Providence of a Sparrow

You will either love Providence of a Sparrow, or you will despise it.  Judging from reviews I’ve read there’s no in-between, because you’re either the type of person who’s excited by 300+ pages of minutia about sparrows, or you’re not.  To put it another way, if you sometimes stand on the sidewalk and watch an ant carrying a cracker crumb, you’ll love this book.  On the other hand, if you’ve got the exterminator on speed-dial because you want the neighbourhood pigeons poisoned, well, you can skip this title.

I, of course, adored this book.  It’s a slow, quiet read—it makes you feel like you’ve taken some Valium and then have gone to sit in a Zen garden to listen to the afternoon breeze.  It’s serene and peaceful in mood, while also being amusing and gentle.  The author, just an everyday “joe average”, finds a baby sparrow which he nurses to health and then ends up keeping as a pet.  Deciding the sparrow needs company, he buys finches.  He then ends up with canaries, and eventually he’s living in a household with innumerable birds who rule the roost.  The book must have incredible scientific value because of the detailed observations the narrator is able to make as interacts with his birds, but the story is never dry.  After reading, you’ll perhaps come away with a newfound respect for sparrows and their intelligence, or at the very least, you’ll hopefully realize the connection it’s possible for humans to have with other species, even tiny ones.  In short, I loved this book a lot, thought it could easily be my life, and am glad to know there are such compassionate and caring people in the world.

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Posted by Leigh-Ann on 02/05 at 09:38 PM

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