Book Review -- Mozart's Starling

     The book that I am reviewing today is "Mozart's Starling" written by Lyanda Lynn Haupt.  I really enjoyed reading this book. It is the type of book I enjoy most because it introduces me to new things. 

     The composer Mozart bought a starling as a pet in 1784. This starling lived with Mozart and his family for three years. 

     The author wanted to learn more about the relationship that Mozart had with his bird Star, so she obtained a starling for herself. She raised this young bird from being a new hatchling into adulthood. The author named her bird Carmen. Much of the book details how the author interacted with Carmen and the way that Carmen was able to imitate words and phrases.

     I enjoyed this part of the book, but there was so much more in this work. As I said, the author wanted to know more about Mozart and Star, so she took a trip to Austria to visit the places associated with the composer. She visited the home where the composer lived with his family and Star. She also made the journey to the cemetery where Mozart is honored.  On her journey to discover more about Mozart and Star, Ms. Haupt provides interesting information about the musical and domestic life of Mozart.

     There is also abundant information about starlings in the book. I see them flying around, but I'd never really considered them until reading this book. The author provides wonderful information about the learning capacity of these birds. 

      Throughout the book, the reader is introduced to concepts regarding language, philosophy and other subjects.  All in all, I found this to be a very well-written and well-executed book. 

     As I've mentioned before here on the blog, many of the books that I read and enjoy I just happened to discover by browsing at the library. That is how I came across "Mozart's Starling".  And I'm glad I did. This is one of the top three books that I've read this year, and I highly recommend it to you.