Reviewer: Sandy
I was given this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
They continue to amaze me. It’s their finesse and their subtle ways that attract my attention as they soar so freely without restraints and then they sit and just stare as if pondering life’s great mysteries, they are truly amazing creatures. Melissa has captured their essence in her biography to such an extent that her own story seems to take second stage to the life of these winged creatures. Such detail and accounting she puts forth into this novel, explaining the lives of these birds of prey, that I feel that I have a world of knowledge in my hands, just holding this book. Owls, hawks, falcons, harriers and eagles are all covered in detailed in this book as Melissa narrates her memoir, which is in essence falling in love. Melissa’s first love begins when she meets Jonathan in the dog park. Working at a raptor center, she’s fascinated by the work that he does. She follows every word he says, catching every breath he breathes, she just can’t get enough of him. Asking if she would like to volunteer with him, she hesitates, she’s fearful, not because of Jonathan, no….she’s afraid of birds. Slowly and patiently, Melissa decides she can do a few duties around the center as long as she doesn’t have any bird contact. I thought it was so interesting how she was so absorbed with Jonathan but still so fearful of the birds that he adored. How she longed to be a part of his life but this fear so often plagued her life. Jonathan and the other individuals encouraged Melissa, pushed her to become more involved, encouraged her to get more training but her fear kept her from stepping forward. It was the Juno, the great-horned owl that fascinated Melissa. It pushed her to take the steps to start overcoming her fear slowly, for this fear would take a long time to fully beat. These steps would lead her to her second love in her life, the birds. Like all relationships, Melissa holds nothing back as she talks about the choices the couple makes as they handle work, marriage and the thoughts of parenthood as they make their way through adulthood. Melissa finds another love in her life, something she thought she would not have the chance to experience, but sometimes life is not predictable, you just go with the flow.
