THE BOWER BIRD
Book ID/图书代码： 08143007B18135
English Summary/英文概要： The Bower Bird, long-awaited sequel to The Burying Beetle, follows the heart-warming story of Gussie, an insightful twelve-year-old girl who has a fatal heart condition but an irrepressible zest for life. Despite her health problems, Gussie is still determined to live life to the full and immerses herself in life, learning about nature and the wildlife around her while observing the puzzling habits of grown-ups.
When we last left Gussie, at the end of The Burying Beetle, she was awaiting a heart and lung transplant in the idyllic setting of Cornwall where she lives with her mother. Gussie’s mother is searching to rebuild her and her daughter’s life after the break-up of her marriage. As a consequence of her health problems Gussie is a solitary child, her closest companions being her cats and she is desperate to find a family. In spite of her mother’s objections Gussie discovers her father’s relations, who have been ignored by her mother, live in their town. She begins to build relationships with this forgotten part of her family and discovers that she is actually related to her mother’s friend. As well as her new found family Gussie’s friendship with her Australian neighbour, Bruce, who shares her passions for nature, bird-watching and photography, develops deeper. After being alone with her mother for so long Gussie is confused by her mother’s burgeoning relationship with local doctor, Dr Dobbs, or Alistair. Despite her health issues she is struggling with the same problems shared by all young teenagers: family and boys.
Eventually, her beeper goes off, announcing that there is a donor available for her transplant. She rushes to the hospital, anxious and scared, saying good-bye to the home she loves so much. But the reader never knows what happens to her after the car pulls away. An ambiguous ending leaves the reader yearn to know Gussie’s fate.
Gussie’s story is not a standard narrative, much of the novel reads like a stream of consciousness where her inner feelings and thoughts are captured. Sometimes profound and sometimes whimsical, Gussie’s thoughts alternates between those of an old soul and the innocent wonderings of a child. Her vitality and curiosity are captivating; she cannot control what life throws her way, but her indomitable spirit soars above her fate. More than anything Gussie loves live. She sees everything with childlike wonder while battling with the harsh brutality of death. The Bower Bird is a homage to a life lived with passion, against the odds.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 儘管人生中充滿許多令人失望的事，但這位小女孩卻激發對人生的禮讚！
延續上本書The Burying Beetle結局，描述Gussie溫馨感人的故事。一個有見識充滿敏銳觀察力的十二歲小女孩，雖然有先天遺傳的心臟問題，但仍然無法阻礙她對生命的熱愛，堅定的活在每一天，從觀察身邊大自然及野外環境學習注意到許多令人困惑的事情。雖然和媽媽一起住在康瓦爾的鄉下，不過媽媽也因為婚姻的破碎，沈浸在自己的空間裡，這讓她感到很孤單又無助。幸好這時出現了她的鄰居布魯斯，一位熱愛大自然、觀賞鳥類及攝影的男孩，陪伴著她，讓重新找回家庭的感覺
Awards/获奖情况：入圍2007年「柯斯達」兒童文學獎（The Bower Bird by Ann Kelley）
About the Author/作者介绍： 安‧凱莉不僅個攝影師也是個得獎詩人，之前曾出版過一本詩集、攝影集、St Ives家族的照相簿及一本有關貓的有聲書。現在和她老公及貓居住在康瓦爾(Cornwall)。
Ann Kelley is a photographer and prize-winning poet who once nearly played cricket for Cornwall. She has previously published a collection of poetry and photographs, a book of photos of St Ives families and an audio book of cat stories. She lives with her husband and cats on the edge of a cliff in Cornwall where they have survived a flood, a landslip, a lightning strike and the roof blowing off.
Format:TRADE PAPERBACK
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)
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