🍃🍂🐦 “A Season on the Wind” (2021) 🐦🍂🍃 – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800739507
ISBN-13: 978-0800739508
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“Ben Zook had only two loves in his life: books and birds. In a stroke of good fortune, he'd stumbled onto a way to cobble together those two loves into a career, writing books about rare birds. He was as free as a bird--until a chase for a rare White-winged Tern takes him to the one place on earth he planned to never return: his Amish home in Stoney Ridge.
Desperate for photographs of the elusive tern, Ben hires a local field guide, Micah Weaver, and boards at Micah's farm, planning to "bag the bird" and leave Stoney Ridge before anyone recognizes him. But he neglected to plan for Micah's sister, Penny.
One long-ago summer, Penny had introduced Ben to birding, even sharing with him a hidden eagle aerie. That was when she knew true love. She'd always hoped he would come back to Stoney Ridge. Back to his Amish roots. Back to her. The only problem? Ben has absolutely no memory of Penny.”
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell (a division of Baker Books), for providing a complimentary review copy through Interviews & Reviews. A positive review was not required, and all words are my own.
While I have previously read Fisher’s THREE SISTERS ISLAND series, this is the first Amish fiction book by the author I’ve read, though she has published several books.
I am definitely not new to Amish fiction. I’ve read several Amish romance and romantic-suspense novels. Most of them have been through Harlequin’s Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense line.
This is NOT a typical Amish romance novel at all, and it definitely fits the genre of Amish Fiction – meaning that it is just that – general fiction centered in an Amish setting. I might be the only one, but I was left wondering about the connection between the cover, title, and plot were.
Despite being about birds and a “reunited” love interest – this is definitely not a light read by ANY means.
Readers should be aware that this has mentions of suicide (the method is described in the book), depression, Alzheimer’s, as well as marital infidelity. This kind of content might be traumatic to some readers.
In addition, this does have a LOT of birding references which is a major theme of the story. While the author provides a glossary in the beginning, readers who don’t enjoy birding/bird-watching may not enjoy this offering.
I was wondering how Ben Zook forgot the woman who introduced him to birding. That was what kept me slightly interested in reading it.
As this is set in Stoney Ridge along with several of Fisher’s other novels, particularly the THE BISHOP’S FAMILY featuring David Stoltzfus. Interestingly, a character by the name of BENJAMIN ZOOK is featured in a book from LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS.
I haven’t read the THE BISHOP’S FAMILY series, but it appears only David makes an appearance. Those keen on continuity might want to read those books first. They can be found on Amazon here:
This is written primarily from the following POVs:
Penny
Ben
Micah (Penny’s brother)
Natalie (Ben’s Englisch cousin)
This is a shorter story than some. There are about 36 pages of “BIRD WATCHING LOGS”, bringing the total “story” pages down to 246 pages. So, a relatively short story.
And, it is primarily about Ben’s search for a particular bird that Micah put on the alert system. This is due to being told by Trudy Yoder she had seen it. In fact, it is at the end that she assists Micah when it comes to the bird.
There is also a LOT going on plot-wise:
🐦 Ben’s return to bag the bird
🗑️ Natalie trying to put her life back together
💕 Penny trying to rekindle something she thought she and Ben had
🚪 Ben’s reconciling with the reason he left
🧠Ben’s father’s battle with Alzheimer’s
And, a few other smaller plot lines.
As soon as Penny sees Ben she’s excited for his return. But, there is something wrong with him in addition to his physical health.
Ben left the Amish order when he was 16, and the reason is devastating. Honestly, I think that was the WORST part of the story. It definitely wasn’t something I would’ve expected. But, his return is for a far more beautiful and serene reason – the bird.
Natalie is there to accompany Ben on the search for White-winged Tern for which he hires Micah to be his guide. After bagging it, he can finish his latest book. The problem – finding it.
Natalie has her own crisis – she’s one of those “house-flippers” who is recently divorced. Think Chip and Joanna Gaines for a moment. And, one promising job lead she is passed over for – too overqualified. My mother and I have had that problem. It can be problematic when you need to find some way of paying the bills.
Penny has a secret – drawing. But, in her old “church” the practice was shunned. Basically, talent of any kind is shunned as it can lead to “pride”. This is also an issue for Micah who won an award for his birding talent. Thus this is the reason the two are in Stoney Ridge.
Penny is shocked when Ben is shocked she likes birds too. After all, she introduced him to birding. Something he attributes to his late brother rocks Penny – she was the one who said it to Ben. And, Ben doesn’t remember.
Is it the past?? Is it why Ben left?
Ben is haunted by the night he left – it was after his brother’s funeral. The night his father said they would never speak of Levi again. It isn’t long until the reader learns why.
Meanwhile, Natalie is beginning to see Stoney Ridge differently when she is introduced to the local vet, a man by the name of Boyd. And, while the romance seems unlikely, she enjoys his company. She’s also interested in Penny’s watercolors and sketches. She wants Ben to use his connection to Penny. He refuses.
The search for the elusive bird continues, and it stays elusive all the way up until the end. At times I thought the bird was mocking them by being so elusive.
Working back to the mystery of why Ben doesn’t remember Penny, I’ll give it up for the author – I didn’t see the reason coming. And, it is both beautiful and tragic at once. The reason isn’t revealed until page 228. Given the length of the story and bird logs, this is about 7% towards the end of the story. Ben struggles to tell Penny the reason though.
That won’t be the only trouble for Penny – Natalie also has a secret involving her. Micah knows something about a “neighbor” but can’t seem to tell the family which ends up in a confrontation due to the confusion.
Fisher definitely took some odd parts and made a beautiful story out of it much like weaving a quilt together.
And, while it was a 4-star read, I had trouble reading this one. I just didn’t connect with it. I tried to really connect and it just wasn’t there.
I should’ve known this book wasn’t sitting right with me when I kept misspelling poor Micah’s name as MICHA several times in my notes and even in my WORD program as I was drafting the review. I’ve never done that before. The only reason I mention it is that it was some kind of warning sign.
A Season on the Wind didn’t become remotely fascinating until a little over 50% into the story. I never got the connection between the story and the title. The relatively short chapters and frequent scene breaks did help me finish this sooner than I would’ve thought. Hank’s “shouting” (ALL CAPS) was distracting and I found myself skipping over some of those scenes.
Fisher did a great job of describing the scenes with vivid imagery as well as emotional dialogue. This is an educational, endearing, charming, and at times deeply emotional read.
As I am not into birds, I did skip the bird logs. Some birders/bird-watchers will no doubt be interested in them.
I truly enjoy seeing the different ORDNUNG (rules) for the Amish churches. Some are far more conservative than others. And, it is interesting that Micah was the one that was “punished” for being outspoken. It was shocking to me the reason as to why he refused a request by the elders.
There is a plot point in this that centered on a girl Micah was supposed to be courting – Shelley Yoder. I definitely would like a follow-up on her story due to how it was left off.
Those who’ve read the author’s other Amish stories might be interested in this one. I would also like to read THE BISHOP’S FAMILY to see how many people from that series were revisited here.
Since this is an Amish story, readers should expect some bible quotes and other references to God. These are definitely not part of the plot but are more to do the Amish and their religion. It is also a very clean read with no foul language and no displays of affection or intimacy.
NOTES: Ben is correct in that Zook is a common Amish surname as is Stoltzfus, Fisher, Miller, King, and Lapp. These names appear in a LOT of Amish fiction I’ve read.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – BookBub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than thirty books, including The Moonlight School and A Season on the Wind, as well as the Three Sisters Island, Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop's Family, The Deacon's Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @suzannewfisher.
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