The Nature of Small Birds

by Susie Finkbeiner

Scott County Library paperback 356 pages

Published: 2021

Genre: Christian historical fiction

 

This is our January book club title. I hope I remember it well enough to discuss it in three and a half weeks! It took me a little while to get into the groove of 2013 Bruce / 1975 Linda / 1988 Sonny . . . but Finkbeiner did her usual fantastic job introducing and developing the characters. The story wasn't what I expected based on the blurb . . . but I enjoyed the story. (I was way more impressed with her other books I've read, but this was quite good as well.)

Page 114 - "I look at my feet, trying to think of how to say exactly what's on my mind. When I was a younger man I might have just blurted it out. But now I'm older and know the weight of words. I measure them a minute or two before opening my mouth."

I wish I could develop this skill! Waiting, thinking, choosing the right words. Here, Bruce is responding to his adult daughter's interest in trying to locate her birth mother in Viet Nam.

Page 114 - "Turns out that small birds are going to fly whether we like it or not. It's no different for our kids."

The bird references were plentiful throughout the book. It was beautiful. But it's interesting to me that some parents don't want their children to "leave the nest" and struggle with that growth. I guess I'm weird in that I was super happy for my kids to grow up and move on with their lives. There are times I've missed having them here, but I love that they have their own homes and lives.

Page 178 - "I didn't tell her that the only reason I ever heard of that poem or of Robert Frost was because I'd watched The Outsiders at least a dozen times with Amelia. Even just thinking of Johnny telling Ponyboy to stay gold made my eyes sting."

When Sonny says she memorized 'Nothing Gold Can Stay,' it made me think of the long-term sub job I had in spring 2020. The seventh graders were reading S.E. Hinton's book. A bit of culture shock for some of them - the 1950s vibe, but also the violence and extreme cliques.

Page 182 - "Mixed in with the good and bad is a whole lot of stuff that was just normal, everyday living."

Bruce is pondering the blessings and challenges of life. I could actually post the entire page! There's some good stuff here, including his observation that Linda's "always on the lookout for the goodness of God." That's the kind of person I want to be! Always on the lookout. I know God's goodness is all around. I need to look for it and at it.

Page 202 - "But, when they forgive and that burden is lifted - whew - it's what I imagine heaven to feel like."

Bruce again . . . referring to how it feels when one apologizes to a child and asks for forgiveness. For me, it's a reminder of how powerful a force forgiveness is. We all screw up. Recognizing and apologizing takes some humility.

Page 242 - I intended to take a photo and post it here, but I just want to get this blog entry done and move on with my day . . . the sentence literally says "Dad came in, tackle box in one hand and a bag of quickly melting ie in the other." I know that I often have typos in my blog entries . . . and when I see them, I fix them. But a published book should have had proofreaders! How do errors like "ie" for "ice" make it through the publication process??? Isn't anyone in charge of quality control? Okay. I'm done ranting. This just always surprises me when I see this type of error.

Page 249 - "For as much attention that new love gets in the movies and such, it can't hold a candle to love that's had time to age, to mature. A slow burn is always better than a flash in the pan as far as I'm concerned."

The love between Bruce and Linda was so sweet! Movies do generally focus on that exciting, romantic, flirting stage of new love . . .

Page 264 - "When Holly was first born, I held her every moment I could. My mother warned me that I'd spoil the girl if I didn't put her down every once in a while, but I wouldn't hear of it. While I knew it was possible to ruin a child with too much sugar or too many toys or never saying no to anything, I knew there was no such thing as giving too much love."

I agree with Bruce wholeheartedly! Love is so different than things or permissiveness. Hugs and attention are valuable.

Page 268 - "If all I've done with this one life is be a son, husband, brother, dad, grandpa to these remarkable people, that's good enough for me."

Bruce has a great observation. Sometimes people assess their life's worth by money or social achievements. History certainly "remembers" those who did BIG things. But maybe it's enough to be the person God created you to be. Loving those in your circle - that matters.

Page 274-5 - These pages were powerful. Dana's husband Chris had suffered in the Vietnam war. Bruce's brother Dale was killed in Vietnam, affecting the entire family. Bruce and Linda adopting Minh from Vietnam wasn't easy for everyone to handle. The conversation between Chris and Linda brought tears to my eyes. I love this scene so much!

Page 279 - "She considered the ratty thing before shrugging and flinging it in the direction of the garbage can. When she noticed Mindy and my shocked faces, she put her hands on her hips. 'Well, she wasn't my auntie,' she said. Coldhearted. She was so awesome."

 

Hahaha! Mrs. Olds was such a fantastic character! When Sonny and Mindy were helping her at an historic house the summer of 1988, they talk about people who donate old junk. This scene is great!

Page 323 - "It's the nature of small birds to sing their little hearts out. And it's the nature of God to hear them."

I love this! It was also delightful to have just been at the cabin, seeing all the little birds at the bird feeders. And Louie sharing the memory of this: Paul Harvey Christmas Birds.

 

 The ending of the book felt a bit abrupt, but it worked. Again, I was anticipating something a bit different based on the blurb I had read. I look forward to talking about this with book club!