The Bitter End Birding Society

Title: The Bitter End Birding Society
Author: Amanda Cox
Major Themes: Historical, Appalachian Mountains, Bird Watching
Synopsis: Escaping from her hometown for a while, Ana goes to help her aunt prepare to move, and in the process, uncovers new details of her family history and the surviving brokenness that needs healing.

I’ve enjoyed Amanda Cox’s books for years now. She writes with strength, heart, and a great deal of compassion, and I also love that her books are typically more friendship- than romance-based. When I saw The Bitter End Birding Society was to be released soon, I immediately asked for a review copy, and dove into it as soon as I could make the time. This was another excellent addition to Cox’s lineup; I’d be hard-pressed to decide which of hers is my favorite, because they’re all so good!

Publisher’s description:

My thoughts:

Where do I even start? This book took me all over the place, emotionally—from that gripping preface with the questions that left me with, to a sweet but oh-so-broken Ana, to a crusty, somewhat incomprehensible Cora, to the adorable Spot-Pippi-Pip-Piper, and all the other delightful characters. Not to mention the setting; this reminded me all over again why I loved Christy and Wonderland Creek, and made me long to find more books set in the Appalachian Mountains. Wow. As the title hints, there’s quite a bit of birdwatching that goes on in the story (and yes, it makes me want to go birdwatching now!). This book may have also made me turn on some mountain dulcimer music while I worked several evenings in a row…you’ll understand when you read the book.

Even more than that, this is the story of a family across multiple generations of hurt, how we can come to peace with the decisions we or others make, and how we can learn to forgive ourselves, even when we don’t feel like we deserve it.

This is a story of community, of choosing love even when it’s hard, of life, and grief, and yes, some joy, too.

I finished reading this book this morning, and to be honest, I’m having a little trouble letting the story go. I was able to connect with so many of the characters here—seeing myself in their reactions and the ways they tried to shelter and protect themselves—and I can’t tell you how inspiring it was to watch them finally come to terms with their own stories and start finding ways to live in wholeness once again.

If you enjoy books that feature deep friendships, healthy internal conflicts, and a love of nature, not to mention a gripping split-time element and strong Christian values, I’d highly recommend you check out The Bitter End Birding Society. I already have a couple of people in mind that I’m planning to recommend this book to, and I can’t wait to see what Amanda Cox writes next—this was a gem!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

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