I loved this story of how Joanna and Gabe are inextricably drawn to each other and into Ursa's magically imagined world.
In Glendy Vanderah's Where the Forest Meets the Stars, Joanna is feeling adrift after her mother's death, and she disappears into the constant attention her ornithology research commands, living in her sparse rental cabin and tuning out the rest of the world.
That is, until a young girl appears, battered and bruised, and is resistant to help but clearly in need of it. Ursa says she is from the stars and cannot return until she has witnessed five miracles.
Joanna's neighbor Gabe keeps to himself and has his own painful past, but he and Joanna are inextricably drawn to each other and into Ursa's magically imagined world. She feels like the unpredictable spark of joy and wonder Joanna and Gabe needed without realizing it. They find themselves trying to protect her from unknown dangers and find out what has happened, but simultaneously reluctant to discover anything that would require them to let her go.
I love love loved this. The characters of Ursa, Jo, Gabe, and Tabby, the ornithology story line, and the makeshift family. Highly recommend!
What did you think?
The resolution was maybe slightly too easy but I thought this book was lovely and satisfying.
It looks as though Vanderah has a second book set for publication in spring 2021, The Light Through the Leaves.
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