Quite possibly my favorite book of all times. Chris Chester was an intelligent, funny, & compassionate being. I am grateful that he shared his story of 'B'.

The story of a man who adopts an orphaned sparrow and promptly falls head over heels in love with it. Granted, I'm biased: myself the owner (actually, slave) of a bird, I know what it's like to fall under the spell of a tiny feathered creature. The author doesn't hide the fact that he's totally besotted, yet his writing is never sentimental. Some parts are hilarious, others are full of fascinating information about birds, their evolutionary history, habits and behaviors.

I love birds and this book was beautiful!!

Loved the images in the story. I didn't want it to end, and certainly not the way it did. It made me love the "little brown jobs" all the more.

This is the improbable true story of a man whose serious depression was relieved for over 8 years by a sparrow he rescued after it fell out of its nest in the eaves of his house in Portland. Contradicts so much of the popular thinking regarding small creatures, as "B" (the name he gave the sparrow) exhibits definite personality traits and unpredictable behaviors. Suggests that close observation and interaction can open one's eyes to the individual of virtually any species. This is also a love story, as Chris' relationship with his wife Rebecca deepens and grows through their mutual affection for B and the other birds they acquire: sparrows and finches. Bittersweet followup: Chris' return to depression after B's death, his eventual divorce, and suicide by cancer.

rating: 4.5 stars

Five abbreviated quotes appear on the first page of the book. I didn't notice them until I was reading one of the last chapters, so maybe Ron Carlson's comment meant more to me than if I'd read it first:
If Thoreau had not gone to the woods, but had instead invited a sparrow into his house, he might have written this book instead of Walden.

That pretty much sums up the story. This is an account of the behaviors and life of house sparrows, one in particular, and insights into a man who took the time to raise a nestling who had fallen from the nest.

Many years ago, my sister called me about three nestlings they had acquired along with a load of firewood. By the time I got to them, two had died, but the third one was still breathing. I put it in a small plastic tub, nestled in a cloth and ensconced in a gym bag with a hot water bottle. As soon as the little body had warmed up, I fed it some canned dog food. Thus began an odyssey that lasted a couple of months. For the first couple of weeks, this bag was at my side pretty much full time, whether I was at work or visiting a friend. The lumpy baby, which I named Emily, grew into a lovely male house sparrow. Unlike Chris Chester, I was a lousy observer and I focused from the beginning on raising the bird so it could be released (which it was, after a brief stay with a rehabilitator).

These quotes give insight into house sparrows, the story, and the author's view on life:

p 9: It's difficult for me to understand the vehemence with which these birds are detested. Since my association with B began, I find it increasingly difficult to hate much of anything.

p 66: House sparrows mate for life and are monogamous.

p 146: House sparrows are powerful flyers capable of speeds approaching 50 miles an hour.

My favorite passages describe interactions with the birds. (B and Baby are both rescued house sparrows.)

p 202: B, I've discovered is right-handed--winged, sided, or however you'd describe such a preference in birds. He's been exceptionally playful today because he'd like me to ignore Baby. Whenever I rise to answer his summons, B shows up with a bribe - caps, paper, sticks, a pushpin that held one corner of the wall calendar in place. I'm amazed that I've never noticed before that B arcs to the left when he pounces on a cap. If he's holding one in his beak and flicks it toward me, he does so right to left. I'm fascinated enough by this that I keep throwing caps all over the room to see if he'll make an exception. So far, out of twenty throws, he has not.

On page 281, Chris Chester states one of my own observations:
Firework season is hard on our birds; on most animals, I suspect ... [it] destroys the sleep, if not the health, of countless birds and other woodland creatures.
I understand that China has banned fireworks because they cause so much air pollution.

I'm a bird watcher and feeder, and can attest to the fact that the population of house sparrows in our neighborhood has dropped drastically. I never encouraged them to hang around (my bird boxes all have openings that are too small for them to use), since they are an introduced species. But on page 282, CC writes that 'house sparrow numbers are declining in England.' Now I wonder about the status of their numbers everywhere. Could house sparrows be an indicator of environmental health?

I need to add that there is profanity, more than I think was necessary, but this is one man's memoir, and he needs to write in his own style, so I just cringed my way past the words I didn't like. And, I don't know about other readers, but it took me several chapters to get into the book. I think that's because I was expecting the story to focus entirely on the sparrows. I missed the fact that it was also a memoir.

CC has a dry sense of humor. It reminds of of Jon de Vos who used to write columns for The Middle Park Times in Grand county, Colorado.

A great narrative that weaves personal reflection, literary and philosophical references, nature, and urbanity together. Chris Chester manages to created prose that flows like a river. While there are glimpses of personal journal in the organization, the book reads as a unified whole. It is a rare author who can pull that off.

This is an amazing story. It is the memoir of a man and his wife adopting abandoned wild birds, but more deeply it is an examination of what we hold important in our lives and what it means to be human.

Enchanting! Enduring! Funny! Fascinating! This is a charming-heartwarming story between a man and his love for a sparrow.

Chris Chester enters a world beyond his own imagination when a sparrow falls twenty-five feet from his nest.
Chris had recently just gotten engaged to Rebecca when *B* came into their lives. Chris & Rebecca nursed *B* back to health. (seeking advice from a friend)
Their entire lives turned upside down. Chris turned an entire room into an aviary.
*B's* large room had high ceilings, and had access to the entire upstairs of their house. A cage for *B* which sits near a window -with a door held open by a safety pin-with a cloth draped over one side to form a canopy under which *B* sleeps at night.

All priorities in Rebecca & Chris's lives have been altered since *B* has arrived. --They are extra mindful of their schedules & their social life to meet *B's* demands.

*B* is playful, observant, intelligent, loves sugar cookies, likes to sit on Chris's shoulder when he types, and developed a fetish for nostrils. *B* grows anxious if Chester comes home late from work.

...... Chris says:
"*B* has stolen my bookmark again, flying it to the screen door, darling me to give chase so he can play keep-away from the clumsy primate". NOTE: I think *B* wants Chris to read to him! lol

"When he brings me a toy, drops it in my hand, and nudges around asking for a game, I think of Thoreau's words on being affected by a mosquito's faint hum, 'There was something cosmical about it; a standing advertisement, till forbidden of the everlasting vigor and fertility of the world."

This little book is a wonderful memoir --a story of a touching relationship!

Learn about BIRD BEHAVIOR ....Learn about *B*! ...The science of birds - of Sparrows in particular!
This book is not only about Sparrows, but also about what it means to be human!

I wrote this review with my pet 'Bird-friends': *Phil-Lil,& Jill*, (our 3 house parakeets)

This is a charming book. It is not only an account of the author's life with an English sparrow that he rescues and tames. He digresses into musings about his own character, that of his wife, that of his bird, as well as humankind's correct relationship with the animal kingdom. He's very funny at times and pretty informative about what is known about bird anatomy, physiology, and behavior. He's also way over the top in the compromises he's willing to make in order to live with his birds. His saving grace is that he realizes that he and his wife appear pretty whacky to others. Some of the details of his housekeeping are pretty hard to believe, and very distasteful (at least to me), but they come toward the end of the book and are overshadowed by the many virtues of the rest it.

One of my favorite books. Loved reading the descriptions of B, and the insight Chester had into B's behaviors. I also enjoyed the slight dark mood of the book.

This book was magical to read for me. It is a wonderful mix of natural history, biology, philosophy, memoir, and rich literary touches. The author is truly gifted as a writer. SPOILER ALERT!!
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It is a crying shame that Chester never was able to produce another work and that he died at such a young age. I know it was cancer that took him, but I feel it could almost have just as easily been from a broken heart. What a wonderful gift he gave to the world. I found his story magical!