Flight Behavior: A Novel (edition 2012)

Dellarobia is walking into the mountains on a fool's errand, ready to throw her life away, when she happens upon a magical sight-- a valley filled with Monarch butterflies. This story follows everything that happens after that moment-- the wonder, the confusion, the fear regarding what it all means.

This was my first Barbara Kingsolver book. I've heard such good things about her, and know how popular she is. So I was hoping to be blown away. Unfortunately I was not.

That's not to say it was a bad story. It wasn't. It had it's moments. I'll admit to a few tears and a few smiles. But for the most part, the book came off as just "eh" for me.

Dellarobia wasn't very likable in the beginning, although she became more so later on. She was just a whiny and complaining woman discontented with her life, and unappreciative of everything she has, focused only on what she doesn't have.

But life changes after the butterflies. She begins to remember the person she used to be-- who she wanted to become. She begins to see her life for what it really is, both good and bad. She finds herself once again.

My final word: While I embrace the author's attempts to draw attention to the issue of "climate change" and its consequences, this story just came off as overly-dramatic. Climate change is more of a whisper, it's subtle and quiet and sneaks up on you while you aren't looking. This book felt like a loud scream in a quiet forest. Yet, despite that, the book was almost boring at times, making me scan over descriptive text that I had no interest in. And I kept cringing at the cultural stereotyping that riddles the story. It felt uncomfortable to me. There was something...I don't know...almost untoward about the constant stereotypes in this book. But overall it is a worthwhile read, if for no other reason than to open your eyes to the far-reaching implications of climate change. ( )

I generally like Kingsolver's writing and her insight into characters. This book has both lovely description and complicated interesting people, but it's marred by a preachy tone involving climate change. Global climate change is a worthy topic and deserves more discussion in the mainstream press--a point Kingsolver makes--but it came off a bit heavy handed as a plot device in this book. IMHO. Others might not find it so. My other complaint is with the ending. It seemed too pat. For those who've never read Kingsolver, read some of her earlier stuff first. For those who have read her, do check this out. I liked it, just not as much as some of her other work. ( )

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review from TLC Book Tours.

Oh, Barbara Kingsolver, you are just as amazing as ever. From the author of one of my all-time favorite books ever (The Poisonwood Bible), comes Flight Behavior.

When I heard TLC Book Tours was hosting a tour for a Kingsolver book, I jumped right in. And I’m glad that I did.

Flight Behavior is a story about Dellarobia Turnbow, a poor woman in a small town, with a husband she’s not in love with (got pregnant young and got married), and two kids that she adores. Dellarobia’s struggling to find her way, and on her way, she discovers a magnificent sight.

Turns out, this magnificent sight (that she didn’t have her glasses on for her to see clearly) is the accumulation of millions of monarch butterflies in the woods on the Turnbow property.

Only problem is, her father-in-law is going to have the woods bulldozed to sell off the trees and pay the mortgage.

For the full review, visit Love at First Book ( )

This is an AMAZING book! I find myself recommending it to customers, friends, and strangers. Set in rural Appalachia, a small farming town becomes the center of attention when the migrating monarch butterflies settle in the local mountains instead of their usual destination in Mexico. The strange phenomena is attributed to global warming which has already wreaked havoc on this rural land, causing mud slides and lost crops due to unseasonal rain. But more than a novel about climate change, this is a story about human behavior and the state of denial we enter when faced with devastating news. The audiobook is narrated by the author - usually not a good situation, but Ms. Kingsolver does an amazing job with accents and distinct character voices.

Read this book! I could recommend it until the cows come home ... or the butterflies migrate back to Mexico. Excellent! ( )

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