Seventy-year-old Goldie Sparrows faces declining finances, questionable health, and a late husband who torments her from the beyond. She seeks refuge in her butterfly garden, which is filled with voices and memories from long ago.Jocelyn Anderson is a struggling writer who finds escape from her custody battle in the journal of her late mother-in-law. As she gets pulled through the pages of time, … pages of time, Jocelyn discovers her own husband has a hidden history she knows nothing about. Is this secret now Jocelyn’s to keep?
Krystal Axelrod is living a life she never dreamed she could have. And yet the demons of a dysfunctional childhood and mean girl culture from her cheerleading days cast their shadow over her ability to feel whole, capable, and worthy. Does Goldie hold the key to Krystal’s path to freedom?
A masterfully crafted tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and the risks we take in the pursuit of justice.
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Suzanne Simonetti has created a beautiful garden setting for the three main characters in The Sound of Wings. All three women in their small town in Cape Cod are keeping secrets and are haunted by their past lives. Goldie’s deceased husband torments her, Krystal was abused and bullied as a child and Jocelyn fights for custody of her son and finds out that her perfect husband has secrets of his own. A story about friendship, love and the power of creativity.
Okay… spirits, “otherworldly” happenings, murder… all wrapped up in three quite mesmerizing women, each with a background that will have you hanging on their every word? You bet! Sign me up!
There are male leads that I wait in anticipation to see again in the author’s next book. Aloysius Pendergast, from the amazing writing team of Preston & Child, is the biggest one for me as a reader. (If you are unaware of this guy, grab a book called “The Relic” which is where he appeared the first time, and enjoy). When it comes to female characters, I also have my ‘faves’. From Sue Grafton’s P.I., Kinsey Millhone, to Alex Morrow penned by Denise Mina, there are many I wait for with bated breath to see what their creators will have them do next. Same with movies; one of the best of all time, in my mind, was “Practical Magic.” I love the way female characters always seem to have their secrets, their anger bubbling just below the surface, and their ability to see or experience something that’s quite literally “out-of-this-world.” And when it comes to this particular title, I have to say I was immediately captured by the trio of females who are going through some frightening and interesting issues all at the same time.
The setting is Cape May, New Jersey—a seaside town that’s written to feel as charming as the characters that dwell there. Goldie is the first gal who I just love. She has gotten through seven decades on this earth, but now finds herself trapped in a life where the memories of her own dead husband haunt her on a daily basis. Jocelyn is a woman who’s remarried and loving that particular aspect of her life. She’s also stuck, however, in a custody battle and finds an escape from this predicament by picking up her late mother-in-law’s diary and uncovering secrets about her husband that boggle her mind. Last, but not least, is Krystal. This is a girl who seems to have it all, but the ghosts of her own past—from her horrific childhood to being immersed in the “mean girl” society during her school days—have her filled with so many insecurities she can’t find a way to feel good or even happy.
The author is kind enough to dive deeply into the minds of these three completely different women, and she even ties their stories together in various ways that you would never dream of happening. Goldie is one that I truly felt for, simply because even with her health and lack of wealth predicaments, and her deceased husband making her life feel dark at times, she has developed a strong bond with nature, art, and strange moments in time. Jocelyn, being a struggling writer, is also extremely interesting; just by reading a journal, it almost feels at times as if she’s a detective uncovering hidden corners that reveal her own husband to be far different from what she originally thought. Krystal’s dark days have wreaked havoc on her, but it’s exciting to learn that Goldie may just be the solver of her problems.
The amount of emotion this debut has is enthralling. Honestly, there are not many firsts that can deliver so much love, secrets, friendship, risks, pain, betrayals… and the list goes on, that hold your attention from beginning to end. The author wrote a tale that literally allowed me to move through time. She allowed me to cry, laugh, and feel the goosebumps grow as I read and waited for the next thing to be unveiled. If this isn’t a finalist on all companies and websites’ “Best of 2021” lists, I will be truly shocked. These women will most definitely be among those favorites of mine when I look back at the female characters I’ve read over time who did far more than just make me look twice. Well done!!
The Sound of Wings is a beautiful examination of women at many ages and stages in their lives. Simonetti creates an extraordinary tapestry of interwoven stories between the characters in her book that allow the reader to become voyeur to the inner worlds of each woman. The character and story development easily examines the challenges of finding your tribe, grief, shame, letting go, and finding peace. If the reader allows him/herself to become invested in the story, they too will see themselves in each of the characters. The reader just may find a few pieces of sea glass to finish their own mosaic while watching for monarchs along the way.
Suzanne Simonetti has created a powerful yet tender novel that brings three women together, vulnerable each in their own way. Goldie, a widow, loves working with clay and owns her own pottery business. She loves her animals fiercely and her butterfly garden. Krystal grew up in a dysfunctional family and she was also bullied. She’s married to a wonderful man who would do anything for her and make her happy. She’s very creative and designs and makes her own jewelry. Jocelyn is a novelist, she’s divorced from her first husband who she has a son with, and she’s struggling to work on her book as well as deal with her ex regarding new custody issues. She’s recently remarried, and her husband is good to her. As these artists cultivate their friendship, combat their struggles and fears together and form bonds, they find what is meaningful to them. Their friendship allows them to grow, heal, and move on to whatever is next.
“For the first time in her life, she was respected, supported, and honored by the women in her life—and above all, nurtured.” As I always tell my own daughters, you always need your girlfriends, even when you have a boyfriend. They are who get you through life when you most need them, so don’t forget about them. I also tell my girls the more friends you have, the richer you are.
Goldie was married to Simon, but he leaves our world at a young age. She has a very close relationship with her father-in-law, Patrick, but he too, crosses over to the other side. He comes to her in very vivid dreams and she also hears his voice gently guiding her. Simon was not in his father’s favor as he’s not a very nice gentleman. He and Goldie’s marriage is one of turmoil only due to Simon’s own undoing. When Patrick was alive, he tended the butterfly garden he and Goldie created together, and it’s there that she finds peace, refuge, and nurturing. He was her sustenance and salvation getting her through the rough times with Simon. He gave her the fortitude to carry on, but so do her friendships with Krystal and Jocelyn.
Each year I have the distinct pleasure of watching beautiful butterflies visit my coneflowers in the summer. I look forward to these gentle creatures as they seek to produce nectar from my flowers, and I take great delight in photographing them. Unlike the bees buzzing, you can’t hear them. We are told that the butterflies are always a sign that someone you loved and has gone to the other side is a visitor from Heaven. In Simonetti’s THE SOUND OF WINGS, it’s not the butterflies that I thought had the most impact in her novel, but it’s the voices who speak softly and gently guide from the angelic realm which are soothing and comforting. Patrick visited often and was Goldie’s guiding light, her gift from Heaven, her angel.
THE SOUND OF WINGS isn’t about the butterflies, although they do have significance in the story. In my opinion, it’s about opening your heart and soul and really listening to what is being told to you. By the angels in Heaven and the sound of their wings, stop, look, and listen for the signs and gifts from the Divine and also your loved ones who have gone before you. This was a very emotional story, one that will last a lifetime if you are open-minded and learn by your senses, even your own intuition.
I’d like to thank Suzanne Simonetti for gifting me a copy of her book, and my honest review is purely my own.
Thoughts & Book Tour
This was such a captivating read about three different women from very different walks of life. Goldie is the oldest, dealing with voices from the grave in the form of her late husband Simon. Jocelyn is a writer who can’t meet deadlines, and is also battling with her ex over her son all the while keeping secrets from her new husband. Krystal is not new to town, but she is new to the lavish lifestyle she now has with her new husband, and she is having a hard time fitting in.
Out of all the women I felt the most for Krystal because she was bullied, and continues to be bullied by the same mean girls from high school. No matter how hard she tries, nothing helps. Thank goodness for Goldie who sees Krystal for who she really is ~a woman with a gift for making beautiful jewelry. While their friendship blossoms Jocelyn is at home reading letters her husband’s mom wrote years ago. While reading she learns about a secret that will not stay hidden forever.
I loved the alternating chapters, and getting to know each of the ladies more. This is such a heartwarming story about friendship and life’s ups and downs. To me a book is so much more relatable when the characters are having real life struggles. This is the perfect read for all ages.
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Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Author Suzanne Simonetti for my #gifted copy!
Book Rating: 4/5
Wine Pairing: St Supéry Sauvignon Blanc
A charming as well as intriguing novel about three unrelated women, each with secrets and struggles of her own. Goldie, at seventy, haunted by memories of her dead husband; Jocelyn, happily remarried but dealing with a child-custody battle; and beautiful Krystal, trying to burst free from her own cocoon of insecurities. While there are butterfly gardens and classy cocktail parties with charity raffles, in the shadows lurk darker issues, from bullying and betrayal to abuse and, possibly, even murder. You will fall in love with Cape May, New Jersey, and by novel’s end, you may be adding this seaside town to your bucket list. Well-written, with fully realized characters, whose separate plot lines converge, The Sound Of Wings is an excellent debut novel—and most definitely a great summer read.
Who doesn’t love a charming, heartfelt novel set in a beach town? The Sound of Wings is a story of three women whose pasts and presents haunt and intertwine as their mutual friendship grows. Each woman has a unique artistic passion that both enriches her character and deepens the pleasure of reading the book. While it’s not a suspense or mystery novel, it has traits of both—more than enough to keep you turning the pages well into the night, eager to know more. It will make you want to give your best friends a hug.
Vivid, detailed descriptions planted me in the midst of author Suzanne Simonetti’s fully formed characters, and overlapping narratives drew me into the interior lives of three of them, each with inner critics that hold them captive. Then, as their relationships with one another bloom and the meanings in their pasts unfurl, each discovers her own wings. The author built her backstory so completely that when the narrative hit its stride, I was emotionally committed to these women—cheering for them, empathizing with them, coaching them. I cared for them all—especially Krystal. And when the unexpected twist arrived, I loved them even more.
(I received an advance copy of the book in exchange for an independent review.)