The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession

If you don't know much of birds or bird history, brace yourself, it's going to be a tough read (in the first chapters) but you'll get to learn so much and ocassionally crack up with laughter. The author is quite witty and make the first chapters fun to read even thought they are journalistic. Recomendation, forget the movie or just watch it after you finish the book, it's going to be easier to read that way...I tried to find connections between them both and there are more differences than other film adaptations out there including some names.

I love this book. More insight on the people, more info on the birds and travels.. Great descriptions. Great epilogue with helpful resources. Very well written. Educational and entertaining

The book is informative and entertaining in a much different manner than the movie.

I am a beginner birder. With a full time job and three kids I don't have much time to do bird-watching. Reading this book fulfilled a lot of my curiosity about birds and even made me feel proud as a birder.I really fell in love with the three main characters. In such a materialistic world we live in, it is incredibly refreshing to find people who are out there giving everything they could, not for money or any materialistic gain, but for their love of nature.It is an extremely well written book. Toward the end, I just cannot put it down and had to keep reading even though I really shouldn't stay up so late on a weekday.I wish the movie stayed more true to the book. I do not like much of the baseless story line added to Sandy Komito's big year. But I'm grateful that the movie led me to the book. I think it's a book I can happily purchase for my friends and relatives as birthday or Christmas presents.

The book is just a very pleasant and enjoyable change from the world of fiction, and the world of nonfiction that focuses on the negatives, politics and wars of the world. I am a birder, but nowhere near a competitive birder. So I have no dog in this show. However, I do understand the drive and will to be #1 exemplified in the book.Well, that's all apart from the book itself. It is extremely well written, in the sense of engaging the reader and leading the reader on to want to read more. The interesting aspects include geographical facts and anecdotal stories, as well as the personalities of the main characters and "supporting" characters.Don't know how non-birders might view the book, but I would urge them to forget the "birding fanatics" aspects of the book and to just look at the human character studies, the geography, and the cultural analysis of the book.For birders, 5 stars out of 5; for non-birders with open minds 4 stars; for those who don't get birds and birding, or character studies, well, add your own reviews.

Loved the storyline!thanks!!

I never would have thought that a story about obsessed men searching for birds for could be so engrossing. I couldn’t put this one down and only “adult” obligations kept me from reading it in one sitting. I found myself rooting for the underdog, who did not have the financial resources of the other two men to drop everything and fly cross-country to see a rare bird… while simultaneously acknowledging that I would do something extreme to my husband were he to run up tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt to do the same.

Better than the movie. Even if you're not a birder, this is one of those excellent nonfiction books that takes you into somebody else's world in an enjoyable way. You really get to know these three guys, and marvel at their dedication and spending to see birds all over the continent. The three protagonists may be staring at birds through $2,000 binoculars, but find yourself staring into their world with the same fascination. PS the movie is pretty good, this book is very good.

Still reading. But an utter delight. For those amongst us who are not, from an early age, passionate and knowledgeable birders, yet hold some deep urge to learn more of this world and the innumerable creatures we share it with, this book offers insights into at least one group of these creatures, north american birds. A very readable book! It was fun to read about the migrations of birds, the storms that offer opportunity to see accidentals, and the fascinating characters, human and other.

This book is a very quick read and has many funny parts in it. Well written book - really enjoyed it!

Perfect

Good book. Interesting historyA+++ seller