A White Bird Flying

A White Bird Flying follows Laura Deal, a young woman growing up in a Nebraska family whose roots reach back to the pioneer generation.

After the death of her grandmother Abbie Deal, Laura inherits more than family possessions. She also inherits the dream of a life devoted to writing and the determination to create something beyond the limitations imposed by circumstance. As childhood gives way to adulthood, however, Laura discovers that ambition, love, family obligations, and the unpredictable turns of life rarely follow the path one has imagined.

Set against the changing landscape of Nebraska and the rhythms of Midwestern family life, Bess Streeter Aldrich’s novel explores generations, dreams, marriage, personal independence, sacrifice, and the search for fulfillment.

Warm, character-driven, and deeply rooted in American pioneer and small-town life, A White Bird Flying is a classic story of a young woman coming of age while carrying the hopes and traditions of the generation before her. First published in 1931, it continues the Deal family story begun in A Lantern in Her Hand.