (11/15)
“When a Red Bird Flies” by Karen Evancic is the story of Lillie Mae Woodard. After years of pain and hardship inflicted on her by her husband Clay, Lillie Mae is unceremoniously dumped outside the doors of the local sanatorium, where she will spend her final days, alone and dying from untreated diabetes. It is also the story of Catherine Otera. Catherine escapes her roots on a Kentucky farm for life in a big city, but will the deepest longing of her heart ever be fulfilled?
Wow. Just wow. I have not read such a heart-wrenching story in a long time, if ever. “When a Red Bird Flies” is a historical novel written by the granddaughter of one of the women in the story, and it will forever leave a mark on my heart. The writing is superb, with careful attention to details, and I felt like I was with these women on every step of their journeys, even though there were many scenes where I wanted to be anywhere else. The horrifying tragedy that is Lillie Mae’s life brings pain to my heart and tears to my eyes if I think about it too long. The utter yearning of Catherine to be a mom and the desolation she feels as she is brutally denied that experience time after time is almost too much to bear. However, I was compelled to read, the story demanding nothing less than my complete devotion. The way the author brings the stories of the two women together is almost magical and there is no denying the hand of a higher existence touching the lives of everyone involved with these courageous women.
I highly recommend “When a Red Bird Flies” by Karen Evancic. This book is definitely not for the weak at heart, as it defines the absolute best and the absolute worst of humanity. Readers will definitely walk away from the experience in awe of the inner strength and character of these two beautiful women.
August 18, 2020
About 2 years ago while sitting at my son's baseball practice reading a book a fellow mother approached me and we started talking about books. She said this one was written by a friend of hers and it was really good. I bought a copy for $10. It's been sitting and sitting on my shelf. I decided to finally read it and OMG!!!
Lillie is dying and she's leaving behind a monster of a husband to raise her kids. He dropped her off at the hospital and never came back. Didn't tell anyone she was even there. Alone and dying she unburdened her poor decisions to her nurse Elizabeth. What comes next is a heart wrenching story and some wet tissues.
Told from alternating viewpoints of Lillie and Cate, a woman who stood her ground across the country and fought to have a better life, leads to one of the more epic endings to a novel I've ever read.
Two very different women. One with no willpower and the other tough as nails tell the tales of thier lives. What a hidden gem! A must read! 5 full well deserved stars!!!
To the woman who handed me this book..... THANK YOU!!!
Lillie is dying and she's leaving behind a monster of a husband to raise her kids. He dropped her off at the hospital and never came back. Didn't tell anyone she was even there. Alone and dying she unburdened her poor decisions to her nurse Elizabeth. What comes next is a heart wrenching story and some wet tissues.
Told from alternating viewpoints of Lillie and Cate, a woman who stood her ground across the country and fought to have a better life, leads to one of the more epic endings to a novel I've ever read.
Two very different women. One with no willpower and the other tough as nails tell the tales of thier lives. What a hidden gem! A must read! 5 full well deserved stars!!!
To the woman who handed me this book..... THANK YOU!!!
June 13, 2015
When a Red Bird Flies is a powerful and captivating story with very real characters whose faith is tested time and time again through life's struggles to find happiness. I laughed and cried right along with the characters and even wanted to beat a character within an inch of his life. This story will make you believe no matter how many challenges fate sends your way, the human spirit can triumph.
June 29, 2015
Marvelous new author....
A wonderful story that I could not put down! So well written that I could clearly picture the rooms and the environment surrounding the characters. Can't wait for Karen Evancic's next book.
A wonderful story that I could not put down! So well written that I could clearly picture the rooms and the environment surrounding the characters. Can't wait for Karen Evancic's next book.
September 12, 2016
The author does a wonderful job of taking you back in time through the early 1940-1950s. A touching story of two women and their life stories. I teared up a few times, Karen Evancic creates intrigue that will keep the reader wanting more.
August 27, 2019
A gripping, heart wrenching story.
September 18, 2022
It seems I'm in the minority here but this was a real snoozer for me. It is one of the most repetitive books that I've ever read and truthfully, not much happens. I feel like this novel could have been half the length that it was but instead it was 400 pages of the same thing over and over. This one just wasn't for me.
December 31, 2023
This book started off with a somewhat interesting plot, so I thought I would enjoy it. But, as it went on, I just felt there was nothing really interesting in the stories of the 2 women. Lilly's story was just sad and Cate's story reminded me of a sappy Hallmark movie. I gave up about 80% through because I just didn't care anymore about the characters.
January 17, 2016
A good story although a bit disjointed at times. This book needs a new editor. There were many words left out which disrupted the flow of the story or wrong words where they shouldn't be.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews