Elsewhere In the Land of Parrots

by Jim Paul

An escaped wild parrot named Wittgenstein, a gift from his father, becomes the catalyst for drawing reclusive poet David Huntington back into the world as he follows it to Telegraph Hill and then to South America, where he meets Fern, a lovely American scientist with her own personal interest in the bird. 20,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Animals, Birds, Adult Fiction, Novels, Romance, Realistic Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ronald Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a novel I enjoyed greatly, but finished wondering why. Almost every aspect of it was subtle. No flashy or courageous heroes, no gripping suspense. Not even much in the way of conflict. But at the end I felt that I had been on a rewarding adventure and that I had learned something about myself and the world around me.

David Huntington in San Francisco and Fern Melartin in Tucson, independently develop a driving curiosity about the Aratinga erythrogenis, a small green parrot, which encourages them to leave their safety zones when opportunities to do so come their way. They are both people with whom I could readily identify, and soon found myself sharing the enthusiasm in their research and discoveries.

Some work of my own added to my enjoyment. As I read I created a companion document of reading notes, cutting and pasting descriptive text and photos from Wikipedia of the locations and creatures they encountered. So I now have a visual record of my journeys with both David and Fern as their paths eventually converged, and can appreciate their fascination with the world of parrots - exotically plumed, loud and raucous, and sometimes talking like humans.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle story of parrots, romance, and
serendipity. Side note: This book appeared on Nancy Pearl's recent
list of recommended summer reading.

[Kathleen Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Based loosley on the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill and Dr Pepperburg.

[Maria Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because it fulfilled a reading challenge requirement. I think I wouldn't have finished it otherwise. I was restless and perhaps even bored as I read the first half but enjoyed the second half more. The book is slow moving and frankly not a lot happens. Even so, I did like the book to an extent. At least the second half. Kinda felt like the romance aspect of the book was unnecessary. Insta-love in the last chapters- I just didn't care. Learning a little about parrots was interesting though.

Sex: yes, in the end chapters.
Language: yes. It isn't frequent but had a variety sprinkled here and there including the F-word.
Violence: no.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book about both a rather anti-social poet in San Francisco (and how he found himself in Ecuador having felt guilty about throwing a gifted parrot out his window), and a bright and beautiful biologist working on her dissertation of a certain variety of parrot in the wilds of Ecuador. A pleasant read.

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. Even in fiction facts are hidden. As an armchair traveller I experienced the mangroves, the culture and the people of Ecuador. It is also a spiritual growth for Fern and David. David become a more connected person to the world. The key that unlocked the world is a parrot. Life works in mysterious ways and happen if you least expect it.

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally sweet and endearing. Nice summer reading at the end of long days.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject material was okay, but I just had a hard time getting into it. (6)

[Phoebe Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, slow paced book with two lovely storylines which delightfully merge at the end. A feel good read.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time. The characters are cookie-cutter, as is the plot.

[Tracee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious, slow, could have been interesting.

[Sonia Convery · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little predictable, but sweet. Great info about parrots weaved in throughout the story.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up based on the cover; the happy-looking parrot (I am one of those people who DO judge a book by its cover). A sign below it also said it was recommended by one of the people who work at the library.

It started out with a really annoying man; a somewhat pathetic excuse of a human being who was afraid of life (he rarely ventured out of his apartment and even blocked the window with a large piece of furniture). He lived with a parrot who was also somewhat obnoxious. On top of that he wrote something called X Poetry which was based on not making sense. I am not a fan of poetry and this sounds even worse. David Huntington, however, managed to publish a book for the few obscure fans of X Poetry and, thus, was given a monetary award for 5 years. Soon after he lost the parrot (I won't spoil it by saying how) and then developed writer's block (if that can occur when your stuff makes no sense any way). He started reading about parrots and looking for them (there is a flock in San Francisco where David lives).

To make a long story short, he ends up in Ecuador looking for where the particular type of parrot started out. Along the way he meets some fun and eccentric people, learns to be adventurous and enjoy life and becomes a likable character.

This book was fun, endearing and worth reading:o) It was also fun to learn about parrots.

[Bunnyhugger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I wish I'd reviewed this when it was still fresh in my mind! I picked this book up from the library display table based solely on its cover. The parrot's expression was so... disarming. I love parrots and especially "Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" (both the movie and the book). "Elsewhere" intertwines the stories of two people: David, a reclusive poet striving to write the most densely obscure poetry possible, and Fern, a naturalist searching out an elusive parrot breed in Ecuador. I don't want to give too much away but you won't be surprised that their lives do eventually interconnect. It's funny and earnest, which I appreciated. There are also some surprising similarities with the real life "Wild Parrots" story - maybe a bit too many. All the same, this is a refreshing and enjoyable read.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on my bookshelf for ages, and finally had a chance to start reading it. A few years ago, I watched the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill documentary on Netflix. Because San Francisco is one of my favorite cities, I love learning more about the side stories and quirks that make it unique. The past two times I was in SF, I caught a glimpse of the famous parrots, and I definitely heard their raucous cries, so I could relate a little to the characters in the book when they had their own first contact moments.

I could tell the story was written by an author who identifies as a poet. The prose was lyrical and evocative. He managed to make the main characters - a neurotic shut-in poet and a ecology grad student - into fully realized people you could relate to and care about. There was a nice thread of magical realism in the story, too. I'm glad I finally had a chance to read this!

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this one would probably be 3.75 stars for me, so I rounded up.

At the start, I wasn't impressed very much. David wasn't likable and Fern was naïve. But they grew, both on you and just in general as characters. I really liked how the story fused together over the course of the story and all the growing the characters had done by the end of it. Despite that I sometimes find large amounts of detail to be overwhelming and pointless, I found it to be very well used in this story. One bird brought two very different worlds together and it's pretty delightful.

I also really want to give the story credit for not making anyone a stereotype, except maybe the villain. But hey, greed is greed.

I don't think it's something I'll read over and over again, but it's definitely something I'd feel comfortable recommending to others.

[Shannon Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago. But there are a few things that have stuck with me through the years. I remember thinking that David was a horrible character and I was not looking forward to the rest of the story, as apparently the author didn't know how to write a likeable protagonist. I quickly changed my tune. You weren't supposed to like him, he was a selfigh, pathetic, waste of perfectly good oxygen, until he took a few risks and started to develop as a person. I enjoyed the story, loved the factual information about the parrots and found guilty pleasure in the romantic fluff. Once I finished I pushed this book on my mother, my grandmother, my cousins, my father, anyone who would read it.

[Arlene Shulman/Lichtman · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to be a parrot lover to enjoy this book. It was fun and educational and I would read it again.

[Karen Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sleeper of a novel - not on any bestseller lists - but worth requesting through inter-library loan.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not care for book. No substance, no interest, not much description other than of parrots.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unwanted parrot changes meaningless poet's life. Most entertaining.

[Cora · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet little book. Nothing earth-shattering, but I liked it, especially all the information on parrots (really!).

[Kirsten Reay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was put off around the middle of the book, but then it redeemed itself and ended up being alright.

[Whiskey and Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars