The Curious Life of the Cuckoo

Britain's finest living nature writer The Times Is there any bird more mysterious than the cuckoo? It is invariably heard, and not seen. And if seen, it is mistaken for a sharp-winged hawk. The female cuckoo - by a trick that borders on alchemy - is able to disguise its egg as another's. In Greek myth the god Zeus assumed the form of a cuckoo to seduce Hera. But we forgive the cuckoo its con-artistry, because it is the true herald of spring. It is the bird that uplifts our wintered hearts, with that first two-note 'cuk-koo' unmistakable as it sounds across the country. In The Curious Life of the Cuckoo, John Lewis-Stempel explains one of nature's greatest enigmas in vivid, lyrical prose, and celebrates this iconic bird. Praise for John Lewis-Stempel His immense, patient powers of observation along with a flair for the anthropomorphic mean he is able to offer a portrait of animal life that's rare in its colour and drama. Observer Engaging, closely-observed and beautiful ... this authors deep love of the world around him is as inspiring as it is entertaining. Daily Mail That John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation is undisputed. Country Life John Lewis-Stempel is the hottest nature writer around. Spectator Its his observation of the natural world the sight, the sound, the smell of it that is so memorable. He has a distinctively brisk, muscular style of writing that has a poetic intensity and concision. Guardian His prose is immaculate Der Spiege The master of nature-writing - Radio Times Lewis-Stempel sees and hears things others will never see and hear, and he can write about them as no one else can. Daily Mail: Summer Reads