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Where the Stork Flies
Kat is at loose ends after her husband ditched her and their daughter followed suit. When a lost time traveler appears in her Pennsylvania kitchen, she grasps at the chance to give her life meaning by helping the woman find her way home. But a mysterious stranger insists they are together for a purpose. Slipping through a portal to an 1825 Polish village, Kat meets her own ancestors and discovers how her own mistakes derailed her life. Can she bring her new understanding of forgiveness and unconditional love back to the present and heal her family before it’s too late?
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2021
4 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Linda C. Wisniewski
4 books50 followersLinda Wisniewski is a former librarian and writer in Bucks County, Pa. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and her poems, essay, stories and memoirs have been published regionally and nationally, online and in print.
Linda's memoir, Off Kilter, was published by Pearlsong Press. Her debut novel, Where the Stork Flies, was published by Sand Hill Review Press, and a sequel is forthcoming. She alsopublished an essay collection, Old Women and Other Strangers.
Linda's memoir, Off Kilter, was published by Pearlsong Press. Her debut novel, Where the Stork Flies, was published by Sand Hill Review Press, and a sequel is forthcoming. She alsopublished an essay collection, Old Women and Other Strangers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 26, 2021
The back cover reads "A (modern day) Pennsylvania librarian, a 19th century Polish peasant, and a wisecracking medieval queen join forces to fulfill a mission from the black Madonna of Czestochowa... What could possibly go wrong?"
I read that and was like what have I done? Well let me tell you this was a gem of a book. It included time travel (obviously, otherwise how would a 19th century peasant interact with a modern day librarian, duh!) I don't read fantasy as a rule unless it's time travel or vampire related 🤷🏼♀️ my books, my rules 😉
I loved the focus on the Polish peasant. It made me feel nostalgic for my childhood, missing my grandma who came over from Poland on a boat in 1912. It made me sad to not be connected to my heritage anymore. And it made me want to make some pierogis! There was also a strong spiritual element which also resonated with me and seems very prominent in the Polish heritage.
This was a lovely story about families. I appreciated the underlying message of being happy where you are versus yearning for something better. The grass really does seem greener, but we really must learn to appreciate our blessings, no matter now small
Thank you Kate Rock Book Tours for including me on the tour. I probably would never have found this book if it wasn't for you and I surely would have missed out on a great story
I read that and was like what have I done? Well let me tell you this was a gem of a book. It included time travel (obviously, otherwise how would a 19th century peasant interact with a modern day librarian, duh!) I don't read fantasy as a rule unless it's time travel or vampire related 🤷🏼♀️ my books, my rules 😉
I loved the focus on the Polish peasant. It made me feel nostalgic for my childhood, missing my grandma who came over from Poland on a boat in 1912. It made me sad to not be connected to my heritage anymore. And it made me want to make some pierogis! There was also a strong spiritual element which also resonated with me and seems very prominent in the Polish heritage.
This was a lovely story about families. I appreciated the underlying message of being happy where you are versus yearning for something better. The grass really does seem greener, but we really must learn to appreciate our blessings, no matter now small
Thank you Kate Rock Book Tours for including me on the tour. I probably would never have found this book if it wasn't for you and I surely would have missed out on a great story
September 27, 2021
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Katherine (Kat) Kowalski is not a happy person. A minor indiscretion caused her husband to leave her, and her daughter soon followed Dad out the door. In truth, she’s been unhappy most of her life, ever since her own mother bailed on the family when Kat was 10.
Now she’s got a new problem. A strange woman has appeared in her kitchen and is nicking food from her refrigerator. But this isn’t your ordinary homeless person. Kat lives in Pennsylvania, but the intruder only speaks Polish. Kat doesn’t really speak the language despite her Polish ancestry. So, she hires a translator. That’s when she gets the real shocker: her “guest,” whose name is Regina, is from the Poland of 1825!
With the help of a mystical guide, Kat manages to get Regina back home to Poland and to the year 1825. Then, she decides to follow Regina into the past. After all, life should be much simpler in 1825, shouldn’t it? But Kat soon has second thoughts. Only after she reunites with Regina does she discover she must learn something about herself before she can return to Pennsylvania in 2017. She call on an odd combination of religion, superstition, and folklore for help, but will she be able to learn this all-important lesson, or will she be forever stuck as an early nineteenth-century peasant?
Where the Stork Flies is a decent book with competent writing and well-developed characters. The story is enjoyable enough even if it isn’t completely original (I felt parts of it recycled Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life as a Polish peasant drama).
However, there were some things about the book that kept it from being as pleasant a read as it could have been. Most annoying was the liberal use of Polish words and phrases. There were enough of these to be a frequent distraction. I had to stop reading and look them up in Google Translate (Kindle’s translation feature does not include the Polish language). In addition, finding portals scattered around in various places had having them toss Kat and Regina around in space as well as time reminded me of a malfunctioning transporter in the original Star Trek series.
Kat spends much of the book beating herself up over her failures in life and her inability to make good decisions. Granted, this is an important aspect of the story, but the frequent hand wringing seems excessive and eventually becomes monotonous. I also had difficulty accepting a situation near the end of the book where the characters solve a complex problem with a simple (and probably ineffective) solution.
Overall, Where the Stork Flies isn’t a bad book. If you get past having to decode Polish phrases, the story itself is pleasant enough. But don’t let the title fool you. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that storks only make a brief cameo appearance.
Katherine (Kat) Kowalski is not a happy person. A minor indiscretion caused her husband to leave her, and her daughter soon followed Dad out the door. In truth, she’s been unhappy most of her life, ever since her own mother bailed on the family when Kat was 10.
Now she’s got a new problem. A strange woman has appeared in her kitchen and is nicking food from her refrigerator. But this isn’t your ordinary homeless person. Kat lives in Pennsylvania, but the intruder only speaks Polish. Kat doesn’t really speak the language despite her Polish ancestry. So, she hires a translator. That’s when she gets the real shocker: her “guest,” whose name is Regina, is from the Poland of 1825!
With the help of a mystical guide, Kat manages to get Regina back home to Poland and to the year 1825. Then, she decides to follow Regina into the past. After all, life should be much simpler in 1825, shouldn’t it? But Kat soon has second thoughts. Only after she reunites with Regina does she discover she must learn something about herself before she can return to Pennsylvania in 2017. She call on an odd combination of religion, superstition, and folklore for help, but will she be able to learn this all-important lesson, or will she be forever stuck as an early nineteenth-century peasant?
Where the Stork Flies is a decent book with competent writing and well-developed characters. The story is enjoyable enough even if it isn’t completely original (I felt parts of it recycled Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life as a Polish peasant drama).
However, there were some things about the book that kept it from being as pleasant a read as it could have been. Most annoying was the liberal use of Polish words and phrases. There were enough of these to be a frequent distraction. I had to stop reading and look them up in Google Translate (Kindle’s translation feature does not include the Polish language). In addition, finding portals scattered around in various places had having them toss Kat and Regina around in space as well as time reminded me of a malfunctioning transporter in the original Star Trek series.
Kat spends much of the book beating herself up over her failures in life and her inability to make good decisions. Granted, this is an important aspect of the story, but the frequent hand wringing seems excessive and eventually becomes monotonous. I also had difficulty accepting a situation near the end of the book where the characters solve a complex problem with a simple (and probably ineffective) solution.
Overall, Where the Stork Flies isn’t a bad book. If you get past having to decode Polish phrases, the story itself is pleasant enough. But don’t let the title fool you. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that storks only make a brief cameo appearance.
July 27, 2021
Time travel is something that I have never read before. My personal experience was that I struggled to relate to the characters and the writing style was unnatural for me. The concept of the book is admirable, even though it proved difficult to get through for most of the book. For me, it was the fact that it was time travel, unconditional love, friendship, forgiveness, courage, and hope. It's not something I'm too fond of. Furthermore, it's a challenge to keep up with the back and forth between time periods. I was
August 9, 2021
For a debut fiction novel, this was a pretty good book! I wish the back did not mention the "wisecracking medieval queen", as that spoils something about 3/4 through the book (I did not guess the ending, however). I am Catholic, but I had never heard of the Black Madonna, so I appreciated learning more about my own religion.
Overall, I loved the way that Kat grows as a person and becomes more three-dimensional by the end. In the beginning, I disliked her. I felt like her entire personality was dependent on her failing relationships with her daughter and husband, her resentment towards her mother for abandoning her, and her denial of her affair with Chuck.
By the end of the book, Kat grew into herself. She accepted that her husband was cautious about restarting their relationship and she has begun fixing her relationship with her daughter. She starts to create her own relationships, instead of depending on others to be there for her.
While I did not love this, I genuinely do believe this is a great debut fiction novel for the author!
Thank you to the Author and to Kate Rock Book Tours for providing me an advance copy of this book.
Overall, I loved the way that Kat grows as a person and becomes more three-dimensional by the end. In the beginning, I disliked her. I felt like her entire personality was dependent on her failing relationships with her daughter and husband, her resentment towards her mother for abandoning her, and her denial of her affair with Chuck.
By the end of the book, Kat grew into herself. She accepted that her husband was cautious about restarting their relationship and she has begun fixing her relationship with her daughter. She starts to create her own relationships, instead of depending on others to be there for her.
While I did not love this, I genuinely do believe this is a great debut fiction novel for the author!
Thank you to the Author and to Kate Rock Book Tours for providing me an advance copy of this book.
July 20, 2021
Where the Stork Flies by Linda C. Wisniewski is a story of women empowering women. And a whole lot more. In this story, time travel delightfully (and believably) brings two related women, three generations apart, together.
By any chance, can you remember the last time you wanted to talk with your long-deceased great grandmother? If so, consider meeting Kat, the book’s present-day protagonist living in Bucks County, PA. In a stunning moment, Kat recently discovers her great-grandmother, Regina, in her kitchen one morning. The women will soon figure out, with the help of an interpreter, that Regina, unable to speak English, has time-traveled in the year 1825 from her Polish village.
Is it merely chance that each woman is in a personal crisis? That Kat’s husband and daughter have left her? Or, that Regina’s daughter is critically ill? And is it not reasonable that the magic of time travel becomes a way to bring these two women together? Also, is it not fascinating how each woman becomes part of the other’s respective family and place? And that subsequently, Kat and Regina become able to help the other with the challenge each faces.
In truth, time travel has never interested me. But, Wisniewski’s novel has shown me how it can work in a well-constructed story, and fully suspended my disinterest.
There’s so much to uncover in “Where the Stork Flies,” beyond being an exceptional story of women empowering women. The unique richness of Polish heritage. Poland’s Black Madonna. Many Polish words and phrases. The different societal norms and lifestyles.
Lastly, I deeply enjoyed reading slowly into the quietly unfolding layers of this story. And, I grew to love Wisniewski’s characters, reminiscent of Anne Tyler’s endearing individuals. Truly, I loved this beautifully written story and hope for a second one.
Linda C. Wisniewski is a former librarian and journalist. Her work has been published widely in literary magazines and anthologies, and on her blog, www.lindawis.com. She is the author of a previous memoir, “Off Kilter: A Woman’s Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother and Her Polish Heritage.” Linda lives with her husband in Bucks County, PA.
By any chance, can you remember the last time you wanted to talk with your long-deceased great grandmother? If so, consider meeting Kat, the book’s present-day protagonist living in Bucks County, PA. In a stunning moment, Kat recently discovers her great-grandmother, Regina, in her kitchen one morning. The women will soon figure out, with the help of an interpreter, that Regina, unable to speak English, has time-traveled in the year 1825 from her Polish village.
Is it merely chance that each woman is in a personal crisis? That Kat’s husband and daughter have left her? Or, that Regina’s daughter is critically ill? And is it not reasonable that the magic of time travel becomes a way to bring these two women together? Also, is it not fascinating how each woman becomes part of the other’s respective family and place? And that subsequently, Kat and Regina become able to help the other with the challenge each faces.
In truth, time travel has never interested me. But, Wisniewski’s novel has shown me how it can work in a well-constructed story, and fully suspended my disinterest.
There’s so much to uncover in “Where the Stork Flies,” beyond being an exceptional story of women empowering women. The unique richness of Polish heritage. Poland’s Black Madonna. Many Polish words and phrases. The different societal norms and lifestyles.
Lastly, I deeply enjoyed reading slowly into the quietly unfolding layers of this story. And, I grew to love Wisniewski’s characters, reminiscent of Anne Tyler’s endearing individuals. Truly, I loved this beautifully written story and hope for a second one.
Linda C. Wisniewski is a former librarian and journalist. Her work has been published widely in literary magazines and anthologies, and on her blog, www.lindawis.com. She is the author of a previous memoir, “Off Kilter: A Woman’s Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother and Her Polish Heritage.” Linda lives with her husband in Bucks County, PA.
June 7, 2021
WHERE THE STORK FLIES is a time travel novel, but so much more. It is a story of connections, of family, of women helping women. Like all the best stories, it deals with emotions that are both universal and deeply personal. It begins early one morning when Kat, alone, adrift after the breakup of her marriage, finds a stranger in her kitchen - an old woman, hungry, scared, desperate. The obvious thing to do is call the police, which Kat does, but some impulse prompts her to first make breakfast for the intruder. Even after calling the police and making sure that they find an appropriate place for her to stay, Kat can't forget about the woman, who reminds her of her grandmother, so after the end of her work day, she goes to check on her and ends up assuming responsibility. I won't spoil your reading pleasure by giving away more details of the plot, but I will say that it unfolds in a way that is surprising and yet inevitable - and that the time travel element, as presented, is believable.
I enjoyed the book as much for the manner in which it is written as for the story itself. The prose is clear and direct, eloquent in its simplicity. Lines like "So, there we were: two women alone in a kitchen with comfort shawls and teacups." and "... an uncanny sense that all my female ancestors were counting on me to redeem their lives." are just a couple of examples of Wisniewki's deft handling of the developing relationship - as I said before: both personal and universal. By the way, another woman makes an appearance, creating a trilogy and adding another layer, greater complexity, to the story, but I'll let you discover that on your own. Highly recommended this book.
I enjoyed the book as much for the manner in which it is written as for the story itself. The prose is clear and direct, eloquent in its simplicity. Lines like "So, there we were: two women alone in a kitchen with comfort shawls and teacups." and "... an uncanny sense that all my female ancestors were counting on me to redeem their lives." are just a couple of examples of Wisniewki's deft handling of the developing relationship - as I said before: both personal and universal. By the way, another woman makes an appearance, creating a trilogy and adding another layer, greater complexity, to the story, but I'll let you discover that on your own. Highly recommended this book.
July 14, 2021
Mini Book Review Time
📕: Where The Stork Flies
✍️: Linda Wisniewski
🌟: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
📝Synopsis:
We can always learn from our past, but can our past learn from us as well? Kat is going to learn just that in this time traveling fantasy where she meets Regina who seems to look just like, but are they related and how? And she clearly isn’t from this century.
✅📚Check Out This Book if you like:
•Time traveling
•Books featuring polish-Americans
•Books with extremely light fantasy
•Women Empowerment
💁🏻♀️💬 My Thoughts:
I’m sort of in the middle on my feelings. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t awesome, but a lot of the reviews seem to praise it! I didn’t seem to really connect to the characters and I thought they were all rather harsh to our main character so I don’t really know why she put up with them. I felt bad for her. I do think the concept of the story was really great though. The past coming to you, and learning something to help them back home, and you learning something about your current life from them. Also the whole seeing where you came from was pretty interesting. It may not have been the book for me, but I think someone else would probably enjoy it much more than I did! It published on May 3rd!
📕: Where The Stork Flies
✍️: Linda Wisniewski
🌟: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
📝Synopsis:
We can always learn from our past, but can our past learn from us as well? Kat is going to learn just that in this time traveling fantasy where she meets Regina who seems to look just like, but are they related and how? And she clearly isn’t from this century.
✅📚Check Out This Book if you like:
•Time traveling
•Books featuring polish-Americans
•Books with extremely light fantasy
•Women Empowerment
💁🏻♀️💬 My Thoughts:
I’m sort of in the middle on my feelings. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t awesome, but a lot of the reviews seem to praise it! I didn’t seem to really connect to the characters and I thought they were all rather harsh to our main character so I don’t really know why she put up with them. I felt bad for her. I do think the concept of the story was really great though. The past coming to you, and learning something to help them back home, and you learning something about your current life from them. Also the whole seeing where you came from was pretty interesting. It may not have been the book for me, but I think someone else would probably enjoy it much more than I did! It published on May 3rd!
August 3, 2021
What an empowering story! Yay for women everywhere!
Kat wakes one morning to find a stranger in her kitchen. Regina has accidently time traveled from 1825 to 2017. After Kat makes Regina breakfast she contacts the authorities to try to help Regina. However after getting Regina somewhere to stay, Kat can't stop thinking about her so she goes to check on her and decided to take responsibility of her. Regina has a sick child at home and an abusive husband - but she is distraught wanting to get back to her baby. Kat, on the other hand has her own heartache - her husband and daughter left her. As the two women try to get Regina back to her present day in Poland they embark on a mysterious journey where the pieces slowly unfold and begin to fit into place.
This book is beautifully written. The characters are so relatable. I found their journey to be phenomenal and really enjoyed how small pieces of the puzzle were revealed throughout the book. The pacing is steady and the plot I found very intriguing. Overall a outstanding book that shows struggles, what may have caused them and how to work through them.
Kat wakes one morning to find a stranger in her kitchen. Regina has accidently time traveled from 1825 to 2017. After Kat makes Regina breakfast she contacts the authorities to try to help Regina. However after getting Regina somewhere to stay, Kat can't stop thinking about her so she goes to check on her and decided to take responsibility of her. Regina has a sick child at home and an abusive husband - but she is distraught wanting to get back to her baby. Kat, on the other hand has her own heartache - her husband and daughter left her. As the two women try to get Regina back to her present day in Poland they embark on a mysterious journey where the pieces slowly unfold and begin to fit into place.
This book is beautifully written. The characters are so relatable. I found their journey to be phenomenal and really enjoyed how small pieces of the puzzle were revealed throughout the book. The pacing is steady and the plot I found very intriguing. Overall a outstanding book that shows struggles, what may have caused them and how to work through them.
August 26, 2021
It took me a really long time to get into this one. Once I did, I really enjoyed it.
Full review soon to come.
I received an advanced digital copy of this book, courtesy of the author and publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
RTC
Full review soon to come.
I received an advanced digital copy of this book, courtesy of the author and publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
RTC
July 16, 2021
Such a delight, this book! Delve into a modern woman’s folk tale and enjoy. Personally, I am always a fan of time travel. The time travel here is particularly note-worthy because it involves the ancestry of the protagonist.
When Regina, the mother of her great-grandmother, accidently travels from 19th-century Poland to 21st-century America and lands in Kat’s Pennsylvania kitchen, they both become involved in a crazy multi-century mystery. Linda C. Wisniewski uses mythology, fantasy, and real-life problems that cross cultures and time to weave this story about strong women who come together to solve a universal problem.
Kat’s modern-day angst, although not to be dismissed, is put into perspective as she begins to comprehend the hardships of daily life of the women who came before her. At the same time, we see so many similarities in the female experience over time; how little has changed, yet how much has changed.
In middle age, Kat has made some poor choices that force her to face the life-long wound caused by her mother’s abandonment when she was a child. Over the course of her life, Kat has both struggled desperately to hold on to friendships and other relationships while also maintaining some emotional distance from others. And though she feels little connection with people in her immediate life, in her own time and place, she feels connected to Regina. Thus, Kat finally gains confidence to find her own path and heal and mend her relationship with her daughter—and even, perhaps, her estranged husband.
Regina’s concerns are much more straightforward. She has a sick child and an abusive husband, and she struggles from day to day just to feed her large family. Wisniewski depicts the harsh reality of domestic abuse in a way that does not “hit the reader over the head” but rather as a fact of life and something that needs to change. She gives her characters and all women the tools to make such a change.
Regina and Kat come to understand one another and become close friends as they assist one another toward solutions. Along the way, the mysterious Aniela guides the two, serving as translator and miracle-maker. Over time Aniela’s true identity and purpose are revealed. Indeed, as it turns out, Aniela needs Regina and Kat as much as they need her.
Yes, there are notes of magic realism, religion, and mythology; but the bones of this book are about empowering women. Regina learns that certain events in her life are not her fault. Kat learns her purpose. And Aniela, well, she learns that with a little help, mere mortals can solve their own problems. Delicately, Wisniewski uses folklore and whimsy to portray a dark reality of humanity. Not an easy feat.
Story Circle Book Reviews thanks Regina Allen for this review.
When Regina, the mother of her great-grandmother, accidently travels from 19th-century Poland to 21st-century America and lands in Kat’s Pennsylvania kitchen, they both become involved in a crazy multi-century mystery. Linda C. Wisniewski uses mythology, fantasy, and real-life problems that cross cultures and time to weave this story about strong women who come together to solve a universal problem.
Kat’s modern-day angst, although not to be dismissed, is put into perspective as she begins to comprehend the hardships of daily life of the women who came before her. At the same time, we see so many similarities in the female experience over time; how little has changed, yet how much has changed.
In middle age, Kat has made some poor choices that force her to face the life-long wound caused by her mother’s abandonment when she was a child. Over the course of her life, Kat has both struggled desperately to hold on to friendships and other relationships while also maintaining some emotional distance from others. And though she feels little connection with people in her immediate life, in her own time and place, she feels connected to Regina. Thus, Kat finally gains confidence to find her own path and heal and mend her relationship with her daughter—and even, perhaps, her estranged husband.
Regina’s concerns are much more straightforward. She has a sick child and an abusive husband, and she struggles from day to day just to feed her large family. Wisniewski depicts the harsh reality of domestic abuse in a way that does not “hit the reader over the head” but rather as a fact of life and something that needs to change. She gives her characters and all women the tools to make such a change.
Regina and Kat come to understand one another and become close friends as they assist one another toward solutions. Along the way, the mysterious Aniela guides the two, serving as translator and miracle-maker. Over time Aniela’s true identity and purpose are revealed. Indeed, as it turns out, Aniela needs Regina and Kat as much as they need her.
Yes, there are notes of magic realism, religion, and mythology; but the bones of this book are about empowering women. Regina learns that certain events in her life are not her fault. Kat learns her purpose. And Aniela, well, she learns that with a little help, mere mortals can solve their own problems. Delicately, Wisniewski uses folklore and whimsy to portray a dark reality of humanity. Not an easy feat.
Story Circle Book Reviews thanks Regina Allen for this review.
December 2, 2021
A very delightful book. The story pits a Bucks County PA librarian with a dependency for all things new age against a time traveling peasant from 1825 Poland. Throw in a third woman, a Polish interpreter who turns out to be much more mystical than she first appears. I highly recommend this book.
October 16, 2021
I was so sad at the lack of Polish-inspired books in the English language and was very glad to find Where the Stork Flies.
It didn't dissapoint.
It's a fun story and it includes magic, time-travel, female empowerment... and Poland. What more can you want?
Definitely worth a read.
It didn't dissapoint.
It's a fun story and it includes magic, time-travel, female empowerment... and Poland. What more can you want?
Definitely worth a read.
June 19, 2021
This novel is a smooth and magical brew of both whimsy and pathos - both a fun a meaningful read! Where the Stork Flies is a time traveling fantasy, yet goes deep into the lives and psyches of two authentic women born two centuries apart. When Regina time travels from 1825 to 2017 and lands in Katherine’s kitchen, all she wants is to return to her sick little girl in her own time and country: Poland. The author’s own Polish culture is well-defined here, since that is Kat’s background, too. Wisniewski keeps us reading with shape-shifting characters, dangers and conflicts to overcome, and gradually-revealed layers of the essential mystery: what must these two accomplish, each for themselves and with the other’s help, in order for each to get on with their lives? Eventually, we learned why Regina has come in the first place—no spoilers here! This novel gave me a new awareness of the limitations of social progress over the centuries, as well as a way to continue the good fight. Reading it, I realized how that progress or lack of it has made me who I am and made my life possible. Highly recommended!
July 18, 2021
Heartwarming tale of a woman who encounters a stranger in her home, who is not as much a stranger as a savior. Kat is reeling from the dissolution of her marriage and an estrangement from her daughter. When a Polish woman suddenly breaks into her home, she feels a pressing need to take care of her. So begins an adventure in family, faith and a little time travel.
I was so moved by this touching story of women who needed each other and formed such beautiful bonds. Especially since they all felt they were doing the wrong things most of the time. What a gift to know you’re not perfect and then have the courage and strength to learn a better way!
The magical touches in the story were beautiful and poetic. The fantastical elements were woven quite seamlessly with the female-centered narrative. I really enjoyed the story. Kat was sometimes frustrating as a character, but is eventually able to make changes and see the world in a different way.
Thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours and the author for my free copy. These opinions are my own.
I was so moved by this touching story of women who needed each other and formed such beautiful bonds. Especially since they all felt they were doing the wrong things most of the time. What a gift to know you’re not perfect and then have the courage and strength to learn a better way!
The magical touches in the story were beautiful and poetic. The fantastical elements were woven quite seamlessly with the female-centered narrative. I really enjoyed the story. Kat was sometimes frustrating as a character, but is eventually able to make changes and see the world in a different way.
Thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours and the author for my free copy. These opinions are my own.
October 1, 2021
What a good read this book was. I like it when a story draws me in, makes me want to know what happens, and look forward to how things will get wrapped up (or not) by the time I get to the last page.
I also loved the comparison of the past with present day. We saw Kat make major shifts when she went back in time. It obviously was challenging, but today’s world is no less challenging and the similarities in the two worlds regarding the patriarchy were notable. Well done.
Kat’s efforts to follow up on Regina after turning her in to the police was certainly admirable, though Kat’s personality (and past baggage) obviously got in the way once she took Regina in. And, good grief, Regina coming to the aid of the young girl in the store. Don’t we all wish we had the courage to step in and help another human being like that? And to stay the course, and provide what the young girl needed. A very touching scene.
I also loved the comparison of the past with present day. We saw Kat make major shifts when she went back in time. It obviously was challenging, but today’s world is no less challenging and the similarities in the two worlds regarding the patriarchy were notable. Well done.
Kat’s efforts to follow up on Regina after turning her in to the police was certainly admirable, though Kat’s personality (and past baggage) obviously got in the way once she took Regina in. And, good grief, Regina coming to the aid of the young girl in the store. Don’t we all wish we had the courage to step in and help another human being like that? And to stay the course, and provide what the young girl needed. A very touching scene.
July 20, 2021
Have you ever been to Poland?
I went there years ago to see Auschwitz and Birkenau, and it has always held a special place in my heart.♥️
Where the Stork Flies by Linda C. Wisniewski immediately grabbed and held my attention! Kat finds a strange woman in her Pennsylvania home and is baffled by the way her outdated attire and inability to speak English.
This strange woman Regina seems to have time traveled from her home in Poland during the 1800s time period. Both Kat and Regina are struggling with personal issues and their friendship helps them to grow stronger as women and make the necessary changes in their lives.
I wasn’t expecting this to be about time travel but ended up loving the back and forth and the lessons learned.
Thank you @KateRockBookTours and @LindaCWisniewski for gifting us this copy!
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited and our Amazon Storefront!🧜🏼♀️🌺
I went there years ago to see Auschwitz and Birkenau, and it has always held a special place in my heart.♥️
Where the Stork Flies by Linda C. Wisniewski immediately grabbed and held my attention! Kat finds a strange woman in her Pennsylvania home and is baffled by the way her outdated attire and inability to speak English.
This strange woman Regina seems to have time traveled from her home in Poland during the 1800s time period. Both Kat and Regina are struggling with personal issues and their friendship helps them to grow stronger as women and make the necessary changes in their lives.
I wasn’t expecting this to be about time travel but ended up loving the back and forth and the lessons learned.
Thank you @KateRockBookTours and @LindaCWisniewski for gifting us this copy!
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited and our Amazon Storefront!🧜🏼♀️🌺
October 9, 2021
If you have any interest in Polish culture and love a cozy tale with a good balance os crises and hope, this is the book for you...
July 16, 2021
This book goes deep into the lives and the spirit of two women born two centuries apart. It is a time travel fantasy! (New to me)
When Regina time travels from 1825 to 2017 she arrives in Katherine’s kitchen. All Regina wants is to return to her sick little girl in her own time and country (Poland). The author keeps us engaged with the shifting of character personas and the continuous dangers/conflicts. Gradually as the character layers unfold the mystery of the story does too. The two protagonists must accomplish certain things within themselves and learn from each other in order to move on with their sorrow.
Eventually, we learn why Regina has come in the first place but I will let you read it for the WHY!
When Regina time travels from 1825 to 2017 she arrives in Katherine’s kitchen. All Regina wants is to return to her sick little girl in her own time and country (Poland). The author keeps us engaged with the shifting of character personas and the continuous dangers/conflicts. Gradually as the character layers unfold the mystery of the story does too. The two protagonists must accomplish certain things within themselves and learn from each other in order to move on with their sorrow.
Eventually, we learn why Regina has come in the first place but I will let you read it for the WHY!
July 16, 2021
The opening scene with the mystery surrounding Regina had my attention. I was very intrigued like Kat to learn more about Regina. When I learned her story; I instantly felt a close connection with her.
As I was reading, I was instantly transported into the story and it was as if I could see everyone and everything. When the ladies traveled to Poland, I travelled with them. Not to leave anyone out as there is also one other person that I want to mention and that is Aniela. She is like the glue to helped to bind Kat and Regina.
Because I was transported into this story it flew by in a bit of a blur. In a good way. Saying that I read it so fast as I could not stop reading. I would recommend this book to other readers. It has a bit of a time travel element that I enjoyed.
As I was reading, I was instantly transported into the story and it was as if I could see everyone and everything. When the ladies traveled to Poland, I travelled with them. Not to leave anyone out as there is also one other person that I want to mention and that is Aniela. She is like the glue to helped to bind Kat and Regina.
Because I was transported into this story it flew by in a bit of a blur. In a good way. Saying that I read it so fast as I could not stop reading. I would recommend this book to other readers. It has a bit of a time travel element that I enjoyed.
Read
August 3, 2021Have you ever wanted to meet an ancestor from your family’s past? What would you do if a great-grandmother showed up in your kitchen one morning?
Talk about an attention grabber! And it only gets better from there. The Goodreads blurb says it best- “A Pennsylvanian librarian, a 19th century Polish peasant, and a wisecracking medieval queen join forces on a mission from the Black Madonna of Czestochowa only one of them understands. What could go wrong?”
I loved the journey of steady and slow burn adventure, family, and Polish culture that the author takes her readers on. It is a story that empowers women and demonstrates the value of knowing your past. And who doesn’t like a time travel story?
Talk about an attention grabber! And it only gets better from there. The Goodreads blurb says it best- “A Pennsylvanian librarian, a 19th century Polish peasant, and a wisecracking medieval queen join forces on a mission from the Black Madonna of Czestochowa only one of them understands. What could go wrong?”
I loved the journey of steady and slow burn adventure, family, and Polish culture that the author takes her readers on. It is a story that empowers women and demonstrates the value of knowing your past. And who doesn’t like a time travel story?
July 12, 2021
My Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt a connection to Kat and I adored Regina!!! I could feel Kat’s loneliness. I loved the bond that Kat and Regina shared. I liked getting to know all of the characters. It was a bit confusing with the Polish dialect. I don’t know a whole lot about my family history and this book makes me yearn to know more. I loved how all of the women pulled together to make changes in Mala Laka. I don’t want to spoil anything so I don’t want to say too much. It is a really good book!
✰✰✰✰/5 stars from me! I recommend this book to people who enjoy heartwarming stories about family. If you love stories with female role models and heros, this is your book!
✰✰✰✰/5 stars from me! I recommend this book to people who enjoy heartwarming stories about family. If you love stories with female role models and heros, this is your book!
July 28, 2021
I receive this for honest review. Thank you so much!
What a great read. This novel had everything in it.
This had me all over the place. My heart beating so fast! I couldn't believe what I was reading. If had me in shock. Every page was a page turner. I couldn't believe my eyes what I was reading. I highly recommend everybody get this book and read it. It will surprise you in every way.
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The storyline was very good!
The theme and setting was well put together. The characters was well put together in the story.
Was so well put in the story.
Everything all in one book.
It was just perfect!
What a great read. This novel had everything in it.
This had me all over the place. My heart beating so fast! I couldn't believe what I was reading. If had me in shock. Every page was a page turner. I couldn't believe my eyes what I was reading. I highly recommend everybody get this book and read it. It will surprise you in every way.
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The storyline was very good!
The theme and setting was well put together. The characters was well put together in the story.
Was so well put in the story.
Everything all in one book.
It was just perfect!
July 21, 2021
What drew me most to this story was the time travel aspect but I think readers who enjoy “finding yourself” and inner journey type stories to connect with this one. It lost some of my interest halfway through but overall it was a creative and interesting debut filled with heart, folklore and female empowerment.
August 18, 2021
This book, featuring time travel, would normally not be one I’d pick up, but I’m glad I got the chance to read this book out of my usual style. The love & connections these women share can’t help but make you love this.
July 6, 2021
review coming!
August 6, 2021
This was such a well-written book. I enjoyed how Wisniewski managed to weave an important theme/lesson over decades of time. Well done!
May 9, 2021
“Maybe it was time to forgive myself as well. To stop searching for the perfect life and embrace the one I had. To create my own happiness.”
Beautifully written, this book will remind you of the simplest forms of happiness in life. Set in a small town in Pennsylvania and a small village called Mala Laka in Poland, the author had wonderfully described the setting, the sceneries, different Polish delicacies, churches, and traditions. With delightful, funny, relatable, and adorable characters, this was an entertaining and heart-warming read. I love the extraordinary friendship that formed with the main characters.
The story follows, Katherine, a fifty-year-old, librarian, was left by her husband and daughter. One winter morning, she met a mysterious stranger in her kitchen. Kat felt a strange connection with Regina that she decided to help Regina find her way home through the utmost help of a language translator.
Overall, this was a riveting story that would surely capture your heart. If you like stories about time travel, unconditional love, friendship, forgiveness, courage, and hope, I would recommend this book to you.
I'm thankful to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Beautifully written, this book will remind you of the simplest forms of happiness in life. Set in a small town in Pennsylvania and a small village called Mala Laka in Poland, the author had wonderfully described the setting, the sceneries, different Polish delicacies, churches, and traditions. With delightful, funny, relatable, and adorable characters, this was an entertaining and heart-warming read. I love the extraordinary friendship that formed with the main characters.
The story follows, Katherine, a fifty-year-old, librarian, was left by her husband and daughter. One winter morning, she met a mysterious stranger in her kitchen. Kat felt a strange connection with Regina that she decided to help Regina find her way home through the utmost help of a language translator.
Overall, this was a riveting story that would surely capture your heart. If you like stories about time travel, unconditional love, friendship, forgiveness, courage, and hope, I would recommend this book to you.
I'm thankful to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 22, 2022
A thought-provoking read. It could easily have been titled "What to do when you find a Polish peasant from 1825 in your kitchen." Well, maybe not "easily."
This novel combines a little magic, a dash of time travel, and a lot of adventure. It's refreshing to have a "real" protagonist with relatable issues who is facing a crossroads in her life. Does she chuck it all and go to another century? Should she grit her teeth and find a way back to her family, even if they've moved on? Neither solution is easy.
Hope to soon read more about Kat/ Kasia/ Katherine/ Katarzyna, a woman who evolves with her name.
This novel combines a little magic, a dash of time travel, and a lot of adventure. It's refreshing to have a "real" protagonist with relatable issues who is facing a crossroads in her life. Does she chuck it all and go to another century? Should she grit her teeth and find a way back to her family, even if they've moved on? Neither solution is easy.
Hope to soon read more about Kat/ Kasia/ Katherine/ Katarzyna, a woman who evolves with her name.
May 4, 2021
A charming story that combines a feminist perspective with the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, and time travel (can't forget that!). It's funny, touching, and thought provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
May 31, 2021
Where the Stork Flies is an engaging first novel. It is the science fiction story of three women separated by centuries but united by blood and circumstance. They connect to overcome the challenges of marriage and motherhood in a story told with eloquent simplicity. Highly recommended.
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