Providence of a Sparrow: Lessons from a Life Gone to the Birds [Anglais] [Relié]

In this heartfelt, warm, and entertaining memoir, Chester describes in minute detail the changes that a tiny English sparrow has imposed on his living quarters, his daily routine, and, most significantly, his emotional life. Found as a featherless baby that looked like "a testicle with a beak attached," the sparrow is named "B." Quickly, the daily routines of Chester and his wife come to revolve around their new roommate and two subsequent boarders, bonded male finches. Their upstairs floor is turned into an aviary, and the couple often plays sparrow games. Chester's turns of phrase are colorful, humorous, and memorable, as when he describes the relationship of the sparrows as an example of "homofinchiality." Highly literate and filled with personal ruminations, avian research, and literary allusions, Chester's writing style sets this book apart from other animal memoirs and recommends it for an audience with above average reading skills. Suitable for large public libraries and academic libraries with natural history or animal behavior collections.
Cleo Pappas, La Grange Memorial Hosp. Lib., IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"Providence of a Sparrow is literate, eclectic, mildly eccentric, witty, and marvelous."

In the years since Chris Chester and his wife Rebecca rescued "B," a featherless baby sparrow--a creature with all the initial appeal of "a testicle with a beak"--they’ve had plenty of time to consider and reconsider their eccentric lifestyle. Along the way they’ve learned a great deal about the natural history of birds, and even more about that aligned avian species, the House Sparrow. And with this knowledge has come gratitude. For it is through B that Chester has discovered a renewed capacity for joy and wonder and an expanded realization of the consciousness and intelligence in living things. A book filled with acerb wit, frequent references to literature both high and low, and genuine reverence for the life around him, Providence of a Sparrow is Chris Chester’s beautiful meditation on life with B.