Title: H is for Hawk (2015) Author: Helen Macdonald Publisher: Grove Press Book jacket: An account of adopting and raising a vicious bird of prey while grieving a father’s death Joe says: A depressing tale about depression. H is for Humdrum.
A depressing tale about depression. H is for Hawk. H is also for Humdrum.
The book is half memoir, the tale of the attempt to deal with the loss of a father, and half thesis paper on T.H. White that, aside from White’s association with falconry, really goes nowhere, other than tying in the legend of King Arthur and Merlin also with hawks. Helen Macdonald has a great writing style, and her use of imagery and analogy to describe, to work through, her depression and the transference of such into owning a hawk, can be quite beautiful; her trials and tribulations with her hawk raising can get repetitive. The analysis of White feels and reads like a term paper complete with called out quotes and footnotes.
I feel misled that the description of the book – as well as reviews – failed to capitalize on the vast portions of the title dedicated to White, making me regret my purchase.
B is for Boring.
Read @ Joe’s 
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