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A review by alienrosey
Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin
5.0
Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!
I have a LOT of thoughts about this one. This is a book about family, grief, birds, autism and a little bit about alcoholism.
Frankie O’Neil is a lonely ornithologist working on her dissertation and running into many problems at her family’s lake house. She forms an unlikely friendship with her longtime neighbors wife Anne Ryan and her 5yr old son Aiden who does not speak. Frankie starts caring for an injured baby crow and through that interaction, she starts to discover a new path.
Anne is far from her home in Ireland and trying to help her son thrive while dealing with her overbearing in laws and complicated relationship with her husband. The beginning of the book was a bit hard to get into but once you get in the groove, its hard to put down! It breaks your heart and puts it back together in a warm hug.
As an avid bird lover myself, I really liked the chapters starting with bird facts and the immersion of nature was so so wonderful. The way autism is talked about is pretty good too. It focuses on the parent's difficulties with finding accommodations and understanding what their son needs, but it also gives you insight into what the son himself is asking for. It doesn't feel as one sided or dumbed down for the audience, just a humanizing portrayal of how much fear and prejudice people had towards autism in the 90s (and still today!).
Even with some flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At some times, it felt like it was written for me. I will for sure be purchasing this and rereading and annotating, all that jazz!!
I have a LOT of thoughts about this one. This is a book about family, grief, birds, autism and a little bit about alcoholism.
Frankie O’Neil is a lonely ornithologist working on her dissertation and running into many problems at her family’s lake house. She forms an unlikely friendship with her longtime neighbors wife Anne Ryan and her 5yr old son Aiden who does not speak. Frankie starts caring for an injured baby crow and through that interaction, she starts to discover a new path.
Anne is far from her home in Ireland and trying to help her son thrive while dealing with her overbearing in laws and complicated relationship with her husband. The beginning of the book was a bit hard to get into but once you get in the groove, its hard to put down! It breaks your heart and puts it back together in a warm hug.
As an avid bird lover myself, I really liked the chapters starting with bird facts and the immersion of nature was so so wonderful. The way autism is talked about is pretty good too. It focuses on the parent's difficulties with finding accommodations and understanding what their son needs, but it also gives you insight into what the son himself is asking for. It doesn't feel as one sided or dumbed down for the audience, just a humanizing portrayal of how much fear and prejudice people had towards autism in the 90s (and still today!).
Even with some flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At some times, it felt like it was written for me. I will for sure be purchasing this and rereading and annotating, all that jazz!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Ableism, Death of parent, and Alcohol