Looking After Pigeon

by Maud Carol Markson

Of Maud Carol Markson s first novel, When We Get Home, Andre Dubus wrote, It may be the best story we have about marital love. In this, her second novel, Markson once again explores the sometimes humorous, and always complex, realm of family and love. Her characters struggle to answer the questions who will care for me? How will I care for myself?"
One spring day in New York City, five-year-old Pigeon s father disappears, leaving her to face a new and bewildering life with her mother and older siblings in an uncle s house on the Jersey shore. Our mother named her children after birds, so begins a now grown up Pigeon as she describes the tumultuous events of this pivotal childhood summer with her brother Robin and her older sister Dove. In the heat and unfamiliarity of a beach town near Atlantic City, each member of her family looks for a caretaker of some Robin in a fortune teller, Dove in older lovers, her Uncle Edward in the feckless owner of a diner, and her mother Joan in a religious cult. All the while, Pigeon, the youngest, searches for her father, believing he will return to the family to care for her. Through the course of the summer, Pigeon discovers surprising and lasting truths about those she loves, and about her own possibilities in the world.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, New York, Family

190 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Maud Carol Markson is the author of When We Get Home and Looking After Pigeon (available at http://www.amazon.com/Looking-After-P...) She has taught writing at the University of New Hampshire and Cabrini College. She now lives in California with her husband and son, and her dog, Molly, who is her constant writing companion.

Reviews

[Annie]

A lovely novel about the affects a broken marriage has on a child. Told from the perspective of Pigeon, a 5 year old girl, who is dealing with the reality that her father has abandoned them, as her summer unfolds we watch the damage caused by the uncertainty of love. The book is both humorous and poignantly touching at times. With a simple yet poetic voice, Maud Carol Markson creates a family of characters that draw from us the memory of our own complex fears and insecurities and make us ache as Pigeon faces the reality that her world as she knew it has come to an end.

[jenn]

With simple yet elegant language, Ms. Markson allows Pigeon to tell her story. Pigeon, the youngest of three children named for birds, struggles to understand the big changes that happen within her family in one eventful summer: her father loses his job and leaves the family; her mother, who doesn't seem the most stable of mothers on a good day, desperately moves herself and the children to her brother's house on the Jersey Shore; her brother discovers a unique gift; her sister tries to find love. Pigeon attempts to make sense of things in a way that is both childlike and innocent, yet wise. One of my favorite aspects was Pigeon's ability to recall the tiny details of childhood in a way that was completely believable. Sometimes, authors get bogged down in detail, so much so that it stretched the credibility of the character, but not so here. This book also alluded to a few societal norms, especially regarding homosexuality, that cause me to think it was set in the early- to mid-1980s. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am now looking for her first novel to read.

[Harriet]

This is a beautifully written novel about an engaging character named Pigeon, whose family is thrown into turmoil one summer when her father disappears. The voice is Pigeon's, when she's older, yet it evokes so poignantly and humorously a young child's point of view about the world -- and the family -- she is in. This is a book that holds me from start to finish through the sheer power and delight of the way in which the story is told. I love how deftly and compellingly the story unfolds; I love the insight and understanding of the whole.

I've been incredibly lucky to read this book in advance of the actual publication. I urge you to read it, if you love superb literary fiction with a genuine and engaging voice. This is the real thing.

[Zosma Leonis]

Judging from the title of this book, Pigeon needs looking after. Unfortunately, although Pigeon is 5 years old when the events of the book take place, far too much of the adult Pigeon who's telling the story creeps in. The result is a somewhat unevenly precocious 5 year old, who hardly seems to need any looking after. Far too often, I found myself saying "there's no way a 5 year old would understand that!" but then saying "if she understood that so easily, why can't she understand this?" Not only did this interfere with my reading of the book, but it made it hard to develop any sympathy for Pigeon.

[kglibrarian (Karin Greenberg)]

This was one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It's a gorgeous, melancholy, narration of the childhood of three children whose mother takes them from their Upper West Side Manhattan life to an uncle's house on the Jersey shore after their father leaves them. It's the kind of writing that makes my heart ache with how perceptive and evocative it is. To me it is a perfect novel.

[Susanna]

I won this book in a "Goodreads giveaway" and had not read the author's other book so I did not have any expectations. The book is a quick read and perfect summer/beach reading, because so much of the story centers on being by the shore. Overall I enjoyed the book and was even surprised to find myself wanting to keep reading to find what happens to the characters. My only "negative" comment is that it seemed hard for me to believe that Pigeon was only 5. She seemed so much more developed, mature, and insightful than a 5 year old and it just seemed very difficult to believe any 5 year old would be wandering around on her own all the time. That being said, she was tall for her age, obviously somewhat mature, and since the story is told looking back, I suppose some of Pigeon's thoughts could have been the adult Pigeon's thoughts reflecting back. All in all a good, easy read!

[Kim]

My mother got a bound galley edition of this book to read, and passed it on to me.

I enjoyed this story of one summer that drastically changed a young girl's life. Her parents separated, they moved to the ocean to live in her uncle's house, her mom started dating a new guy who tried a little too hard to win over the kids, her sister got pregnant and married just to name a few. Told in retrospect, the narrator is writing this story down in an effort to exorcise the demons. We don't really know at the end if the effort was successful or not.

It was an interesting tale. I'm not quite sure I believe that a five year old could remember all that in such vivid detail. Nor do I believe that a five year old could be that mature. To me, Pigeon seemed more like a 10 year old. I'm guessing that's just part of the story. :)

[Emily]

I rolled my eyes and groaned when I read the first line of this book, "My mother named us after birds." I continued to roll my eyes and groan as the theme of flying away and then returning to the nest were overplayed again and again throughout the book.

This story is told through the eyes and experiences of Pigeon, supposedly a five year old girl. I say supposedly because the way the author describes her thoughts and actions are unlike any kindergartener I know. Equally unconvincing in their roles are Robin, a 10 year old boy who spends his summer days in the company of a fortune teller on the boardwalk and Dove, a girl who begins the story as a 15 year old and mysteriously ages to 17 in the span of a few months. Poor editing, indeed.

This book seemed hastily written and tells an uninteresting story. I would not recommend it.

[Pat]

Pigeon is the youngest of 3 children whose mother, Joan, named the children after birds:sister Dove is the oldest and then brother, Robin. Joan is a strange mother who regrets getting married young. Pigeon tells the story looking back at all that happened when she was 5. Her father leaves after losing his job. Mother Joan and the 3 children move into Uncle Edward's small beach house. He is not home much. Joan finds work and a boyfriend. Dove becomes a waitress and Robin hangs around a fortune teller. Pigeon longs for her father and how special he made her feel. She never sees her father again and she learns to cope with her life.

[Mara]

Judging from the title of this book, Pigeon needs looking after. Unfortunately, although Pigeon is 5 years old when the events of the book take place, far too much of the adult Pigeon who's telling the story creeps in. The result is a somewhat unevenly precocious 5 year old, who hardly seems to need any looking after. Far too often, I found myself saying "there's no way a 5 year old would understand that!" but then saying "if she understood that so easily, why can't she understand this?" Not only did this interfere with my reading of the book, but it made it hard to develop any sympathy for Pigeon.

[Kim]

The narrator of this story is a five-year old child named Pigeon who describes how each member of the family has been affected by difficulties in her parents' marriage. Having enjoyed other books written from the perspective of a child narrator, I was excited to receive this book in a First Reads giveaway. The author paints vivid pictures of the main characters----their personalities, hopes, fears, etc. Although I felt I came to know them well, I'm not sure that any of them rank high among those that linger in my memory.

[Sharlene]

Pigeon is a 5-year old girl who is really looking after herself after her father abandons the family (her mother was probably always self absorbed and otherwise occupied). The book spans a summer and dealt with the heavy topics abandonment, teen pregnancy, child neglect and homosexuality. It was mildly interesting, but nothing really compelling in the story. There was some good fodder for thought in the afterword, but it was too little too late. Some of the best lines in the whole book were there.

[Greg]

Full disclosure: the wife of my company's CEO wrote this book, and I think there's some "Habits of Highly Successful People" self-help tome that recommends never leaving a negative digital footprint in regards to such matters. Still: I loved the way the characters were described in short, hard bursts, just enough to understand how and why they collide and conflict with one another. Any brief moments of sentimentalism are usually well-earned by the story. I was absorbed, entertained, and very impressed.

[Jennifer]

This book was my first Goodreads First Reads book. I am so glad that I had the pleasure of reading this book. The characters are well developed and I felt a genuine sympathy for them throughout the book. Although the book isn't available until July, I would highly recommend checking it out when it becomes available. A quick read with lots to offer.

[Alicia]

I got this book from a goodreads draw. I got into the character Pigeon and felt sad for her at times and happy for her at other times. I like how it was through her eyes and how it showed how five year olds think. Though I think that she knows more then most kids her age do. I enjoyed reading this book.

[Sara]

Lovely book, quick read. I had no expectations, as it was a book I received from a giveway on GR. I did enjoy the look of the past thru the eyes of a child. Great summer read!

[Brent]

Just won this in a drawing from Goodreads. I will be giving a full review upon completion.

[Ann]

Here's my new book review for IBR.

http://www.internetreviewofbooks.com/...

[Tiffany]

The content was overall interesting but the delivery was lackluster. For such a short book it took me too long to finish.

[Marc Hirsch]

This was an enjoyable book. All the more interesting personally as I knew the author in high school and was curious as to where she derived the core of the story.

[Ginny Terndrup]

This was a sensitive , well written account of a life a a child...it was great!