Discuss The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church:
A Murder of Crows, etc.

Did you like the chapter headings of the names of groups of birds? Did you look up the names to see if they were actually names and the meaning of them. Did you think they added to the book and the story?

I found them all rather insightful. I started rereading them after I read each chapter to see if they really did relate to what was happening in some way. It was an interesting and thought provoking exercise.

I loved them & started to think of them as clues for what would happen in each chapter. What a clever device to use in a novel to foreshadow & move the plot along. It was probably one of my favorite things about this book.

They did a nice job of foreshadowing the content of the chapters in a subtle way.

Agreed, I used them for clues as to what was going to happen in the chapter. I thought it was a good link with the bird imagery.

Our "beyond the book" topic for last year's review of The Atomic Weight of Love, is Crow Facts and Bird Group Names which you might find of interest https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/btb/index.cfm/book_number/3398/the-atomic-weight-of-love#btb

I agree that the chapter headings foreshadowed events in the book. I thought it added a little fun to the novel.

It was a good start to the chapters, gave a clue or two of what was to come.

I loved the chapter headings and it peaked my interest in the birds as well as the chapter content.

I really liked them and was amazed at how many bird descriptions there were. I was impressed by how the author was able to use them as chapter headings and how well they worked with the story progression.

I agree - they foreshadowed and I enjoyed the progression thru the book.

I liked the chapter headings and I think that they added a lot to the book. I did not look up the names as I already knew some of them to be correct and assumed that the rest were also correct. I did not think to look them up to find the meanings, but now I am curious.

I looked forward to the headings not only because they foreshadowed, but also because they underscored the bird theme, giving another dimension to the story. They were charming!

I read the headings at the beginning for the foreshadowing at many others did and then at the end of each chapter like joyces did to see how they related to the chapter. They added another dimension to the story. Very clever.

I really enjoyed the headings as well as the information about the crows. I certainly have a new interest in birds now.

I liked that titles and the bird knowledge tidbits. They fit with Meridian's thinking. I would have liked to get a glimpse of those journals she kept on the Crows. I bet they were fantastic.

"Tidbits" (the word used in the comment above) is exactly what I had in mind. I enjoyed it.