Fledgling Song

by Abbey von Gohren

Fledgling Song traces the thought life and wanderings of Claire Sivert, a young Canadian woman living and studying biology in France. Caught between the wilderness landscapes of her native Manitoba and the winter-gray cityscapes of Paris, she struggles to find a firm footing. Besides yearning for a sense of place, she is also caught between two eras of her life. Painfully vivid memories from her childhood and tentative hopes rooted in the present intermingle as she moves through her days and records her musings in her faithful journal. Full of wonder and yet delicately unsure of herself, Claire learns through several encounters with new friends how to be bold and face her past and present, however imperfect.

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 29, 2013

About the author

Abbey von Gohren is currently on faculty at Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan, MN. Prior to this, she taught French as a graduate instructor at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and English and Creative Writing at the University of Paris VII, Charles V.

She spends most of her days teaching her students at how to wrap their lips and throats around the delicate sounds of the French language, remember Latin noun declension endings, and savor the wistful, salt-saturated voyage in the Odyssey or the dark beauty of Sophocles.

She devotes nearly every other stolen moment deciding what next to put on paper herself. She actively writes short essays on her blog, The Lifelong Fling.

Reviews

[Lisa Heaner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read 'Fledgling Song' three times over since receiving it. And I will read it again tomorrow. And probably another time or six after that. This week.

I read a lot. And this is honestly the best new fiction I've come across in a decade. Maybe longer.

There were sentences in this little novella that took my breath away. The prose is evocative and piercing. Although the underlying subject matter is somewhat dark, there is a certain admirable innocence to the characters, as well as to the story itself. As with any truly good book, I was a bit heartbroken when it ended -- I just wanted Ms. von Gohren to spinning her story. I wanted to know more, to keep living in that world. I want to share this book with everyone I know. And I also want to buy up every single copy and hoard them all for myself... to keep it my little secret.

Anyhow. Buy it. Buy a hard copy. So that when you see its cover your heart can beat a little faster with the anticipation of the next re-reading. Just like mine does.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

76 page book. Written by a fellow Minneapolis neighbor who left it in a little free library near our home. read it while camping. It was great. A coming of age story set in Paris and Manitoba. I felt myself relating to many of the complex feelings of the mid-twenties character. Would read it again!!

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book. I caught myself reading sentences over and over; not because I didn't understand them, but because the words were so amazingly strung together!

The characters were truly believable and unique. I could see the early morning sunrise, and smell the smells of Paris as I read.

I cannot WAIT for the next book from This author!!

[Joan Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Fledgling Song" is an excellent read! The characters are believable and memorable, and the descriptions of the setting make you feel as if you are there. The author skillfully draws the reader into the lives of the characters so that you want to know more about them, and you care about what happens to them.
I hope this author continues to write more books so I can read them!

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful novella. I had the luck to share a few French literature classes with the author, in our younger days. In reading her work, I hoped to learn what we were doing back then; what was it all good for? The answer is here and it has to do with kindness and honesty. Von Gohren’s lesson is sonorous, resonant, and rich. I’m grateful for the chance to spend time in this headspace.

[Raelee Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character's past and present weave together in this sad and charming story. The descriptive language is beautiful, and the characters poetic.

I did wish more than once for actual chapter breaks instead of just scene changes, because while the book is not long, it is far too long to be read in one sitting, and it's hard to stop in the middle of a page.