Oswald
Campbell is a reformed, terminally ill drunk in Chicago who seeks
refuge in a small Alabama village intending to relax and live out his
last days in peace. His life quickly becomes entangled with the
locals including the grocery owner and his pet cardinal Jack, a
crippled avian orphan, and a gaggle of middle-aged spinsters who
aspire to see him married. There are quirky characters, like the
woman who dies her hair unnatural colors, the mail deliverer who
does business by boat, the surly Cajuns who refuse to mix with the
villagers, and the store owner who harbors the redbird and has been
nursing a broken heart for decades. The plot progresses lazily like
the lifestyle of the town and it is an amusing read.
However,
it reads like a Hallmark made-for-tv movie. This is not my particular
cup of tea. I don't enjoy the predictable and the saccharine so I was
disappointed. I have read and very much enjoyed Fried Green
Tomatoes and Can't Wait to get to Heaven by
Flagg. Both books had well-rounded characters and wonderfully
rich plots.
The
book group over-all liked this book as escape from the holiday
stress. But we agreed it was beneath our abilities and did not meet
our taste for books that provide fodder for significant discussion.
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