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  • Bird by Bird

  • Some Instructions on Writing and Life
  • By: Anne Lamott
  • Narrated by: Susan Bennett
  • Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (75 ratings)
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Bird by Bird cover art

Bird by Bird

By: Anne Lamott
Narrated by: Susan Bennett
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Summary

Bird by Bird is a modern classic - a funny and practical guide to being a writer by the New York Times best-selling author Anne Lamott.

Bird by Bird is the bible of writing guides - a wry, honest, down-to-earth book that has never stopped selling since it was first published in the United States in the 1990s. Best-selling novelist and memoirist Anne Lamott distils what she's learned over years of trial and error. Beautifully written, wise and immensely helpful, this is the book for all serious writers and writers-to-be.

For a quarter century, more than a million people - scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities - have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father - also a writer - in the iconic passage that gives the book its title: 

'Thirty years ago, my older brother, who was 10 years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'

©1994 Anne Lamott (P)2019 Penguin Random House LLC

Critic reviews

"A warm, generous and hilarious guide through the writer's world and its treacherous swamps." (Los Angeles Times)

"[A] classic of the genre.... The lessons she shares with her students...are refreshing." (Guardian)

"Deftly and honestly explores the mental challenges of being a writer, and Lamott's advice is, simply put, invaluable." (Bustle)

What listeners say about Bird by Bird

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Writing advice from an accomplished author told in a relaxed and amusing personal voice

Great writing tips from a real-world perspective - including the standard neuroses that most most writers suffer from from time to time tome

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Make me want to laugh and cry at the same time

What an amazing writer, with so many important things to say, for aspiring writers to listen to, here and absorb.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Immensely enjoyable book

I listened to the book greedily and in one go. It provides a lot of useful insights and advise, but mainly i loved how brave and human the author was about her personal writing journey. The narration is fantastic too, brings out all the qualities of Anne Lamott’s brilliant style and great self-ironic humour— very light and nuanced, yet sharp and often hilarious. I thoroughly recommend this book if you are interested both in writing yourself, and (or) in what makes a writer tick.

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Really Enjoyed

I’d like to preface that I’m not a writer or an aspiring writer. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and like most things in life, if you want to become good at something, you need to commit time to get better at it. She doesn’t try to come up with special rituals or charlatan like routines. Just the truth that writing is hard and very few people are able to write books that other people want to read, however if you enjoy writing just like you enjoy watching TV or playing basketball you shouldn’t be discouraged from doing so and you can get better at it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

bird by bird buddy, bird by bird

this was my 1st book on audible and I had mixed feelings as to how was I supposed to feel the book in the way when it would be in my hand and how I have a habit of actually imagining scenes from the book how will those come to exist, but I am so glad I did this, the story is fantastic, I was not off track or bored even for a while above all the narrator, she's the star of the show, how well the variations and he understanding of the text was, all that was very evident, so well appreciated.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting, but not for me

Very emotionally indulgent, but occasionally insightful. The author seems a bit unhinged. I liked the bird by bird chapter.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Life changing book & wonderful reader.

I absolutely love this book and regularly read it to absorb more tips and skills to develop in my writing each time.
However this oral performance gives and opens up so much more. I am going to play this audio book often. It has chipped away another big chunk of my negative critic in my head and opened me up to more writing awareness. Please do listen to the oral version of this book, the wonderful performance of Susan Barret, it's a marvellous experience. Thank you so much Anne Lamott.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

if you are a writer then definitely get this

Incredible wisdom about writing, so glad I bought this, brilliant from beginning to end....I had never heard of Anne Lamott before, but now she's one of my favourite writers, she's just so honest.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A must for all inspiring writers

Bird by bird not only teaches you about writing, it is a perfect example of showing rather than telling how to write the perfect how to book Full of humour, personal stories of triumph and disaster and of never giving up.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Totally fantastic

Dark, witty and original. This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen from start to finish. I'll probably listen to it again before long.

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