Blog Tour: A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers by Babette Fraser Hale

A WALL OF BRIGHT DEAD FEATHERS

By Babette Fraser Hale

Publisher: Winedale Publishing

Pages: 216

Pub Date: March 1st, 2021

Categories: Short Stories / Literary Fiction

Scroll for Giveaway! 

 

Most are newcomers to the scenic, rolling countryside of central Texas whose charms they romanticize, even as the troubles they hoped to leave behind persist. Twelve stories highlight “the book’s recurring theme of desire—for freedom, for clarity, for autonomy, and for personal fulfillment…When women are alone, unencumbered and unbeholden to anyone, they engage in intense internal reflection and show reverence for nature—and during these scenes, Hale’s language is luminescent” (Kirkus Reviews). 

 

 

PRAISE FOR A WALL OF BRIGHT DEAD FEATHERS: 

“Hale shows a great respect for her characters and for the difficulty of their deceptively ordered existence, as well as for the problems they suffer because so much cannot be spoken.” — Francine Prose, on “Silences” 

 

“A vivid set of tales about connection to other people and to the natural world…Hale’s lovely prose shows a keen eye for detail…”  

— Kirkus Reviews 

 

Purchase Links: 

Winedale Publishing | Brazos Bookstore | Amazon 

 

When I first picked up this book, I knew to expect a collection of stories but I had no idea how entranced I would be!  This collection is so very timely with many of us experiencing some level of grief, a great restlessness from being away from loved ones, and a deep need to be in a calm setting.  I found all of these elements perfectly interwoven through the individual narratives throughout this collection.  Most of the stories feature a person or family who abandon the hustle and bustle of the big city to experience a calmer life in the Hill Country.  The motivations range from grief and loss to needing a change of venue.  Throughout the collection of stories the “fish out of water” motif is repeated, but with incredible skill and beautiful prose.

While reading, I frequently found myself feeling a great sense of sadness, anger, frustration, and peace, sometimes simultaneously!  Honestly, the experience was breathtaking!  This is a fantastic collection of stories that reel you in and don’t let you go until the very end.  The underlying theme through the collection is that of place.   My favorite story is “A Skeptical Parrot”, which features quick time jumps, German freethinkers in Central Texas, the Civil War, and carries a deep sense of place and memory.  I have always been someone who enjoys stories about memory, particularly generational memory.  This story spoke to me in a way and reminded me of my own grandparents, their experiences, their home, and the great sense of place that I felt in their small town.

Overall, I felt a deep emotion connection to this collection of stories and I can certainly see why this author is an award winner!  I found the writing to be excellent and the thematic elements to be very well done.  I would recommend this to readers who are called to stories with a lot of emotional connection!  The cover is gorgeous and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!  Just about 200 pages is a perfect length to read on an afternoon in a sunny place, possibly in a place that reminds you of home!

Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for having me along on this tour! 

Babette Fraser Hale’s fiction has won the Meyerson Award from Southwest Review, a creative artist award from the Cultural Arts Council of Houston, and been recognized among the “other distinguished stories” in Best American Short Stories, 2015. Her story “Drouth” is part of the New York Public Library’s digital collection. Her nonfiction has appeared in Texas Monthly, Houston City, and the Houston Chronicle. She writes a personal essay column for the Fayette County Record.  

 

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! 

TWO WINNERS each receive a signed bookplate

+ $20 Brazos Bookstore Gift Card to buy the book 

 (US only. Ends midnight, CDT, 4/2/2021.) 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Click to visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page  
for direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,  
or visit the blogs directly: 

 

3/23/21	Author Video	The Page Unbound
3/23/21	Excerpt	Texas Book Lover
3/24/21	Review	Book Bustle
3/24/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
3/25/21	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
3/25/21	Author Interview	Chapter Break Book Blog
3/26/21	Review	Missus Gonzo
3/26/21	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
3/27/21	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
3/28/21	Guest Post	The Clueless Gent
3/29/21	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
3/29/21	Author Interview	Book Fidelity
3/30/21	Review	Reading by Moonlight
3/31/21	Review	Bibliotica
3/31/21	Guest Post	Librariel Book Adventures
4/1/21	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
4/1/21	Review	Forgotten Winds

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