Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen was a long-awaited treat as her fans, which includes me, have been waiting for a new book since 2015. All I can say is welcome back! Her first book, Garden Spells from 2007 was a New York Times bestseller. She has a delightful way of incorporating magical realism into her books that just works.

This book had the most uniquely flawed and loveable characters. Each one needed each other in simple ways, and they all seemed to fill a void for one another. They were a study in misfits that found a much-needed family. There was a hauntingly beautiful atmospheric feeling throughout the book. You just felt like you were there.

Packed with ghosts, magical birds, earnest and flawed characters, romance, strong mother daughter bonds, a renowned author and an unlikely band of residents made up this delightful story. I think that I read this book in a day it just was a necessary escape from reality that sent a hearty message about friendship and opening your heart to others.

Quotes I liked:
If the people around you don’t love or accept you just as you are, find new people. They’re out there.”

“Don’t hold on to old love so hard you forget to live. Old love isn’t the only love you’ll ever have.”

“There are birds, and then there are other birds. Maybe they don’t sing. Maybe they don’t fly. Maybe they don’t fit in. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be an other bird rather than just the same old thing.”

Liked but didn't love this one. I really was looking forward to the new Sarah Addison Allen book but sadly I just found this an okay read. Recommended for people who enjoy stories about:

-found family
-magical realism
-intergenerational friendships

There were a lot of characters to keep track of in this story and I just didn't find myself connecting deeply with any of them. Good on audio narrated by new to me narrator Siiri Scott.

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This is one that I did enjoy but won't stick with me in the long term.

I had set aside time to read and review this book, but Covid has made it impossible. I appreciate the review copy and will try to get to it when I am feeling better. Allen's writing and characters are always a treat so I am looking forward to experiencing it once I can concentrate in the manner it deserves.

3.5 stars

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was an intriguing and enchanting read full of quirky but loveable characters. As with her other books, this story contained a blend of elements of magic and romance along with a heartwarming story about isolated and lonely characters who ways to heal by connecting with one another. This was an enjoyable read from start to finish.

A beautiful and original story that drew me in and took me along its journey. A feel good story with some twists and unexpected turns!

I have read many of this author’s books, and this one did not disappoint. Zoey is getting ready to go to college in Charleston, staying at the condo her mother owned. Dellawisp was an unusual place with quite quirky residents. Charlotte is a henna artist with secrets in her past, Mac is a chef also with sadness in his past. Zoey’s enthusiasm starts to bring them together, and slowly, they open up to each other. Lisbeth, another resident, dies at the beginning of the story and we are introduced to her son, Oliver, another troubled soul. The story offers hope as the group begins to understand each other and themselves. The magical realism in the author’s books includes ghost and the birds, the dellawisps. If you like quirky and unique, I recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm always a fan of Sarah Addison Allen's books - and Other Birds is no different. I loved the story of Zoey and her new life at the Dellawisp, a condo on Mallow Island, SC, that she inherited from her mother. Zoey's story quickly entwined with those of her neighbors at the Dellawisp and the little touch of magic and mystery kept me enthralled all the way through. Definitely recommending to all my reading friends and family.

Creating your own family when the one you were originally dealt is lacking is often the theme of many of my favorite books...and this book just was added to the list. It's quirky and infused with a touch of magic. Full of distinct and often charming characters aching to be seen, understood and loved including a few ghosts hanging around. Zoey, a recent high school grad, has been kicked out of her father's house so her stepmom can turn her room into a craft room, she heads to Charleston to live in an inherited condo as she waits until college starts. The Dellawisp is an old building with just a few condos inhabited, maybe terrorized, by the tiny turquoise birds which gave it its name. As Zoey interacts with the other residents, you learn their stories and the separate and hollow souls expand to allow each other inside.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this one! The setting of Mallow Island in South Carolina was magical and I immediately felt like I was right there on Trade Street with Zoey, smelling the candy, with the mysterious Dellawisp birds flying over my head. You can feel that the setting is loved, from the small histories of the island to the traditional food that Mac cooks.

The connection that each of the inhabitants of the Dellawisp had to the island was slowly revealed through their own stories and the stories of the ghosts that they held onto. As they all became friends and got closer, their individual pain was transformed and they were able to let go of their pasts. It was a lovely story about found family, healing, and belonging. Mac's history with Camille was one of my favorites!

If you are someone who doesn't like magical realism, or prefers for every supernatural thing to be explained, then you might not enjoy this book. Quite a lot of the story feels almost like a dream, and some things (like the Dellawisp birds) are never really explained, and yet they have a definitive place in the story and setting. Overall a wonderful book!

Such a beautiful story. Combining grief, letting go, finding yourself, a found family, and loved magical realism / ghosts your past and real ghosts elements thrown in. There was a bit of a lull in the middle for me, but I loved the beginning and loved the end. It’s nice how by the end of the book you felt apart of the little community. Thank you for sending me an advanced copy, I’ll definitely be recommending this book.

This book was wonderful. It makes you have the warm & fuzzies as you're reading it. As Zoey moves into her new place and meets all of her vastly unique neighbors she begins to learn about each of them, piece by piece. Each person has such an interesting life and their stories allow a deeper look into their lives deeply but slowly. All of these people I think I would be friends with if they weren't fictional. This book makes you acknowledge and care for those who have experienced trauma. It was lovely and I wish I could go back and start it all over again.

Eighteen year old Zoey moves into a small apartment complex and the unit where her deceased mother lived years earlier. She gradually gets to know the complex's other residents, including a lonely chef, two sisters who hadn't spoken in years, a henna artist, and three ghosts, and learns their stories while trying to adapt to her new life.

Sarah Addison Allen's new novel is lovely. The characters are thoughtful, well-drawn, and empathetic, the plot features several surprises that I did not see coming, and the setting is described in such a way that makes me want to visit Mallow Island and make reservations at Mac's restaurant. Allen's touches of magical realism are just enough to add a sparkle to the story without being overwhelming. This is one of those heartwarming, hopeful reads that I'll be recommending to many patrons and friends.

Other Birds took me awhile to get into. I actually almost abandoned it. I'm glad I stuck it out because by the end the book had me completely wrapped around its finger and pulled at my heart strings in the best way.

Other Birds is the latest book from Sarah Addison Allen who I adore. I've read most of her books and I adore their rich imagery and magical elements. Sarah Addison Allen knows how to write characters you care about and root for. They are never perfect or are experiencing a transformation and you instantly are right there with them experiencing their emotions. She is also amazing at making the settings of her stories come alive.

This story is set on Mallow Island off the Carolinas in an apartment complex with a courtyard that is home to some very unique birds. The residents on the complex are also unique - misfits and outcasts who rarely interact until a tragedy and a new tenant brings them together.

Each chapter is in a different person's point a view, so you really get immersed in the characters. There's a lot of focus on family, loss and finding where you belong - making your own family. Finding love and self worth after issues with abandonment and losing a parent. These issues are heavy, but the book is so beautifully written it doesn't feel depressing. This book is actually very uplifting and heartwarming. I loved it, highly recommended.

Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite authors, and I was immensely excited to find out she had a new book coming out after a few years since her last one. This book brought all the delight and light mystery that her other titles I've read had - no other author quite has her sense of writing books that bridge the gap between fantasy and real life in a way where it feels as if the magic could happen in the reader's own life. The set-up of the coastal, a bit run-down Dellawisp added a nice extra touch, and I enjoyed the characters and especially how they all meshed together as a found family (but I'd argue Mac was my favorite, and Pigeon's chapter at the end had me tearing up). The only reason I docked it to 4 four stars was that I felt the story wasn't long enough, and therefore felt a bit rushed. Still adored this one, and I love recommending Allen's books - they're like little slices of pie with a hint of spices you can't put your finger on what they are, adding a dash of whimsy to a quaint piece of literature.

If I could describe a book that has character flaws but let you inside their world as to how they came to be and that you shouldn’t judge them because they had their reasons, this book would be the one I recommend! Outstanding, rich details from beginning to end, I wanted more for all the characters. What made me really emotional was the mother and children relationships or lack there of and how you find love from people who aren’t related to you, you make your own family sometimes.

Sarah does it again with the magical realism and I knew I would not be disappointed with the mention of Mac’s cooking and Camille’s cornmeal meals and desserts. Food really can transport you to places where you have the best memories through olfactory or sense of taste. Many of the meals described here reminded the characters of what home should feel like.

I fell in love with Mallow Island and the Dellawisps! Both the birds and the locations seemed to have a life of their own and I wanted these places and things to be real, but as Sarah says in the final chapter, “not everything has to be real to be true” and so I enjoyed every second of this book. I wish we could see where Oliver and Zoey head to next but maybe there will be a sequel soon? Either way, great book and I definitely recommend you read this one if you are afraid of letting go of someone you love.

Thank you to Sarah Addison Allen, St. Martin's Press an NetGalley for the ARC!

Sarah Addison Allen writes such sweet, soothing fiction with a realistic edge that stops it from becoming saccharine. I'm so glad she's writing again! I was eager to be whisked away to another enticing fictional community; in this instance the setting felt like Charleston, but with a slant. The magical elements—including magical food!—were enticing as always.

A great story with a touch of magical realism. The book brings together a found family and all their reasons that brought them to end up living in this small apartment complex. The book is more character-driven than plot driven and moves at a nice pace.

“There are birds, and then there are other birds. Maybe they don’t sing. Maybe they don’t fly. Maybe they don’t fit in. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be an other bird than just the same old thing.”
--------------------------------------
“If the people around you don’t love you just as you are, find new people. They’re out there.”

What happens to the untold stories? Two of my grandparents were in vaudeville at some point, yet I know almost nothing about that. Any materials passed down found its way to relations other than me, to my aunt’s family perhaps, or maybe through my mother to my older sibs, sisters in particular. I had always intended to speak with my sister Loretta about Grandma Anna, but she passed away before I got to it. The wages of procrastination, and surprise illnesses in old age. What happened to that story? What was my grandmother’s life like when she was in Show Biz? What artifacts might there be from that era that might tell us something? I expect I will never know. What happens to that history? Does it cease to exist if no one remembers. Is it not our duty as children, grandchildren, descendants, to keep alive something of our family heritage? Because whether we are aware of the events of prior eras or not, they have had an impact on us. History ripples forward in time and we are all riding its waves or are swamped by them.

The characters in Sarah Addison Allen’s Other Birds are grappling with their pasts. Zoey Hennessey is eighteen years old, an innocent, with a heart open to everyone. Starting college in Charleston soon, she wanted to spend some time at the condo that her mother had left her. Paloma used to bring her here for weekends and getaways. It carries the warmth of those memories. Mom had died when Zoey was a child. Her father did not have anything good to say about her, and her step-monster was not exactly her number one fan.

It is one of five units in a tucked-away development on Mallow Island, off the coast of South Carolina. The area had been made famous by a world-class novel, Sweet Mallow, written fifty years ago by the rarely seen Roscoe Avanger. Think To Kill a Mockingbird. The island is also famous for the product that it is named for.

"If she hadn’t known that Mallow Island had been famous for its marshmallow candy over a century ago, Trade Street would have told her right away. It was busy and mildly surreal. The sidewalks were crowded with tourists taking pictures of old, narrow buildings painted in faded pastel colors. Nearly every restaurant and bakery had a chalkboard sign with a marshmallow item on its menu—marshmallow popcorn, chocolate milk served in toasted marshmallow cups, sweet potato fries with marshmallow dipping sauce."

Zoey has a companion no one else can see, Pigeon, a bird, who is fond of knocking things over.

Charlotte Lungren, 26, is a henna artist, with a space at the Sugar Warehouse, a local artists enclave. Her mother had been a real prize, joining a religious cult led by a thieving sociopath, which was not a healthy environment for a teenager. Charlotte fled when she was 16 and has been on the run, in one way or another, ever since.

"Nice, in her experience, meant one of two things: It was either hiding something darker just beneath the surface, or it made you lower your defenses and believe that there was more of it in the world than there actually was, which always led to disappointment. Either way, she wasn’t falling for it."

Frasier manages The Dellawisp Condos, named for the peculiar, turquoise birds that inhabit the grounds. When Zoey arrives, what she sees is an elderly black man in faded jeans and a khaki work shirt. He had a long white beard tied at his chin with a rubber band, like a pirate. He has an interesting personal characteristic that has made his life unusual.

"After passing away, sometimes his friends would visit him before leaving this earthly world. It had been happening all his life, and what had been a terrifying experience for him as a boy no longer surprised him. It was usually just a brief encounter—a sparkle out of the corner of his eye, a gust of wind in an airless room, a particular scent.
But there were some, out of fear or confusion or unfinished business, who stayed with him longer.
And of course Lizbeth would be one of them.
She was here in his office with him and he sensed her impatience, like she was wondering where something was."

The ability to sense the dead was handed down. His grandfather had not fared well with it and took to drink to drown out the spirits. They have served Frasier in some positive ways.

Mac Garrett is a chef at the local resort. He had a tough childhood, abandoned by his mother. Luckily for him there was a neighborhood saint of a woman, Camille, who took it upon herself to feed the two-legged strays in her neck of the woods. Seeing that Mac had essentially been orphaned, she took him in. It was from her that Mac learned that food is love. It became a lifelong passion for him, as Camille’s cooking always came with associated stories. Mac is a lovely, loving man who has some difficulties in the bedroom. No, not that sort. Seems he wakes up every morning covered in cornmeal. A reminder of presence from his late foster mother.

Lizbeth Lime (no relation to Liz Lemon) had issues. She was a hoarder, but with a story to tell. Problem is that she was never able, amidst all the clutter, to locate the diaries that held the tale she needed told. A bookcase falls on Lizbeth on the day of Zoey’s arrival, which leaves another spirit wandering the premises. Her sister, Lucy Lime lives in a separate condo. The sisters had been, to put it mildly, not close. Lucy serves as a Boo Radley figure here, mostly seen peeking out from behind her curtains, watching, always watching, but never engaging.

Oliver Lime has done his best to get as far away from his mother, Lizbeth, as possible. But when she dies, he is dragged into dealing with what she left behind.

Misfits all, in their own way, at the very least, ill-suited to the prescribed routes laid out for them. It is in The Dellawisp Condos that they find a family. The process of how this happens is simply magical. They have to come to terms with their pasts in order to move forward with their lives. It remains to be seen whether they are all capable of doing that.

Allen intersperses chapters titled Ghost Story, in which Lizbeth, Camille, and one other fill us in on backstory for our front-line characters. The ghosts tend to be of a maternal sort.

There are some excellent twists, and some mysteries to solve, like who is that shadowy figure who keeps showing up overnight at the Dellawisp and breaking into the condos? Long-held secrets are revealed. And some long-suppressed family stories are brought out into the light.

There is an element of wistfulness, of wanting to connect, that is surely enhanced by the author’s personal experiences. Her mother suffered a major stroke, managing to hang on for several years. But Allen’s sister died only days before their mother passed. Add in that Allen is, herself, a cancer survivor, and you can see some very personal investment in stories about connecting with lost loved ones. It helps explain why there are a passel of moments near the end of the book that are tear-inducing.

I truly enjoyed Other Birds, looked forward to reading it every day. There are some lovely characters in here, people you will enjoy getting to hang with, however briefly. Allen applies magical realism to great effect, illuminating the conflicts the characters are confronting. In addition, there is also a payload of wisdom about finding or creating one’s tribe, the significance of hanging on too long or too hard to the past, and the importance of learning our history and carrying forward our stories. Other Birds is a very sweet satisfying read

"We got wings we can’t see, Camille used to say. We were made to fly away."

Review posted – September 30, 2022

Publication date – August 30, 2022


I received an ARE of Other Birds from St. Martin’s Press in return for a fair review. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.

For the review in its intended format, please go to my site - https://cootsreviews.com/2022/09/30/other-birds-by-sarah-addison-allen/

This book feels like drinking tea on your patio on a fall day. I know it takes place in summer but between the ghosts and all the talk of marshmallows - it feels cozy and perfect for fall.

I love a good story of friendship and finding yourself. If you like to watch people form a found family - you’ll love this one. There is just so much love in this book. I did pair the physical book with the audiobook and thought the narrator did a fantastic job voicing each of the characters.