I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
Flight Patterns by Karen White Published by NAL on May 24th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Women, Fiction, Southern
Pages: 416
Source: complimentary review copy
Amazon / IndieBound
Goodreads
I’ve been a fan of Karen White’s books since Falling Home and After the Rain. She’s one of those authors that it doesn’t matter what the book is about, I’m going to buy it. My absolute favorite book of Karen White’s is On Folly Beach ~ that one was like immersing myself in dream, buying a used bookstore & living at the beach…
So about Flight Patterns. I’m not sure what went wrong with this one, but for me, I simply could not buy into the premise, the characters or even the setting. And setting is typically this author’s strong point!
What I did not love
- Maisy. She was angry at the world, spiteful and simply not a nice person. It seemed like the author was trying to make a point with Maisy’s character and how our parents can affect us even into adulthood. I did not see any real growth in her character throughout the book. Even in the end she felt flat and one-dimensional to me – an angry, bitter person.
- The progression of the book seemed stilted. It’s like the author threw every contrived scenario at the characters in order to create emotional drama and impact but instead, it didn’t flow with White’s typical immersive storytelling skill.
- The novel felt too long and drawn out. We were told many, many times how Birdie was mentally unstable and Maisie was ‘justifiably’ angry and Georgia was responsible for everything.
The good and the bad with #flightpatterns
What I did enjoy
- Becky, Maisy’s daughter. Such a sweetly drawn character who stole the show for me.
- Many of the bee facts – fascinating!
When a hive is invaded by a wasp, the bees cluster around the intruder and fan their wings to make it 117 degrees, knowing that wasps cannot survive temperatures above 116. This is the ultimate act of survival, as the bees will die if the temperature reaches 118 degrees.
- Nuggets of life truths sprinkled throughout the book:
When you let your hurt from the past control you, you are tied to it forever. You will never change your life until you learn to let go the things that once hurt you.
Because no one can hurt us as much as those we love the most.
Sometimes all we need to do to forgive our parents is to understand their own childhoods.
I”d honestly recommend one of Karen White’s earlier books over this one, especially On Folly Beach…have I mentioned how much I love that book?!?
