Other Birds

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When Zoey leaves home for Mallow Island, it is both an end and a beginning. Think about the following statement: Endings are beginnings and beginnings are endings. Can you think of some examples in the novel where this statement is true? What about in your own life? Food plays a significant role in the story, connecting characters and their memories. For example, Mac expresses love through cooking. How do you express love, and what role does food play in your life? Share personal experiences or connections you have with food and relationships.

Food is inextricably linked to the people and places in our lives, and by recreating a memorable meal we can feel reconnected to our past. Mac expresses love through food, as Camille once did for him. For example, he invites Charlotte and Zoey to his restaurantA complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment on an island outside of Charleston she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a girl on the run, two estranged middle-aged sisters, a lonely chef, a legendary writer, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn’t yet written. My Review: Afraid he might miss the turn, Zoey was about to point it out to the cabdriver, but he’d already put on his blinker. She sat forward, not knowing where to look first. If she hadn’t known that Mallow Island had been famous for its marshmallow candy over a century ago, Trade Street would have told her right away. It was busy and mildly surreal. The sidewalks were crowded with tourists taking pictures of old, narrow buildings painted in faded pastel colors. Nearly every restaurant and bakery had a chalkboard sign with a marshmallow item on its menu—marshmallow popcorn, chocolate milk served in toasted marshmallow cups, sweet potato fries with marshmallow dipping sauce.

White, Diane (November 11, 2007). "Don't sit under that apple tree". Boston Globe . Retrieved 3 November 2013.This novel is an enchanting tale of lost souls, lonely strangers, and the healing power of connection in a world where reality and imagination intertwine. About the Author I was completely blown away with this book. After so many disappointing books, this novel was like a ray of sunshine and I was willing to go wherever it took me.

Lucy's story, when you finally get to read it, will make you moan: this brutal, harsh world spares no one, it seems. Everyone looked the other way and young lives were damaged forever. Allen’s gift for whimsical, poetic language, makes Other Birds one of our most-anticipated books for 2022. You’re going to want to read this one with your book club.” --Reader's Digest

Sarah Addison Allen

How did you feel after you found out that Pigeon was Paloma’s spirit guarding Zoey? What role does Pigeon play in the story before learning she is Paloma’s spirit? In your opinion, did the revelation change Pigeon’s importance in the story? Why or why not? As Allen introduces readers to each of the main characters, alternating perspectives throughout, it becomes clear that each of The Dellawisp’s inhabitants --- ghostly and mortal --- is haunted by a story untold. For Zoey, it is the truth about Paloma and her plans for Zoey. Charlotte, a seemingly unflappable creative who is always on the run, is haunted by a violent, controlling past and the best friend she left behind. Mac’s ghost takes on a more active role: Camille was the mother Mac never had, and though she is beyond proud of all he has achieved, he is not ready to let her go, keeping her tethered to him and The Dellawisp. New York Times Bestselling novelist Sarah Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction -- a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility.

A lush and vivid setting is integral to Sarah Addison Allen’s novels, and Mallow Island is no different. How real did you find Mallow Island? Is it a place you’d like to visit? Were you surprised by how marshmallows got their name? Perhaps I just wasn't 'seeing them' clearly, but Sarah Addison Allen's tale of magical realism, love, and a found family just didn't quite take flight for me. Zoey Hennessey, on the cusp of nineteen, is relocating from Tulsa to Mallow Island off the South Carolina coast. Autumn will bring her to college in Charleston. But for now, Zoey just wants to embrace her mother's memory in Paloma's condo that she has inherited on the island. Zoey has traveled with her pet pigeon, Pigeon, who brings her comfort. But there's other baggage that Zoey carries from her former life. In spite of it all, Zoey searches out connection wherever she lands. Oh,” she said. “Yes.” The birdcage rattled in disagreement, but she ignored it this time. It was her first trip. The first trip she could remember, anyway. This is spectacular book warmed my heart! Definitely soul healing, emotional, powerful and another must read I highly recommend!Zoe is an energetic ball of charm who’s determined to bring these virtual strangers together, if she can get her often petulant invisible bird, Pigeon, to stop interfering. It’s sweet to watch her friendship with Charlotte grow and, in turn, their friendships with Mac, though the Lime sisters are another issue. I cheered for each character as they confronted the traumas of their past and opened their guarded hearts to each other. The budding romances were also handled with a light hand, so they felt very pure and sweet!