Overview

Billy Flynn always wanted to fly. An attractive young man, a patriot, he is also an artist with pencil and paint and has an abiding affinity for nature. It's 1970, and he cannot resist the call to serve in Vietnam. A year later he is the only survivor when his helicopter is shot down. A wounded Billy returns home to his family in upstate New York, especially to Nell, his adoring younger sister. In his absence, the woman he loves has mysteriously disappeared. His wounds have crippled his ability to even hold a pencil, and his hearing loss has cut him off from the natural world. Nell, a brilliant student headed for a career in science, will do all that's possible to save him. A Catalog of Birds is the story of a family and a community confronted with a loss of innocence and wounds that may never heal. The legacy of war and its destruction of nature is seared onto the memories of a small American town. Laura Harrington has written a tale of forgiveness, of ourselves and those we love. Illuminated by heartbreak and promise, the novel is alive with spirit, wonder, and hope for the future.

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9781538489819

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Reviews

This book is not just a story of one veteran of a war that's long ago and far away. This war came home, to lurk in the shadows of our culture, dormant as a movie monster...As a writer, Laura Harrington's instinct is to go directly to the broken places, the critical times, the glaring problems, the fraught relationships, and then to shine a light on them that is fresh and illuminating, and makes you glad you gave yourself over to her book. -- HeadButler.com A sensitive rendering of shattered lives. -- Kirkus Reviews Her prose sings, sweeping through heavy topics with a quiet sense of resilience and buoyant hope. -- Publishers Weekly Stunning natural descriptions provide a rich backdrop for Harrington's beautifully articulated coming-of-age story, which captures the pain of loved ones grappling with the after effects of war. -- Booklist (starred review) A Catalog of Birds questions what it means to be an American, and offers what can be salvaged, or hoped, for a future. -- Consequence Magazine At once, the novel becomes a searing war story and a page-turning thriller. -- Washington Post Harrington's prose is fierce and tender both, and the story so powerful. Taut and true, A Catalog of Birds is a beautiful book about family, loss, and love. Its memorable characters will haunt you long after you put it down. -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author Echoes of war haunt this audiobook. One character after another is altered by the aftershocks of the Vietnam War, and narrator Josh Bloomberg tries mightily to capture all their voices and sorrows....The prose and the performance blend seamlessly. -- AudioFile

Author Information

Laura Harrington is an award-winning playwright, lyricist, and librettist. She teaches playwriting at MIT and lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Josh Bloomberg, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a trained professional actor with extensive audiobook experience as a director and narrator. Having worked with some of the biggest publishers in the audiobook industry, he is used to performing at high standards. He speaks English, French, and Hebrew fluently and is a member of the Audio Publishers Association. He also records his voice for commercial spots and other types of voice-over. In his spare time, he loves making homemade almond milk.

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