Bird of Paradise

The author follows the well-received Gathering Home with a quiet, satisfying tale about the vitality of life, love and choices in the ``golden years.'' Alabamian Honey Shugart's widowhood has been far more satisfying, if predictable, than her marriage to alcoholic Scotty. Her middle-aged son, preacher and college professor Jackie, is affected by the memories of his father's illness each time he comes from Florida to visit Honey, but she has come through the fire to a life of order and fundamental faith. Change is thrust upon her, however, when her sister Dinah dies and her step-niece Neva Joy urges the re-zoning and commercial sale of Dinah's house, once the family homestead. The prospective buyer is a black tour-bus company, whose offer to Honey and her neighbors raises the specter of race as well as the possible disintegration of neighborhood, no small issues for these small-town residents. The return of Judson Carmichael to his family home after an adult lifetime in Birmingham introduces a new element to Honey's life and proves that romance is not merely the prerogative of the young. Narrator Honey's voice is clear and true, her insights unsentimentally honest, and her spiritual faith convincing. She is a captivating heroine. (May)