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There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Days When Birds Come Back
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Gail K. (Saratoga Springs, NY)
A Satisfying Read
The paths of two souls, damaged by life, cross, and neither person will ever be the same again. Once I began the story of Jameson and June, I found it difficult to put down. I loved the setting in the Pacific Northwest, a part of our country as unfamiliar to me as Timbuktu; I appreciated the painstaking development of the main characters, whose stories unfolded at just the right pace; and the revelation of their back stories, one bit at a time, kept me reading to discover what had led them to the point where their lives intersected. There were a couple of places where I thought the plot twists were a bit too convenient, but I am a forgiving reader and gladly overlooked those spots in the cause of furthering the story. I will recommend this novel to my book group and assorted other friends as a quick, satisfying read.
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Rita H. (Centennial, CO)
Pleasant Read
I found this book to be a quick and pleasant read but a story that I will probably forget quickly. The protagonist, June, appeared a weak character for much of the book, eliciting only a small amount of sympathy for her loss of her father. When her true hidden secret was revealed, it seemed almost offhand and unimportant. Meanwhile, Jamison and Sarah Anne were struggling to forget the horrors of losing two children. I understand how Sarah Anne could embrace a new child and how Jamison could not but I did not feel that there was real justification in the final resolution.
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Harriette K. (Northbrook, IL)
The Days When Birds Come Back
A young woman, trying to climb out of her alcoholism returns to her childhood home. Her aim is to restore the home and adjoining house and come to terms with her past. At the other end of the state is a young couple grieving from the loss of their young twins. The husband comes to manage the repairs and somehow, the two lead characters connect. I wish that I could shave connected with these two people, but I couldn't stir up much of a feeling for them. The star of this novel is the magnificent Northwest coastline. That is described lovingly.
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Djn
the day when birds come home.......
I felt the language and writing was superb...but felt that in some ways that took away from the storyline...the depth of feelings was there, but the connections were too weak for me.
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Claire M. (Wrentham, MA)
The Eternal Return
This is a novel of deep interiority. The characters June and Jameson are avoiding their past and have a detached relationship with their present reality. Trauma can do that. A fog of gloom hangs like the grayness of the Pacific Northwest that permeates the senses of the characters, described in lush prose by author Reed. Readers with a regional interest will particularly relate to the environmental influence exerted over the story. Those who find inspiration in novels of redemption will appreciate June and Jameson's move at an achingly slow pace from guilt and grief to an uncertain yet hopeful future.
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Freya H. (Towanda, PA)
The Days When Birds Come Back
The characters didn't interest me as much as the descriptions of the Pacific Northwest and the home renovations. Wouldn't it be lovely to find someone like Jameson who took such pride in his work, and fulfilled his obligations with the care of a true craftsman. I found June to be rather annoying in spite of feeling sympathy for the circumstances of her early life. It was an okay read, but
couldn't get truly invested in the story or the characters.
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Barbara C. (Riverside, CA)
Exercise in tragedies
June and Jameson needed to find each other in order for readers to experience with them the sad and wide range of bad happenings they sort of survive: death of parents and children, physical injuries, loss of love, alcoholism, misunderstandings, and more. To me it portrays overwrought lives which most of us wouldn't get through. Also had a series of coincidences that I found ludicrous. I gave it a 3 because of the interesting home renovation. I guess I don't see the book as plausible. Especially the ending. Sorry, Deborah.
