Roxanne Reviews "More Miracle Than Bird"

Roxanne reviews More Miracle Than Bird by Alice Miller.

Historical Fiction has often been analogous to lima beans to me, I’ll read it, but oftentimes I roll my eyes, seeing the author’s next move, the routine a pointless excuse to review the well-trodden past. However, Alice Miller’s More Miracle Than Bird was truly a marvel. Set during World War 1, Miller details the courtship of William Butler Yeats and Georgia Hyde-Lees.

Miller’s characters truly come to life and at every turn I was surprised by the next action, literally up to the second to the last chapter. Georgie’s tenable relationship with her mother and the emotional confusion she feels nursing the injured soldier, Second Lieutenant Pike, breathe with emotion. A nuanced side plot dealing with the era’s occult fascination was multi-layered and respectable.

Georgie’s attempts to garner the famous poet’s attention and her struggle to define what beauty and love really mean were important and unique. More Miracle Than Bird may be based on famous writers, yet Alice Miller’s message is meaningful and attainable for all.