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H is for Hawk

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H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald is a memoir that intertwines the author's journey through grief after the loss of her father with her experience of training a goshawk named Mabel. The book also delves into the life of author T.H. White and his struggles with training a goshawk, providing a parallel narrative to Macdonald's own story. Through eloquent prose and vivid descriptions, Macdonald navigates the complexities of falconry, personal loss, and self-discovery, creating a compelling narrative that blends elements of memoir, biography, and nature writing.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is beautifully lyrical, employing vivid imagery to convey deep emotional experiences and connect with the reader.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot weaves together Helen Macdonald's personal grief journey after her father's death, her training of a goshawk, and the parallels drawn with T.H. White's life and experiences.

Setting:

The setting alternates between urban settings in Cambridge and the tranquil, wild English countryside, highlighting the connection between nature and personal healing.

Pacing:

The pacing is measured and contemplative, allowing for deep exploration of themes, though it may feel slow at times due to detailed narrative.
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES north-east of Cambridge is a landscape I’ve come to love very much indeed. It’s where wet fen gives way to parched sand. It’s a land of twisted pine trees, burned-out cars, shotgun-...

Notes:

H is for Hawk won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction.
The book is a blend of memoir, biography, and nature writing.
Helen Macdonald trained a goshawk, named Mabel, to cope with her father's death.
The narrative also explores the life of T.H. White, author of The Goshawk.
Macdonald frequently reflects on grief, wildness, and the human-animal relationship.
The writing is described as lyrical and beautifully crafted, often drawing readers into emotional depth.
The author uses her own experiences to parallel the challenges faced by T.H. White with his own hawk, showcasing their respective struggles with grief and isolation.
The book features rich descriptions of the English countryside and the process of training a hawk, evoking a strong sense of place.
Macdonald emphasizes the importance of wildness and the instinctual nature of the goshawk, contrasting it with human emotions.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book contains content warnings for grief, depression, and the discussion of death and loss.

From The Publisher:

One of the New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of the Year

One of Slate's 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Past 25 Years

A Best Book of the Year: TIME, NPR, O, The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, Miami Herald, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Star Tribune, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Slate, Shelf Awareness, Book Riot

When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer-Helen had been captivated by hawks since childhood-she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. White's chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself "in the hawk's wild mind to tame her" tested the limits of Macdonald's humanity and changed her life.

Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry. Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.

Ratings (22)

Incredible (4)
Loved It (12)
Liked It (4)
It Was OK (2)

Reader Stats (48):

Read It (21)
Want To Read (19)
Did Not Finish (1)
Not Interested (7)

1 comment(s)

It Was OK
4 weeks

This was not my cup of tea. I read it because it was on the Best Seller list. It was like jumping in to water I was unfamiliar with. First it was about birds, not my thing. Second it was a lot about the authors impressions and parallels with a book called The Goshawk, which is totally unknown to me. Three, it is read by the author. Generally this is good. In this case her English accent and old feeling subject made this book feel historic, then she would talk about listening to Metallica. That made it weird.

 

About the Author:

Helen Macdonald is a writer, poet, illustrator and naturalist, and an affiliated research scholar at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of the bestselling H Is for Hawk, as well as a cultural history of falcons, titled Falcon, and three collections of poetry, including Shaler's Fish. Macdonald was a Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge, has worked as a professional falconer, and has assisted with the management of raptor research and conservation projects across Eurasia. She now writes for the New York Times Magazine.

 
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