Review: Racing Hearts and  Racing Birds
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2013
What a fine, ingenious sequel to Messages From Henry. I recommend that you read Messages From Henry first, before you read this contemporary adventure and romance novel.  Henry's role in this story is somewhat reduced. However, well-drawn human characters and their lives and loves will more than offset Henry's supporting role.  Evelyn and her friend meet two men vacationing in Oregon from England. One of the men is Ben, who has a daughter and a grandson in Oregon. As the story continues, Evelyn and her friend decide to sell their farms to a developer and spend a summer in England.  Henry turns out to be both a carrier pigeon and a racing pigeon. Evelyn decides to race him in England. The story and dialogue is warm, natural and humorous. When Ben telephones the constable to report a theft of a pigeon egg, she jokes about coming over to help solve the theft of an egg some woman hatched.  When Evelyn gives a farm woman a reward for taking care of Henry after he is lost during a race, the farm woman says, now all she has to do is find somewhere to spend it. You will have to look up a few British phrases, such as "rather a twee". (No. This is a book review. You will have to look it up).  The romance is warm and comfortable, the way we love and make love in real life. That is the very fine thing about this book.  Jim Jenner described pigeon racing in his movie script, Marathon in the Sky as "a sport with a single starting gate and a thousand finish lines".  Ms. Scarberry and Mr. Potts have authored a very fine book about the racing of human hearts and how those hearts lead us toward a home with true and lasting love and friendship.