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The Bird Skinner (2014)

by Alice Greenway(Favorite Author)

3.71 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0802121047 (ISBN13: 9780802121042)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Atlantic Monthly Press

review 1: A very methodical book that tells the story of a man's life during three periods 1917, 1943 and 1973. The period during 1943 chronicles his experiences during WW2 where he develops his passion to be, you guessed it, a bird skinner - preserving their skins for museum exhibits. The 1973 portion of the books shows him as an elderly man in New England who finds himself hosting the daughter of a man he knew during in war as she is going to attend college. By know he is a surly old man made a little more surly by the loss of a leg. He also has a passion for Papa Hemingway which (spoiler alert) is a good hint about the book's conclusion. A slow moving well written unremarkable book.
review 2: This gem of an historical fiction novel provides an interesting read about b... moreird skinning and World War II in the Pacific islands. The protagonist is an acerbic, angry WWII vet who is also a renowned bird skinner. The novel takes place in the summer of 1973 on an island off the coast of Maine. Jim Carroway is back at his family’s summer cottage to live the rest of his life. In the beginning he admits to himself that he is stuck: he’d been stuck since the war. And being stuck just adds to his frustration…but frustration of what? He just seems to be a cantankerous old man. Deftly telling the story between time periods and places, Greenway provides the reader with Jim’s history. Behind every curmudgeon is a story, and Greenway tells a beautiful story. The catalyst that allows the story of Jim to take place is the unexpected arrival of Cadillac, who is the daughter of his best friend while he was in the war in the Solomon Islands. Because of Cadillac’s presence, Jim reflects upon his life. The story of his life with his wife, Helen, is heartwarming and sad. The story of his survival in the war is horrific. The story of his youth is heart wrenching. Beyond learning about the science of bird skinning, Greenway allows the reader to learn that back in WWII, Doctors were aware of Post Traumatic Stress disorder, which they defined as “psychoneurotics”. There is information on “The Great Japanese Bone Scandal” which is horrifying: an ugly piece of American history that we’ve conveniently forgotten. This is a fabulous historical fiction novel with a great storyline. less

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