About The Bird House
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press; Original edition (February 1, 2011)
An intergenerational school project unlocks a Pandora’s box of unsettling truths. Evocative and detailed.” – Kirkus Reviews
Such crisp, tight prose I was hooked from the very first page.” — Chevy Stevens, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of STILL MISSING.
Every family has its secrets. But when you are suddenly the matriarch, tending the dark fires of memory, and your own mind is fading, who do you dare to share them with? Your diary, or your eight-year-old granddaughter?
Interweaving diaries penned forty years apart, Kelly Simmons’s captivating second novel, The Bird House, blends the fierce voice of Ann Biddle, a woman struggling to bond with her only grandchild, Ellie, while railing against the ravages of early dementia, with her point-of-view as a young wife and mother. We witness the secrets of Ann’s family and her grand-daughter and daughter-in-law’s through every lens — from the clarity of the rearview mirror to the haze of Alzheimer’s. And we see her grappling through the ‘60’s with sleep deprivation, breast cancer, her own mother’s death, a passionate affair, and a tragedy that leaves her stunned until, four decades later, her whip-smart granddaughter unwittingly sheds a burst of light on the family’s shadowy history.
A subtly tense, darkly psychological tug of war between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, present and past, The Bird House is a moving treatise on family, love, and memories—both lost and found. And proves a worthy successor to her book club favorite debut, Standing Still.
About Kelly Simmons
Kelly Simmons is the author of the critically acclaimed Simon & Schuster novel, Standing Still, and coming in February, The Bird House. She is a former journalist and advertising creative director who lives in the Philadelphia area with her family, and divides her time between writing, teaching, public speaking, and vacuuming up dog hair. She was born and raised in Waukegan, Illinois, and credits weekly visits to the Waukegan Public Library for her literary prowess. (Her determination to succeed, however, could only come from being a Cubs fan.) Visit her website at www.bykellysimmons.com.
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Kelly’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, February 15th: Books Like Breathing
Wednesday, February 16th: Lori’s Reading Corner
Thursday, February 17th: Colloquium
Monday, February 21st: Tina’s Book Reviews
Tuesday, February 22nd: Luxury Reading
Thursday, February 24th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Tuesday, March 1st: Amused By Books
Wednesday, March 2nd: Life in the Thumb
Monday, March 7th: Iwriteinbooks’s blog
Wednesday, March 9th: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Friday, March 11th: Life In Review
Monday, March 14th: Peeking Between the Pages
Wednesday, March 16th: My Reading Room
Monday, March 21st: Debbie’s Book Bag
Friday, March 25th: Rundpinne