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The Lord God Bird
Fiction. THE LORD GOD BIRD is a startling novella filled with dark images of America in the South in 1949. Jake Hamrick, a 19-year-old who has been obsessed since childhood with the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a bird that is on the verge of extinction, leaves Illinois for Louisiana to find the creature, accompanied by Robin, his tiny girlfriend. They search in the bayous where the bird was last reported, and Robin, as obsessed as Jake, dresses like the bird, smearing her naked body with white clay, wearing a cloak of black crow feathers, her hair in a red crest. She is discovered by local hunters and Robin and Jake are pursued deep into the bayous, where they are harbored by Robert, an ancient black man. It is a cinematic novella of obsession, passion, violence, love and loss that you won't forget.
204 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2009
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67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 27, 2010
Jake Hamrick is age 19 and has a fascination with the Ivory-billed woodpecker. He meets a girl named Robin and after showing her his copy of Audubon's "Birds in America," he tells her that he wants to go to Louisiana to The Big Woods, where the woodpecker was last seen. He wasnts to see that bird before it becomes extinct. Robin is caught up in Jake's enthusiasm and tells him that she wants to join him.
The couple find a bare home to rent and enter the bayou to search for the bird. After searching without success, Robin decides to dress up as a bird to attract the woodpecker's attention. She covers herself with white mud, puts crow feathers on a cloak and wears that, then cuts her hair and dyes it bright red. Jake is so impressed that he calls her "The Lord God Bird," the nickname for the woodpecker.
They come across two hunters and an incident occurs. Soon after, one of the hunters and his friends prusue the couple deep into the bayou where they meet an elderly black man, Robert, who sympathizes with them and helps them evade the hunters.
The story is told with picturesque style. It is easy to see that the author has written poetry as the words flow beautifully, i.e. "The scent of the lilac bush permeated the air and it was a perfume that women wore and drew hummingbirds."
The author seems to be telling the reader of a time gone by and how some people tend to destroy the beauty of nature but a few people search out and attempt to preserve that beauty.
A very timely story with the result of the Gulf oil spill on the Louisiana wildlife.
The couple find a bare home to rent and enter the bayou to search for the bird. After searching without success, Robin decides to dress up as a bird to attract the woodpecker's attention. She covers herself with white mud, puts crow feathers on a cloak and wears that, then cuts her hair and dyes it bright red. Jake is so impressed that he calls her "The Lord God Bird," the nickname for the woodpecker.
They come across two hunters and an incident occurs. Soon after, one of the hunters and his friends prusue the couple deep into the bayou where they meet an elderly black man, Robert, who sympathizes with them and helps them evade the hunters.
The story is told with picturesque style. It is easy to see that the author has written poetry as the words flow beautifully, i.e. "The scent of the lilac bush permeated the air and it was a perfume that women wore and drew hummingbirds."
The author seems to be telling the reader of a time gone by and how some people tend to destroy the beauty of nature but a few people search out and attempt to preserve that beauty.
A very timely story with the result of the Gulf oil spill on the Louisiana wildlife.
November 27, 2017
Pretty shocked by this book’s relatively low rating. I thought it was spectacular. Very descriptive and full of all the feels. Loved it!
February 21, 2025
Elegantly written... The author employs vivid similes to describe the bayous and the life teeming within them, inviting the reader to lean back and contemplate this beautifully rendered world. Yet, you quickly snap back - interrupted by the suspense of the hunter’s chase, a reminder that this is not an idyllic plot.
The strength lies in its haunting atmosphere, which is conveyed far more effectively through the evocative descriptions of nature than through the characters themselves. The latter remains somewhat opaque throughout the book, as their motivations are never quite fleshed out.
Fun short read, it's what you'd expect from a more indie book.
The strength lies in its haunting atmosphere, which is conveyed far more effectively through the evocative descriptions of nature than through the characters themselves. The latter remains somewhat opaque throughout the book, as their motivations are never quite fleshed out.
Fun short read, it's what you'd expect from a more indie book.
March 6, 2022
If Goodreads had half-star ratings, I'd assign 3.5 stars to this book. It's a wonderful concept and intriguing plot, but the writing tires itself just as the narrative comes to a head. I loved the first half of the book, however. Nice indie find.
January 19, 2021
I could barely put it down. Loved the imagery, was always on the edge of my seat.
March 11, 2022
A stunning short read. This one is going to stay with me for a long time.
March 13, 2017
This book was a quick read and grew on me as I went through it.
May 2, 2010
The Lord God Bird (Caravel Books 2009) is the story of Jake Hamrick, who has been obsessed with birds for most of his life. In 1944, at the age of 19, Jake finds his soul-mate, Robin, who eagerly embraces his quest to head south from Chicago in search of the ivory-billed woodpecker, known locally as the Lord God Bird. In the deep woods along the Louisiana border, they find a primitive cottage and begin to search the bayous. Robin shaves most of her hair except a topknot she dyes red, and transforms herself into a woodpecker in order to entice the elusive birds. When the strange girl/bird is discovered by local hunters, violence erupts and Jake and Robin find themselves on the run. Full of dark images of the south in the late 1940s, this book explores themes of alienation, love, obsession, and loss. Written in beautifully poetic prose, this haunting novella was a finalist for the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Paperback.
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February 14, 2010
A nice change from your average mainstream fiction, but not all that "oh wow!" as some readers seem to think. Mostly it was just a whole lot of weird. The most interesting thing was learning a little about the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.
It was called the Lord God Bird because "that's what they used to say when they saw the Ivory Bill. Lord God. Like it was something so spectacular that was all they could say."
The book says the Choctaws held the bird in high esteem, making a crown of the head and the bill. If they held it in such high esteem, why did they kill it to get the head and bill? I'm one-eighth Choctaw, so maybe I should know the answer, but I don't. I'm just a bird lover askin' my questions.
It was called the Lord God Bird because "that's what they used to say when they saw the Ivory Bill. Lord God. Like it was something so spectacular that was all they could say."
The book says the Choctaws held the bird in high esteem, making a crown of the head and the bill. If they held it in such high esteem, why did they kill it to get the head and bill? I'm one-eighth Choctaw, so maybe I should know the answer, but I don't. I'm just a bird lover askin' my questions.
Read
May 18, 2009Another book from another family friend to which I am disinclined assign a "star rating". This is a very atmospheric and very effective story of a young man's quest to find the elusive, virtually extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker, the "Lord God Bird". The opening chapters lay the ground for our protagonist's obsession, humorously describing a wartime childhood in Illinois; the story takes its much darker cast when Jake and his girlfriend, Robin, travel to the Bayou Country, where things take several unexpected turns.
May 10, 2010
Masterful.
Compelling story, assured prose. The nightmare unfolds slowly, insidiously, like a water snake slithering up your back, waiting to choke.
The only thing that bugged me was the publishing. Typos peppering the page. Book categorized as a "mystery." If The Lord God Bird is a mystery, then Faulker wrote mysteries. Flannery O'Connor wrote mysteries. Friggin Oprah's Book Club authors wrote mysteries.
Compelling story, assured prose. The nightmare unfolds slowly, insidiously, like a water snake slithering up your back, waiting to choke.
The only thing that bugged me was the publishing. Typos peppering the page. Book categorized as a "mystery." If The Lord God Bird is a mystery, then Faulker wrote mysteries. Flannery O'Connor wrote mysteries. Friggin Oprah's Book Club authors wrote mysteries.
June 13, 2010
This was an odd one. My neighbor said it was their bookclub book so I thought I would give it a try in case I could make the meeting. Even if you aren't fascinated by birds, which I'm not, the style of writing and the lack of characterization is interesting. Glad I read it but won't be rereading it ever again.
June 19, 2010
A young couple from Illinois sets off for the swamps of Ark/Louisiana in hope of sighting a nearly extinct bird and all kinds of trouble ensues.
Read
September 5, 2010Rec: SYKM newsletter
September 8, 2011
Beautifully stylized read with a "you sure got a purty mouth" twist.
May 22, 2012
Bought it because of Sufjan Steven's song. An easy and entertaining read. Now I'll go listen to that song again.
Want to read
October 16, 2009Litquake09 author
December 3, 2011
Good! Fast!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews