Plumage

In this feminist-inspired fantasy, a rejected wife starts seeing birds everywhere, including the sleek, cobalt-blue parakeet staring back at her in the mirror  After being dumped by her husband of twenty-seven years, losing her house, and selling her jewelry at auction, Sassafras “Sassy” Hummel takes the only job she’s qualified for: maid at a luxury hotel. As if her life weren’t surreal enough, a bird poops on her head while she’s cleaning a suite. But Sassy’s sure she’s really gone off the deep end when, instead of her reflection in the mirror, a tiny blue parakeet stares back at her. Now she’s seeing birds everywhere: cranes, crows, hornbills, a quacking, green-headed duck, a quail, and something red and blue that bobs as it flies past. Sassy’s only friend is Racquel, the owner of Plumage, the hotel’s upscale boutique. Racquel isn’t the preening, froufrou, silk-and-sequins-enamored lady she seems to be. Soon Sassy and Racquel are traveling into an uncharted land where Sassy just might find out who she is and what she really wants.  Plumage is a wise, witty, and poignant novel about a woman whose life is for the birds . . . until she discovers her wings, and her world takes flight. “Springer has redefined the concept of ‘knight in shining armor.’ With a touch of Alice Hoffmanesque magic, a colorfully painted avian world and a winning heroine, this is pure fun.” —Publishers Weekly   “A writer’s writer, an extraordinarily gifted craftsman.” —Jennifer Roberson   “Irresistible . . . charming, eccentric . . . thoughtful and significant.” —Kirkus Reviews   “Nancy Springer writes like a dream.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch