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Love and Ordinary Creatures
New York Times bestselling author Gwyn Hyman Rubio’s highly anticipated new novel...
Love and Ordinary Creatures is told through the eyes of a cockatoo in love with his very human caretaker. Snatched in a net from his Australian homeland as a young parrot, Caruso has adapted to captivity and has learned all he knows of love from his previous owner, who was obsessively fixated on his childhood sweetheart. Now in his new home with the beautiful and talented Clarissa, Caruso has found both love and happiness—until a handsome stranger arrives in town and sets his sights on Clarissa.
Smart, passionate, and wildly inventive, Caruso strives to put his human rival in his place before he loses Clarissa for good. And when a hurricane descends upon the coast, Caruso’s love for Clarissa and his memories of freedom are tested as the storm threatens all that he holds dear.
Set in the early 1990s in a quaint North Carolina seashore town, Love and Ordinary Creatures is an exquisite tale of the ways in which love and hope transcend species.
Love and Ordinary Creatures is told through the eyes of a cockatoo in love with his very human caretaker. Snatched in a net from his Australian homeland as a young parrot, Caruso has adapted to captivity and has learned all he knows of love from his previous owner, who was obsessively fixated on his childhood sweetheart. Now in his new home with the beautiful and talented Clarissa, Caruso has found both love and happiness—until a handsome stranger arrives in town and sets his sights on Clarissa.
Smart, passionate, and wildly inventive, Caruso strives to put his human rival in his place before he loses Clarissa for good. And when a hurricane descends upon the coast, Caruso’s love for Clarissa and his memories of freedom are tested as the storm threatens all that he holds dear.
Set in the early 1990s in a quaint North Carolina seashore town, Love and Ordinary Creatures is an exquisite tale of the ways in which love and hope transcend species.
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2014
About the author
Gwyn Hyman Rubio
6 books127 followersGwyn Hyman Rubio (born August 7, 1949 in Macon, Georgia) is an American author, best known for her novel Icy Sparks.
Rubio graduated from Florida State University in 1971 with a degree in English. She then joined the Peace Corps and spent several years working as a teacher in Costa Rica. After returning to the U.S. and settling in Kentucky she became interested in writing, ultimately receiving a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College in 1986.
She wrote for a decade before her first novel Icy Sparks was published in 1998. The book received favorable reviews from critics, but sales were modest until Icy Sparks was selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2001. Rubio's second novel, The Woodsman's Daughter, was published in 2005.
Rubio's father was Mac Hyman, author of No Time for Sergeants.
Rubio graduated from Florida State University in 1971 with a degree in English. She then joined the Peace Corps and spent several years working as a teacher in Costa Rica. After returning to the U.S. and settling in Kentucky she became interested in writing, ultimately receiving a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College in 1986.
She wrote for a decade before her first novel Icy Sparks was published in 1998. The book received favorable reviews from critics, but sales were modest until Icy Sparks was selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2001. Rubio's second novel, The Woodsman's Daughter, was published in 2005.
Rubio's father was Mac Hyman, author of No Time for Sergeants.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 24, 2014
Have you ever been so much in love with someone that it makes you sick, love-sick? You know its not ever going to happen, you aren’t right for each other: but the heart wants what the heart wants. Well, that is the love story, or should I say stories, in Love & Ordinary Creatures. It is told from a bird’s point of view, a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo named Caruso, who is tail over wings in love with Clarissa his beautiful red headed care taker. She is his everything, and he wants the happily-ever-after for just the two of them, and then Joe surfs into her life and that green-eyed monster jealousy ruins everything.
Clarissa and Caruso live on Ocracoke Island off the shore of North Carolina, in a cottage by the restaurant where Clarissa is the head chef; so food and cooking are other elements in this gorgeous, descriptive novel. The author has done a great job of taping into something primal here; she brings up all types of emotions and has created a believable character in Caruso…especially if you’ve ever loved birds. Definitely 5 stars…
Clarissa and Caruso live on Ocracoke Island off the shore of North Carolina, in a cottage by the restaurant where Clarissa is the head chef; so food and cooking are other elements in this gorgeous, descriptive novel. The author has done a great job of taping into something primal here; she brings up all types of emotions and has created a believable character in Caruso…especially if you’ve ever loved birds. Definitely 5 stars…
September 2, 2019
It did take me some time to get into this story of Caruso the Cockatoo and his human paramour Clarissa. It is beautifully written and full of gorgeous descriptions of characters and locale. However the story was just a little strange and weak. I would love to read something by this author with a really compelling story to tell. I did enjoy the story being told from the birds point of view, that was fun and interesting. Not really sure if I could recommend it to a friend as it didn't grab my interest very much in the beginning but I would recommend it for the excellent writing.
February 11, 2017
4.5 stars really. A wonderful tale of love and how it affects our self identity. I was surprised how Rubio's parrot became a sympathetic hero.
November 3, 2014
This is not your average love story, or even your average pet story. It's no Marley and Me, Incredible Journey, or any of the movies and books that claim to be from the point of view of a pet -- at least not from the point of view of the parrot in this book. It's not a "One day I hope to be the person my dog thinks I am", either, as the humans involved vastly underestimate the thought process and intelligence of the particular bird involved. From the human viewpoint, it was a whole lot less complex, but the reader is only treated to that p.o.v. via overheard conversations between human characters.
Caruso is one of the most passionate central characters to grace the pages between book covers in a while. That he happens to be a parrot doesn't lessen the intensity of the story. Set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in the 1990's, Caruso's world is centered on Clarissa, with whom he now lives, and who he loves desperately. He learned about love, albeit obsessive love, from his previous owner, whose heart never relinquished its hold on a childhood sweetheart, loved and lost. How this translates into the obsessive love Caruso carries for Clarissa, how his world shakes and tilts when Clarissa begins a relationship with a man, and how life resolves it all play out a large part of the book. Another another piece of the book intermingles descriptions of Caruso's memories of life in the wild, the world he was snatched from at a tender age, giving the story a different depth.
There were parts of this book that just grabbed me by the attention horns, and wouldn't let go -- until they did let go, and I found my mind wandering until the next phrase, or scene, or glimmering thought grabbed me again. This is a deeply passionate story. I've rounded up to a 4/5 star because of those moments that caught me in a snare. Thank you LibraryThing and Ashland Creek Press for sending a copy along to me.
Caruso is one of the most passionate central characters to grace the pages between book covers in a while. That he happens to be a parrot doesn't lessen the intensity of the story. Set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in the 1990's, Caruso's world is centered on Clarissa, with whom he now lives, and who he loves desperately. He learned about love, albeit obsessive love, from his previous owner, whose heart never relinquished its hold on a childhood sweetheart, loved and lost. How this translates into the obsessive love Caruso carries for Clarissa, how his world shakes and tilts when Clarissa begins a relationship with a man, and how life resolves it all play out a large part of the book. Another another piece of the book intermingles descriptions of Caruso's memories of life in the wild, the world he was snatched from at a tender age, giving the story a different depth.
There were parts of this book that just grabbed me by the attention horns, and wouldn't let go -- until they did let go, and I found my mind wandering until the next phrase, or scene, or glimmering thought grabbed me again. This is a deeply passionate story. I've rounded up to a 4/5 star because of those moments that caught me in a snare. Thank you LibraryThing and Ashland Creek Press for sending a copy along to me.
November 23, 2014
I'm always a sucker for stories with animals, so when I read the description for this book on LibraryThing Early Reviewers, I had to request it. Told through the eyes of the cockatoo Caruso, Love & Ordinary Creatures is about an intelligent young bird who has an intense, emotional attachment to his owner, Clarissa. His world is turned upside down when a new man enters Clarissa's life, and Caruso has to adjust as he learns that the love of his life doesn't feel the same for him.
I certainly enjoyed the book. I especially liked reading the "flashback" scenes, particularly in regards to Caruso's previous owner - the reader is intended to draw a parallel between Pinter's obsessive love for Olivia, and Caruso's behavior towards Clarissa - which I liked reading. There were also a few shocking surprises, which I won't give away for the future reader - but definitely tender moments that both surprised and moved me. All in all, a wonderful story that I would recommend to any of those who prefer unique, multidimensional love stories.
Keep in mind Caruso is extremely intelligent - I'm fairly certain this cockatoo narrator has a better vocabulary than I do. He is a complex creature that provides thought-provoking ideas on love and the meaning of life. Although it did take me a chapter or two to get into it, I appreciate that Rubio wrote Caruso as such an enlightened character - this book is so much more about the bigger picture/main message than the storyline. I will say there were definitely times when I found myself skimming some of Rubio's more philosophical passages on love - but for the right reader, they would certainly be enjoyed. She also has a lovely way of writing - you can't help but enjoy her prose.
I certainly enjoyed the book. I especially liked reading the "flashback" scenes, particularly in regards to Caruso's previous owner - the reader is intended to draw a parallel between Pinter's obsessive love for Olivia, and Caruso's behavior towards Clarissa - which I liked reading. There were also a few shocking surprises, which I won't give away for the future reader - but definitely tender moments that both surprised and moved me. All in all, a wonderful story that I would recommend to any of those who prefer unique, multidimensional love stories.
Keep in mind Caruso is extremely intelligent - I'm fairly certain this cockatoo narrator has a better vocabulary than I do. He is a complex creature that provides thought-provoking ideas on love and the meaning of life. Although it did take me a chapter or two to get into it, I appreciate that Rubio wrote Caruso as such an enlightened character - this book is so much more about the bigger picture/main message than the storyline. I will say there were definitely times when I found myself skimming some of Rubio's more philosophical passages on love - but for the right reader, they would certainly be enjoyed. She also has a lovely way of writing - you can't help but enjoy her prose.
April 28, 2015
I originally gave two stars, but after listening to some of the intelligent, thoughtful comments of my book discussion group friends, my opinion changed somewhat. Love to listen and share with other readers in this group where there is friendship and mutual respect.
June 16, 2015
4.5 stars. Rounding up for birds, islands, and really lovely descriptions.
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September 25, 2015This book was featured in the Nota Benes section of the January/February 2015 issue of World Literature Today Magazine.
http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2...
http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2...
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October 27, 2014Gwyn Rubio (B.A. ’71)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews