Remarkable first novel

I thoroughly enjoyed Odd Bird. The main character's interpretation of the world and specifically his love life from his stance as an ornithologist makes for a funny and eye opening approach. I found myself drawn into the antics of the male and female characters as portrayed by the lead protagonist's behavioural ecologist observations of their pair bonding while he made his own frustrated attempts to achieve the same.
The wide range of voices used by the narrator of the audio book added another engaging dimension to the story.
I would highly recommend this book as a very entertaining read or listen.

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An unexpected delight.

I should say that the reason I ‘read’ this book was because I know the author...so the fact that I found it so enjoyable is a great relief...but I’m not writing this review because of said connection...I’m writing this because it thoroughly deserves a comment.

First of all, the fact that this is a debut novel is extraordinary. In my experience, writers very rarely achieve the maturity of narrative and a freshness of comedy that you’ll find here, this early on in their literary career.

There are many many things I enjoyed about the novel...here are just a few:
The first person narrative. As a male, I could so identify with the internal dialogue of Simon, the protagonist and sometimes even felt enlightened by passing insights into another’s thought processes. I thought this a genius way to deliver the story, which is being described as a rom-com.

Then there’s the humour - like finding a new standup who really fits in your corner, the humour is sharp and...well funny. It’s squeezed into clever little places that at times caught me snorting out loud - which is an unusual thing.

The story is enjoyable and cleverly presented. I really liked the scientific framing of the world of our feathery friends, and the parallels that are naturally drawn and pulled over into our human world. The story takes some quite unexpected turns on its journey to its conclusion.

There are many examples and references for me - at times the protagonist reminded me of Arthur Dent - aided by the scientific element to the story and the dry but clever wit that surrounds his story. I’m not a massive rom-com reader (this is perhaps my FIRST!), but another, film based reference I found was Richard Curtis, in some of his more accessible character expositions.

Ultimately I found this a thoroughly engaging read - one that is eagerly return to catch the next instalment. It was delightful, unexpected and engaging...and frankly, I can’t wait for the next one from Lee to see what else is up his sleeve!!

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I really enjoyed this book...

I warmed a lot to this book as I progressed through it and was really enjoying it when it ended rather abruptly! It took me through a range of emotions as I laughed, nodded and shook my head in equal measure. I identified with both Phil and Bird and the situations they found themselves in and the places they inhabited which I guess helped in my enjoyment of the story. I also enjoyed the way the book is written, with a nod to scientific literature via Birds first person voice. It's an easy listen (and I think Mark Peachey did a very good job on this) and a great debut feel-good novel from this author. I look forward to the next...

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