Adrian R. Magnuson

This is a worthy book and I found many parts of it enjoyable, specifically the characters of Harry and Jay and their shared passion for birding. I enjoyed Harry and Jay's efforts to help Harry reach 300 different birds on his life list. As a person whose life has been affected by Alzheimer's, I appreciated the effort to get into the mind of a brilliant man who knows he's losing his memory. However, the pacing, especially near the end, is uneven. Most of the story takes place over a few days, show more but the last few chapters cover a few years and some irrelevant (though nice) details. The resolution seems entirely too neat and tidy for a complex set of problems. show less

Two unlikely people pair up on a cross country trip. Jeremy, a 13 year old sent to NY to spend the summer with his bipolar mother, meets Harry, elderly, one-legged, and in the throes of mild-staged Alzheimer's, find a common bond in birding. Well told and touching story.

This is a really nice story. Its fun and poignant, without being sappy. The characters are very real.

I did find the alternating narrative style a bit difficult at first, partly because there were so many introduced so quickly. However, that settled down pretty quickly.

When a retired professor with Alzheimer's and a 13 y.o. boy with self-absorbed parents meet on a plane, an adventure to claim their freedom begins.