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76th out of 122 books
—
41 voters
How To Make A Bird
A beautiful novel that captures the aching of a teenager ready to heal.
It's dawn, on an empty road in the countryside. Empty, except for the girl in the long, red evening gown, standing next to a bicycle, and looking back at the home she's about to leave. Mannie's ready to start a new life and forget the terrible things that have happened here, but there are questions that...more
It's dawn, on an empty road in the countryside. Empty, except for the girl in the long, red evening gown, standing next to a bicycle, and looking back at the home she's about to leave. Mannie's ready to start a new life and forget the terrible things that have happened here, but there are questions that...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
June 1st 2010
by Arthur A. Levine Books
(first published August 1st 2003)
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I’ll start this review by letting you know that there isn’t a way to write it without giving away some of the story. I’ll do my best to avoid as much as I can but if you are interested in getting the full emotional experience (and you should be) then I would say skipping down to the last paragraph of this review will assure that you do so as spoiler free as possible.
How to Make a Bird is a beautifully written but tragic story of how one girl wades through family dysfunction as she attempts to de...more
How to Make a Bird is a beautifully written but tragic story of how one girl wades through family dysfunction as she attempts to de...more
How to Make a Bird by Martine Murray is a well-written coming of age story. A young teenage girl, dealing with loss and the grief it brings, sets out on a journey to discover exactly what's happened to her suddenly upended life.
The story moves at a pace to hold the reader's interest. The author has a great talent of using words to describe an image perfectly. From page 190:
'I got up off the wall. My bare feet felt the footpath and I looked at them poking out from my dress like little white mice....more
The story moves at a pace to hold the reader's interest. The author has a great talent of using words to describe an image perfectly. From page 190:
'I got up off the wall. My bare feet felt the footpath and I looked at them poking out from my dress like little white mice....more
Early one morning, 17 year-old Mannie Clarkeson leaves home for good on her bicycle wearing her mother’s red evening gown. As she embarks on her journey, we discover bit-by-bit through flashback scenes why she left. This beginning and the title hooked me immediately. Mannie’s mother is mentally unstable, her father kind and protective to a fault, her brother the center of attention, and Harry, his friend, different from the other young men. Then one night, an event shatters all their lives and M...more
How To Make A Bird is a breathtaking book written by Martine Murray. The book is about a girl named Mannie who lives in a very unstable house. There are so many things around her that are really troublesome and it's interesting to see how she deals with it. She deals with it by running away and going on a journey. The book is so well written with some lyrical, beautiful, well-descriptive abilities. On an emotional level, if you're experiencing things like the character Mannie, then it's so easy...more
Overall, the book is very quiet. The writing is terrific and, in a way, kind of pretty. Murray has a talent for turning ordinary things into something beautiful. While the book gets interesting when the past and secrets are uncovered, the book is too quiet for my taste. It did not compel me to keep reading, though I did read the whole book. There was a lot more character development than plot in my opinion. Some people have no problem with that in a book, but this was not my cup of tea (for lack...more
Okay, I'm still gathering my thoughts, but to be honest I'm a little bit torn with my review on this one.
While it was without a doubt, a powerful and engaging read, if I'm being entirely honest I'd have to say it wasn't as great as I'd hoped. Some chapters were definitely 'wow' but the story seemed to drag in other parts, and the 'climax' was a bit of a let down. That might be through no fault but my own for getting my hopes up, but was a slight disappointment nonetheless.
One final concern tha...more
While it was without a doubt, a powerful and engaging read, if I'm being entirely honest I'd have to say it wasn't as great as I'd hoped. Some chapters were definitely 'wow' but the story seemed to drag in other parts, and the 'climax' was a bit of a let down. That might be through no fault but my own for getting my hopes up, but was a slight disappointment nonetheless.
One final concern tha...more
Jan 09, 2010
The Blurb Radio Show
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
past-books-and-authors
I was reminded of Alex Miller in the beautiful word pictures the author paints with her writing. She inhabits the mind of this young girl "Mannie", who catches an early morning train from Daylesford to Melbourne "on business". She makes intruiging observations about the people she meets, and has memories of her life with her family - her brother Eddie, her quiet country vet Father, and her French mother who suffers from a kind of manic depression, which makes life in the household a bit up and d...more
How to Make a Bird is a lovely coming of age story about a girl in Australia who runs away and figures out truths about herself and her family.
There is a lot of detail and metaphors. Some of the time I really liked all of the detail but it was too much at other times.
I thought the book hit a good balance of tragedy and happier moments. It's not a happy book but it isn't a real downer, either.
There is a lot of detail and metaphors. Some of the time I really liked all of the detail but it was too much at other times.
I thought the book hit a good balance of tragedy and happier moments. It's not a happy book but it isn't a real downer, either.
Not very gripping. Not into it yet. So far, it doesn't have much of a plot. Meh. I'll give it another 50 pages.
Well, it wasn't terrible. I wouldn't recommend it or read it again, though. It just wasn't really my style. It was more "this is how I feel right now" than "this is happening right now", if that makes sense. It just doesn't have that much plot development. One good thing: the emotion. I could really feel it. But that didn't really make up for the plot deficiency, in my opinion.
Well, it wasn't terrible. I wouldn't recommend it or read it again, though. It just wasn't really my style. It was more "this is how I feel right now" than "this is happening right now", if that makes sense. It just doesn't have that much plot development. One good thing: the emotion. I could really feel it. But that didn't really make up for the plot deficiency, in my opinion.
While I think I liked it, my first reaction was 'how depressing' - it is possible to like something that is depressing, though, and I believe I liked this. I chose it for the title - birds, baseball, baking...I'm a sucker for books with those possibilities (and rewarded often enough to continue to be a sucker).
I did like very much her description of waiting and wanting, of how it makes you live a sort of zig-zaggy life. So true. And I was glad she survived - that she didn't give up and end ever...more
I did like very much her description of waiting and wanting, of how it makes you live a sort of zig-zaggy life. So true. And I was glad she survived - that she didn't give up and end ever...more
This book was powerful and full of emotion, but I found that I was a little bored. I wanted something more, although I'm not quite sure what. I also found that the ending was appropriate but could have foreshadowed Mannie's future a bit more. But overall, it was beautifully written and relatively enjoyable to read.
I love this book. I don't quite know how to explain it, but the language plays with your heart so well and i always find myself coming back to this book. I have to say that i am extremely fond of it sitting on my shelf...
I almost gave up on this book - a bit of a slow start. I'm so glad I stuck with it - such a beautiful, aching story, lovely language and imagery. My favorite kind of book: family, loss, heartbreak, hope.
I loved this book so much! my sister just randomly picked it out one day and now it's in my top ten! ya'll all should really truely read it! it was lovely!
Beautiful writing, sad story. The heroine is flawed but her depth and strength won me over. I wish the ending had more resolution. Lovely read though.
this book has been one of my favourites since i read it. everyone should open it's pages and delve into martine murrays beautiful world
This book is very different, to most of the books I read. It was in the end a very good book though. I enjoyed it. It was very sad and strange.
I adore this book. A truly original voice.
The prose is lovely but not much of a story.
beautifully written; boring as hell
Mannie's getting out of town. She hopes to end up in Paris but first she has to make a few stops to get answers to some questions about her depressed, possibly bipolar mother and about her golden boy brother. Told in the present with flashbacks, readers journey with Mannie as she tries to figure out her past.
Murray's writing shows flashes of brilliance but tries way too hard in other places. How to Make a Bird would make a good read-a-like for readers who enjoy Melina Marchetta and Deb Caletti.
Murray's writing shows flashes of brilliance but tries way too hard in other places. How to Make a Bird would make a good read-a-like for readers who enjoy Melina Marchetta and Deb Caletti.
Wow. What a beautifully written book. The way the author captured what Mannie was thinking & feeling gave me goosebumps from time to time. Lyrical writing. Wow.
Nice quick read. Loved the story!
the main concept of this book was very intresting but it was all over the place and the ending did't fufill my expectations.
http://inbetweenwritingandreading.blo...
The DNF Collection.
DNF.
Boring as Hell.
Beautifully written... But still boring U_U
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The DNF Collection.
DNF.
Boring as Hell.
Beautifully written... But still boring U_U
started out slow, got better with the story line. cute ending :)
Sep 16, 2012
Kami
marked it as unfinished
Weird and perverted.
Beautifully written!
I was so confused with the past and present in this one. Wasn't very interesting to keep me entertained, the only thing I really liked was the descriptive writing, the author had a lot of potential to write an amazing novel, I guess I just really don't like the sappy emotional dramas or something. :(
This book was good, but the library lady took it away before I could finish it....:(
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Martine Murray, a native and a current resident of Melbourne, Australia, is an accomplished author with a variety of other talents and interests. She has studied film making at Prahan College, painting at the Victorian College of the Arts, and movement and dance at Melbourne University. She began writing as a method of keeping track of all of her activities. She explains, “I was writing in journal...more
More about Martine Murray...
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“I think when people get stuck in situations that go against their soul, they can't be happy. That's all.”
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