Stories that Resonate with Women – My Book Review

I was drawn immediately to this book because of its brilliant colorful book cover. I am not much of a short story girl. To me, the stories do not last long enough. But, the cover made me want to hold this book in my hands and see what was between the pages. I can honestly say my opinion has kind of changed towards short stories after reading A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers by author Babette Fraser Hale.

What I liked most about Hale’s stories is the recurring theme that ties each story to the other. I do not know if that was intentional brilliance on her part or just serendipity. Each story has a woman that is experiencing or experienced some sort of life-changing event.

Well-written, this wildfire book almost reads like a small novel but with each story, the characters and stories change. Women at some point in their lives have to deal with or have dealt with the themes in each of these stories. Yet the themes of loss, moving, war, and other life-altering events is the brilliance in tying these stories together.

“We rarely notice a single wildflower,” she says. “It seems unfair.”

Nearly every story resonated with me but A Skeptical Parrot is the one story that touched my heart the most. Taking notice of even a single wildflower is what I do best. Knowing that some girl or girls long ago did exactly what Johanna did by taking the flowers and drawing and painting out their details on paper. Yep, that would be me in a former life.

Check out this exceptional book of short stories by Hale, especially if you are a woman!