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When he finds out his lungs are in dire condition, Oswald T. Campbell figures he might as well take the doctor’s advice to go somewhere with a better climate for his final days. He has nothing to lose — he’s single, with no children or family —so Oswald leaves Chicago behind and heads to the tiny community of Lost River, Alabama. Years ago, the area had boasted a reasonably priced resort for people (Northerners) who needed to improve their health. Now, the resort is long gone, but the place is still affordable for Oswald, who has only a small pension.
After making some calls to what seems like the middle of nowhere in south Alabama, Oswald ends up with cheap room and board at the home of a woman who is taking care of her elderly mother with dementia.
As small as Lost River is, everyone knows the newcomer is, well, coming. He’d be happy to keep to himself and just wait for his inevitable death (the doctor said “by Christmas”). But small-town Alabamians would never allow that to pass. Oswald is immediately visited, invited out, assessed and integrated.
He meets the postman who delivers mail by boat; the grocery/general store owner who has never gotten over a broken heart; the women of the Royal Polka Dots Secret Society, who secretly do good deeds. And the star of the town, Jack, the redbird who entertains (almost) everyone at the store.
A Redbird Christmas is unsurprisingly a warm, delightful book that’s satisfying to read at Christmas or any time of the year. Fannie Flagg can be depended upon to deliver a good Southern read with characters who spring fully formed from the pages. A friend loaned it to me a few weeks before Christmas, and I certainly enjoyed it.
Rated: Mild. Profanity includes two instances of moderate profanity, 25 uses of mild language, and about 25 instances of the name of Deity in vain. There’s a bit of violence, and references to child neglect.
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