The Hummingbird: ‘Magnificent’ (Guardian)

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I don’t remember how I came to be interested in this novel, apart from the fact that I am in the look-out for contemporary Italian fiction. This was the Strega prize in 2020. Veronesi is a Florentine architect, and this is not the first time he gets the prestigious Strega. The previous one, for his Caos calmo, he received several years ago. I may give it a chance. Anyway, I enjoyed his writing, although since I am still a student of Italian, my appraisal abilities are limited. He is a writer to keep in mind. Sometimes the moment of reading can enrich and enhance not only the book itself but the books that came before and after it. Connections fire, themes mirror each other, understanding deepens. Thank you sooo much Jill!:) Also, I gotta thank Tammy – so glad you jumped in “with arms waving” convincing me to read this one next:)...LOL Stephen worked for decades as a journalist, winning over 40 awards. His first book, LAST RIGHTS, was a nonfiction expose of the overly aggressive medical treatment most people receive in the last chapter of their lives, with many suggestions for ways of providing more humane care. His second non-fiction book, the Silver Nautilus Award-winning AUTHENTIC PATRIOTISM, describes the potential for national renewal through nonpartisan civic engagement and volunteerism.

In The Hummingbird, there's a brief reference to an incident in which a motorbike rider travelling along a motorway near Pisa is killed because the hook on a helicopter flying overhead carrying a tank of water, breaks at just the wrong moment. The rider hasn't a chance, squashed between the tank and the asphalt. This book, which mainly revolves around someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time, suffered the same fate as the motorbike rider in terms of my reading experience. It got squashed between two powerful books: overshadowed by the one I read before it, trivialised by the one I read after it.De hoofdstukken kun je zien als puzzelstukjes waarop Marco Carrera als zoon, broer, echtgenoot, minnaar, vriend, vader en grootvader wordt uitgebeeld. Also, I don't like ending. Maybe I didn't like David much and I was sure he was not for Abigail, though he didn't deserve this result. In addition, it was not fit Abigail's character at all. 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.

At Book Club, much discussion occurred about the merits of the book and the members' own experience with the death of a loved one and the effects of war on their spouses or friends. One comment that came out: the book, though written by a male, shows a certain understanding of the female psyche!! De Kolibri vertelt het levensverhaal van Marco Carrera een oogarts uit Florence die het liefst zo weinig mogelijk in zijn leven verandert terwijl de mensen om hem heen juist het tegenovergestelde doen. Or it might be that I didn't choose the book myself, and might never have read it were it not for a bookgroup, and so I'm in a slightly querulous mood to start with, unfairly questioning the time I'm giving to the reading, and eyeing up other books I'd rather spend time with. 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.Le recensioni positive e la frequente affermazione secondo cui Veronesi sarebbe uno dei più bravi scrittori viventi italiani mi hanno indotta a comprare questo libro. The other information I gleaned from this novel is the affects of PTSS on the wives of returning servicemen. After watching “American Sniper” and the fabulous Bradley Cooper, I got a glimpse of the agony; this novel provides another personal view of living with and loving a person with PTSS. Deze roman is dus vol van zwaarmoedige ellende, maar tegelijk toch vederlicht van stijl en vorm. Een wonderlijke combinatie. En even wonderlijk vind ik dat deze roman, die ook nog eens behoorlijk wanhoopt aan de toestand in de wereld, eindigt met een apologie van hoop. In dat einde, dat speelt in 2030 en dus in de toekomst, denkt Marco terug aan de science- fiction verhalen waar zijn ongelukkige vader zo van hield: verhalen waarvan je kunt "leren hoelang men al wacht op de nieuwe mens, hoe poëtisch en onschuldig hij al duizenden keren is bedacht in dromen en fantasieën." Maar hij denkt vooral vooruit, omdat voor hem deze fantasie gestalte gekregen heeft in zijn kleindochter: de gedroomde man van de toekomst die gelukkig een vrouw is, die alle rassen in zich verenigt, die ogen heeft die niemand ooit heeft gezien, en die zich ontpopt als een soort Greta Thunberg 2.0 vol van idealistisch activisme. Wat allemaal niet kan, maar wat in de romanwereld van "De kolibrie" gewoon toch zo is. En het is zo briljant opgeschreven dat ik nog in deze fantasie geloof ook. Ik kan en ga dat verder niet analyseren, want dan maak ik het dood: lees, en oordeel zelf. This was a powerful story about love and its healing powers, and I teared up numerous times. I loved how Deborah's work with grumpy, cantankerous Barclay helped her help her husband with PTSD and anger issues. I marveled at Ichiro Soga's grace under pressure and admired the way he tried to right his wrongs. This story was beautiful and tender and definitely makes my list of top 10 reads of 2023. This is a story that hit a little close to home at the moment so I am not sure if I can give it a truly unbiased review. So this will be a short one.