H is for Hawk

H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald is a beautifully written memoir filled with nature writing, history, poetry and much more. It defies all genres and stands alone as a brilliant work of literature.

It was written during an intense period of grief after the author lost her father and comes to terms with her own depression through training a goshawk named Mabel.

She refers often to TH White, author of The Once and Future King, who also trained a goshawk and wrote a book about it. This was a tiresome and often disturbing part of the book that I wish hadn't taken up so much of the story.

Overall a beautifully written, yet very heavy book.