THE BOOK : BIRDIE by TRACEY LINDBERG
sum up the book in a tweet
Bernice Meetoos is a Cree woman with childhood abuse in her past. She recounts her experiences on the streets in Edmonton. She leaves Alberta and travels to Gibsons, B.C. because of an early fixation with the TV show The Beachcombers. She finds a job in a bakery but continues a downward spiral. When her aunt and cousin arrive in Gibsons, Birdie turns inward and takes to her bed. She begins a silent dream journey with visions from her Cree heritage as guides. Val, Freda, and Lola support and care for her during this time. Sue Watson The book was amazing. It was mesmerizing, and gave me a better understanding of Cree beliefs. Well written. The main character Bernice/ Birdie was both complicated and yet in some ways simple to understand. All the other characters just perfectly fit a pattern of her trials and tribulations. Claire McKinnon A very Canadian novel, Birdie is at- tempting to recover from her tragic past, via messages from The Frugal Gourmet and her desire to meet Pat Johns from The Beachcombers. Terri Lawrence-Tayler Couldn’t actually finish it. Disturbing content and I couldn’t empathize enough with the characters to keep on going. Felt like politically correct publishing. Really wanted to like it.
Ronitte Friedman Birdie has had a difficult childhood and needs to forget and remember her past at the same time. A struggle for understanding, forgiveness, and overcoming loss.
Erin Boissonnault A poorly written and badly structured work that is unlikely to appeal to many people. Derek Pinder We travel with Birdie on a pilgrimage to Gibsons, B.C., where her teenage heartthrob Jesse lived. En route we replay scenes of her youth in sometimes haphazard manner reflecting the way her mind works. Sometimes dark, sometimes amusing — never predictable. Wallace Audley Birdie by Tracey Lindberg explores the life and hardships of an aboriginal woman in Canada through the mind of the protagonist, Beatrice. Robert DeLaet Birdie is the story of a Cree woman who is raised by her aunt in northern Alberta after her mother disappears. We follow Birdie as she moves from Loon Lake to Edmonton and then on to British Columbia. Don Kilpatrick This book deals with tumultuous emotions in such a pragmatic way that it gives the reader a true sense of what it is like to live through a tortuous upbringing yet keep hold of an inner strength and survive quietly and triumphantly. Andrea Louise Jowett