A cheeky ornithological rom-com. I think either Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series or Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate are similar in their arch tone, obviously having fun playing in their versions of Victorian society. This is very much a farce, poking fun at: ridiculous bird names, our perception of Victorian society, tea drinking, competitiveness among birders, academic rivalry, and romance tropes. There is much running about, with the main characters both pursuing and pursued.
Birders may also be reminded of The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession, a book which made me giggle and/or snort at various times as I recognized my own birder behaviour. Combine birder competitiveness with academic rivalry and you can imagine the overblown pursuit of the Birder of the Year title. And anyone who has snickered at Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers or Great Tits will love all the wonderfully extravagant species that Holton has concocted. The cat-eating arctic warbler and the rabid carnivorous lapwing particularly caught my attention.
Very fun and extremely cute. I can hardly wait to read the second book in the series.
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