A review by iancarpenter
The Peregrine by J.A. Baker

5.0

Can't believe I'm giving a book about birds a 5 out of 5 or even that I read this. I heard Werner Herzog raving about it in an interview and I'm so glad I checked it out. It's flat out some of the best prose I've ever read and I'll keep it around forever as a gauge of my own prose writing. Baker's feeling, almost mystical obsession with birds is strange, moving and invigorating. His interaction with life and nature is contagious and this definitely changed how I see the world. I read this in dribs and drabs over a year. As one long sit down it would be far too much, too much of a singular focus for me. But read in pieces, it's stunning.