The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

by Leslye Walton

A mesmerizing, lyrical tale of the bright and dark sides of love and desire.

Foolish love appears to be a Roux family birthright. And for Ava Lavender, a girl born with the wings of a bird, it is an ominous thing to inherit. In her quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to join her peers, Ava ventures into the wider world. But it is a dangerous world for a naive girl – a world which may view her as girl or angel. On the night of the summer solstice celebration, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air and Ava’s journey and her family’s saga reaches a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

Reviewed by empressbrooke on

4 of 5 stars

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I wasn't too thrilled with this at first. I rolled my eyes a bit at how SO very precious the magical bits were, and what is up with magical realism always revolving around multi-generation families filled with tragedy? But by the time the plot brought its focus onto Ava herself, it pulled things together in a way that I loved. In retrospect, I actually liked how the earlier parts of the book had a bit of "stuff of family legend" feel to them. I spent the last 50 pages completely teary-eyed, it was moving without feeling saccharine.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 13 November, 2014: Finished reading
  • 13 November, 2014: Reviewed