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A review by shreyavolety
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
"I’d look down on the world below, basking in the fierce calm that comes from being invisible but seeing everything. Watching, not doing. Seeking safety in not being seen. It’s a habit you can fall into, willing yourself into invisibility. And it doesn’t serve you well in life. Believe me it doesn’t."
I could either write a review that spans thousands of words, or I could say nothing to at all, and it still wouldn't really capture how much this strange memoir impacted me. This deserves a re-read, and the only reason it's at 4.5 stars is because I intend to come back some time again later this year, to bump that to 5. I am novice to nature writing, and I never expected a book about losing a father and FALCONRY, of all things, to be my entry point. But here we are. I may have highlighted almost everything in this book. Helen Macdonald is a treasure, and so is Mabel, her glorious hawk. I never expected to learn this much T.H. White, Goshawks, Arthurianian legend, and human isolation from one memoir, but I have. And it was a complete delight.
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness