H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (2016-02-09) Paperback

Beautifully written. Bought Vesper Flights.

wonderful book.

Haven' t finished it yet but love her wrting style. Fresh and interesting format.

Beautifully written, poignant and wonderful. A really good read.

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Having been an avid watcher of hawks for most of my life anything involving falconry (the training of and hunting with birds of prey) usually ends up on my reading list. In the past I've even read dry manuals about falconry and have been satisfied if that tells you anything about me. Helen Macdonald's account of training a female goshawk begins explaining why someone would want to do such a thing and quickly morphs into something almost akin to a novelette.She also occasionally delves into the history of falconry and literature about the sport. She's clearly an academic first and foremost. I sense she's either a literary critic or a teacher of literature in some capacity (I haven't taken the time to investigate) as she's fascinated with the lore of falconry and its ancient terms. I'm not sure why I know this, but the book reads like it's written by a true Briton. Being American, I'm dimly aware of the lack of mastery of English in the new world, and of Britain’s inherent ability to perfectly speak and write the Queen's English (and to correct us when we fail to do so). This makes one of the few complaints I have all the more confounding. For some reason Macdonald doesn't seem to know how to use quotation marks. Actually, as I'm typing this, the book laying right in front of me, I've realized there aren't any quotes around the “H” in the book's title! Almost all dialog and sentences spoken in her mind are invariably italicized; never to be found quotes. I can't imagine what her third grade grammar teacher is thinking now.There's also her seeming obsession with Terence Hanbury White, a British writer best know for his sequence of Arthurian novels (The Once and Future King, The Sword in the Stone). Early as a teacher, White wrote an account called The Goshawk about training a goshawk using antiquated methods instead of more modern ones. This is the inspiration for “H” is for Hawk. Macdonald often comes close to becoming sidetracked with this fascination for White's life and writing but seems to know just when enough is enough. This is after all the saving grace of the book – in that we get to read about someone actually training and eventually hunting with a hawk. Though the side material is often tangential, she mercifully returns often to the deep well of anecdotes and observations on training her goshawk Mabel. It's this attention to detail and her sensitivity to the moods and fashions of her bird that ultimately makes this book one worth reading. Macdonald spares no details on the trials and triumphs of Mabel's training, and ultimately hunting. We learn that goshawks can chirp with happiness, act rather civilized, and even a bit timid. The chapters about hunting with the hawk are written with clarity, excitement, and not a little anxiety; perfect for those of us who like to watch raptors search for and pursue their prey.Though she has many doubts about the training and flying free of her hawk, a close friend and a fellow falconer provide the moral support that propels Macdonald and Mabel to success as falconer and trained hawk. And this is where the heart of the book lay: the reconnecting with family and the people surrounding her at the periphery of the fog of mourning that understandably came with the death of her father. Though once again not pertaining directly to falconry, Macdonald's passage through pain and mourning, and eventually into acceptance and peace with the memory of her father gives this book plenty of heart and a warmth that would have been missing had it been strictly a record about training and flying a hawk. It's a fine line to walk, but one that Macdonald treads so well. I really didn't notice but I've learned about a classic British author, as well as a little something about a photojournalist (her father) whilst reading about a woman training a famously cantankerous species of hawk. “H” is for Hawk is first-hand-experience literature done well.

I bought this book (from Amazon) when it first came out and i was involved with the story immediately. I could not put it down. I started calling friends and urging them to read it. not everyone was as fascinated as i by the subject (i am what they call "a tree hugger" among other things because i love the earth and all its animals), but i believe i convinced some of them to read it. the book was so wonderfully written and aside from being so emotionally moved by the experiences she described, I was completely impressed with how she described them. This book really took my breath away, from the moment she first got her goshawk to the moment she trained him to return to her. i felt as if they both were developing a very special and unique relationship and that it was a gift to both of them. i loved this book so very much. i am buying her new book and hope it lives up to this one.

Hands down, the best writing I've encountered in a long time. Readers who are solely plot-focused may find themselves wandering off, but I quickly became entranced by what I think of as the "voice" of the author. I usually find memoirs to be self-pitying but there's an astringency here that is mixed with wise and wonderful musings on the nature of life, death, grief and our place on earth. I felt as if I were in the fields with the author. Kudos to you, Ms. MacDonald. I loved this.

A present for a friend,

This was a present

Lovely book - well worth a read.