Add this to the list of fictional places I wish I could visit. The dellawisp birds themselves are adorable little scolds and thieves. The Dellawisp condos are a charming haven out of time. I can almost taste Mac’s cornmeal-based, love-infused dishes. I can practically smell the marshmallows and confections. Allen shines when she describes the healing powers of food and she has done it again in Other Birds. The fictional location of Mallow Island, near Charleston, SC, is a delight. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be an other bird than just the same old thing.” “There are birds, and then there are other birds. These characters complement each other well and begin long-overdue healing processes. There are other members of the tribe (even some ghostly ones) but I don’t want to give any plot points away. Mac holds so strongly to the past that he can’t see his future. The world has tried to break each member in a different way but they’re survivors. I love stories of found families and I got a delightful one here. “If the people around you don’t love you just as you are, find new people. Quotes may be different in the finished version.* So I’ve read this twice within about two weeks. But a friend sent me an ARC so I feel the need to write a more reasoned review and I wanted another chance to take my time with the book anyway. In my zeal to read a new book by Sarah Addison Allen, I found that I had inhaled this book in two sittings. When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment on an island outside of Charleston she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a girl on the run, two estranged middle-aged sisters, a lonely chef, a legendary writer, and three ghosts.

Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits-a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. An enchanting tale filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won’t let you go.īetween the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways.

The other birds sarah addison allen