A Mosaic of Wings

Kimberly Duffy is a new author to me, but after this, I'll be keeping an eye on her. Her first foray into historical fiction is nothing short of a triumph. I liked Nora instantly, with her blistering intelligence, boldness regarding what women could do and be, and desire to do the right thing no matter the circumstances. In every environment, from Cornell to India and back, she positively blooms. I'm not an entomologist or even a scientist--I have a literature brain, not a science brain. Yet Nora's passion for science and entomology made them come alive. I never thought I would rejoice with a character over a spider or a butterfly or a weaver ant, but here I am.Nora's interactions with other characters also endeared her, and those characters, to me. I loved the dichotomy between her and Owen; it hearkens back to the problem of privilege vs. want or need without being preachy or making Owen into a villain. I simultaneously felt Nora's frustration that everything seemed handed to Owen, and rooted for Owen to find his place in the world, plus win Nora's heart. On the other side of the coin, I felt Nora's conviction as she learned, from Pallavi, Sita, and others, that her attitude toward education and intelligence was closing her off to real wisdom and deep friendships.The secondary characters are all three-dimensional and a pleasure, or at least interesting, to know. Sita stands out, of course; Kimberly expertly captured the combined savvy and immaturity of an eleven-year-old in a harsh world. As noted, Pallavi is a great conduit for Nora's emotional growth, and Swathi Davies is an unexpected yet perfect piece of the puzzle when it comes to the overall plot. The majority of male characters are frustrating or infuriating to various degrees, but I applaud Kimberly for giving them depth. Lucius in particular was both frustrating and fascinating. He does some terrible, inexcusable things. The scene with Nora's insect cabinet is heart-wrenching, for one, never mind what we find out he's guilty of later. Yet somehow, Kimberly managed not to make him a 100% horrible, one-dimensional villain. He is instead a dangerously misguided human who either can't or won't repent, and as such, he serves as a cautionary tale. As Nora notes, Lucius can pop up in all of us.The plot weaves together like the expertly crafted, colorful threads of a sari, with dozens of small scenes that lend the whole thing emotion and gravitas. The scene with the sari is one of my favorites, as is the one where Nora and Sita discover the butterflies. Nora and Owen, of course, have some lovely romantic scenes together, including and especially the ones that aren't meant to be romantic. For instance, I loved how Nora opened up about her phobia of roaches and how that brought her and Owen closer. Finally, I even appreciate the scenes where Nora messes up, as with the weaver ants. They lend her sympathy and empathy, because she truly believes everything she does is a disaster. You flinch to see her make mistakes and face the consequences, but you also root for her to learn better for next time.Finally, the spiritual thread in Mosaic of Wings is absolutely touching. It's subtle; most of the obviously Christian characters are hypocrites, which brings up another great layer. Yet, it is clear God guides Nora, Owen, and other characters who incline to Him, and that spiritual lessons are there for the taking. Probably my favorite part of the whole book occurs when Nora explains how her father died trying to get her a blue butterfly. I had to put the book down. Nora didn't deserve for her father to do that, didn't deserve the butterfly, period--and yet he did it. It's a microcosm of God's love for us, a love so intense I can never hope to wrap my mind around it. If you allow it to, that love will steal all your thoughts. You will be dumbstruck.Similarly, I loved the spiritual thread encased in Nora's mission to rescue Sita. Nora appropriately learns she is not the savior or the hero, but she does the right thing. The fact that she is so dishonored and vilified for it is heartbreaking and discouraging, but in rescuing Sita, Nora does display Christ-like love at a high level. She embodies what it means to take a risk in the name of faith, pay for it, and then see blessings come. I might have liked the thread better if just one person stood up for her in the face of such hypocrisy, but it works great as is. It's certainly an inspiration.As noted, I look forward to reading more of Kimberly Duffy's books ASAP. In the meantime, I urge you to read A Mosaic of Wings. It's a gorgeous story worthy of all the colors of India and all the inexpressible beauty of Heaven.

Women in the late 1880s were not encouraged to pursue academic careers or jobs that were traditionally held by men. However, all Nora wants to do is complete her undergraduate degree in entomology, get a master’s in entomology, and take over her deceased father's scientific journal. In the meantime her step-father urges her to marry for financial stability. Instead of marrying, Nora volunteers along with classmate Owen to go on a research expedition to India to study insects there, where Nora also attempts to save an Indian child from a disastrous future. While Nora loves the research and makes some brilliant discoveries and drawings, the head of the project wants to confine her to drawing the insects while the others do the research. Her meddling in local culture causes the research team to be expelled. I especially enjoyed seeing Nora’s and Owen’s relationship grow and seeing them delight in finding interesting butterfly specimens. Various twists keep the story interesting. The author’s descriptive language is a beauty in and of itself! Ann Marie Lee, the narrator on the MP3 CD, to which I listened, performed the novel with excellence!

I can't believe this is her first book. It reads as if she grew up in India, which she did not--although she spent some time there. She loved it, and oh, how it shows! I learned more than I ever wanted to know about bugs. And how to catch butterflies. You grab them by the...what? Not sure which end of the butterfly that would be on. With our dearth of butterflies in the USA these days, I guess what few there are are safe from me. I hope she is well into her second book, or even has it finished by the time this one came out. Wish I could give it ten stars. I so enjoyed it and hated to see it end. What is it about? About a girl who wanted certain things from life, some more than others, and found that only by surrendering and losing most of them, did she finally receive all those of importance. Don't miss this one!

Wow, what a wonderful debut novel by this author! I was swept away by the beautiful writing, engaging dialogue, and detailed images of 1880's India.Nora, the main character, was well developed and it was fun to watch her grow from a self-centered woman out to make a name for herself in the world of entomology, to someone willing to lose everything she'd worked for to help a young girl in need of rescue. And I loved the sweet romance between Nora and Owen. He captured my heart early on as a swoon-worthy hero.I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to give a five-star rating to a book centered around bugs. I hate bugs! LOL. But his author's obvious extensive research, along with her ability to weave a captivating story and bring characters and settings to life, deserves nothing less.I highly recommend this read to lovers of Historical Christian Fiction.

Kimberly Duffy is an author to watch out for. I couldn't believe this was her first book!This book is well written, a perfect balance of description and dialogue that really transports you into the story. It felt as though I had become a scientist and had taken a trip to India. The setting was amazing, and the plot lines that went along with it all intertwined perfectly. There's your main plot, your romance, and your faith plot, and all were amazing and had me turning pages.The characters were interesting and well developed. They had great backstory that was revealed over time at the perfect pace throughout the book. You couldn't help but love (or hate) the characters, and you become so invested in what happens to them!Most importantly, the book had a strong faith based storyline. You really got to see the characters working to find God in the midst of their troubles, and the message within was beautiful.This is a 5 star book that I will be recommending to everyone I know!

A great book, and I am so excited to read the rest of Duffy's books! I was drawn to this book because of it's unique setting (a woman in 1885 studying insects in India) and it was well researched in all that it covered.Highlights were the relationship between Nora and Owen, and the family dynamics between Nora, her mother, and Lucius. Some parts of the plot felt a bit contrived, but for an author's debut novel I was incredibly impressed. Kimberly Duffy is an author to watch for sure!

Really enjoyed reading about someone with a reluctance to make a change in her life and ending up opening a whole new adventure and finding love while still holding true to the interests she learned from her father. Well written and informative.