Cute Cozy

filled star filled star filled star star unfilled star unfilled
bookishknitter Avatar

By

This was a cute, cozy historical fiction. I'm partial to novels set in a small town during WWII, and with its cast of quirky characters Olive Bright, Pigeoneer fit the bill.

Even though the synopsis on the back of the book mentions a murder and a mystery I'd recommend readers approach this book as a Historical Fiction novel, not a Mystery Novel. The book's strengths are in its characters and historical setting --the author's thorough research into the use of carrier pigeons during WWII shines-- but the mystery feels a bit like a side plot. As an avid mystery reader I found this aspect a little disappointing, but not a deal-breaker.

The protagonist, Olive Bright, is incredibly spunky and tenacious and worthy of her surname, but at points I felt her her strong-willed personality crossed the line into immaturity. However, Stephanie Graves did a fantastic job in her creation of Helen, Olive's stepmother, a woman who is struggling with MS. I applaud the way Helen's chronic illness is portrayed as frustrating, but not defining. Helen is still a well-loved contributing member of the community and finds ways to adapt her life to meet her physical limitations. Her relationship with Olive does not replace that of Olive's mother, but in no way falls into the "evil stepmother" trope. The two women have a mature respect and affection for one another that is depicted well.

I do not know if this book is intended to be a stand-alone or the beginning of a series, but I would definitely be interested in another book following the Bright family!