When Stone Wings Fly by Karen Barnett

When Stone Wings Fly
by Karen Barnett

ISBN-13: 9780825447174
Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Released: June 14, 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Kieran Lucas's grandmother is slipping into dementia, and, when her memory is gone, Kieran's last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, Granny Mac is being tormented by flashbacks of her mother’s death and the loss of their home. Kieran heads to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find answers to her great-grandmother's mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac. Park Historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating both the answers and a precious family heirloom. But just as in the past, Kieran's needs clash with government regulations.

In 1932, Rosie McCauley's Smoky Mountains home is threatened by the Tennessee Great Smokies Park Commission as they create a new national park. But Rosie vows the only way they'll get her land is if they haul her out in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for her lifetime, it seems too good to be true. Ornithologist Benton Fuller arrives to conduct a bird survey for the park and the two form a tenuous bond. But their friendship broadens a rift between her and the other mountain folk who are suspicious of any government connections. Then the discovery of an illegal still in the woods near her cabin leads to a violent clash between sides that could destroy them all.


My Review:
When Stone Wings Fly is a Christian historical romance, a split-time story set in 1932-42 and in present day. When the Tennessee Great Smokies Park Commission starts to forcefully buy up the land to create a national park, Rosie refuses to leave. Her family's roots are in this land, and her simple-minded sister wouldn't handle moving very well. Even when a kind, handsome bird watcher captures her heart, she refuses to leave--he'll have to leave his prime job as a university professor and join her on her dirt-poor farm if he wants her. Her refusal to loosen her grip and trust that God could provide a good life outside of her land brings about a series of tragic events leading ultimately to her death.

In the present day, Kieran's broken family meant that she spent years in foster care, but she's finally found family: Granny Mac. Mac talks about her mother, Rosie, and a stone bird she had, but her memories are muddled due to dementia and being so young when she left Rosie's land. Kieran hopes to find the old homestead and dig up the bird to help Mac (and herself) reconnect with the past. Park historian Zach kindly spends extra effort helping her uncover the past, but digging up the bird is illegal and he's very by-the-rules. Granny warns Kieran that she also holds on to things too tightly (by following her own way to keep happiness). Will Kieran be able to choose a way that will finally break the string of tragedies in her family?

In both timelines, the characters were likable, complex, and reacted in realistic ways. Historical details were woven into the story without slowing the pacing. Suspense came from the lurking danger from a growing feud with a neighbor. Both couples became friends before moving into deeper caring and romance. The Christian element was trusting God enough to let go of the things that provide (sometimes false) security. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.