The Hummingbird and the Bear
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. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Nicholas Hogg comes across the pond to show us another side of our selves. With an eye for the American absurd, Hogg tells us how we love now - impulsively, rootlessly, never far from violence -- Rachel Klein, author of The Moth Diaries
From the opening page I was drawn into this fast and furious story. The description of American life is wonderfully authentic, and the dangerous and illicit nature of Sam and Kay s relationship helps to build the tension in a way that keeps you turning the pages -- New Books Magazine
The Hummingbird and the Bear is a timely and moving examination of passionate love, set against the backdrop of the financial crisis. Personal lives implode alongside balance sheets as the action moves from the safe green hills of the Home Counties to the badlands of the US-Mexico border -- Sophie Cooke
A beautiful read --Ian McMillan
From the opening page I was drawn into this fast and furious story. The description of American life is wonderfully authentic, and the dangerous and illicit nature of Sam and Kay s relationship helps to build the tension in a way that keeps you turning the pages -- New Books Magazine
The Hummingbird and the Bear is a timely and moving examination of passionate love, set against the backdrop of the financial crisis. Personal lives implode alongside balance sheets as the action moves from the safe green hills of the Home Counties to the badlands of the US-Mexico border -- Sophie Cooke
A beautiful read --Ian McMillan
Book Description
How do you fall in love with the right man when you’re not the right woman?
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
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
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sam Taylor is was raised by a single mother who marries a man who turns into a violent step-father and Sam becomes one of the many young men who are thrown out of their `family' homes by a man who usurps the role of head of householder without choosing to serve as father. After a few years of roughing it, Sam turns his life around, at least on the material level, and becomes a self-made man. It's a familiar enough story on one level - all the real life rough diamonds who polish themselves into success are examples of this story in action.
But this self-made man, with a superb standard of living, `perfect' girlfriend and every possible advantage, is unmade when he meets a woman whom we cannot resist and who can't resist him. And at this point the story becomes something darker, more complex and quite disturbing: it's about love, but also about risk and the way that risk can be a kind of compulsion. From the moment Sam and Kay meet at a wedding they are compelled towards each other, regardless of that risk. For Sam the risk is the collapse of his beautiful, but precarious lifestyle but for Kay the risks are greater: she's already married and to a powerful man - who doesn't like losing anything, least of all his wife.
As the story unfolds we see similarities between Sam and Kay - both have fracture lines in their family histories that they have concealed but which bring them together in a mutual and ultimately destructive love affair. The collapse of their fake lives is set against the collapse of the finance industry in which Sam works and where Kay's husband is a major player to create a micro/macro scenario of loss, damage and spiralling madness.
The Hummingbird and the Bear is an unusual book - written by a man about themes usually reserved for `women's literature'; part love story and part fast-moving thriller; somewhat of a moral fable but also a forensic examination of the global banking collapse, it's a rare creature - a romantic book you could give to a man to read without having to apologise for handing him a 'relationship story'. Highly recommended for intelligent readers who enjoy passionate writing.
But this self-made man, with a superb standard of living, `perfect' girlfriend and every possible advantage, is unmade when he meets a woman whom we cannot resist and who can't resist him. And at this point the story becomes something darker, more complex and quite disturbing: it's about love, but also about risk and the way that risk can be a kind of compulsion. From the moment Sam and Kay meet at a wedding they are compelled towards each other, regardless of that risk. For Sam the risk is the collapse of his beautiful, but precarious lifestyle but for Kay the risks are greater: she's already married and to a powerful man - who doesn't like losing anything, least of all his wife.
As the story unfolds we see similarities between Sam and Kay - both have fracture lines in their family histories that they have concealed but which bring them together in a mutual and ultimately destructive love affair. The collapse of their fake lives is set against the collapse of the finance industry in which Sam works and where Kay's husband is a major player to create a micro/macro scenario of loss, damage and spiralling madness.
The Hummingbird and the Bear is an unusual book - written by a man about themes usually reserved for `women's literature'; part love story and part fast-moving thriller; somewhat of a moral fable but also a forensic examination of the global banking collapse, it's a rare creature - a romantic book you could give to a man to read without having to apologise for handing him a 'relationship story'. Highly recommended for intelligent readers who enjoy passionate writing.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nicholas Hogg has produced a tense, fast moving page turner here. I couldn't put it down and managed to rattle through the book in a couple of days, which is never a bad sign.
Once again the author has managed to capture his deep understanding of the cultures he has obviously spent considerable time in and incorporate them seamlessly into a flowing tale. Imagine Bill Brysonesque observations subtly woven into a thrilling novel.
Congratulations to Mr Hogg once again and I am thoroughly looking forward to the next installment.
Once again the author has managed to capture his deep understanding of the cultures he has obviously spent considerable time in and incorporate them seamlessly into a flowing tale. Imagine Bill Brysonesque observations subtly woven into a thrilling novel.
Congratulations to Mr Hogg once again and I am thoroughly looking forward to the next installment.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
...it seems I'm in the minority in not exactly being overwhelmed by this novel. I found it a fairly decent, though not spectacular read if I'm honest and this is the sort of book that I will easily forget about now that I've finished it. I'm not knocking the writing style, which was certainly appealing enough- its just I found it hard to feel any kind of connection or empathy with the main characters and the plot itself seemed a bit dry and uninteresting though the premise had initially appealed to me.
The book is about `self-made' man, Sam, a financier who seems to have it all- a great job and a beautiful fiancée. It's not until he encounters Kay, a married American woman at a mutual friends wedding and he feels an instant connection with her that he wonders if he has really been as happy as he thought. The two of them begin a powerful affair that threatens to destroy them both.
This is the story of love, romance and taking risks and contains some other very heavy subject matters. It is also set against the collapse of the economy, which whilst I found a nice piece of symbolism, did make the story a little bit duller than what I'd anticipated.
My feelings about the characters in this book were also mixed- I didn't particularly like any of them, barring Jenni, quite possibly because I didn't approve of their actions, but generally I found them lacking in any particular substance. I also had to suspend my disbelief somewhat at the end of this novel- it just grew borderline ridiculous and the sensationalism didn't seem to anchor very well with the rest of the book. Despite that though, the author is very good in creating a vivid scene and I had no trouble in imagining the multiple settings and surroundings depicted in the novel itself. The novel shifts between some interesting places which I feel were portrayed quite clearly.
As I'm in the minority in not being knocked out by this book, maybe this is one you need to try for yourself? It could be that I'm missing the point or not picking up on the something wonderful about this book that other reviewers have fallen on- though if that is indeed the case then I completely fail to see what that is. My lasting thoughts of this book: it was a fairly pleasant way to pass a couple of hours, but certainly didn't set my world on fire.
The book is about `self-made' man, Sam, a financier who seems to have it all- a great job and a beautiful fiancée. It's not until he encounters Kay, a married American woman at a mutual friends wedding and he feels an instant connection with her that he wonders if he has really been as happy as he thought. The two of them begin a powerful affair that threatens to destroy them both.
This is the story of love, romance and taking risks and contains some other very heavy subject matters. It is also set against the collapse of the economy, which whilst I found a nice piece of symbolism, did make the story a little bit duller than what I'd anticipated.
My feelings about the characters in this book were also mixed- I didn't particularly like any of them, barring Jenni, quite possibly because I didn't approve of their actions, but generally I found them lacking in any particular substance. I also had to suspend my disbelief somewhat at the end of this novel- it just grew borderline ridiculous and the sensationalism didn't seem to anchor very well with the rest of the book. Despite that though, the author is very good in creating a vivid scene and I had no trouble in imagining the multiple settings and surroundings depicted in the novel itself. The novel shifts between some interesting places which I feel were portrayed quite clearly.
As I'm in the minority in not being knocked out by this book, maybe this is one you need to try for yourself? It could be that I'm missing the point or not picking up on the something wonderful about this book that other reviewers have fallen on- though if that is indeed the case then I completely fail to see what that is. My lasting thoughts of this book: it was a fairly pleasant way to pass a couple of hours, but certainly didn't set my world on fire.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Hummingbird and the Bear by Nicholas Hogg
Really enjoyed this book. The portrayal of the main character developed depth as the story progressed. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Michael
I couldn't put this book down!
For someone who mainly reads autobiographies,this book was recommended to me and i found it a great read. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Si Barnes
Original, enthralling novel
As mentioned in another review - many of the themes in this book are usually found in "chick lit" and that is one of the reasons that this book is good and Hogg an outstanding... Read more
Published 8 months ago by overskadovers
A dangerous liaison
The Hummingbird and the Bear is the story of a passionate and dangerous love affair.
What starts in a beautiful and perfect wedding in the English countryside develops... Read more
What starts in a beautiful and perfect wedding in the English countryside develops... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Klu2010
Lightweight fun, but some pretty dull characters
This is an easy-to-read, lightweight thriller. The action skips between the UK and the USA, where self-made (and, in my view, self-obsessed) Sam falls desperately in love with... Read more
Published 9 months ago by E. Morris
loved it
love......... how to live it how to deal with it... it just happens.. that is what the author lets us understand and we all know how true that is. A great read....... Read more
Published 9 months ago by colette
Another splendid read
Nicholas Hogg has done it again. Well done.
I found it hard to put this book down. It has a fast pace and the characters are real and you can believe in them while the... Read more
I found it hard to put this book down. It has a fast pace and the characters are real and you can believe in them while the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mmjones
Epic tale - a modern classic?
Just finished The Hummingbird and the Bear. What a cracking read. Infatuation, adultery, deceit, poverty, desperation, addiction, crime, family dysfunctionality, a car crash,... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jellied Eel Jeff
Easy to read......
Sam Taylor is a successful city analyst with a beautiful girlfriend, Jenni, and a wonderfully settled life in London. Read more
Published 11 months ago by jaffareadstoo
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.
|
