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Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

Migrations

A Novel

by Charlotte McConaghy
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Aug 4, 2020, 272 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jul 2021, 288 pages
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Reviews


Page 4 of 6
There are currently 41 member reviews
for Migrations
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  • Beverly D. (Palm Harbor, FL)
    A Stunner!
    Beautifully written, Migrations is a novel we need to read NOW. Our vulnerable planet, in the not too distant future, is losing species and a desperately broken woman is trying to help stem the tide. This is an adventure story, a love story and an examination of what means HOME and how and where we can find it. Relationships, with both nature and people are in the forefront of this story. The author keeps the parallel stories well defined and flowing so well that one never loses interest. I would highly recommend this book as a book club title....lots of important and timely topics for discussion.
  • Catheryne Z. (Plano, TX)
    Last Migration of the Arctic Terns
    I really enjoyed this book. The book is well written and has a great flow. It has a melancholy, mildly science fiction theme. Franny Stone is an interesting character with a wandering spirit and a hard life. She is in remote Greenland tracking the last Arctic terns and following them on their last migration. She finds a fishing ship, the Saghari , to take her on her journey. The book slowly unravels her dark difficult past as she's on her quest. She gets to know the crew members and their own issues. I like a book that has you trying to figure out a person's past and motivations. I would definitely recommend this book.
  • Gail B. (Albuquerque, NM)
    MAGIC
    On a mission to track the migration of Arctic terns from the Far North Atlantic to West Antarctica, Franny Stone, wanderer, joins the crew of Saghani, the last vessel certified to fish for wild Atlantic herring. Part Franny's search for family, part love story, part a mission to save wild birds, MIGRATIONS is successful in all. It tracks Franny's life as well as the flight of birds she has loved since childhood. Often beautifully poetic, unusual, intriguing, MIGRATIONS grows to a "can't put down" finale.
  • Marcia S. (Ackley, IA)
    Finding that which is lost
    Imagine a world without wildlife. That is the backdrop for this unsettling story about Franny— searching to fill the holes in her life. How can she heal the feelings of loss, abandonment, and wanderlust that control her? She thought she'd found the answer with her husband, Niall. In homage to Niall, she undertakes a sojourn to trace the migration of the Arctic Tern, rumored to be the last of their kind. On the journey, Franny is forced to deal with her demons. The supporting cast of characters add flavor and depth to the story. The ending was unexpected and well worth the read. This well-written book also reinforces the timely ideal of protecting our habitat and wildlife. I recommend it.
  • Linda V. (Independence, KY)
    Migration of feelings
    This book was a delicious "trail" of imagery, feelings, times and locations. It was like unwrapping a present. At first, I was a bit confused with the different time frames, but then it was like an unfolding rather than a jumping. An exploration of a character but of what life holds and brings us and how we evolve to encompass the sadness as well as the joy.
    On a personal note, I began reading this book shortly after the death of my daughter. The main character had lost a child and her journey through each experience and relationship resonated with me. The end did much towards my approaching healing as opposed to bitterness.
  • Deborah W. (Boynton Beach, FL)
    "Birds Gotta Fly:" "Migrations" is a tale for our times
    Reading "Migrations" was a cold shock to my system, like the icy ocean waters the protagonist, Franny, often dived into. The author describes a future we do not want. But her bleak vision is only one element of this engrossing story. The novel is also a warm combination of a love story, a perilous journey, a dark back-story that is only gradually revealed, echoes of classics ("Moby Dick" and Jules Verne and Hans Christian Andersen immediately come to mind, along with tales of orphans), and mesmerizing nature writing about places and the ocean and of course, birds. Just as "Flight Behavior" changes the way its readers look at and think about butterflies, and "The Overstory" does that for trees, so "Migrations" does that for birds. I read this while "sheltering-in-place" during the corona virus outbreak. It's too late to stop the global spread of the virus; but hopefully it's not too late to have a brighter future for our planet than the one "Migrations" paints. I have lots of time now, so I'll be thinking about what I can do about global warming; and I'll be thinking about Franny — what she was passionate about, where she ended up, and how her tale can empower us. Book groups will find much to discuss here.
  • Susan S. (Springdale, AR)
    Migrations
    "The world was a different place, once." The world that Franny lives in is one I hope we never realize. Her single minded determination to follow the terns across the globe is nothing short of incredible. So many stories are told - lives changed, loves lost. Faded memories are restored as Franny pursues her precious birds. We learn of her past and how it shaped what she has become. I found her totally likeable, warts and all.

Beyond the Book:
  The Arctic Tern

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