Crow Talk

A Novel

By: Eileen Garvin

Narrated by: Helen Laser

Nationally bestselling author of The Music of Bees Eileen Garvin returns with a moving story of hope, healing, and unexpected friendship set amidst the wild natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old son, Aiden, who refuses to speak.

At Beauty Bay, a community of summer homes nestled on the shores of June Lake, in the remote foothills of Mount Adams, it’s off-season with most houses shuttered for the fall. But Frankie, adrift, returns to the rundown caretaker’s cottage that has been in the hardworking O'Neill family for generations—a beloved place and a constant reminder of the family she has lost. And Anne, in the wake of a tragedy that has disrupted her career and silenced her music, has fled to the neighboring house, a showy summer home owned by her husband's wealthy family.

When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy. Crow Talk is an achingly beautiful story of love, grief, friendship, and the healing power of nature in the darkest of times.

©2024 Eileen Garvin (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Eileen Garvin deftly explores our human connections—with each other, with nature, and with ourselves. Crow Talk will leave you in awe at how the smallest, most tender moments can hold the power to transform. A beautiful, unforgettable book.”—Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

“Bursting with beautifully detailed observations of Pacific Northwest wildlife, Crow Talk will speak to the hearts of nature and bird lovers. Eileen Garvin’s story is itself a rich ecosystem that interconnects two women’s family histories, traumas, fears, disappointments—and above all, their determination to heal. As biologist Frankie attempts to decipher the language of crows and songwriter Anne tries to understand why her son can’t speak, the new friends find themselves muted in multiple ways—unable to pursue their scientific and creative passions, ask for help, set limits, forgive. The crows in the story always know how to speak their minds, and perhaps there are lessons to be learned from their candid communications. This book is a must-read for crow devotees and critics alike!”—Glendy Vanderah, bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars

"I love this book! Eileen Garvin has created characters--human and corvid--so vividly appealing that long before I finished the book, I felt we were good friends. This is a book about both loss and redemption, a song of praise to the dazzling beauty and power of connecting with creatures other than ourselves. It will make you want to cheer!"—Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus

Exceptionally well thought out and written story

I especially appreciated how the story flowed and tied together without being too perfect. The author accurately captured complex feelings realistically, and challenges of relationships various relationships, particularly the relationship that the main characters have with themselves. I also enjoyed the tidbits about various birds sprinkled in throughout the story. I’m now excited to read (or listen to) the authors earlier books.

Thoroughly enjoyable!!

This was the first book I have a read or listen to in about 25 years that have not been self-help and it was glorious to get lost in the story of Frankie and Aiden and the family. I live in the Pacific Northwest in the little town of Hood River and relish in all the familiar descriptions of, the surroundings in the community I call home. Wonderful story and is certainly the precipice of me falling back in love with reading again! Eileen’s musings and storyline was the perfect place for me to get lost in my own mind of visualizing the beauty of the gorge and that there is so much history here. If there was a June lake, I’d love to spend a summer there.

Something to Crow About

This was an interesting mix of characters, human and avian. The ending was a bit Disneyish but it worked. It was a smart different read.

Not Well Written

Such a great concept! I loved so many of the details about birds and friendship, grief and neurodivergence but the writing fell short. It was an ending fit for Disney mixed with the Hallmark Movie channel on Christmas. The writing felt like it was from a mass produced cheap paperback for people who don't read often. I wanted to like it...and at some points there were some gems but overall it feels like the writer forced this one without really feeling its depts or allowing the characters to become fully alive to her. I wouldn't recommend it.

bird lover

thank you, we loved this story, I have bird awareness and actually call myself a " bird babe"

Compelling character development

This is the third Eileen Garvin novel I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. You will, too, if you’d like characters who develop and draw you in. I didn’t know one of the topics would be autism, but I immediately recognized this in Aiden. This novel is a great way to help people get an introduction to a child with autism, even though every person with autism is different.
I am from the Pacific Northwest, and it was extra fun to have a book set in that area.
I really like the Irish accent the narrator had for Aiden‘s mom. The life in two countries thread for her was also interesting, and I felt drawn to her.
Now I have to wait for Eileen to write another book!

Good Read Based in the Columbia Gorge

Story written with great detail to assist a listener with visualizing the action. Hard to put down after the halfway mark. Unfortunate that the reader did not check with a local as to how to pronounce location names and of the Yakama nation. So easy to do with a simple phone call.