Winter Birds

by Jamie Langston Turner

Overview

"A difficult old woman may be entertaining if you are not responsible for her upkeep." After coming to live with her nephew and his wife in Mississippi, Sophia Hess observes them from behind her wall of silence and disapproval as they come and go. She spends her days reading, watching the birds outside her window, losing herself in television reruns, and eating the meals dutifully prepared for her. Though frequently haunted by thoughts of all the different ways to die, she slowly begins to consider new ways to live. With dry wit, she assesses all that she sees and hears, then gradually reassesses the people around her. From Phyllis Tickle, former Religion Editor for Publishers Weekly: "If ever angels were to try writing stories, they would strive to make them like Jamie Langston Turner's novels. Steady, soft-spoken, elegantly plain, Turner. . . sings us down into the kingdom of the believing heart. I love her books."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798985455755
Publisher:	Jamie Langston Turner
Publication date:	01/21/2022
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	960,420
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.89(d)

About the Author

Jamie Langston Turner retired from teaching creative writing courses at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC, in 2016. Born in Mississippi, she has lived in the South all her life and has set most of her books in South Carolina. Her first novel, Suncatchers, was published in 1995 by Thomas Nelson, and her next six were published by Bethany House: Some Wildflower in My Heart, By the Light of a Thousand Stars, A Garden to Keep, No Dark Valley, Winter Birds, and Sometimes a Light Surprises. Her most recent novel, To See the Moon Again, was published in 2014 by Penguin/Berkley. Winner of two Christy Awards for Excellence and a Christianity Today Book Award of Merit, Jamie is currently working on another novel. She has been married for fifty years to Daniel Turner, a retired BJU faculty member in the Division of Music.

What People are Saying About This

"Turner, who has taught literature herself for many years, writes with elegant precision and the leisurely pacing of the book perfectly captures the lengthened days of the aging. Understated and unsentimental, Winter Birds is a quietly memorable novel about quiet grace."--(Peter J. Leithart, Touchstone)

Editorial Reviews

This book is easily one of my favorites of 2006. The beautiful writing full of wisdom, literary allusions and stylistic elegance give it the moodling possibilities of poetry. Its quiet but compelling plot, realistic characters and sly humor made me wish it were twice as long. It reminds me of Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead and, like that book, it’s one I’m planning to read again, this time with highlighter always at hand.

blogcritics.org

"Sophia Hess is one unique lady and the manner in which she selects her place of retirement gives the reader a definite insight into her personality. She is insightful, stubborn at times, and the good and bad memories of her marriage to her college professor husband and the life they lived together give the reader another wonderful overview of this woman. So much is unique about this colorful character and her journey through the life she lived when married and the life she has chosen for her last days. Wonderful characterizations and situations only add to the reader’s enjoyment."

Rendezvous

"In Winter Birds, Christy Award-winner Turner skillfully weaves together Sophie’s bird-watching, her knowledge of Shakespeare, the Time magazine obituaries she ponders and the TV reruns in the background. This noteworthy work is one to be savored."

Christian Retailing

With this fictional octogenarian's rich reflection on her disappointing life, Christy Award-winner Turner pens her best novel in years. Bitterness over her late husband and his secret addiction to pornography has colored Sophia Hess's view of everything she's trusted and held dear. Dangling the promise of leaving her money to whichever distant relative cares for her, "Aunt Sophie" takes up residence in the spare room belonging to her loquacious, pontificating nephew, Patrick, and his diffident wife, Rachel, in Greenville, Miss. They collect a ragtag group of acquaintances, including an ex-con and a severely disabled four-year-old who flit in and out of the story. Sophie, a former English teacher, passes her days mostly by reading obituaries, watching television and learning about the birds outside her window.

Turner brilliantly weaves together the threads of Shakespeare's plays, sitcoms, birds and their habits, and the deaths of celebrities gleaned from Time magazine's obituary section as she unfolds the story. As she did in Some Wildflower in My Heart, Turner shows how even the most awkward and imperfect love, care and attention can yield meaningful results. Readers may find the present tense narration mechanical at times, and the story begins slowly, but this helps form an impression of the protagonist and her dull marking of days. Genuine humor and well-crafted characters make this a memorable and inspiring novel. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Winter Birds is the first book I've read by this talented author. At first, I didn't think the book sounded so interesting, but once I started reading I fell in love with Sophia. Like most older individuals, she is fascinated by the obituary column in the newspaper, and her thoughts and actions remind me a lot of my own mother. I enjoyed reading about Sophia, Rachel, and Patrick, and connecting with them.

Written in first person, the reader is instantly in Sophia's point of view. There isn't much of a faith message in the beginning, but as the book progresses it begins to be more noticeable. It is not preachy. I loved Winter Birds and am looking forward to reading more by Ms.Turner. (Laura Hilton, faithwebbin.net)

Laura Hilton