Last of the Curlews

Rating:
Summary: Tragic saga of one of the last Eskimo Curlews
Review:
This is the tale of the last of the Eskimo Curlews. From the beginning of his migration in the Canadian Arctic to its return the following year. Just prior to extinction, this male curlew had problems trying to find a mate. He finally finds a female, but doesn't quite make it back to the breeding grounds with her.

This short story closely follows the round-trip migration of the Curlew from the Arctic to South America and back. It is written from the perspective of another curlew watching the troubles of the last of its kind.

Rating:
Summary: A Haunting Classic ....
Review: Bodsworth is brilliant in his capacity to provide the reader with an emotionally arrousing text, supported by fascinating technical details of bird migration. I cannot imagine that anyone having even a remote interest in birds, nature or life, would not be moved by this great piece.

Rating:
Summary: A Haunting Classic ....
Review: Bodsworth is brilliant in his capacity to provide the reader with an emotionally arrousing text, supported by fascinating technical details of bird migration. I cannot imagine that anyone having even a remote interest in birds, nature or life, would not be moved by this great piece.

Rating:
Summary: It broke my heart.
Review: I doubt anyone will ever see this review, but I thought I'd submit one anyway. Never have I experienced a book that so forced me to put it down every few pages, from its overwhelming sadness and beauty. Merwin, who championed this rare gem, once wrote: "If I were not human, I would have nothing to be ashamed of." Truly, this is the kind of reading experience that cuts to the core of our species' tragic history.

Rating:
Summary: Last of the Curlews - A book that everybody should read!
Review: This book is one of the best books that I have read recently. Fred Bodsworth writes in a graceful manner that beautifully mixes nature with literature.

Rating:
Summary: There's AlwaysHope...
Review: This is a Classic and recognized as one of the finest Natural History books in North America as well as abroad.First published in 1955 it has been re-issued ,probably as many as 20 times over the years. Suffice it to say ,anyone with any interest in nature,birds, extinct species,conservation,preservation of species,would find this an excellent read.As a matter of fact,I would go so far as to suggest that after reading this book,one would probably agree it is the best natural history book they have ever read.Just look at the other reviews.
The main reason for my writing this review is to tell you that after reading 'The Last of the Curlews'you might want to read some of Bodsworth's other lesser known but also excellent works.
"The Strange One"
"The Sparrows Fall"
"The Atonement of Ashley Morden"
and,
"The Pacific Coast"

Another excellent thing about 'The Last of the Curlews' are the superb scratch board illustrations by T M Shortt,one of Canada's finest artists;so make sure they are in the edition you get.
With regards to my title...for several decades the search has continued without success.There have been a few reportsof sightings,but none confirmed.There is a lot of territory in it's range,between the tip of South America and the Arctic Circle where there may be survivors...there's always hope.

I till see Fred on occasion;so let's hope we see another book from him soon.

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This is a wonderful, heart-wrenching short book, a fictionalization of the migration of a lone Eskimo Curlew from the arctic to South America and back.

The Eskimo Curlew was once a plentiful shorebird that was highly sought after by hunters because of the succulence of its flesh and the ease with which it could be taken. Usually flying in dense swarms, a score or more birds could be brought down by a single shotgun blast. In some cases so many were killed, that the hunters left those that could not be transported to market in massive piles. And so it came to pass that by the late 19th-century, the Eskimo Curlew population declined rapidly, to the point where it was virtually extinct at the time Bodsworth wrote the book.

Although a work of fiction, this is a book that should be read by everyone who has an interest in Nature and the environment.

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This is a wonderful, heart-wrenching short book, a fictionalization of the migration of a lone Eskimo Curlew from the arctic to South America and back.

The Eskimo Curlew was once a plentiful shorebird that was highly sought after by hunters because of the succulence of its flesh and the ease with which it could be taken. Usually flying in dense swarms, a score or more birds could be brought down by a single shotgun blast. In some cases so many were killed, that the hunters left those that could not be transported to market in massive piles. And so it came to pass that by the late 19th-century, the Eskimo Curlew population declined rapidly, to the point where it was virtually extinct at the time Bodsworth wrote the book.

Although a work of fiction, this is a book that should be read by everyone who has an interest in Nature and the environment.