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gmamartha's review against another edition
3.0
Things mean more than one thing. This fantastical story is the telling of how two young girls find their way through. And it is heart talking that can make a world.
rmlknisely's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books I think everyone should read. Does it have some flaws? Yes, of course it does. The very, very end was unsatisfying but everything else was great.
I think, maybe, that this was one of those books that came around at just the right time for me. I identified with one of the main characters, Summer, so hard that it hurt some times: the big sister who is not-so-secretly jealous of her younger sister's untameable ways.
"All their lives, Bird had been the difficult one, the unmanageable child, and Summer the good girl who could always be relied on. But Summer could see that Bird had always found her own story and chosen to follow it, and Summer envied that. Most of all, she envied the magnetic bird-soul that had told Bird what to do."
I'm not sure what else to say besides "Go read this book. RIGHT. NOW." so I'll leave you with some mostly non-spoilery quotes*.
*Quotes are from an uncorrected proof and may not be exactly the same in the published book*
"Our feet find paths, if we are not paying attention. They find a way. Sometimes we're lucky with the way the find. Sometimes not."
"Remember Cinderella and the helpful songbirds who fluttered around her in the movie? It was exactly not like that at all."
"She taught Bird that she was special (which was truer than she knew) and that because she was special, she was better (which was not true at all)"
"'Well, I don't care,' said Bird out loud, who cared so much that she couldn't bear to touch the hurt."
And then, my absolute favorite quote of the entire book (beware, major spoilers lie ahead):
"Then Summer spoke. 'I am half, too,"she said. She turned to face her parents. 'I am half mind and half heart, half gladness and half fear. And I am half bird and half human.So I will live half and half, too."
I think, maybe, that this was one of those books that came around at just the right time for me. I identified with one of the main characters, Summer, so hard that it hurt some times: the big sister who is not-so-secretly jealous of her younger sister's untameable ways.
"All their lives, Bird had been the difficult one, the unmanageable child, and Summer the good girl who could always be relied on. But Summer could see that Bird had always found her own story and chosen to follow it, and Summer envied that. Most of all, she envied the magnetic bird-soul that had told Bird what to do."
I'm not sure what else to say besides "Go read this book. RIGHT. NOW." so I'll leave you with some mostly non-spoilery quotes*.
Spoiler
*Quotes are from an uncorrected proof and may not be exactly the same in the published book*
"Our feet find paths, if we are not paying attention. They find a way. Sometimes we're lucky with the way the find. Sometimes not."
"Remember Cinderella and the helpful songbirds who fluttered around her in the movie? It was exactly not like that at all."
"She taught Bird that she was special (which was truer than she knew) and that because she was special, she was better (which was not true at all)"
"'Well, I don't care,' said Bird out loud, who cared so much that she couldn't bear to touch the hurt."
And then, my absolute favorite quote of the entire book (beware, major spoilers lie ahead):
"Then Summer spoke. 'I am half, too,"she said. She turned to face her parents. 'I am half mind and half heart, half gladness and half fear. And I am half bird and half human.So I will live half and half, too."
mmmmmmmbooks's review against another edition
this was part of the "read the books i've owned for 10 years and never read" challenge. I was bored by this one ngl.
moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally appeared at http://bookswithoutanypictures.com
Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull is the story of two little girls who discover the magic in their world. Their mother is secretly the queen of the birds, and their father is an ornithologist. Before they were born, the mother’s swan form was locked away, and she has been living as a human ever since. One night, she becomes a swan again and flies away. Her husband runs after him, forgetting about Summer and Bird and focusing solely on finding his wife. The children soon follow, becoming separated as their unique natures and ideas cause them to follow different paths and pursue different goals. Meanwhile, the greedy Puppeteer will stop at nothing to find the swan robe, because she believes that it will allow her to become the queen of the birds.
Summer and Bird began as a bedtime story that the author told to the children she was babysitting. The story is a blend between our own familiar world and the magic of folklore and mythology. The characters feel like archetypes, and while figures like the Puppeteer are a bit flat, it further solidified the fairy tale mood that Summer and Bird conveyed. The story isn’t fast-paced, but rather meanders and drifts as the characters wander and discover new things about themselves. I found it best to read a chapter or two at a time while relaxing rather than tackling the whole book at once.
***This paragraph will contain some mild spoilers*** One of the things I enjoyed most about Summer and Bird was the bittersweet ending. I saw it as a way of explaining the concept of divorce in a way that doesn’t cast blame on anyone, but instead highlights the way that two people can have fundamental differences. Summer and Bird’s mother is a swan, and their father is an ornithologist. While they love each other very much, they’re fundamentally incompatible. They come from two different worlds, and while opposites attract, there can come a point when a couple is just too different. Even though the father studies birds for a living, he can’t understand the mother when she is in her natural form. He doesn’t understand the magical language of birds, and all he hears is squawking. Even though he was able to live happily with the mother when she had lost her swan robe and been out of her kingdom, she was always missing an important part of herself, and was never quite fulfilled. Seeing their relationship fall apart was not good or bad so much as necessary. They just didn’t belong together, and Summer and Bird both had to learn to accept that and to find their own places in the world. The story explains an adult concept, but does so in a tactful and magical way that helps children understand why adults do the things they do, while emphasizing that it doesn’t mean that they aren’t loved. ***End Spoilers***
Catmull crafts a modern fairy tale that highlights the wonder and confusion that is a part of growing up and becoming independent. Summer and Bird may be directed toward children, but it will be treasured by audiences of all ages.
Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull is the story of two little girls who discover the magic in their world. Their mother is secretly the queen of the birds, and their father is an ornithologist. Before they were born, the mother’s swan form was locked away, and she has been living as a human ever since. One night, she becomes a swan again and flies away. Her husband runs after him, forgetting about Summer and Bird and focusing solely on finding his wife. The children soon follow, becoming separated as their unique natures and ideas cause them to follow different paths and pursue different goals. Meanwhile, the greedy Puppeteer will stop at nothing to find the swan robe, because she believes that it will allow her to become the queen of the birds.
Summer and Bird began as a bedtime story that the author told to the children she was babysitting. The story is a blend between our own familiar world and the magic of folklore and mythology. The characters feel like archetypes, and while figures like the Puppeteer are a bit flat, it further solidified the fairy tale mood that Summer and Bird conveyed. The story isn’t fast-paced, but rather meanders and drifts as the characters wander and discover new things about themselves. I found it best to read a chapter or two at a time while relaxing rather than tackling the whole book at once.
***This paragraph will contain some mild spoilers*** One of the things I enjoyed most about Summer and Bird was the bittersweet ending. I saw it as a way of explaining the concept of divorce in a way that doesn’t cast blame on anyone, but instead highlights the way that two people can have fundamental differences. Summer and Bird’s mother is a swan, and their father is an ornithologist. While they love each other very much, they’re fundamentally incompatible. They come from two different worlds, and while opposites attract, there can come a point when a couple is just too different. Even though the father studies birds for a living, he can’t understand the mother when she is in her natural form. He doesn’t understand the magical language of birds, and all he hears is squawking. Even though he was able to live happily with the mother when she had lost her swan robe and been out of her kingdom, she was always missing an important part of herself, and was never quite fulfilled. Seeing their relationship fall apart was not good or bad so much as necessary. They just didn’t belong together, and Summer and Bird both had to learn to accept that and to find their own places in the world. The story explains an adult concept, but does so in a tactful and magical way that helps children understand why adults do the things they do, while emphasizing that it doesn’t mean that they aren’t loved. ***End Spoilers***
Catmull crafts a modern fairy tale that highlights the wonder and confusion that is a part of growing up and becoming independent. Summer and Bird may be directed toward children, but it will be treasured by audiences of all ages.
gazingangel's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I first read this when I was much younger and I can see why I loved it then!
marpesea's review against another edition
5.0
Poignant and beautiful and more heart-wrenching than you'd expect. This is fantasy done in a lyrical, old-school, fairy-tale fashion.
letsreadwithcats's review against another edition
2.0
I did like the premise of this book and parts of it were very well written. But. I really just found it too weird to be enjoyable. Not weird in an intriguing, no-one-has-ever-thought-of-that way-- weird in a disconnected, disjointed way. I really didn't care that much what happened about a 1/3 of the way through and I skimmed the rest. Not for me.
littlelarks's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could rate this book higher because it was one of the most gorgeous flowing pieces of writing I've read in quite a while. However it is a case of form over substance. As beautiful as the prose was, the execution of the plot of the story was a bit thin and did not hold my interest. 8/10 for sheer potential, but 6/10 for actual reading experience.