Declare Books During Birdy
| Original Title: | Birdy |
| ISBN: | 0679734120 (ISBN13: 9780679734123) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Birdy, Al |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize Nominee for Fiction (1980), National Book Award for First Novel (1980) |
William Wharton
Paperback | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 4.04 | 5633 Users | 222 Reviews
Particularize Appertaining To Books Birdy
| Title | : | Birdy |
| Author | : | William Wharton |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | February 4th 1992 by Vintage (first published December 12th 1978) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. War. Literature. American. Novels |
Description As Books Birdy
Hailed upon its publication as "a classic for readers not yet born" (Philadelphia Inquirer), Birdy is an inventive, hypnotic novel about friendship and family, dreaming and surviving, love and war, madness and beauty, and, above all, "birdness." It tells the story of Al, a bold, hot-tempered boy whose goals in life are to life weights and pick up girls, and his strange friend Birdy, the skinny, tongue-tied perhaps genius who only wants to raise canaries and to fly. While fighting in World War II, they find their dreams become all too real—and their lives are changed forever.In Birdy, William Wharton crafts an unforgettable tale that suggests another notion of sanity in a world that is manifestly insane.
Rating Appertaining To Books Birdy
Ratings: 4.04 From 5633 Users | 222 ReviewsAssessment Appertaining To Books Birdy
I've been making room for re-reading this year and selected William Wharton's Birdy because of the deep resonance it had for me as a young man. It must have been 30 years ago that I first read this novel and reading this deeply introspective story now, as an adult, I found myself spending as much time wondering how much of this deeply atmospheric and introspective novel seeped into me as a young man about to fly away to college and away from my whole life for the first time. Wharton's dreamWho hasnt at one time wanted to fly? When I was a kid I longed to be a seagull, soaring over the waves, riding the onshore uplift, sweeping over the shore. Birdy wants to be more, not only to fly, but to become a bird. His best friend Al wants to become a tough guy, to fend off his fathers physical abuse. Birdy raises canaries, not for their song but for their flight. Along the way we learn an awful lot about canaries, but it never seems like a lecture. Its just what Birdy is passionate about.
I really wanted more of a story of friendship and less of an ornithology textbook.Every time Al would narrate a chapter, I would be riveted. I really enjoyed his memories of friendship with Birdy and the horrors of his service in WWII. But then it would switch off to one of Birdys chapters, and my eyes would start to glaze over. I could probably raise a flock of canaries myself, due to the amount of detail that Wharton went into about their needs and habits. It quickly got repetitive and dull.
'Birdy' was author William Wharton's first novel, written at age 50. It is a story of two boys growing up in a poor suburb of Philadelphia who have one of those puzzling friendships, due to the boys' different natures, that somehow works. Birdy is a gifted youth obsessed with birds and flying and raises pigeons and canaries. Alfonso, his best friend, is a child abused by a gruff father. He channels his anger into playing sports, at which he excels, and beating people up, at which he also excels.
I really wanted more of a story of friendship and less of an ornithology textbook.Every time Al would narrate a chapter, I would be riveted. I really enjoyed his memories of friendship with Birdy and the horrors of his service in WWII. But then it would switch off to one of Birdys chapters, and my eyes would start to glaze over. I could probably raise a flock of canaries myself, due to the amount of detail that Wharton went into about their needs and habits. It quickly got repetitive and dull.
This is an unusual book. The story revolves around two boys who grow up in Philadelphia and enlist in the army to fight in WWII. The characters are what make the novel unusual. Birdy is a strange, introverted, scrawny kid who becomes obsessed with birds and with wanting to fly. He eventually enters the world of birds so completely that he believes himself to be one. His friend, Al Columbato, is a tough kid who is into sports, bodybuilding and girls. They seem to be polar opposite personality
This was weak at the beginning and end for me, but the middle was packed. Some chapters I loved, loved, loved... some lost me. Toward the end, I got tired and I think Wharton got tired. I understand why it was awarded, I looked forward to reading it, and I also know more about birds than I ever thought that I would care to know. I think parts of this story will stick with me for a long time, and I would highly recommend it for some people, but for whatever reason, it is not a 4 or 5 star for me.
0 Comments