An "endlessly fascinating novel" of an American student finding his
way in 1960s Paris from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of
The Group (San Francisco Chronicle).
It is 1964, and Peter Levi, a young student and bird watcher, has come
to Paris to study at the Sorbonne. Shy and innocent at nineteen years
old, he arrives fresh from an extended Maine holiday with his vivacious
mother, and is determined to live a life free of unwanted complications
and unnecessary stress. But this is an era of great change in the world,
a time when war is looming in Southeast Asia and social unrest is
simmering. There is much to trouble and confuse the young American as he
journeys through foreign countries--and feelings--into adulthood. For
Peter, the simplicity of childhood is over--and his new life is becoming
increasingly complex in a world growing more unrecognizable by the
day.
Mary McCarthy's splendid Birds of America is a moving and surprising
coming-of-age tale: the unforgettable story of a young man's awakening,
and a stunning evocation of the disorienting change of the 1960s.