پرنده‌ی اسرارآمیز

by Martin Davies, طاهره صدیقیان (Translator)

فردی در سفری اكتشافی پرنده‌ای نادر را می‌یابد و آن‌گاه آن را كشته و تاكسی‌درمی می‌كند. این فرد كه یكی از اعضای خانواده‌ی سلطنتی بوده، پرنده را در مجموعه‌ی خصوصی خود نگهداری كرده و از معشوقه‌اش می‌خواهد تا تصویری از این پرنده را نقاشی كند. پس از گذشت ۲۰۰ سال از این ماجرا و در قرن بیست و یكم گروه‌های متعددی با مطالعه‌ی كتاب‌های تاریخ طبیعی به این پرنده علاقمند می‌شوند. اما هریك از این گروه‌ها به خیال فروش یا دست‌یابی به ژن پرنده و... به دنبال كشف این پرنده هستند و در حین تحقیقات بسیار به داستان پرنده و صاحبانش در ۲۰۰ سال پیش پی می‌برند.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Romance, Book Club, Adventure

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Martin Davies is a British author. He has written four novels about Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper and four other novels, including one about Joseph Banks and the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, entitled The Conjuror's Bird, all of which have been published.

Martin Davies grew up in North West England. All his writing is done in cafes, on buses or on tube trains, and an aversion to laptops means that he always works in longhand. He has travelled widely, including in the Middle East and India, and substantial parts of THE UNICORN ROAD were written while travelling through Sicily. He works as a consultant in the broadcasting industry.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was torn between two and three stars for this book. I feel like I read through it awfully fast, but it was not so much because of it being un-put-downable, it wasn't. Insomnia and a planned few days out of town with a no-book, no-computer rule can make for fast reading.

I found The Conjuror's Bird a few years ago in a dollar store and I have a hard time passing up such bargains if the story seems at all interesting. This one is about a search for a missing specimen of an extinct bird.

The book jacket calls it a gripping literary mystery and passionate love story that tackles the intrigue surrounding the celebrated [Joseph} Banks, his secret affair with an enigmatic woman known only as "Miss B", and the legendary bird that becomes a touchstone for their love.

This was my second reading of this book, and to tell the truth I felt the same as I did after finishing the first time: sort of 'well, okay.' The parts about Banks and his mistress were more interesting; I never cared at all for any of the modern day characters, their stories, or why in the world they were so obsessed about this bird. None of them ever felt real to me, only the historical people seemed to have any personality, with Miss B being the most compelling and showing the greatest strength of character in the entire book.

I really don't have much else to say. I suppose I should read it again some day when I have less going on in Real Life, but I think I will put it in the pile for my book swap guy instead. I just can't get too enthused over the thought of hanging onto it any longer.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I've been on an "academic mystery!!" kick of late, and friends: it comes to an end today.

Here's the thing about calling something 'formulaic' -- you can't really do it until you know the formula. Now, I can suspect a formula, but I don't actually read that many mysteries (or genre fiction, period), so like...it's more me saying "this is kinda predictable" or "this is dumb" than "this is formulaic."

But FRIENDS, I have read enough. I know the tropes. The quirky, down-on-his-luck male academic with a mildly sad past. The completely random, mildly harsh female academic who begrudgingly but inevitably helps him. Their completely unrealistic romantic relationship. Other weird academics searching for the same thing. No one needing to take time off while they chase random leads around the English countryside. And the ultimate prize, the ultimate treasure, being something that no one in the real world gives literally a single fuck about.

So friends, I can now say: "THIS SHIT BE FORMULAIC."

Some fun terrible moments from The Conjurer's Bird, specifically:

- The main descriptor of women being 'slim.' Like, he saw her slim form or her slim figure stirred him or whatever. To the point where on page 301 I barked out a laugh in public:
"He barely had time to note the slimness of her figure before she turned and the light fell golden on her face."
hahaahah I just
BARELY had time
but this guy is a winner don't worry he's got this
noted!!!!!!!
phew!!!
hahahaha

- Hi my name is Fitz, I have a mildly sad past. I will keep referring to "the photo by my bed." You'll think it's of this ex of mine BUT IT MIGHT NOT BE. Also I will end every chapter by referencing my grandfather whose quest exactly parallels mine, just in case you didn't notice the parallel. Also I'm profoundly unlikeable so you won't root for me and if I succeed you might even be like "aw shit I wanted the other way more interesting mildly antagonistic character to get it." Oh well.

- Okay spoilers ahead but no one reading this review should read this book so I don't care: KATYA. Listen. Listen. Fitz has an upstairs he lets to students. Fine. Katya, his tenant, is a Master's history student whose dad is a famous historian. Fine. They exchange zero words until ~the game is afoot!~ Fine. But SUDDENLY, Katya is MASSIVELY interested in literally EVERYTHING to do with this dumb fucking bird, and Fitz, and keeps referring to her father and what a sellout he is.

I mean 2+2=Katya's gonna get the bird for her dad, right? Predictable.

BUT NO, WRONG, because LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENS WITH HER. She displays zero qualities, and just falls in love with this weird older guy who taxidermies animals in her basement and they drive around looking for drawings of plants and hold hands. I just like ----- what the fuck?! It's so clearly wish fulfillment on Davies' part that I....I don't know. The women in these books are so one-dimensional it's ridiculous, and I'd be pissed, except everyone is one-dimensional so enh.

- Who cares about birds. Why did I ever buy this book.

- The historical narrative was also really dumb. Honestly, I think Martin Davies read Possession and was like "K IMA DO IT BUT WITH BIRDS????" and y'all know how I feel about Possession so

I should really give this one star, but I tend to reserve my one-star ratings for like Really Infuriating books, and this was more laughable than irritating, so...y'know. Plus I didn't HATE reading it. Most of it. But god --- this is the last one for awhile.

[Kinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know when teachers tell you you are smart and talented but lazy? I've heard it many times. I am sure many of you heard it as well and I am absolutely positive Martin Davies heard it more than once.
He is a talented guy. He managed to create a mystery story that revolves around a stuffed bird. And not even a colourful, exotic one, just a plain grey bird. To be fair, the bird is now extinct and the stuffed specimen is the only specimen in the world. And it is missing. In fact, it has been missing for 200 years or so. Using primary sources Davies creates two stories, one is a 19th century romance and the other is a contemporary mystery. I am not a big fan of two intervening narratives because I have OCD that stops me from reading more than one book at a time. I am always tempted to read one story, and then go back and read the other story. Alas, my OCD doesn't allow me to read pages in any other than numerological order either. Sigh.

On the top of that Davies added a story of the narrator's grandfather search for African peacocks. Therefore we have three stories and 305 pages. You do the math.

"That Thursday evening I was working late, removing the skull of a dead owl."

This is the first line and it shows a lot of promise but after that there just rah, rah, rah, bam, bam, bam and off we go. Davies just didn't take his time. The man can write, and he had a good story but everything was barely touched. He did a real disservice to his characters, the poor things looked all like cardboard cut-outs of themselves. The 19th century England was not brought to life either. I had to rely on the vision of the period I had in my head thanks to more hard-working authors.

All in all, a decent beach read for times when you feel lazy and can only associate with like-minded authors.

[Adrien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my absolute favorite kind of book -- historical research! Like The Historian and Possession (though not *quite* as good as either), most of the novel is spent in archives and libraries tracking down obscure bits of paper. I personally love this kind of thing, and could read about looking for lost material all day long.
The pacing of this novel was excellent -- it kept me turning pages quickly. With that said, that's partly why it is not quite as good as the above mentioned novels -- it was competently written with great characters and story, but a lot of me was reading just to find out what happened next. It was like Possessionbut without so much work. It all depends on what you're in the mood for.
I also had a few quips with the plot, but overall it was so enjoyable that it still gets the coveted four stars. I think the highest praise I can give it is that it sparked my interest in Joseph Banks -- I love it when pleasure reading encourages non fiction reading. I will certainly be hunting down other works by this author.

[Lowed · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1774, an unusual bird was spotted on Captain Cook's second expedition to the South Seas. This single specimen was captured, preserved, and brought back to Englandand no other bird of its kind was ever seen again. The bird was given to naturalist Joseph Banks, who displayed it proudly in his collection until it too disappeared. Were it not for a colored drawing created by the ship's artist, it would seem that the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta had never existed.

Two hundred years later, naturalist John Fitzgerald gets a call from an old friend asking him to join the search for the bird's remains. He traces the bird's history, uncovering surprising details about the role of a woman known only as Miss B in Joseph Banks's life and career.

Seamlessly leaping between time periods,The Conjurer's Bird is at once the story of Joseph Banks's secret life, Fitz's thrilling and near-impossible race to find the elusive bird, and of John's grandfathers' search for an unknown peacock from Africa.

There is something about this book that triggers the interest of the readers. As one reviewer has already noted, Martin Davies has a way with words and could really keep you over the edge. I'm not into birds per se, but if it has something to do with finding a lost item that could involve an unexpected adventure and an untimely love affair, then enlist me on the next expidition! Ü

This is a four!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and the switching bewteeen the two different timelines each chapter. I loved both era's but probably enjoyed the historical pieces the best - the way of life, the stigma associated with a young woman not being a virgin and its implications for the rest of her life. The adventures overseas to draw wildlife (no cameras), and the inability to communicate quickly with people on the other side of the world (no phones or even telegrams) made me focus on how very much has changed in the world and how we are both richer and poorer for it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short review, I'm constrained by time.

I loved The Conjuror's Bird. It's a mystery with two stories running parrallel, one set in the 18th century and the other in modern day. It's based on a true story and the modern part hands on the hunt for a valuable and important stuffed extinct bird. The earlier part of the tale is about how the bird came to be in a particular family, and it explores a delicate and rare love story for which the bird is in part a metaphor. The writing style is easy and graceful and contains a lot of home truths.
Well worth the read.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sort of hate going into all the little criticisms I think of when reading, because if the story is engaging, then I don't want my criticisms to overshadow it. Then again, if the writing and story were really engaging, then I wouldn't have time to think of criticisms while reading. So: writers of historical fiction, please give me more detail. While this book had a really interesting (and mostly based on true primary source stuff) premise, it ended up feeling a little thin because the author hadn't taken the time to flesh out the time period, or create convincing dialogue that wasn't just an interlude between rushed expository paragraphs. And unfortunately I got the idea that he was a bit of a drunk (the author). And then I got the idea that the main character was based on him, and I pasted his author's photo onto the idea I had of the main character, and his unsubtle crush on the graduate student character became sort of creepy... you see, it sounds like I didn't enjoy reading this. But I actually had a pleasant time of it. It was recommended by a patron.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book - I suspect it will stimulate much discussion at book club at the end of the week. It took me just over 24 hours to read its 307 pages, not bad going, and not rushed, just pleasurable. There is romance, but in the background. There is mystery, deception and detection, corruption and greed, consideration of social status and mores, natural history and art, history and the seeking of information from public records, the necessity of knowing what you are looking for, be it fact or inspiration. Indeed, there is travel, through time and internationally, withh beautiful descriptions. There is sensuality, betrayal and honesty. If I begin to describe or to precis the story, it will spoil the pleasure of the reading for others, and this book deserves to be read. I really enjoyed my day between its pages, and it is a book I might well want to re-read in the future.

[Rory · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a complete chore to read. Boring first person narrator finds himself immersed in a boring mystery/wild goose chase (the wild goose being the mysterious Bird of Ulieta), paralleled with the story of a boring 18th century circumnavigator's boring relationship with his boring mistress.

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tenho consciência de que o meu perfil enquanto leitora tem vindo a alterar-se ao longo do tempo. Se há cerca de dois anos bastava encantar-me com a capa de um livro para iniciar a sua leitura, hoje sou bem mais crítica em relação às obras que escolho. A minha presente necessidade de conhecer inúmeros pormenores acerca de um livro antes de decidir se devo lê-lo, ajuda-me a escolher obras com as quais me identifico diminuindo assim, os sentimentos de frustração e desilusão que experiencio ao ler algo que se revela não ser do meu agrado. Porém a minha falta de espontaneidade pode levar-me e, acredito que tal já tenha acontecido várias vezes, a perder a oportunidade de ter o prazer de deleitar-me com uma belíssima obra.
Na altura em que confiava muito mais nos meus instintos no momento da escolha de um livro, descobri este mesmo romance – “A Pintora de Plantas” de Martin Davies. No meio de tantas outras obras empilhadas nas prateleiras das estantes da Biblioteca Escolar, poderia ter passado despercebido mas as palavras que formavam o seu título e as cores quentes da capa, captaram imediatamente a minha atenção.
A leitura foi iniciada perto das férias do Verão e por esta razão pude ler apenas os primeiros capítulos da obra pois, durante o período de pausa lectiva todos os livros que pertencem à Biblioteca Escolar devem ser devolvidos. O livro ficou por ler uma vez que, terminei o meu percurso ao nível do Ensino Secundário e, assim sendo, não voltei a dirigir-me a esta recheada biblioteca. Dois anos mais tarde, reconheci-o assim que o vi numa papelaria e o mesmo tornou-se imediatamente parte da minha estante.
A história desenrola-se em dois períodos – atualmente e no século XVIII – acompanhando simultaneamente o professor John Fitzgerald na procura pela Misteriosa Ave de Ulieta e a vida pessoal de Joseph Banks, botânico e naturalista inglês que, exibiu durante anos na sua coleção o único exemplar existente da mesma.
Fitz, recebe uma chamada de Gabriella, uma antiga paixão, e logo descobre que a mesma e o companheiro atual contam ter o seu auxílio numa busca que estão prestes a começar, uma busca pelo exemplar da Misteriosa Ave de Ulieta que desapareceu da coleção de Banks há duzentos anos atrás e nunca mais foi visto. Porque é que o casal quer encontrar a ave embalsamada? Fitz não sabe mas tem a certeza de que os motivos não são os mais nobres e por esta razão recusa-se a prestar ajuda. Ao regressar a casa após o estranho encontro com o casal, o professor percebe que foi assaltado. E o que levaram? Os documentos que continham toda a informação que pesquisou durante anos acerca da Misteriosa Ave de Ulieta! Deste modo, Fitz sente-se compelido a iniciar a sua própria investigação acerca do possível paradeiro da extinta ave tentando evitar que esta chegue às mãos erradas. A busca leva o protagonista a descobrir cada vez mais pormenores acerca da vida de Banks e de Miss B., uma misteriosa mulher que se revela crucial para o desenrolar de toda a trama.
Este é sem dúvida um dos melhores livros que já li pois envolve o leitor na procura pela ave enquanto nos possibilita desfrutar de uma linda mas, realista história de amor.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I'm not the only one who'll compare it to Possession. Is this a type of book, a sub-genre? These books set in two timelines where the people in the present are trying to figure out some sort of mystery in the history? Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land is another example.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating tale featuring the real life mystery of the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, which weaves in the story of a few intriguing details about the life of celebrated 18th century botanist Joseph Banks and the disappearance of this rare specimen with a modern day tale of various people on the trail of the bird's remains.

I became quite fond of its modern day protagonist, Fitz, and felt that Davies managed to write a very suspenseful novel without a body count.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not nearly as light as the title or cover suggested it might be. Two narratives, one set now and written in 1st person and one set in 18thC written in the third. Together they combined to create a satisfying mystery, love story and thriller. Enjoyed it enough to pick up Martin Davies' second novel today.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some people are far too harsh with these reviews. I enjoyed this story very much. I needed something very chill, and this was perfect. I learned something, I liked the different characters. I was impressed with the way the author extrapolated a fictional story from real source material and made the theory his own. Good read.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
P. 378 - "Meu caro Solander, escreveu (...), Disseste-me uma vez que o passado deixa uma sombra. Viste muitas coisas que eu não pude ver. Mas vejo agora que, para lá dessa sombra, há uma luz do sol, há arvores e folhas.
Ele tem uns olhos verdes tão lindos, Solander."

[Julie Durnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so enjoyable, I loved the moving back and forth between the two stories, done so well that it was not hard to follow. It is just a captivating read!

[David Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very reminiscent of Possession by A S Byatt, which I read many years ago and loved. It is about a hunt by various researchers trying to discover the whereabouts of a stuffed extinct bird found by Sir Joseph Banks the famous plant collector on his travels with Captain Cook on his second expedition and painted by George Forster (resides in the Natural History Museum), but which disappeared over 200 years ago. The story is told in two time periods, the present day and Banks's life in the 1770's. The older time period I enjoyed the most as the relationship between Banks and his mistress and the morality of the times were well explored. The present day hunt by the researchers was also well explored, but the relationships between the characters was less well handled. Overall an enjoyable read.

[Kristin Towers · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars ⭐️

What a great idea for a book: a fictional reimagining of both a real man and a real, extinct bird versus their impact on conservation and the every-day in the present world. The dual timelines here were easy to follow, and the overall execution was totally fine.

I did have to put my reading on hold for a bit and when I picked it back up, finally, was near the middle of the book; it was lackluster if you’re not terribly interested in the process of research and archiving. I can’t say I connected with any of the characters — Fitz in particular had an odd voice, and the romance is really just telling with no showing (even with one another) — but did enjoy the varied writing style between them and the timelines. Most of all, though, I enjoyed the Google rabbit hole of the Raiatea starling.

So, overall, good but something forgettable.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a book I'd ever choose for myself - I got it as a gift a couple of years ago and finally read it as I'm burning through my backlog in lockdown. It was pretty much as I expected. The ending was a particularly emotionally satisfying conclusion.

[soulshineshanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two timelines and three narrators. And in this book it worked very well. The switching between times never bothered me as I was equally interested in both. Very nice storyline!

[Catherine Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on the recommendation of my mother-in-law, who thought I would find it interesting, and I did. While the book wasn't the sort of story that gripped me so I couldn't put it down, I did manage to read it fairly quickly and I did become engrossed toward the end. it was a fascinating tale from the history that we don't get taught at school, and I liked to discover another woman veiled behind the men whose names we recognise, but whose work isn't always of their own creation. Worth a read if you like a historical, academic mystery.

[Marianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is actually one big meh. I've been looking forward to reading it for months but always put it off, and maybe it was the anticipation or the blurb, or my own shortcomings as a reader but it was just an epic disappointment.

The concept of the book is decent but the execution was poor. I never felt invested enough in the relationships to care about the present story (which is a shame as I felt the Fitz/Gabby backstory was fascinating and heartbreaking and I wanted to read more about it) and the back story was okay, but not enough to really make you give a damn about the quest to find this extinct stuffed bird and a load of paintings.

I think the book could have benefited from another 100 pages to flesh out the characters. I mean when we didn't even get to see the goodbye between Gabby and Fitz despite the history between them (in their 20 pages of interaction in the book we learn they were lovers, were married, lost a child, he left her and she continued to write to him for the 15 years they were apart but never divorced and the ending just felt so anti-climatic. Fitz and his student, Katya (who I think we were supposed to be rooting for?? I don't know - random insertion of someone to move the story along I guess but she made no indent into the story beyond solving all the clues and being the romantic foil to contrast Fitz past relationship and his new one, I think.

Maybe I missed something epic that made it standout as something memorable, or maybe my love of past/futures colliding just wasn't enough to overlook a book that fundamentally is about taxidermy and is 100 pages of characterisation short of being worthwhile as a character driven book. It definitely improved in terms of readability as it progressed, but to be honest - I was expecting so much more from it when I picked it up. It's definitely not one that will be getting picked up again anytime soon.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bay Thrush. If you know about birds, even a lot about birds, you probably never heard of this one. But it's real.

"The Conjurer’s Bird," a historic novel/mystery is about a little-known, long-extinct bird. The novel toggles together two story lines: one centered on the famous eighteenth-century English naturalist Joseph Banks, while the second follows a fictitious modern-day lecturer, taxidermist and extinct bird expert named Fitzgerald. The mystery at the crux of the story is the disappearance of a specimen of the Bay Thrush, a.k.a. "Mysterious Bird of Ulieta," once in Banks’ possession. The specimen was real, having been obtained on the island of Ulieta (200 miles from Tahiti) on Captain Cook’s second expedition to the South Seas in 1774. Yet sadly, it was the only specimen ever collected and the species was never seen again despite repeated efforts to find it.

After being in Banks’ collection for only a few years, the specimen itself disappeared without a trace, written record or explanation. (This is all true.) At the time, one illustration was also done of the "dusky brown bird." That drawing, housed in a British museum, is the only record of the species that survives today. What happened to the specimen? Author Martin Davies uses all that is known about Banks, Cook and the fabled "rarest bird in the world" to create an imaginative whodunit filled with personal intrigue and betrayal. Unfortunately, the book is disappointingly short of the natural history minutiae I expected considering that two of its central characters are naturalists: one true-to-life, the other make-believe. Still, The Conjurer’s Bird is a well-constructed mystery that will keep you up late at night as the story of the Bay Thrush unfolds.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 2.5..a decent historical novel which dives back and forth from present time to the 1700s to tell the tale of the non-fictional naturalist Joseph Banks and his expedition with Cook to the Pacific islands and his love affair with an unsuitable woman who shared his passion for nature.The modern thread of the story is an attempt by a naturalist,still healing from familial sorrow,who is intrigued by the legend of a rare bird found by Banks on the voyage which may still exist somewhere in England.There's not much plot tension or in depth characterization of the players, but it's a decent read(fairly intelligent writing,some good atmospheric renditions of life in the 1700s,a not-too sappy romance,a strong female character who reminds us of the few options for women in earlier times), tho ultimately I suspect you are not likely to remember this story for long after you've closed the book.

[Velvetink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading The Conjurer's Bird by Martin Davies. The bird was real. Now Extinct. ;( It was found by Cook's 2nd expedition to Australia & Pacific. A drawing of it is in the London Natural History Museum. The painting held by the Museum is a poignant reminder of the
irreversible damage that human colonization has inflicted on many
Pacific Ocean islands.'

You can see the drawing of the bird at the London Natural History Museum here;
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/20...

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Davies has written an intelligent, thoughtful and exciting novel. I especially enjoyed how the author incorporated the life of Joseph Banks and the mysterious bird of Ulieta into the story. The well-developed characters, strong narrative, detailed settings (the British museum and the small English towns) and the satisfying conclusion made this one of the best historical mysteries I’ve read lately.

[Maggie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! Had been waiting to read this for a few years now. Found a copy in my local Fish & Chip shop as they have books for charity and was ecstatic!!! Coul not believe my luck.
Story of the search for the mysterious bird of Ulieta that was mentioned in Captain Cook's log. Set in two different timelines and the two run nicely parrallel with each other.
A book of mystery, intrigue, love and relationships.
Very nicely written in a style that makes you want to keep turning the pages.

[Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the mix of contemporary and history. The two stories which run alongside each other and the ending which was a surprise.
Also appeals to my inner genealogist, I've got as far back as the 1500's in one branch, and if the rumours are true I could get back to 1066.
However back to The Conjuror's bird, Davies has taken what is known as fact and weaved a story about characters that are real. Joseph Banks did exist, as did Cook and the bird. Makes this seem almost believeable.

[Glenda L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unique. I loved all the fascinating details about natural history and the great explorers of years past. A mysterious bird disappears 200 years ago and some unscrupulous people are trying to get their hands on it today. The quest becomes a fascinating journey into the life of an eighteenth-century British naturalist whose mysterious love affair almost costs him everything.