The Snowbirds

A Novel

De: Christina Clancy

Narrado por: Graham Halstead, Karissa Vacker

The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this engrossing story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads.

"Vacker's easily distinguishable voices and Halstead's clear readings combine for an enjoyable listening experience.” —AudioFile

Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their "separate but together" partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.

When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community where everyone knows everyone’s business, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape, leaving Kim to wonder if their relationship can survive the snowbird season. But when Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time, he’s really left her.

Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be—and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime. With compassion and humor, Clancy explores the redemptive power of finding ourselves, and of being found.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

Wonderful novel!

Christina Clancy is one of my favorite authors. All of her books are worth every minute you spend reading them. It’s so refreshing to actually relate to, and to empathize with the characters in a novel. She makes them truly come alive, and she makes us as readers care what happens to them.
This book has layers to it that draw you in as the narrative picks up steam. I tried to slow myself down in reading because the writing is such a delight. It’s a roller coaster of a love story peopled by an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, all of whom will leave you wanting more please!

Perfect Mid-life read

4 1/2 stars ⭐️
Christina Clancy is a new to me author and I am so glad I found her.

This books opens with Grant, the MMC, being lost on his day hike in Palm Springs. In order to understand how Grant got to where he was missing, the author takes us back and forth in time to tell the story of this quirky couple and their lives together. Kim and Grant have been together for 30 years but never married. They have twin grown daughters, Dort and March and ex-spouses that still very much involved in their lives.

Kim and Grant are in a transition phase of life - empty nesters that are are trying to figure out what is next - Kim is on a six month sabbatical and Grant has lost his college professor job. They begrudgingly agree to head to Palm Springs, CA to stay in Basil’s condo at Le Desert - Basil is Kim’s ex-husband who came out as gay shortly after they got married.

Their adventures in Palm Springs are so fun, interesting, and nothing like they had back in the Midwest. Getting to know these characters through their good times and bad times as well as all the emotional baggage they each have is so well written and heartwarming. I could relate to so many of the emotions that Kim was experiencing during this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Great storytelling.

Liked all the different characters that were introduced. Some of Kim's indicisivenwss was a bit frustrating for me, but also potentially gives insight to what some folks deal with.

This is real life in a decades long relationship.

This is a story for every person in a decades long relationship. It validates feelings that you're not sure you should be having and actions you know you probably shouldn't have seen through. This story touches on all aspects of real life, the good and the bad, that occur and accumulate over decades of being in a relationship.

The setting of Palm Springs is wonderful and the details are delightful. The cast of supporting characters are fun to get to know and add so much to the story.

In the end, you walk away with a new way of considering the relationship (i.e., husband or wife - married or not) in your life and a deeper appreciation for the love that builds over the years.

Pool reading

3.25 stars for The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy. This was yet another book following the trend of middle aged women at that intersection of life's less traveled path and continuing on with what you've done forever even though it is not satisfying or exciting or what you really want to do. In this story, Kim and Grant move to Palm Springs for the winter for a change from their cold midwestern life that has stalled out and Kim begins to question everything from her relationship to Grant to who she wants to be when she "grows up." Grant, who never wanted to move to Palm Springs in the first place, goes for a hike and just disappears. It is equal parts slow burn mystery about what happened to Grant as well as a woman transitioning to mid life and trying to decide how she wants to spend it. I found the constant internal analyzing of Kim's world to be a bit redundant and even annoying. She wasn't necessarily a super likable character, either. I also found the Palm Springs tropes to be over played. But it was a quick read and probably perfect for a pool day.