DREAMING OF FLIGHT by Catherine Ryan Hyde

 

MY THOUGHTS

Another beautiful story by Catherine Ryan Hyde. She has never disappointed me. 

I've read several of this author's books and each one has been a treasure. Each leaves you feeling so good. You get a lesson out of each one. A life lesson if you will. You meet people who are usually down on their luck or have something else going on and get to walk with them through each book. They make you feel so many emotions. This one was no different.  

A boy of 11, Stewie, who lives on a farm with his sisters sells eggs from the chickens that belonged to his grandmother. He meets an older woman, Marilyn who is a bit of a recluse. She stays hidden. Away from everyone. Of course you will learn why. Even though she is a big harsh with Stewie at first he, like most children, keeps going back. She reminds him of his grandmother and that is important to him. Of course being a child and innocent in so many ways he doesn't pay much mind to her being a bit cold towards him. And of course they strike up a friendship. 

You will learn what it's like for this child after losing his parents and his grandmother. Living with his older sister and taking care of a farm. Caring for chickens. Making friends. Helping a woman come out of her shell without really meaning too. The innocence of a child is priceless. The relationship between these two will melt your heart. Lots of tears of course but also a few chuckles along the way. Ms Hyde has woven another beautiful story of friendship between two unlikely people and made you feel their pains and happiness. As though you are right there. 

This author's work always gives you hope that things can get better. No matter how sad or how much pain is involved you leave these stories with hope for a much better tomorrow. That is what I always love about Ms Hyde's books. Never give up. Keep going. Things can and do get better.

Thank you #NetGalley, #CatherineRyanHyde, #LakeUnionPublishers for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book. I loved it.

5/5 stars and a very high recommendation.

SYNOPSIS

An unexpected connection becomes the saving grace for two unlikely friends in a heart-stirring novel about love, loss, and moving forward by a New York Times and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author.

Never knowing his parents, eleven-year-old Stewie Little and his brother have been raised on a farm by their older sister. Stewie steadfastly tends the chickens left by his beloved late grandmother. And every day Stewie goes door to door selling fresh eggs from his wagon—a routine with a surprise just around the corner. It’s his new customer, Marilyn. She’s prickly and guarded, yet comfortably familiar—she reminds the grieving Stewie so much of the grandmother he misses more than he can express.

Marilyn has a reason for keeping her distance: a secret no one knows about. Her survival tactic is to draw a line between herself and other people—one that Stewie is determined to cross. As their visits become more frequent, a complicated but deeply rooted relationship grows. That’s when Stewie discovers how much more there is to Marilyn, to her past, and to challenges that become more pressing each day. But whatever difficult times lie ahead, Stewie learns that although he can’t fix everything for Marilyn or himself, at least he’s no longer alone.