21. Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin

listened on Libby

368 pgs.

2024
Adult CRF
Finished 5/4/2025
Goodreads rating: 4.13
My rating: 4.75
Setting: Contemporary Washington state - in the middle of a lake

My comments: This story is about two different women, both on uncomfortable paths in their lives, how those paths become connected and smoothed.  Set in the woods on the edge of a lake in Washington state, only accessible by boat as winter is beginning to approach.  Ann, an Irish woman who now lives with her husband in Seattle, is a singer and music teacher whose five-year-old son, Aiden, has stopped talking and communicating.  In the cottage next door is Frankie, an ornithologist, who has butt heads with her mentor and is uncertain if her masters dissertation will be accepted.  And then there are the crows.... 

     It took awhile for me to get into the story, but about halfway through I became enamored as it pulled me in more and more.  And PHEW, a HEA.

Goodreads synopsis:  Nationally bestselling author of The Music of Bees Eileen Garvin returns with a moving story of hope, healing, and unexpected friendship set amidst the wild natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old, Aiden, who refuses to speak.

At Beauty Bay, a community of summer homes nestled on the shores of June Lake, in the remote foothills of Mount Adams, it’s off-season with most houses shuttered for the fall. But Frankie, adrift, returns to the rundown caretaker’s cottage that has been in the hardworking O'Neill family for generations—a beloved place and a constant reminder of the family she has lost. And Anne, in the wake of a tragedy that has disrupted her career and silenced her music, has fled to the neighboring house, a showy summer home owned by her husband's wealthy family.

When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy. Crow Talk is an achingly beautiful story of love, grief, friendship, and the healing power of nature in the darkest of times.

18. Tapestry of Fortunes - Elizabeth Berg

2013, Random House
219 pgs.
written for adults
HC $26.00 
Genre:  CRF
Goodreads rating: 3.51
My rating: 4
Acquired:  TPPL

My Goodreads comments:  I read a few reviews before reading this book so decided I wouldn't be disappointed if it wasn't up to par.  However, although there were, yes, weaknesses; this story spoke to me intensely.  It was like it came along purposely at this particular time in my life to send me some subliminal-and some not so subliminal- messages.  Simplify your life.  Being along is not the way life should be led.  Figure out ways to stop paralyzing yourself because, yes, you are definitely doing that.  And....loneliness sucks.  There are many quotes that I've written down that mean a lot. So, yes, I give this book a positive review.  It was just what I needed at this time...at this day...at this moment...of my life.  A pretty-pat plot, no surprises at all, loads of coincidences and more-or-less happy endings for everyone (tralala), but it worked....beautifully....for me.

Goodreads summary:  A wonderful new novel about four women who take a trip into their past, to find again the people they miss, and to reconnect with their fortunes.

Cecilia Ross is looking for a change. She has decided to take time off from her job as a successful motivational speaker and sell her home. She moves in to a beautiful old house in St. Paul, Minnesota, complete with a big front porch, a wild garden, a chef's kitchen-and three roommates. The four women are different ages, but all are feeling restless, and want to take a roadtrip to find again the people and things they miss. One woman wants to connect with a daughter she gave away at birth; another wants to visit her long-absent ex-husband; a third woman, a professional chef, is seeking new inspiration from the restaurants along the way. And Cecilia is looking for Dennis Halsinger, the man she never got over, who recently sent her a postcard out of the blue. This novel is classic Elizabeth Berg-a portrait of how women grow through the relationships that define them, and a testament to the power of female friendship.