Stories for Birders and Other Observers edition by Andrea Vojtko Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Stories for Birders and Other Observers edition by Andrea Vojtko Literature Fiction eBooks 
Birders are among the keenest observers and five of the thirteen short stories in this collection are inspired by imagination while birding or connecting with nature. Ida Pilcher is inexplicably followed wherever she goes by a dozen turkey vultures; Garland Duckett sees God in the golden eye of a Great Blue Heron; Nelson Mayfield, driven by an Internet report, searches frantically for life on Mars before his anticipated early demise; Nathanael Early’s dioramas of Civil War battlefields have taken over his basement; he barely has space for Vicksburg; Brian Feeney observes his neighbor, an Iraq war veteran, refurbishing a corroded four-foot bronze cross on his deck but why. Andrea Vojtko believes that even so-called normal people are eccentric in their own way, if you observe them long enough. In I Stop for Falcons, Thomas scoffs at a group of birders who hold up traffic while they scope out a falcon, labeling them weird. But his dialogue is itself eccentric. A woman searching for her mother’s lost year in Beverly Hills encounters her mother’s strange acquaintances and gets more than she bargained for. Five of these stories were published previously in literary journals with one, Jubilant Voices, nominated for a 2003 Pushcart prize. Andrea Vojtko lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Stories for Birders and Other Observers edition by Andrea Vojtko Literature Fiction eBooks
What an interesting collection of short stories which surprisingly captivates not only the bird watcher. As an English literature teacher, I find that the bird thread would have been a unique one to have the students discover -- from the swirling vultures to the Blue Heron on to the loon. I enjoyed the human element in A Year in Beverly Hills and it had me wondering. No matter how you looked at it, she returned out of love, but was it for the love of a man or the love of her father? Or were they one and the same? As a lover of mysteries, I found that several stories also offered a certain amount of suspense. One waited to see why the vultures followed Ida Pilcher. And in the Stations of the Cross, which I absolutely loved, one almost expected it to end in some murderous or suicidal act, instead of an act of forgiveness of himself. But like so many of the others, the author allows the main character to resolve his conflict. Each redeems himself or herself. Were the vultures symbolic of some guilt she had been carrying with her? They left. Was the all-knowing eye haunting her for some past transgression? And it was sad watching Troy carry the cross of his own survivor’s guilt for not having died with his friends, even having his own Simon of Cyrene in Pete to help him carry it. The happy thing about these stories is that each resolution was liberating. I'm putting the book in the school library.Product details
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Stories for Birders and Other Observers edition by Andrea Vojtko Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Famed New Yorker short story editor and master of the form himself, William Maxwell writes in his essay collection The Outermost Dream “I can never get enough of knowing about other people’s lives.” Andrea Vojtko’s short story collection is a magnificent representation of that sentiment – how we are wired to be curious about other people. It’s fair to invoke Maxwell since Vojtko’s stories are carefully crafted in terms of conflict, pacing, character, idiom, and ending. Moreover, Vojtko goes further and demonstrates the inquisitive human tendency to explore our place in the natural world. Specifically, Vojtko manages in many stories to weave a connection between the complex relationships among people and the human interaction with nature. Readers open a window to see how the natural world and especially birds, whether flocking vultures or a solitary heron, intersect in and impact the lives of people (as in “Swirling Above Her Head” and “The All-Knowing Eye”). Vojtko’s stories explore with humor and poignancy the peculiar behavior constituent of the human condition without forcing answers on readers. We don’t have any real heroes here; we have idiosyncratic and highly sympathetic characters who reflect human nature with their foibles, quirks, broken lives, and ultimately a quest for meaning (as in “Searching for Life on Mars,” “A Year in Beverly Hills,” “Of Persimmons and Asian Pears,” and “Marvelous”). Reading a Vojtko story is a special experience, where one enters a wondrous and even at times bizarre world, her writing reminiscent of another short story master, Flannery O’Connor. There is a fine line dividing reality and fantasy, and these stories are filled with magical drama and dark comedy though quite believable. There are situations where some odd circumstance gets compounded by chance incrementally and builds to a strange outcome (as in “Chasing the Loon”). The essence of a character is crystallized quickly in dialogue and actions, where, for instance Vojtko wonderfully captures the difference between men and women or the paradoxical ties between parent and child (as in “I Stop for Falcons,” “Jubilant Voices,” and “Meditating Like Brutus”). In real life we often don’t get to know someone deeply, but in the space of a Vojtko story we come to know the inner thoughts, pains, and sufferings of individuals and how their lives converge meaningfully with other people (as in “Stations of the Cross”).
Andrea Vojtko’s collection of literary stories populated with memorable characters, resounding with crisp idioms, and flavored with the sounds, textures, and colors of nature in the Mid-Atlantic States is highly recommended for anyone curious about the lives of other people.
Gregory F. Tague, Ph.D.
Professor of English, St. Francis College, N.Y.
General Editor, Bibliotekos
I liked the author's style of writing. There was always anticipation of what would come next. I liked that the book was a series of short stories.
You will immediately find yourself engaged in these stories! Vojtko does a wonderful job of allowing the reader to create characters and images in their mind, while leading them through the story to some unexpected endings. Each story is unique and captures moments in time when you find yourself in the role of a particular person, wondering how you would handle the situation. I loved the stories and would encourage others to dive in and play the part as they read.
This book of short stories is a delightful read, easily enjoyed story-by-story or in one sitting. The observations in the stories include both Mother Nature and Human Nature. Years ago when I took a drawing class I was amazed at how it forced me to look at the world differently - I became more of an observer. The author of these stories is an artist as well and observes both the world around her and the complex relationships of people with each other. The title of the poignant story of Mr. Anthony the hairdresser that ends the book sums up the whole - Marvelous.
The book, STORIES FOR BIRDERS AND OTHER OBSERVERS, is a wonderful collection of short stories that is thought-provoking, engaging, and reflective. Additionally, the common thread of nature and humor that is woven in the fabric of many of the stories will appeal to readers. I particularly enjoyed the inner struggle of the character, Nathanael Early, in the story, "Jubilant Voices". Another provocative and poignant story is "Stations of the Cross". Personally, I felt this would make a great story for a film. The author has an uncanny way of pinpointing the conflicting thoughts and feelings of the characters. This is a great read.
What an interesting collection of short stories which surprisingly captivates not only the bird watcher. As an English literature teacher, I find that the bird thread would have been a unique one to have the students discover -- from the swirling vultures to the Blue Heron on to the loon. I enjoyed the human element in A Year in Beverly Hills and it had me wondering. No matter how you looked at it, she returned out of love, but was it for the love of a man or the love of her father? Or were they one and the same? As a lover of mysteries, I found that several stories also offered a certain amount of suspense. One waited to see why the vultures followed Ida Pilcher. And in the Stations of the Cross, which I absolutely loved, one almost expected it to end in some murderous or suicidal act, instead of an act of forgiveness of himself. But like so many of the others, the author allows the main character to resolve his conflict. Each redeems himself or herself. Were the vultures symbolic of some guilt she had been carrying with her? They left. Was the all-knowing eye haunting her for some past transgression? And it was sad watching Troy carry the cross of his own survivor’s guilt for not having died with his friends, even having his own Simon of Cyrene in Pete to help him carry it. The happy thing about these stories is that each resolution was liberating. I'm putting the book in the school library.
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