Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Rare Birds [Paperback]

Edward Riche
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Paperback CDN $15.16  
Paperback, Aug 18 1997 --  

Book Description

Aug 18 1997
Dave Purcell is ready to call it quits on his marriage and his restaurant, The Auk.  His wife has left for a job at a "right leaning" Washington, D.C. think tank and the restaurant, like the ill-fated bird for which it was named, has never really taken off.

Disheartened and desperate, Dave endeavors to consume the rare delights of his well-stocked wine cellar and larder before they are repossessed by the bank.

All seems lost until Dave's neighbor, Alphonse Murphy, proposes a mad, yet ingenious scheme to save The Auk.  Soon, the restaurant is crawling with well-heeled gastronomes, vain celebrities and bellicose politicos.

However, Phonse Murphy has been up to some other tricks that have caught the attention of sinister forces, and because of Dave's involvement, it looks like the restaurant may well go the way of...the auk.

A laugh-out-loud novel by one of Canada's most gifted young writers, Rare Birds is a rare literary debut.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product Details


Product Description

Review

Rare Birds, by Edward Riche is, like Home Movies, a lightweight but entertaining book. Dave Purcell used to work for the Newfoundland fisheries department, but now is proud owner of and chef extraordinaire at The Auk, a fine dining establishment just outside St. John's. Unfortunately, life is not going well for him. His wife, a successful economist, resides in Washington, D.C., where she heads a think-tank and appears frequently on TV; their marriage is failing. The restaurant, because of tough economic times and because it is so out-of-the-way, is also doing poorly-so poorly, in fact, that Dave is drinking his way through his finest wines so the bankers won't get them when they foreclose.

All is not lost yet, since Dave's closest neighbour, the inimitable Phonse, has decided to come to the rescue with what he considers an ingenious, foolproof idea: why not create a rare bird sighting and have birders flock into the area, thereby filling the restaurant? After all, even birders have to eat, don't they? And so the scheme begins. An anonymous call is made to the CBC and, sure enough, just as Phonse had predicted, the birders migrate to the region in droves hoping to catch a glimpse of Tasker's Sulphureous, a duck thought to be extinct.

It's too bad Phonse ends up becoming a caricature as the book progresses. It's as if Riche didn't know when to stop, kept piling on the antics, got carried away with Phonse's own exuberance. The result of this is an ending one might expect in a James Bond movie-actually, a parody of one.

Nonetheless, the book is fun-good for the cottage on a rainy day. Eva Tihanyi(Books in Canada) -- Books in Canada

From the Publisher

"One good story this one...as classy as it is irreverent."
-Tomson Highway

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

3 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky, Newfie Birds: You've Got To Love Them Dec 13 2003
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book is delightful! Well written, with marvelous characters and a colorful background, it's like literary chocolate. Anyone who has had the priviledge of visiting Newfoundland, and meeting its friendly--but different--people will especially find this a treat. If you're tired of the daily grind, curl up with this one and prepare to enjoy your read.
Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 stars What? You have not yet read Jun 26 2002
Format:Paperback
Excellent book, even better than the movie, though the movie is excellent too. If you want to read a laugh out loud book this summer, this is the one!
Was this review helpful to you?
5.0 out of 5 stars True Newfoundland Humor May 8 2002
Format:Paperback
I was born and raised in Newfoundland, but moved away a few years ago. This book brought back the punch of Newfoundland humor in such a way that it left me laughing out loud like a lunatic til tears were running down my cheeks. I always thought that the Newfoundland sense of humor was something that couldn't be put into words...something you had to experience first hand, and even then sometimes people don't get it. Somehow this author has pulled it off. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm greatly looking forward to it. Bravo Edward Riche!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
Want to see more reviews on this item?

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category


Feedback