- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; 1st. Edition edition (2 Jan 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 034092053X
- ISBN-13: 978-0340920534
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 207,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Conjuror's Bird
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
The Times
'A pacy confection of history, mystery and romance'
Review
'This book I loved on so many levels...the excitement of a great mystery...a truly fantastic book.' -- Manly Daily (Sydney, Australia) 20051104 'An exciting and absorbing debut novel.' -- Sue Baker, Publishing News 20050812 'A pacy confection of history, mystery and romance...Davies interweaves his complex narrative with energy and authority...a most engaging and unusual first novel.' -- The Times 20051119 'This book I loved on so many levels...the excitement of a great mystery...a truly fantastic book.' -- Manly Daily (Sydney, Australia) 20051104 'An exciting and absorbing debut novel.' -- Sue Baker, Publishing News 20050812 'A pacy confection of history, mystery and romance...Davies interweaves his complex narrative with energy and authority...a most engaging and unusual first novel.' -- The Times 20051119 'A poignancy that will aptly linger with you after you've turned the final page' -- Lincolnshire Echo 20051213 'Intriguing and cleverly constructed' -- Choice 20060101 'Ambitious and intriguing... part thriller, part love story, part quest, this is a hugely readable book whose concerns linger in the mind... Davies' novel hints, unobtrusively but effectively, at many of the issues underlying man's urge to collect ornithological specimens, and also the uneasy relationship between science, business and the natural world.' -- Andrew Taylor, Spectator 20060213 'A pacy confection of history, mystery and romance... amost engaging and unusual novel' -- The Times 'An enjoyable tale of love, loss and taxidermy ... a cracking holiday read.' -- Observer 20060129 'Two gripping, intercut narratives... a lyricism that captures the joy of the natural world... a highly successful and informative entertainment' -- Independent 20060129 '[an] absorbing historical detective story ... a beautifully evoked narrative from the past' -- Guardian 20060129 'Ambitious and intriguing... part thriller, part love story, part quest, this is a hugely readable book.' -- Spectator 20060129 'Ideal for book clubs, ideal too for any lover of commercial literary fiction. An exciting and absorbing debut novel from Davies.' -- Publishing News 20060129 'Poignant and beguiling... like all the best novels, it left me with a sense of having learned something.' -- Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy 20060129 "[A] gripping book of literary suspense... Davies indulges in clever speculation about the bird's whereabouts and adds an appealing strain of romance surrounding the identity of Banks's mistress... A captivating novel." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) 20060129 "Suspenseful, intriguing, and romantic, this is great entertainment and an excellent choice for book discussion groups; highly recommended." -- Library Journal (starred review) 20060129 "A gripping blend of history and conjecture, romance and detection...it consists of two parallel stories wrapped around the race to unravel one of natural history's most enduring puzzles. [An] elegantly crafted journey into the nature of loss and love, memory and history." -- Canberra Times 20060129 "This book I loved on so many levels. Firstly for a greater understanding of the life of Sir Joseph Banks!then for the excitement of a great mystery! A truly fantastic book full of three centuries of secrets and surprises." -- Manly Daily 20060129
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I LOVED this book! Who'd have thought that a story about an extinct bird, a 18th-century naturalist's mistress and an emotionally challenged contemporary detective could be so gripping?! The narratives alternate between the different times cleverly, sucking you in, then turning to a new chapter just as you feel you're getting somewhere and understanding the mystery a little bit more.
The themes are big - we're talking about Man's destruction of the natural world, the reasons why some species survive and others don't, creation myths - but at its heart is a love story, and one that'll have you hooked from start to finish.
Like all good books, it makes you feel AND think. It's a really good yarn. All I can say is read it, enjoy it, read it again!
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In essence, the story revolves around two interlinked tales, an historical love story and modern day thriller. For me the most successful part is the eighteenth century love story between the real Joseph Bank's and his unnamed mistress and the fate of a preserved specimen of a very rare bird, The Mysterious Bird of Ulieta. The narrative alternates between the different times cleverly. The emotionally challenged modern detective Fitz and his hunt for the bird lead him to having to decode the puzzle of the identity of the woman Banks loved - a woman who has disappeared from history as effectively as the specimen he is hunting. In doing so Fitz must face a demon or two of his own and resolve his feelings for Gaby and their past life. I loved this book I found the story plausible and the love story moving. Great stuff.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was drawn away from my usual read and did what they tell you never to do...I judged this book on its beautiful cover. The pages within are not disappointing either.
Martin Davies flits between the two periods of the story with gentle ease, which keeps you waiting for the emerging stories and characters, it is almost two novels in one and the way they interweave is fascinating.
And all because of a small, brown, quite unimpressive little stuffed bird, which vanished and the race for its discovery by the wealthy and the academics.
Just read and enjoy, it is a lovely book, suitable for both male and female readers, with not too much romance but just enough to keep it interesting.
Martin Davies flits between the two periods of the story with gentle ease, which keeps you waiting for the emerging stories and characters, it is almost two novels in one and the way they interweave is fascinating.
And all because of a small, brown, quite unimpressive little stuffed bird, which vanished and the race for its discovery by the wealthy and the academics.
Just read and enjoy, it is a lovely book, suitable for both male and female readers, with not too much romance but just enough to keep it interesting.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Just wonderful !
I loved this book ! Both stories unfolded and interchanged with great ease. I loved the Joseph Banks/Mary Burnett storyline, what an amazing character Mary was. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Conchie
Intriguing mystery, tender romance
I loved this book and its two side-by-side narratives. Part mystery, part romance, it kept me hooked as the two stories unfolded and developed. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Joppa Rox
Light, pacy and warmly romantic, a lovely gentle read!
This was really enjoyable, a light, pacy and swift read seamlessly and effortlessly weaving historical fact with fiction to create a neat, rounded and warmly romantic tale. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Loupop
Thoroughly Enjoyable!
Who would think that the hunt for a stuffed bird could be so enjoyable? This was cleverly constructed, giving us the pace of the present-day quest for the bird and taking us back... Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2009 by Banjo Cat
Interesting Mystery about a Missing Bird
The book has two parallel stories, separated by almost 300 years. The 1700's story gave you a real feel of how difficult and different life was for a young woman with no prospects... Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2009 by Mrs. C. Colbert
What a delightful book
I can't find anything to criticise in this book. It's charmingly written and beautifully structured. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2009 by S. B. Kelly
Conjuror's bird
I loved this story mainly because of the historical content, I became so engrossed in it that I didn't want to put it down. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2009 by Auntie Shirley
Fiction or a history lesson?
There is no doubt that this book has literary merit. I just found it sad that it fizzled out towards the end and I wasn't sure whether the idea behind the novel and the story got... Read more
Published on 18 Dec 2008 by Mr. Peter Steward
The best book I've read for ages
This is a wonderful book and I've been recommending it to so many people. It starts off with a fabulously titled first chapter and just gets better and better. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2008 by Helen
the conjurors bird
I committed 2 grave sins of book buying with this one - (1) i bought it because i liked the cover, and, (2) because it was cheap. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2008 by J. Riley
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
