The Hummingbird: ‘Magnificent’ (Guardian)

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An absolutely fabulous book that glitters with quality every bit as much as its avian subjects do in real life. A must-buy."—James Lowen, Neotropical Birding Leggere gli “italici” di narrativa contemporanea non è complicato, solitamente sono scorrevoli e facili, che poi è il motivo per cui non li leggo. Anzi no, non li leggo perché l’attorcigliamento ombelicale di cui soffrono mi produce un’ernia strozzata e allora preferisco evitare. MA CERTO! Un bel tumore al pancreas per il nostro eroe, l'eutanasia organizzata con tutti i personaggi al capezzale (fratello con cui fare pace un attimo prima di morire, ex moglie rinsavita che in fondo ti amava, stronzetta che sul letto di morte decide di darti un bacio con la lingua....!).

As he navigates the challenges of life – confronting the death of his sister and the absence of his brother; taking care of his parents as they approach the end of their lives; raising his granddaughter when her mother, Marco’s own child, can no longer be there for her; coming to terms with his love for the enigmatic Luisa – Marco Carrera comes to represent the quiet heroism that pervades so much of our everyday existence.Stephen also wrote THE BAKER'S SECRET, the story of D-Day from the French perspective: what it was like to live in occupied Normandy with no rights, little food and less hope, until one day hundreds of thousands of soldiers and sailors arrive to fight for liberation. Sometimes the moment of reading can enrich and enhance not only the book itself but the books that came before and after it. Connections fire, themes mirror each other, understanding deepens. Vond u het wat? vroeg ik de dame uit het Noord-Hollandse Heemskerk nadat ik haar in de deuropening € 5 had overhandigd voor de Kolibrie van Sander Veronesi (gebonden, 333 pagina's, zo goed als nieuw). Ze schudde haar hoofd: 'nee, het kon me niet zo boeien.'

Belki son sayfalarını Cunda'da bir sonbahar akşamı gün batarken ıssız bir meydana bakarken okuduğum için bunca içime işledin. (O akşamüstünün hissini hiç unutmayacağım, biliyorum.) Belki anlattığın; bir ailenin yıllara yayılan kopuş öyküsünün bir benzerini yaşadığım, annemle babamın ayrıldığı yerde seni okuduğum için beni gafil avladın ve derimin altına nüfuz etmeyi başardın, bilmiyorum. Proust'un Madlen'i gibi, istem dışı belleğim devreye girdi, bu kitap ve bu ada bir araya gelince beni çok acayip yerlere götürdü. E però, soprattutto, questo stare sempre fermi, facendo tutta quella fatica, a volte non è la cura, è la ferita. Ed ecco perché starti vicino è impossibile.” There is a pleasing sense of having grappled with the real stuff of life: loss, grief, love, desire, pain, uncertainty, confusion, joy, despair – all while having fun’ Neviem si veru vybrať, ktorá časť ma uchvátila viac, či to bola šnúra malého dievčatka, ktoré jú pútalo k otcovi, alebo psychológ, ktorý sa vynoruje v tých najťažších momentoch alebo vysporiadavanie sa s dedičstvom po rodičoch, v ktorom sa odráža jeho vzťah k nim aj k bratovi.

Po dlhom čase som našla knihu mužského autora, ktorá mi naozaj sadla. Kolibrík vynakladá veľa energie, aby zostal na mieste. Hlavná postava Marco je tým kolibríkom, zostáva na mieste a je tak oporným bodom pre postavy a udalosti, ktoré sa dejú. A dejú sa mu naozaj veľké, smutné, krásne a podivné veci. De puzzelstukjes bestaan uit vertellingen, dialogen, ansichtkaarten, brieven, whatsappberichten, een speech en zelfs een inventarislijst met daarop het designmeubilair van zijn overleden ouders. He's author of THE HUMMINGBIRD, about a hospice nurse whose husband has returned from his 3rd deployment in Iraq with PTSD, and she is determined to help him heal. It is a story about loyalty, patience, and fierce love. I want to mention two last things. First, the translator, Elena Pala, who seems to me to have done an astonishing job; the language reads so brightly and distinctively, and yet not so as to interrupt the flow or make it self-conscious. And second, to commend and celebrate The Hummingbird’s last scene, in which Veronesi achieves something transcendent; no plot spoilers, but it’s well worth the read on its own. If you’re in need of modern, intelligent European fiction – and who isn’t? – then this is the precise prescription.

Conformismo e convenzioni sociali ci insegnano che il dolore, anche quello morale, va sedato, anestetizzato, ma soffrire non è uno sbaglio. E non è uno sbaglio nemmeno sapervi reagire, nei tempi e nei modi in cui riusciamo. La reazione è personale. Non c’è il prima e il dopo, c’è un soffio vitale che ci permette di andare avanti, che trasforma il dolore in energia e negarlo significherebbe solo ingannare sé stessi. You'll be torn between lingering on one amazing image and flipping ahead to see what's next. . . . A riveting read that does more than adequate justice to its subjects."—David Callahan, BirdLife Magazine Wat maakt Kalme chaos tot zo'n knap boek? Het is ongeveer 12 jaar geleden dat ik het op aanraden van mijn favoriete boekhandelaar las. Hij had het boek in zijn hand toen ik zijn eregalerij met aanbevolen boeken bestudeerde. 'Dit moet je lezen. Het is ge-wel-dig.' Poi la sua faccia di scrittore ha i suoi connotati, che possono piacere o anche no. Qui a me per esempio risulta particolarmente fastidioso il vizietto (quello di fare lezioncine morali) che lo accomuna a tutti gli intellettuali di sinistra da ZTL e quello di fare il pavone con le cose che ha letto, che sa, che ama (i ringraziamenti mettono i brividi: come abbracciare una scatola di polistirolo). Ma questo nell’economia complessiva del libro alla fine mi è sembrato tollerabile.An awesome . . . book with truly spectacular photos of a wide variety of the world’s hummingbirds. . . . All 101 genera are pictured in this book, thus showcasing beautiful photos of a representative cross-section of the world’s hummers. Superb images of hummingbirds aside, the text is also fascinatingly informative, covering a wide range of topics about these special, unique birds."—Chris Lotz, Birding Ecotours Stephen worked for decades as a journalist, winning over 40 awards. His first book, LAST RIGHTS, was a nonfiction expose of the overly aggressive medical treatment most people receive in the last chapter of their lives, with many suggestions for ways of providing more humane care. His second non-fiction book, the Silver Nautilus Award-winning AUTHENTIC PATRIOTISM, describes the potential for national renewal through nonpartisan civic engagement and volunteerism. This book caused me to think about reliability. Not the reliability of the main character, though that is somewhat in question in this book, but my own reliability as a reader and reviewer. Do I give every book an equal chance? The answer is sadly simple: I don't.