Blog Tour Review: Birdie & Jude by Phyllis H. Moore

Birdie & Jude by Phyllis H. Moore

Published: 20th March 2018

Pages: 338

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

A moving novel of loss, regret, denial, and discovery on Galveston Island, from the author of Opal’s Story and The Ember Months.

Birdie has lived to regret many of her decisions, but she doesn’t regret offering a stranger, Jude, shelter from an approaching hurricane. Their serendipitous meeting will form a bond that will change their lives forever.

In a character driven story with memories of the protests and inequality plaguing the 1960's, Birdie’s reached middle age and questions her life. Jude is striking out on her own, but has been derailed by a fatal accident claiming her only friend. Although their backgrounds and lives are vastly different, they recognize something in the other that forges a friendship.

As their relationship solidifies, they share glimpses of their pasts. Birdie is a product of the '60's, an aging hippie, with a series of resentments. She had a sheltered childhood in an upper class family. Her parents longed to see her make the Texas Dip at the Mardi Gras ball. Jude, however, entered foster care as an infant. Her parents, victims of a murder/suicide, left her and her siblings orphaned and separated.

There is something about their connection that strikes Birdie as familiar. Can souls know each other in different lives? Birdie struggles with the awareness that she has had regrets and hasn't lived an authentic life, while Jude faces an uncomfortable truth about her own. It has all the feels.

Review

When Birdie finds Jude laid on the beach covered in dried blood and suffering from recent injuries Birdie is drawn to her and invites her back to her house to clean herself up and shelter from the impending storm. Birdie and Jude couldn’t be more different but quickly form a strong bond, almost as if they’d known each other before.

Birdie an aging hippy has led a sheltered life after refusing to follow her parents wishes of becoming a debutante. Battling her sexuality, she’s still mourning the lost of her closest friend Henry. Now she is reaching her later years she’s realised she’s wasted a lot of her life and is determined to change things. Jude is in her twenties and after a fatal accident leaves best friend Casey dead her plans for a trip to Europe. After spending most of her life moving between foster homes Jude’s never really felt like anywhere was home until she stays with Birdie, here she finally begins to feel settled.

It took me a while to get into this novel as its very character driven and initially, I found Birdie a little eccentric, but I liked how she took Jude under her wing and helped her feel safe. Ms. Moore has done a great job a creating to very detailed female characters who are very real, something which she should be very proud as so often characters can be a little two dimensional, not Birdie and Jude they show us many differing character aspects.

I did enjoy this novel of friendship and enduring spirits but in places it did drag a little in the middle. There were a couple of places where I wasn’t sure if Birdie was referring to the present day or memories from the past which did confuse me. Birdie and Jude is a wonderful character driven novel which explores relationships and society and the idea that spirits can revisit us in different forms. If you want to really get to know your characters, then I can highly recommend this novel.

Thank you to the author and Rachel’s random resources for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Phyllis H. Moore wants to live life experiences more than once: doing it, writing about it, and reading about it. The atmosphere of the south draws her in and repels her. The characters are rich with dysfunction and redemption, real. She’s had two careers and two retirements. Both careers gave her inspiration for her novels: The Sabine Series, Sabine, Billy’s Story,  Josephine’s Journals and Secrets of Dunn House, Opal’s Story, Tangled, a Southern Gothic Yarn, and The Bright Shawl, Colors of Tender Whispers, The Ember Months, Birdie & Jude, and an anthology of spooky short stories inspired by real places and events, The Bridge on Jackson Road. In 2018 she also released a new genre for her, A Dickens of a Crime, a Meg Miller Cozy Mystery. She has authored one nonfiction book, Retirement, Now What? Phyllis has been published by Caffeinated Press in the anthology, Brewed Awakenings 2, Fifteen Tales to Jolt Your Mind Awake. She blogs on her web site http://www.phyllishmoore.com. Follow her on Pinterest and Facebook.

Phyllis is a retired social worker and former owner/operator of a small bed and breakfast. She’s lived in the rural areas and cities of south Texas. She currently lives on Galveston Island with her husband, Richard.

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@phyllishmoore

Purchase Links

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07BLMR63Y

US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BLMR63Y