Saturday, January 23, 2010

Book Review: When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge

Book Review: When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge
I finished reading When She Flew Sunday afternoon after I begun it around 2 am that same day.  It was one of those books that was hard to put down, no matter how tired you are.  I’ve never read anything by Jennie Shortridge but had run across this book on a book giveaway via goodreads.com, so I decided to enter the drawing [...]

I finished reading When She Flew Sunday afternoon after I begun it around 2 am that same day.  It was one of those books that was hard to put down, no matter how tired you are.  I’ve never read anything by Jennie Shortridge but had run across this book on a book giveaway via goodreads.com, so I decided to enter the drawing for it.  Of course, I lost, but the publisher was kind enough to ask me if I’d like a copy to review here on my blog, so I said yes, as When She Flew sounded like just the type of book I would enjoy.  The book was placed in nature, based on real life events, it had the struggles of family, and had a female police officer as one of the main characters.  A quadruple treat in my eyes!

The novel takes place in Oregon, and the story is told by the point of view of police officer Jess Villareal, a woman who is at a crossroads in her life, and thirteen year old Lindy, a girl who has been living very happily in the woods for five years with her veteran (and in more ways than one wounded) father.  The novel is about the power of choice, and how our decisions, whether with good or bad intentions, can affect many others in multiple ways.  Officer Villareal is faced with the issue of removing a well-adjusted if not truant girl from her father and placing her into the foster care system, which would most likely lead to a worser (but more legal) living environment.

Jennie Shortridge wrote this novel based on the 2004 discovery of a Vietnam veteran who was discovered in the Portland, Oregon woods living with his well adjusted and daughter.  The public had a strong opinions and views about the plight of these two homeless people, and Ms. Shortridge wrote their story in novel perspective to show the human side to their predicament, which I found to be very rewarding and entertaining.  Not many people even realize how hard it must be to either be homeless, or to be a police officer, or to be a worker in the system. 

When She Flew is graceful and real, and a very readable and relatable story.  I found myself wondering exactly what I would do if I was Officer Villareal, or Lindy, and even her father. 

To buy this book, click here.   

To visit the Jennie Shortridge’s website, click here.

Posted in Authors, book blogs, book reviews, books, bookworms, Jennie Shortridge, novels, politically correct, pop culture, reading, When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge, writers Tagged: Breaking news, Emo, entertainment, life, news, Oregon, personal, random thoughts, THOUGHTS, true events, When She Flew

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