A MOSAIC OF WINGS by Kimberly Duffy, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise

A Mosaic of Wings is a stunning debut for Author Kimberly Duffy. She takes us into the fascinating world of exotic insects and the beginnings of women making their mark into the scientific world of men. Her descriptive words put you right into a small village in India with its vivid sights and smells. “The trees shaded them, casting shadows over the packed dirt and blanketing everything in a hush that whispered ancient stories. Overripe fruit scented the air with spicy incense, and Nora clasped her hands in her lap, compelled to prayer.”

She paints a realistic picture of a young woman seeking equality and pursuing her dream. In 1885 Ithaca, New York, Nora Shipley is one of a few women to graduate from Cornell University. Her deceased professor father helped instill in her a love of entomology. She wants to carry on his legacy and obtain her Masters Degree but needs to compete for a scholarship. Owen Epps could be a rival or an ally.

Owen is a complex character who grows on you as the author reveals, layer by layer, his motivations and his growth as he realizes what he actually wants from life.

Things get more complicated when they join a research team in India. Known for speaking her mind, Nora will need to navigate a fine line when her Christian morals bid her to act on behalf of one who is trapped in the pagan practices of a foreign land. “India, and everything that happened there, spoke to her in whispers that caressed her memories, wrapping everything in the exotic perfume and sultry, cicada-song nights.”

Ms. Duffy weaves a complex story into a beautiful tapestry and shows us that God can turn the impossible into the possible. This is an author to keep an eye on.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.* 5 stars 

BackCover Blurb:
It's 1885, and all Nora Shipley wants, now that she's graduating from Cornell University as valedictorian of the entomology program, is to follow in her late father's footsteps by getting her master's degree and taking over the scientific journal he started. The only way to uphold her father's legacy is to win a scholarship, so she joins a research expedition in Kodaikanal, India, to prove herself in the field.

India isn't what she expects, though, and neither is the rival classmate who accompanies her, Owen Epps. As her preconceptions of India--and of Owen--fall away, she finds both far more captivating than she expected. Forced by the expedition leader to stay at camp and illustrate exotic butterflies the men of the team find without her, Nora befriends Sita, a young Indian girl who has been dedicated to a goddess against her will.

In this spellbinding new land, Nora is soon faced with impossible choices--between saving Sita and saving her career, and between what she's always thought she wanted and the man she's come to love.

Bethany House Publishing
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