Hummingbirds

by Joshua Gaylord

Book Overview

"Those of us who love Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie will now have to make room next to it on our shelves for Joshua Gaylord's winning debut." --Brock Clarke, author of An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England

"Hummingbirds positively glistens with erudition and insight. Whether writing about prep school girls or the adult men who walk among them, Gaylord's stunning writing elevates his subject matter with equal...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061769010
• ISBN13: 9780061769016
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An incredible debut novel

Hummingbirds reads like a modern American version of a Dickens novel, with its omniscient narration encompassing a broad cast of characters from different walks of life (i.e. teachers and students). And like the best literature, Gaylord's novel immerses the reader in another world--in this case, the world of the upper-crust Manhattan prep school. The Carmine-Casey School for Girls is so richly described, it feels more like a central character than a mere setting. Gaylord obviously possesses an intimate knowledge of the world of which he writes, but even more impressively, he exhibits a firm grasp of human nature. Hummingbirds is at once poignant and slyly humorous (a scene late in the novel involving spray-painted graffiti is ourageously funny). This is an amazing work of literary fiction, one that I cannot recommend highly enough--to teachers, high school/college students, and anyone interested in delving into the mystery and wonder of male-female relationship. But hey, don't take my word for it. Click on the "Look Inside" button above, and read Gaylord's opening chapter for yourself. I defy you not to get hooked by the novel's seductive prose.

A Wonderful Novel

This book is well crafted and enjoyable to read! I found it very difficult to put down. Gaylord's characters compliment each other lovely and are believable. In both my adolescent and adult life I have met similar characters. Filled with drama and intrigue, this book is a must read!

Well Written

I enjoyed the book, and could hardly put it down! I especially enjoyed the nonstop excitement. Even if something was not directly happening to Binhammer, the protagonist, there was some kind of conflict or tension for another character. Very well written, and the characters even remind me a bit of my own high school.

Lovely and Moving

The characters in Hummingbirds are as wonderful and reprehensible as real people. By the end of the novel I had many reasons to love and a few reasons to hate every major character, from the seemingly shallow Dixie, who is constantly observing the world around her and trying to make it more interesting, to the reckless and beautiful Ted Hughes, a man whose mistakes are almost as endearing as his poetic sensibilities. The social environment of the school in which the characters interact takes on a complexity rarely seen in literature, and it is wonderful. Too many authors demean and belittle the experiences of high school, those formative years where small things feel big and big things feel enormous. Joshua Gaylord, however, portrays the school and the girls inhabiting it with the perfect balance of straight-faced seriousness and affectionate laughter, exactly what you would expect from a teacher who loves working at a school for all the right reasons. Reading Hummingbirds was a wonderful experience, one of the best I've had in the last several years. I highly recommend this beautiful, powerful novel.

Smart, sly and witty. A startlingly enjoyable novel.

What is most striking to me about Hummingbirds is how irrepressibly witty it is. Reading it was a continual pleasure as the author's narrator alternates between the tumultuous thoughts and desires of girls finishing their senior year of private high school and the more world-experienced minds of their male and female teachers. All of the characters sing off the page. I have a special fondness for the teacher named Sybil because she always seems to have a handle on things, even when others barely notice what she says. The author clearly loves all of his characters, and he never uses his formidable wit at the expense of them. I cannot stress enough how well-written the novel is. If you already enjoy the writing of Tom Perrotta (Election) or the young Philip Roth, you will most certainly enjoy this novel. Anyone who likes smart writing would be remiss not to read it.