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maureen_celeste's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books of all time. Who knew birdwatching was so competitive and interesting?
roses8's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the movie so I thought I would try out the book. It was quite different from the movie but still very enjoyable. I even went out and did some bird watching myself.
krs1st1chase's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. Although I have zero knowledge of birds or birding and it didn't inspire me to go grab some binoculars, I still found this book very engrossing. It is such a great story and such a wonder that there are birders with this much passion out there. But I am glad there are. I am glad that people are passionate about nature and have something to give their lives meaning. The movie was better (this designation is a very short list in my book). But I still really loved the book.
carmenghia's review against another edition
2.0
Fortunately a quick read because the world of obsessives freaks me out more than it entertains. The three main "contestants" of the Big Year seemed not to savor their travels or even their rare finds, always questing for a higher number rather than a great adventure.
I was also not super keen on the writing style either - I have read books about things I didn't appreciate but still appreciated the storytelling. I wasn't there with this one, there were a lot of bad sets ups (no one on earth could do this thing, but character A did it), weird descriptions (the bird was "as tall as a coke can but without the fizz") and moments when something was meant to be humorous but fell flat.
I also wanted to understand more about the birds but few of the animals were really fleshed out, most remained straightforward field guide descriptions or worse, just names. The author spent more effort describing phlegm ("coughing up oysters", uggggghhh) and seasickness than the objects of the hunt.
Finally, the "winner" is sort of a douchebag, so there's no real fun in that...
I was also not super keen on the writing style either - I have read books about things I didn't appreciate but still appreciated the storytelling. I wasn't there with this one, there were a lot of bad sets ups (no one on earth could do this thing, but character A did it), weird descriptions (the bird was "as tall as a coke can but without the fizz") and moments when something was meant to be humorous but fell flat.
I also wanted to understand more about the birds but few of the animals were really fleshed out, most remained straightforward field guide descriptions or worse, just names. The author spent more effort describing phlegm ("coughing up oysters", uggggghhh) and seasickness than the objects of the hunt.
Finally, the "winner" is sort of a douchebag, so there's no real fun in that...
brgoose's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite non-fiction read of the year to date. What a fascinating story with some US history and ecological history thrown in! Great, entertaining read.
queerbillydeluxe's review against another edition
4.0
Super fun read. I’m interested in seeing the movie now, but I’m not sure how that’s going to play out...
msjenne's review against another edition
3.0
Someone on FICTION-L said this was the best book OF ANY KIND they had read ALL YEAR. So I read it, and it was pretty interesting but I don't think I would go quite that far.
What it is, is the story of 3 guys in 1998 competing to see who can spot the most species of birds in North America in one year. Which is cool, if you're into that.
Actually, I mentioned to my cousin (who is a fanatical birder) that I had read this and he said that in fact he came in 4th that year. Who knew.
What it is, is the story of 3 guys in 1998 competing to see who can spot the most species of birds in North America in one year. Which is cool, if you're into that.
Actually, I mentioned to my cousin (who is a fanatical birder) that I had read this and he said that in fact he came in 4th that year. Who knew.
sentunderscore's review against another edition
3.0
This is an account of 3 different "birders," people who track and view birds as a hobby, and their pursuit of a big year, which is when you find around 700 birds in that year. They traveled to places all of the world and spent all their money just to say they had seen certain birds. It explores their lives, their relationships, and their unique passion.
This was a random audiobook read and I didn't think I would like it or finish it but it ended up being more interesting than I expected.
This was a random audiobook read and I didn't think I would like it or finish it but it ended up being more interesting than I expected.
tacoshark's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun, quick read and made me much more aware of birds on my trip - where we saw quite a few interesting birds, including several raptors, a blue grosbeak, lazuli buntings and western tanagers. I might be becoming obsessed!