A review by emily_kathman
Aviary by Deirdre McNamer

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I did enjoy reading this book. It gave vignettes into each character’s life and past. 

However- the prose was a bit dense. It was beautifully written. The text challenged me to look up words I haven’t heard before- what a beautiful thing. And- my preference in books is not to be bogged down in my captivation by dense prose. It was almost giving Hemingway in the rambling-ness of it all (which for some might be a plus but for me just isn’t my preference). 

Also- there were a lot of characters that we heard their pov maybe once or twice and then it just dropped- only to have their “loose ends” tied up in another characters  pov. Maybe that was the point, that things aren’t always neat- but i would have loved another chapter from both Leo and Claytons pov. 

Overall, a nice read especially for November. It captured that sad vibe of the days getting shorter, and was an example of beautiful prose. I think it would have been better if there would have been less povs and more time developing 3-4 characters more in depth. 

Check it out if you like more dense, many character pov stories, or if you need a big zoom out in perspective.