In the ensuing silence, he rent open the torso of the woman and pulled the child free. Somewhere in the steely desert night an animal shrieked.
As the inhabitants of Cloverdale, Oregon, welcomed in the twentieth century, they were not unaccustomed to hard times and thorny situations. Small communities banded together for protection and hope. Heroes and villains were often difficult to decipher.
When an itinerate Baptist preacher arrived with his baby daughter and a wife lost on the trail, there was no one prepared to suspect what lurid secrets and heartbreak he might be concealing. As the preacher sets his sights against those who might oppose him, the names and the lives of the good people of Cloverdale may not be spared.
Yet in the midst of the machinations of a mad man, virtue and valor can persist. The Thing with Feathers is known to fly through wars, depressions, and natural disasters. Will the Marshall clan and the good people of Cloverdale find it in time?
Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars.
This review is for: “The Things With Feather”, by Anne Sweazy-Kulju (Perfect Paperback)
I bought this book @ a craft show in Cloverdale. I could not put this book down. I was reading well into the early mornings. I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want it to end and stopped reading with 20 pages left so I would have it to finish the next day. This author captured deep feelings and personalities in all the characters. I truly loved this book and look forward to all and any this author writes in the future. Great gift for avid readers also.
4 out of 5 stars.
This Is A Really Good Book
Anne pens “The Thing with Feathers” in an interesting but difficult plot for some, dealing with incest, rape and harsh violence in biblical times. Her characters were relate-able and were shown as actual human beings which interacted well with each other. A gripping story line that kept me reading. I give “The Thing with Feathers” a 4 star rating.
5.0 out of 5 stars.
I find I can’t stop thinking about this story line and characters.
A complex historical novel, “The Thing with Feathers” has a multi-character cast, each of whom are brought into sometimes painfully vivid life. Set primarily in the beautifully scenic Tillamook area of Oregon, with an additional extended story line in Chicago, the novel views the early 20th century and illustrates that folks then were just like people today, dealing with the same real life issues, the crises, the emotions, the danger of nature’s ire, and also the eternal conundrum of good vs. evil. Certainly that continuum is well-represented here, with some characters who are just about irredeemably evil (yet, when we look at their background, as the author does, we can see why their feet turned on to the path of the wicked). Yet these are balanced by characters who couldn’t put a foot wrong, but occasionally misstep out of foolishness or out of sheer bad luck. I rate this novel at 18+ since the author deals with issues that are purely evil, yet very prevalent in real life.
5.0 out of 5 stars.
A story that is both dark and disturbing.
The Things With Feathers is not a light read and it has some serious issues discussed in it. When I first picked up the book for the tour I was excited because I said man I think I have read a poem with this title and when I looked back I saw that this is indeed a poem by Emily Dickinson called Hope is the things with Feathers. I read that poem again be fore reading the book and man was I totally blown away at how Anne has put everything together and has written a story that is both dark and disturbing.
In the small town of Cloverdale things are about to change and change for the worse not so much the good. The town needs a minister for their church and when a man with his infant daughter shows up they are glad they will have a minister for their town. But what the people once thought was for the good turns out to be something more sinister than they could have imagined. As the preachers daughter grows up the town will unearth an array of secrets that are far more damaging then anything they have every experienced.
Come along and read a dark and disturbing story where the only roses growing in this town are BLACK ROSES! Read about incest and rape that is covered up and never spoken about. Read about the violence that takes place and how some will stop at nothing to keep secrets hidden and buried where they belong. Learn how some will use the name of God to benefit them but in actuality, they are the biggest devil!
I’m glad I bought your book
Anne I finished your book the thing with feathers. I cried a couple times, but couldn’t wait to finish reading the whole book. Thank you for being at NVES Holidaze bazaar I’m glad I bought your book, and look forwards to more of your books in the future.
5 out of 5 Feathers.
I rarely give 5 stars…
…but I wholeheartedly offer all five for The Thing With Feathers. I understand the topics of incest and rape and harsh violence intertwined with biblical themes and religious overtones is unsettling for some. We are so often bombarded with the idea that everyone has good in them , no one is pure evil. The author rips that veil right down and exposes it like a nerve. She kills off characters, unreservedly so, and it is wonderfully uncomfortable. Pure evil does exist, some families are drawn to harm and pain, and sometimes they don’t deserve it. Well done.
I received a free digital copy of this book through a blog tour for my honest, unbiased opinion. I do not know the author, and I am not affiliated with her in any way.