Fastest Things on Wings

Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood

By: Terry Masear

Narrated by: Bailey Carr

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

A heartwarming account of the trials and triumphs a hummingbird rehabber encounters while caring for her tiny, fragile patients.

Before he collided with a limousine, Gabriel, an Anna's hummingbird with a head and throat cloaked in iridescent magenta feathers, could spiral 130 feet in the air, dive 60 miles per hour in a courtship display, hover, and fly backward. When he arrived in rehab caked in road grime, he was so badly injured that he could barely perch. But Terry Masear, one of the busiest hummingbird rehabbers in the country, was determined to save this damaged bird, who seemed oddly familiar.

During the four months that Terry worked with Gabriel, she took in 160 hummingbirds, from a miniature nestling rescued by a bulldog and a fledgling trapped inside a skydiving wind tunnel at Universal CityWalk to Pepper, a female Anna's injured on a film set.

In their time together, Pepper and Gabriel formed a special bond, and together, with Terry's help, learned to fly again. Woven around Gabriel's and Pepper's stories are those of other colorful birds in this personal narrative filled with the science and magic surrounding these fascinating creatures.

©2015 Terry Masear (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Saved By Kindle

This book offers a fascinating and in-depth look at hummingbirds and hummingbird rescue operations in Hollywood California. It is funny, fact filled and brimming with quirky insights about life in southern California. It's as much about the rescuers as the birds they are trying to help. But, believe me, you will learn a great deal about the birds too.

My problem lies in the narration. The voice is hard to describe--sort of Valley Girl meets Betty Boop. It grates from the start and then becomes intolerable after an hour for me. Somehow the narrator makes everything the author has to say seem trite and just plain stupid. Enter my Kindle. It turns out I purchased the whisper-sync when I bought the book. I don't usually do this unless it is some sort of deal/cheaper offer. Hum. Thank goodness I did because it has really paid off. I was easily able to switch over to reading instead of listening and the book was saved for me.

Be sure to listen to the sample to decide if the narrator will be ok for you. Be aware that if I was rating just the audio recorded version my rating would have been all one stars. The higher stars rated here for story and overall are for the Kindle version only. Good book--terrible narration.

Surprisingly engaging & informative!

I love hummingbirds, but part of me thought I was crazy for choosing to listen to almost 13 hours of a book about them. Now I know I would be crazy NOT to recommend this book to other people!!

Terry has a mastery of prose that is pleasant to listen to, and her stories about her rescued hummingbirds are moving, shocking, surprising, and super engaging. I also learned SO much about these magical birds that will help me support their majestic wildness even better in my own backyard.

And the narrator is EXCELLENT! She does believable, consistent voices for different characters that really brings the book to life.

If you're on the fence about committing this many hours of your life to a book about birds, just do it! I promise it will be worth it!

It’s worth it!

The story is great. I loved all her anecdotes and memories and got used the the snarky attitude the author convened once I understood the constant demands out on her. The narrator seemed to force and over exaggerate the tone of the book the first hour or so. It was not very appealing and if I didn’t like the subject at hand or have a curiosity for how hummingbird rehabilitation works I might have stopped listening. I totally recommend reading this book and if you choose to or must listen hang in there. After the first 2 hours it gets way better. The narrator backs off a little and the story finds its proper voice. I listened at 1.25 speed to ease some of the exaggerated pronunciations and awkward pauses. All in all the story is beautifully written peppered 😊 with just enough facts about the amazing birds. I learned a lot and enjoyed almost all the content.

Rookie Narrator, Arrogant Writer Blows Topic

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Terry Masear is one of the few people in the world with the breadth of experience and command of language to communicate the science, dedication, and fascination of hummingbirds. She delivers about 40% of the expectation, with the balance of the book devoted to self admiration. I wish she would have spent far more time on the birds and far less time telling me how much smarter she is than everyone else. Particularly I take exception with the author's immediate dislike of anyone from certain zip codes in Los Angeles.

What did you like best about this story?

Insight about hummingbirds

Would you be willing to try another one of Bailey Carr’s performances?

never - She can not pronounce the simplest and most common Los Angeles landmarks. Her cadence is annoying.

Could you see Fastest Things on Wings being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Can't say

Any additional comments?

I expected too much from Terry Masear, since her expertise and dedication are so special. I must put some responsibility for this train wreck on the editors for not guiding her away from the "I'm so smart-you're so not" stories, but I have no idea who approved the narrator. No explanation, no excuse. Certainly the author herself must have noted the mispronunciations starting with Fred Segal! How could this have happened with a topic with so much potential?

Birdwatching with a personal touch, just one bird.

This is an unassuming memoir of a hummingbird rescue person. Who knew so many hummingbirds needed rescuing? She takes the reader through the daily details of many rescues and the personalities of several birds weave the anecdotes together.
We have shared this book with two dear friends who have especially enjoyed it

Good book, bad narration

The book was interesting and I enjoyed it very much. I would have enjoyed it more if not for the narrator. Weirdly timed pauses in mid sentences and uncomfortable pronunciation.

interesting hummingbird info

The arc of her foray into hummingbird rescue is fascinating but she has a somewhat patronizing attitude towards the public bringing her birds to rescue. On the other hand her devotion to her little feathered patients is truly fanatical. One wonders why she never asks for help from the clearly interested ranks of hummingbird enthusiasts. The narrator's voice is more tolerable if listened to at 1.5X speed.

wonderful

I really enjoyed listening to this book and learning so much about hummingbird care. so glad our world has people like Terry!

Fascinating Story

This story describes a small and beautiful part of nature that goes beyond our human understanding. Learning about hummingbirds and how they live (and die) side by side with humans was fascinating. It’s an incredible story about hummingbird rescue and the intense toll it takes on the rescuers.

a genuinely unique adventure

So many contemporary stories are slap-dash formulaic wastes of time....this one is not. It's an interesting, informative, uplifting and real account of a service ministry with all its joy and crushing frustration.