The story of the central character, Marco Carrera, is one of heartache, hope and a life well lived, although he does not actually move all that far in his lifetime
A delicately narrated 3rd person tale that focuses of how life has shaped and affected Marco, from family tragedy through to a love that could never be
Thoroughly enjoyed

This wonderful nove follows the tumultuous life of ophthalmologist Marco Carrera. The novel won the prestigious Strega Prize (2020) in Italy. Told in frangments with a nonlinear structure, the novel is something of a jigsaw puzzle, which comes together in a wonderfully satisfying manner. Structurally interesting, with a depth of charracter and emotion, this novel is highly recommended.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Sandro Veronesi's The Hummingbird.

We are introduced to the The Hummingbird of the story, Marco Carrera as we begin our journey through this book. Marco has the nickname "hummingbird" assigned to him by his mother because of his smaller than average stature as a child. Although he does have a growth spurt after medical intervention, which is not fully described.

Marco writes letters to his brother, a woman he has loved for years, and has conversations with various people who are all entwined in his life and with those closest to him.

In his stillness in his place, the world of Marco Carrera changes. Some of the changes bring profound heartache and grief, and some of those changes are filled with delight. This is shown in the loss of his sister, parents, daughter, and the relationship with his brother who left Italy, and the non fulfillment of a romantic relationship with the love of his life, but while revelling in the joys of his granddaughter and the hope for humankind that she carries.

This was the first book I've read by Sandro Veronesi, and enjoyed the translation and don't feel that the gist of the story is missed, as can happen with some translations. I think I'd like to read the Italian version to compare if the feeling that was evoked in reading this book would be the same as the English version.

Marco Carrera is the hummingbird of the title - tiny as a child and also possessing a stillness at the centre of life's whirling events.. By the end of the book we have become immersed in his life, loves and missed opportunities. Narratively, the novel jumps in time and in form - letters, emails, diary entries all find a place in the storytelling. Sandro Veronesi manages a delicate balance between hugely tragic events, small quotidian pleasures, joy and pain, all contained within this one life (and all the other lives Marco becomes involved with). So rich, it deserves reading more than once.

Marco Carrera is the eponymous 'hummingbird', a man who devotes his life to trying to preserve the things and the people that he loves, even as fate has different ideas. He doesn't so much act as is acted upon, but as the novel progresses his resilience and kindness make him increasingly heroic.

This is a very difficult novel for me to review because it was very charming and vivid but I also frequently found it a bit tedious. There are many detailed episodes (letters about his mother's and father's belongings for example) that are very static. They illuminate Marco's character to an extent but they don't move the story forward at all. The chapters jump between different times and are written in different styles which creates uneven pacing. The acknowledgements at the end suggest that some of these chapters were written as pastiche of other works, or in tribute to particular writers, but this passed me by entirely in the reading. The final section of the novel really is beautiful though and it certainly made me shed a few tears. The way that a picture of Marco's quiet everyman heroism builds so slowly is exceptionally clever, but truthfully, my enjoyment of the novel was sporadic.

This was one of the best books I’ve read this year, an utterly exceptional take on the Book of Job, and a meditation on pain, love, and life. ⁣
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Marco Carrera is an ophthalmologist whose life has been riddled with misfortune - his beloved sister killed herself as a teenager while he snuck out to meet his summer holiday crush, he met his wife under false pretences and she is chronically disloyal to him, the love of his life is married and in Paris, and his daughter died in a tragic accident. Yet he finds a way to accept his fate with serenity and grace, persists in discovering reasons to keep living. ⁣
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‘The fact is, when things change it’s easy to see that they change for a reason, but it’s not as easy to understand that there’s a reason things stay the way they are, too. This is because we’ve been glorifying change for such a time now, that all everyone wants is change - even when it’s just change for change’s sake. Therefore - inevitably - those who move on are brave and those who stay still are cowards, those who change are enlightened and those who don’t are ignorant. It’s the zeitgeist. That’s why I was glad to see you’ve realised that it takes a lot of effort and courage to keep still too.’

I liked the cover and the title but, other than that, I didn't know what to expect when I requested this from #netgalley. I'd never heard of the author. I didn't think that the publisher would grant my request. However, @orionbooks said yes. I read it, and I loved it. It is a tale of a family that is grounded in both the; natural and supernatural. It is the tale of tragedy and comedy—an operatic work

This book is not for me. I stopped reading after 80 pages. The fragmented chapters and the constant jumps back and forth in time makes the narrative very chaotic, and I find it difficult to continue reading when I hate the main character in a character-driven novel.

For me, Marco is is an antihero: a child so oblivious to his parents’ marital problem that he thought they were a perfect couple, a man with an irrational aversion to psychotherapy, a pseudo-friend who stayed close to his best friend ‘the Omen’ just for his own ego, a husband who betrays his wife and cares neither for her feelings nor her safety, a father who refuses to acknowledge the effect of his absence on his daughter’s development and sees spending time with her as a sacrifice — at least that’s how things seem as of page 80. Maybe things will turn out to be different later in the story, but I find it impossible to continue with a book that still doesn’t grip me after so many pages.

Just like the hummingbird, there's beauty in this novel, but the constant movement between periods (the timeline is just crazy, luckily it doesn't matter that much if you keep track of it or not) and subjects works against the development of strong feelings for our protagonist. And that's counterproductive as The Hummingbird is the story of Mario's life, with its ups and downs but mostly downs; and his incredible capacity to step in when everything is falling apart around him, and to get up after every tragedy. I have a lot of admiration for him, but sadly cannot say I cared much about his problems: his marriage issues bored me, his love story annoyed me... The only part I've really enjoyed was the story of his parents, and in particular the emails he was sending to his brother gorgeously describing the story of the items belonging to their parents.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read this.

Marco Carrera, the protagonist of award-winning Italian author Sandro Veronesi's new family saga novel, is the hummingbird. His is a life of continuous suspensions but also of fatal coincidences, atrocious losses and absolute loves. He never falls to the bottom: his is an incessant movement to remain still, steadfast, and when this is not possible, to find the stopping point of the fall - so that surviving does not mean living less. Around him, Veronesi builds other unforgettable characters, who inhabit perfect fictional architecture. A whole world, in a liquid time that extends from the early seventies to a dark near future, when suddenly the fruit of Marco Carrera's resilience will shine: she is a child, her name is Miraijin, and she will be the new man.

The Hummingbird is playful, inventive, profound, uplifting and deeply moving: quite simply a masterclass in storytelling. I was captivated by the lyrical prose in this terrifically powerful tale, which enchants and moves, on the poignant force of life. Sometimes a piece of literature comes along, once in a Blue Moon, that reminds you of the cathartic and comforting power of stories and of the beauty of words in formation and its final section is one of the most enlightening and refreshingly optimistic visions of the near future I have read in a long time. It should also be added that it is impeccably translated too, which can make the world of difference. A tonic in these troubling times and a remarkable novel with an abundance of heart, soul and rich humanity between its pages. Highly recommended.

A story of love, family, failure and grief. I found I was not a fan of the narrative jumping from the past to the present and then to the future. My attention began to wane on the parts that focused on the future.

I really loved this book. I was unfamiliar with the author and his previous work, I just liked the cover of this one and had heard good things about it. It is so beautifully written and I loved the structure - the way the narrative moved back and forward in time, and the way it was made of letters as well as prose. I will be recommending this to people in my bookshop who are looking for something different and well written.

The hummingbird of the title (Il Colibrì in the original Italian) is the novel’s protagonist, Marco Carrera. His nickname is given by his mother, due to a physical condition which keeps him considerably smaller and shorter than average for his age-group. After an experimental treatment during his adolescence, Marco grows quickly and settles down to a more “normal” life, albeit one marked by several challenges and tragedies. Throughout, Marco, like the bird to which he is compared, shows a marked talent for staying still while everyone and everything around him changes.

Veronesi gives us a life history of Marco and his family, against the backdrop of Italian contemporary events, from the sixties to the present, with a glimpse into an imaginary near future (the timeline of the novel ends with Marco’s death in 2029). This is an approach which, it seems to me, Italians are particularly good at, not only in the context of literature but also in movies. Despite my very amateur knowledge of Italian cinema, I can name, off the cuff, several films which also opt for this sort of narrative. Indeed, I found myself picturing The Hummingbird turned into a filmscript and started fantasizing about the actors I would choose for the cast of my imaginary film project. A quick internet search revealed that, predictably, I was hardly the first to come up with this idea. Veronesi’s book is already being turned into a movie by veteran director Francesca Archibugi, who has nicked some of the actors I had in mind...

What is original about the novel is its postmodern structure. Passages in the third person alternate with letters, emails, lecture notes – even a furniture inventory and a list of science fiction volumes – to create a colourful and engaging mosaic. Interwoven as a running thread is an account of Marco’s more-or-less platonic relationship with his first and greatest love, Luisa, recounted through a lifetime’s erratic correspondence.

I particularly liked the underlying humour – the therapist Carradori is a brilliant comedic creation, although he is also, quite surprisingly, a source of some of the wisest observations in the book. So is Carrera’s friend “L’Innominabile” (“The Omen”) Duccio. I was less convinced about the final parts of the book, for two reasons. First of all, Veronesi introduces quasi-fabulist elements which mark a rather incongruous departure from the largely realist (if not always completely realistic) approach adopted in the earlier part of the novel. I also felt the penultimate segment to be rather “manipulative”, uncomfortably hovering between sentiment and sentimentality, raising thorny ethical issues which are cursorily set aside in a wash of emotion.

Reservations aside, I believe that this is a worthy winner of the prestigious Premio Strega (Veronesi's second win, after his 2008 success with Caos Calmo). The English edition which is being issued by W&N marks an auspicious debut for Elena Pala – this is her first book-length translation, although you certainly wouldn’t realise that while reading her brilliant translation.

I enjoyed the story of the life and trials of Marco Carrera. However, the way in which it was told, jumping around in time, with many anecdotes, asides, and rambling thoughts; with references to current events, music, art and literature made me skip pages and pages to get to the next bit which actually moved the story on. I was not a long book but it felt long. The translation appeared to be seamless, nothing jarred. I am sure many people would appreciate this more.

This is a beautifully written book about grace and survival in the midst of tremendous hardship and pain.
I loved the protagonist, Marco, for his simple navigation through the life whilst the rest of his world seem to be losing their heads.
The poignant message central to this novel is profound and touching - that we may not see the effect our life has on the world, but the legacy we leave in the commitment we show to what we believe in can survive for generations.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is by far one of the most beautiful books ever written.
I love the experimental styles of letters, messages, calls, direct narration, its so clever.
The plot felt real, raw, relatable.
It covers a huge time period and you feel like you know the characters so well.
Its complexity, yet simplicity is sublime and outstanding. Absolutely breathtaking.

It is the story of Marco Carrera and his family, of his loves and failures: it is a story full of grief, too. Marco Carrera until adolescence showed clear signs of a learning disability which made him stand out from his peers. His mother compares him to a hummingbird because although he is shorter than the boys of his age, he has within himself a beauty and harmony all of him. In the end, however, his father's obstinacy causes Marco to undergo an experimental treatment that makes him develop within a few months. But Marco's life will not be easy. And throughout his story of him, he proves to be truly a hummingbird, one who knows how to stay, despite the grief. This is a book full of life and humanity. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

📚Book Review: The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi Translated by Elena Pala

Synopsis ➡️

A month ago I was completely unaware that Florence was flooded in 1966, and that ‘mud angels’ worked tirelessly to rescue important works of art and literature. Completely unintentionally, this is the second novel I’ve read this month that is not only set in Florence but also references that event ( the first being Still Life by Sarah Winman). I do wonder if my books are telling me something! Maybe a little post COVID trip?!

This is a highly original novel that tells the story of the life of Marco Carrera, the hummingbird, an ophthalmologist with a knack for staying still while the world around him moves.

Veronesi experiments with form and structure to create something thought provoking and unique. The story is told through various forms; emails, letters, conversations, conference notes, traditional prose and even a household inventory. This forces us to piece together the jigsaw of Marco’s life for ourselves.

The structure reinforces this. The book begins in 1999, when, against all protocol, Marco Carreras wife’s psychotherapist warns him of her plan to do him in. During this scene we learn about many of the key events that will be explained in more detail later. The narrative then swings wildly from Marcos childhood in the 70s to his old age in the 2020s and every-when in between. Few things happen in chronological order and as a result of this we find ourselves puzzling out the pieces to create a coherent narrative. The effect is almost mosaic like.

Due to the very introspective narration, by the end we feel like we’re experts on Marco Carrera but, in fact, our impressions are pieced together through actually very few moments in his life, ranging from the earth-shattering to the mundane. We’re given mere snippets of his life but from them we seem to learn so much. There is real authorial skill in this and Veronesi clearly uses this novel to show how well he writes!

I do enjoy novels that span the entire life of a protagonist. I tend to find them quite moving, and this was no different. We watch as Marco faces trauma, deals with a love that was never meant to be and has a smattering of happiness thrown in. It is a very human tale.

Overall, this is not a novel to choose if you’re looking for an action packed page turner but if you’re in the mood for a little existential angst and some quiet philosophical questioning, I would recommend this absorbing and original read.

This is an absolutely beautiful read. I will be totally honest - in the beginning, I wasn't too sure if this was going to be a book to hold my attention but as I carried on - wow.

It's the story, if that is the correct word, of Marco - the hummingbird - a name given to him by his mother. The book is written in different styles, letters, narrative, lists. It also jumps from past to present and even to the future. But with every 'chapter' we are drawn into Marco's life - this man who stands still amid loss, tragedy, love and friendship. And that is what this book is about, how we, how one man deals with, adapts to love, loss and tragedy.

I found this book so poignant and I'll admit that I was in tears and even thinking about it now as I write this, I can feel my eyes watering at the memory of the words and of one particular scene.

This is a book that I would probably not have noticed on a bookshelf and I am so thankful to Netgalley for sending this to me. Stunning.

Exquisitely written. Thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this delightful book. The writing is exquisite. It feels like you are living in the book. Such a great story.