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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
So many layers here: aside from the actual description of the hawk's training we get thoughts on what it is to be a wild animal, and of course of the writer's personal loss and grief, with the whole thing running alongsife the story of TH White, another writer and hawk trainer, and, from what we can see here, a pretty tragic bloke.
I love it. Its beautiful.
I love it. Its beautiful.
Shaken by the sudden death of her father, a well-known photojournalist, Helen Macdonald decides to train a goshawk, a notoriously skittish and challenging breed of raptor. She is a lifelong amateur naturalist and experienced in the craft -- a self-described "watcher". But what begins as a distraction to sand the edges of grief becomes an obsession threatening to upend her relationships and her nascent academic career.
The memoir interweaves E. B. White's memoir of struggling to train his "gos" with her own, drawing parallels between his struggle with his identity and latent homosexuality and her grief and depression. She adds insights into the cultural history of falconry and meditations on hunting, death, and the uncertain boundary between the state of being human versus wild.
The memoir interweaves E. B. White's memoir of struggling to train his "gos" with her own, drawing parallels between his struggle with his identity and latent homosexuality and her grief and depression. She adds insights into the cultural history of falconry and meditations on hunting, death, and the uncertain boundary between the state of being human versus wild.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Beautiful nature writing and an interesting narrative about grief. Just not really sure the book benefited from the interwoven stories about T.H. White.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
“H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald
Helen’s father has passed away suddenly, a heart attack on the streets which surprised her and everyone in her family. In her grief, she turns to one of her passions: falconry. Not long after her father’s passing, Helen obtains a young goshawk, whom she names Mabel and begins to rear. As she continues to pour her energy into Mabel and her grief compounds, she finds herself reflecting on the falconry experiences of T. H. White, finding striking parallels to her own experiences and her own fears.
I very deeply appreciated this memoir upon finishing it. While I have not yet experienced the grief of losing a parent, I am extremely familiar with falconry from an aspirational point of view. When I was younger, I was obsessed with raptors of all kinds and often imagined myself in place of the protagonist from Jean Craighead George’s “My Side of the Mountain.” That Macdonald is fascinated by hawks and throws herself deeper into falconry as a method of coping with grief not only makes sense. It makes for a gripping yet soft story of processing, a stunning piece of inferiority triggered by her devotion to Mabel and the release of all other responsibilities. My only complaint is that at times I felt the writing style was a little on the dense side, with words like “coruscate” and “quixotic” in the mix, words I am familiar with but can bog down the moment. But I can’t say this was a significant detractor for me. This was very enjoyable and, for my first physical memoir since September 2024, a delightful dip back into the joys of really sitting with someone through their memories.
Helen’s father has passed away suddenly, a heart attack on the streets which surprised her and everyone in her family. In her grief, she turns to one of her passions: falconry. Not long after her father’s passing, Helen obtains a young goshawk, whom she names Mabel and begins to rear. As she continues to pour her energy into Mabel and her grief compounds, she finds herself reflecting on the falconry experiences of T. H. White, finding striking parallels to her own experiences and her own fears.
I very deeply appreciated this memoir upon finishing it. While I have not yet experienced the grief of losing a parent, I am extremely familiar with falconry from an aspirational point of view. When I was younger, I was obsessed with raptors of all kinds and often imagined myself in place of the protagonist from Jean Craighead George’s “My Side of the Mountain.” That Macdonald is fascinated by hawks and throws herself deeper into falconry as a method of coping with grief not only makes sense. It makes for a gripping yet soft story of processing, a stunning piece of inferiority triggered by her devotion to Mabel and the release of all other responsibilities. My only complaint is that at times I felt the writing style was a little on the dense side, with words like “coruscate” and “quixotic” in the mix, words I am familiar with but can bog down the moment. But I can’t say this was a significant detractor for me. This was very enjoyable and, for my first physical memoir since September 2024, a delightful dip back into the joys of really sitting with someone through their memories.
Beautifully written book combining the story of grief over the sudden death of the author's father with the training of a goshawk. The author's observations on T.H. White and his similar experience training a goshawk were interesting, but I found the author's own story more compelling as she used the goshawk as a distraction from grief. One of those books that it feels as if your reading with a layer of skin missing.
Excellent writing - it dragged me through a book I wouldn't normally pick up. If I were more interested in the subject matter or autobiographical non-fiction in general I'd probably give it 4 stars. Author narration was also very good, and I did enjoy hearing the perspective of a person who seems like my total opposite in so many ways.
Partly a memoir and partly a book review of T.H. White's the goshawk, Macdonald describes her thoughts and experiences in training a goshawk and practicing her falconry. Not much happens, it's often quiet, introspective, and philosophical. A little dry and not "entertaining" per se, but definitely illuminating and smart.
Did not enjoy as much as I expected. Honestly felt sad for all the dead little critters while reading.