A moving novel of loss, regret, denial, and discovery on Galveston Island, from the author of Opal’s Story and The Ember Months. Birdie has lived to regret many of her decisions, but she doesn’t regret offering a stranger, Jude, shelter from an approaching hurricane. Their serendipitous meeting will form a bond that will change their lives forever. In a character driven story with memories of the … character driven story with memories of the protests and inequality plaguing the 1960’s, Birdie’s reached middle age and questions her life. Jude is striking out on her own, but has been derailed by a fatal accident claiming her only friend. Although their backgrounds and lives are vastly different, they recognize something in the other that forges a friendship.
As their relationship solidifies, they share glimpses of their pasts. Birdie is a product of the ‘60’s, an aging hippie, with a series of resentments. She had a sheltered childhood in an upper class family. Her parents longed to see her make the Texas Dip at the Mardi Gras ball. Jude, however, entered foster care as an infant. Her parents, victims of a murder/suicide, left her and her siblings orphaned and separated.
There is something about their connection that strikes Birdie as familiar. Can souls know each other in different lives? Birdie struggles with the awareness that she has had regrets and hasn’t lived an authentic life, while Jude faces an uncomfortable truth about her own. It has all the feels.
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In Phyllis H. Moore’s, Birdie and Jude, characters come to life and spark interest in the soul of the reader. Birdie, a lifetime resident of Galveston Island, keeps to a happy routine with her dog, Ollie.
Walking the shore on one of their usual excursions they pick up a visitor in distress. Not knowing much about the young woman, Jude, or her disastrous situation, Birdie invites her back to her home to shelter out the storm.
Through routine activities, the writer reveals glimpses of Birdies unique personality. Well loved by the community, Birdie has secrets and a strong desire to be left out of social graces, though she can fake it well enough for a few friends and her over protective nephew, Barry. Young and beautiful Jude also has a past and slowly reveals her situation to Birdie as they become fast friends.
The real part of this story is not in the daily lives of its characters or the events they are caught up in. This story transcends across time and has a warmth to it that stays with the reader long after the story is over.
Birdie and Jude has the sass of Rita Mae Brown mixed with the warmth and racial equality struggle of The Help. I strongly recommend this book for any occasion, but I picked it up on my vacation and couldn’t put it down. A wonderful page turner and hope for a future with loved ones past and present.
In Phyllis H. Moore’s, Birdie and Jude, characters come to life and spark interest in the soul of the reader. Birdie, a lifetime resident of Galveston Island, keeps to a happy routine with her dog, Ollie.
Walking the shore on one of their usual excursions they pick up a visitor in distress. Not knowing much about the young woman, Jude, or her disastrous situation, Birdie invites her back to her home to shelter out the storm.
Through routine activities, the writer reveals glimpses of Birdies unique personality. Well loved by the community, Birdie has secrets and a strong desire to be left out of social graces, though she can fake it well enough for a few friends and her over protective nephew, Barry. Young and beautiful Jude also has a past and slowly reveals her situation to Birdie as they become fast friends.
The real part of this story is not in the daily lives of its characters or the events they are caught up in. This story transcends across time and has a warmth to it that stays with the reader long after the story is over.
Birdie and Jude has the sass of Rita Mae Brown mixed with the warmth and racial equality struggle of The Help. I strongly recommend this book for any occasion, but I picked it up on my vacation and couldn’t put it down. A wonderful page turner and hope for a future with loved ones past and present.
Birdie and Jude are memorable characters who will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. The story is woven from threads of the past, present, and future, and the world-view of how we are all connected is charming and uplifting.