Even though Kelly Simmons wrote The Bird House so that story can switch back and forth between 2010 and 1967, this book was easy to keep the time periods separate. There are clues in the chapters on 1967 that answer the questions the Ann Biddle had in 2010. This book is full of symbolism and straight forward clear writing. I love the author's style and know that story would succeed if Ann was not the sole narrator.

Ann Biddle has a family secret and as soon as I read that I knew that I wanted to find out the truth. My family on both sides have secrets. I have mild cognitive impairment so I have memory problems too. So I immediately connected with this story. Ann Biddle's memory is failing and she worries about a death in the past because she cannot remember the important parts of truth connected to the death. The author not only keeps you reading even when you really don't have the time but she has developed fascinating characters in her story.

Ann spends time with her granddaughter Ellie who is 8 years old, smart, full of life and perceptive. It seems that all her other relationships were gone, her husband died in the past, her mother and father are long gone. So she and Ellie explore family stories. Ann is selective about what she tells Ellie but sometimes things happen to jolt Ann's memory back. They care about each other. Ann reminds me of my grandmother when she was slipping dementia.

I highly recommend reading this book. ( )

A textured, intelligent book about a grandmother on the edge of Alzheimer's relaying family history and secrets to a granddaughter on their special days and hours together. While the child, Ellie, works on a project with Grandma Ann, memories surface via trunks in the attic, tying the generations together in unexpected ways. Thought-provoking. There is much between the lines subtly urging readers to consider various aspects of life and relationships, relatives, and aging and much more. The author has created a spunky grandma, a smart and curious youngster, and parents of the child who worry too much about her and are beginning to see reasons to worry about Grandma Ann.

Plenty of gentle, touching humor and much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved the characters and that they are. Unpretentious. A really lovely read.
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This is the story of a mother haunted by a secret she has long kept hidden. Now as she grows old, she finds she must come to terms with an act she committed as a young mother…the secret she kept will come out.

As Grandma Ann Biddle assists her 8 year old granddaughter Ellie with a school project, she finds herself questioning her memory of the past. She finds herself wondering what is actually a memory, and what is her impression of the event. Ann is no longer sure what really happened, or the way things really happened. She isn’t sure if her recollections are things she created to protect herself from the truth, and the pain of the past. She knows she must face the facts before it is too late.

Ann’s daughter-in-law Tinsley is Ellie’s mother. She feels the need to protect her own daughter from Ann. Unsure of Ann’s health and tenuous grip on reality, Tinsley feels responsible for monitoring the bond, as well as past secrets and their effect on the family’s future.

Time will tell. Secrets always come out, one way or another. Family shares your history. These three generations of women will come together because of heartbreak, but ultimately for healing. Indeed there is strength in numbers, and in love. ( )

I liked Bird House, however it touched a cord..I am in my 60's and am having memory problems as well as health. Maybe it was just too real, which says something for how well Bird House is written. Until now, I would have not believed that all families had secrets, but they are coming home in my family too. We sit with a room full of secrets and I so identified with Annie. I loved Standing Still, and Bird House comes in second. ( )

Interesting characters & setting. At times the story seem to veer from family drama to a mild horror story but settled back into family drama with a life lesson. ( )