Fiction Book Review: The Nature of Small Birds: A Novel by Susie Finkbeiner

Book Description:
In 1975, three thousand children were airlifted out of Saigon to be adopted into Western homes. When Mindy, one of those children, announces her plans to return to Vietnam to find her birth mother, her loving adopted family is suddenly thrown back to the events surrounding her unconventional arrival in their lives.

Though her father supports Mindy's desire to meet her family of origin, he struggles privately with an unsettling fear that he'll lose the daughter he's poured his heart into. Mindy's mother undergoes the emotional rollercoaster inherent in the adoption of a child from a war-torn country, discovering the joy hidden amid the difficulties. And Mindy's sister helps her sort through relics that whisper of the effect the trauma of war has had on their family--but also speak of the beauty of overcoming.

Told through three strong voices in three compelling timelines, The Nature of Small Birds is a hopeful story that explores the meaning of family far beyond genetic code.

My Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed The Nature of Small Birds. Susie Finkbeiner has written this family story of love from three distinct points of view. She chose wisely as we hear the voices of Dad, Mom, and sister to Mindy, the lovely young lady they adopted into their family. With little knowledge of the adoption process, I opened this book with hope of reading a great story. Through a group of flawed people who choose to love each other warts and all, I found a page-turning story filled with hope. Mindy's story is beautiful, while at the same time sorrowful. Finkbeiner does a remarkable job weaving different time periods (1975, 1988, & 2013) together through these distinct voices. During and after the Vietnam War many terrible things happened, perhaps the blessing was saving the children. I hope you'll read The Nature of Small Birds, if for no other reason than it's a beautiful story filled with hope.  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Historical Fiction Review: What Momma Left Behind by Cindy Sproles

Book Description:

Worie Dressar is 17 years old when influenza and typhoid ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1877, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie's mother has been secretly feeding a number of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when she dies suddenly, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.

Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers--one greedy and the other a drunkard--Worie fights to save her home and the orphaned children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she will discover the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma's children.

Storyteller and popular speaker Cindy K. Sproles pens a tender novel full of sacrifice, heartache, and courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

My Review:

Cindy Sproles is the new voice of Appalachian fiction. With passion, she captures the heartache, frustration, and joy of living in the mountains in the late 1800s. I love Cindy's writing as she explores Worie's journey from motherless to attempting to follow in her momma's footsteps. Worie may be a young woman, but she's tough and knows what she wants. Yet her heart seeks help. Her Momma's words echo in her mind as she figures out the role God plays in her life, and why she's been left behind to pick up the pieces. I've read Cindy's first two novels, Liar's Winter and Mercy's Rain and can say her writing just gets better and better. The beauty of her writing flows with the dialect of the Appalachian people, their sayings, honesty about life there, and the glorious landscape. She's set the stage to continue sharing stories of the mountains she calls home. If you enjoy honest, poignant stories, you'll like What Momma Left Behind. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Releases June 2, pre-order now

Cindy's website says:

Cindy K. Sproles is an author and a speaker, whose dream is to do nothing more than craft words that speak from the heart. God's plan seems to be for her to write and teach the craft.  With God’s guidance, Cindy is expanding her horizons. We'll see how He uses her.

Cindy is a mountain gal. Proud of her heritage, she was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains where life is simple, words have a deep southern drawl, and colloquialisms like, "well slap my knee and call me corn pone" seem to take precedence over proper speech. Apple Butter, coal mining, the river, pink sunrises and golden sunsets help you settle into a porch swing and relax. Family, the love of God and strong morals are embedded into her life in the mountains. Teaching writers, spinning fiction tales about life in the mountains, history and down home ideas find their way into all she does. “I love to write devotions, to seek after the deeper side of Christ and to share the lessons He teaches me from life in the hills of East Tennessee. I am a writer. A speaker. A lover of God's Word and friend to all.” This is Cindy Sproles. Welcome home to the mountains. -from Cindy's website

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