Learning to Fly

by Lee Jones

Young Fee Finneman has a secret. If revealed, her dearest loved ones could end up in prison—or be hailed as national heroes. Or both. But Fee has another secret—a secret buried deep within her subconscious. A secret so sinister that, if surfaced, could hijack her very soul.
In Learning to Fly, a chilling tale of abuse and abandonment, rebirth and self-discovery, 9-year-old Heather Morrison rises from the ashes of an unspeakable tragedy and finds herself alone in the world. She has no living relatives. No one even knows she is still alive—except for the man who finds her disoriented and confused cowering behind a bush in the Texas hill country. With a new lease on life and a new identity (please welcome the irrepressible Phoenix “Fee” Finneman), she is determined to overcome the unimaginable trauma suffered upon her in early childhood, slay her inner demons, and make something of her life. To cope, she takes up the sport of birding and soon aspires to become the world’s first female superstar birder. But as Fee finds herself navigating the uncharted waters of adolescence, she loses her focus. Along the way, she encounters many obstacles, not the least of which is her inner struggle to come to terms with her budding sexual awakening.
As Fee careens toward adulthood, you will find yourself being drawn into her world—on her terms. She will make you laugh one minute and cry the next. She will make you jump for joy and scream with rage. You will love her today and hate her tomorrow. And if you’re not careful, she’ll get under your skin…and into your heart. Strap yourself in and hold on tight!
Learning to Fly is the story of one girl’s struggle to survive seemingly insurmountable odds. Fans of Delia Owens, John Green, and Barbara Kingsolver should feel right at home with Learning to Fly.

515 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2019

Reviews

[Birdy Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it had me anxiously anticipating what would happen next. The author gave such detailed descriptions of the characters. I liked the mystery of getting to know Fees character and kept me wondering why she reacted to situations the way she did. As the story progressed and I learned more about her I wanted her to succeed. The story was very informative concerning bird research and I learned some fascinating facts. I usually do not get through a book very quickly but this story kept my attention and I finished wondering what will happen next with Fee. I hope this author will write a continuance of her journey. Great story!

[Lee Jones]

As the author of Learning to Fly, I clicked on this 3-star review to read it, as I do with all reviews of my work. What came up was a review by me(!) - with no content! It should go without saying that I never write reviews of my own work, not even blank reviews (and certainly not a 3-star review!). Despite all the glowing 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, I took the lone 1-star review by "Jen" seriously. In her review, she points out how truly BAD my writing is - to the point where she gave up on the book a third of the way through. After re-reading LTF in its entirety, I had to agree with her. In fact, I thank Jen for pointing out what no other reviewer saw: my uneven and, at times, embarrassingly sub-standard writing style, especially in earlier chapters. As a result, I pulled LTF from publication. (I had self-published it on Amazon Kindle in 2019). I have now completely overhauled the book, upgrading my telling of the story to reflect my improvement as a creative writer in the five years since it was published. I removed some weak chapters, reorganized others, and added an important chapter that fills a critical void - a major aspect of the plot that I had left unresolved, thinking at the time that I would resolve it in a sequel. I hope to publish this greatly enhanced version of Learning to Fly soon, and I am now working on a screenplay.

[Larry Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a splendid character development focusing on the trauma of child abuse and a rare look at the birding community. It demonstrates the healing power of an avocation that one can enjoy with like-minded people. Some people may be put off by the length of the book - over 500 pages, but it is swiftly paced and captivating as it follows the development of the character of the protagonist, Fee Finneman, as she grows up. Mature teenagers would probably appreciate this book, but I would suggest parental guidance.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited to learn of this book combining two of my favorite things: birding and YA. I was quickly disappointed by the terrible writing and ridiculous story line. I almost quit many times before finally quitting about a third of the way in. The writing is SO bad, I could not get over it. I’ve pushed myself to finish terrible books before but this is one of the few that I knew was not worth it. I never would have guessed I’d dislike a book so much that involves golden-cheeked warblers!

[Jacquie Stricklind · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book to read! Once the reader meets Fee they will want to root for her and the challenges she faces. You will see the very strong relationships Fee forms with different people that come into her life. Finding out about Fee's past is like completing a puzzle. The ending will leave you wanting more!