The Hook Author Stephen P. Kiernan was a speaker at Booktopia 2016 sponsored by Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont. Though Kiernan was promoting this, The Hummingbird, his latest book, it was when he spoke about end of life issues, both of the living and the dying, that I knew I had to read his books. Om mijn eerdere leeservaring niet te bederven (Kalme chaos staat al jaren in mijn favoriete-boekenlijst) besloot ik het boek onafgemaakt in de hoek te leggen. I salti temporali sono stordenti. Senza Favino sarebbe stato un flop. Al rientro a casa ho avuto il bisogno di audioleggere (letto da Fabrizio Gifuni) per l’ennesima volta i capitoli sulla morte di Adele: questa parte nel film è stata amputata.

Disclaimer: Letto su suggestione di commenti su GR e FB (ma non gliene faccio una colpa, a volte anche le suggestioni negative possono essere foriere di buone letture, e così vale anche il contrario). La sua scrittura straccia qualunque ordine temporale perché nel flusso di memoria, i ricordi e i loro contrasti si accavallano a episodi di vita borghese, alle lettere, perché come la vita, tutto può contenere tutto...Veronesi heeft overigens bewust afgezien van een chronologische vertelling. Daarvoor waren de droeve gebeurtenissen te talrijk. In plaats daarvan serveert hij 46 korte hoofdstukken die voorzien zijn van een jaartal of een tijdvak (van maximaal 10 jaar). Gentle, loving David, promising her a happiness she'd lost hope of finding, was all a lady could wish for. A questo punto, tanto valeva far iniziare la storia qualche decennio prima, e finirla nei giorni nostri, visto che effettivamente del futuro non si ha il minimo contesto narrativo, come invece lo si ha, e molto vivamente, del passato. The recurrence of the hummingbird, a carved figure given as gift to Deborah and also painted on the bottom of a stoneware bowl owned by the professor emanate the hope that as a reader I was desperately seeking in the life and death circumstances of this novel . Definitely recommended. Instantly immersive, playfully inventive, effortlessly wise... a family saga that pays homage to the quiet heroism required by day-to-day existence' - Hephzibah Anderson, The Observer

At the same time, Deborahs primary patient is Barclay Reed, a retired history professor and expert in the Pacific Theater of World War II whose career ended in academic scandal. Alone in the world, the embittered professor is dying. As Barclay begrudgingly comes to trust Deborah, he tells her stories from that long-ago war, which help her find a way to help her husband battle his demons. ascoltavano la struggente versione di Sacrifice cantata da Sinéad O’Connor – and it’s no sacrifice / just a simple word / it’s two hearts living / in two separate worlds –, nell’illusione, così sacrificandosi, di non far nulla di male, non tradire nessuno, non distruggere nulla. Somehow or other Sandro Veronesi pulls off the extraordinary feat of making you believe he is writing for your ears alone. I cannot tell you what The Hummingbird is about because that would be to betray a confidence. But I can tell you it's a mightily clever novel.' - Howard Jacobson

A couple of years ago, author and journalist Stephen P. Kiernan made his fiction debut with his novel The Curiosity. That book, about a man reanimated from death, showcased Kiernan's aptitude for a creative character driven story that defied the confines of traditional genres and left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of readers. In his sophomore novel, The Hummingbird, Kiernan trades in the high concept premise of his debut for a more intimate narrative that is remarkably understated, but equally affecting. Hope and despair. Love and loss. Anger and acceptance. Aggression and surrender. These are all emotions that we as human beings will feel at some point in our lives and all are touched on in this quietly affirmative novel.

Gli scrive Luisa (la donna che ha amato per quarant’anni senza che potessero viversi fino in fondo e alla quale finalmente riesce a dire addio): This was not a ~she put up a token resistance but almost immediately became an enthusiastic participant~ situation. Not only did he use a weapon to force her into the act (and basically verbally threatened to do more at a later date), at the end of the ordeal, she feels “filthy” and “violated,” not only from the assault but because she eventually started to enjoy it a little toward the end.

The Lion and the Unicorn and other Hairy Tales

Olive, along with her newfound friend, are taken by the town legend of the Hummingbird and make the decision to find it and making one of them its next focus for granting a wish. Through a few twists and turns, this dynamic duo is joined by Olive's step-brother in their quest. Spencer can do a million times better. That saying, “I’m not mad; I’m just disappointed,” comes to mind, but it wouldn’t be true. I am extremely disappointed, as evidenced by how many times I’ve used that word in this review, but I’m mad, too. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher William Morrow via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is September 8, 2015** E poi naturalmente la nipote, figlia della defunta ragazza madre, è geniale, legge scrive da autodidatta, eccelle in tutto, equitazione basket e comunicazione online, una cosa scioccante veramente, poi manco a dirlo mica è cessa, è bellissima, un'attivista con la scorta al seguito (...sto male). Un po' come quando nei libri il ragazzo autistico è un genio in matematica, il barbone un potenziale amministratore delegato, ecc.