43 pages 1 hour read

Helen Macdonald

H Is For Hawk

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2014

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

In H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald chronicles her journey through grief and healing after her father's death, finding solace in training a goshawk named Mabel. The memoir weaves together her personal struggles and her experiences with falconry, drawing parallels with T.H. White’s attempts at training a hawk in the 1930s. The narrative explores themes of loss, nature, and the search for personal redemption. This book depicts outdated, harmful concepts related to a historical figure's attempt to "tame" his same-sex attraction.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Helen Macdonald's H Is For Hawk is widely praised for its lyrical prose and deep emotional resonance, blending memoir and nature writing. Critics commend its raw honesty and vivid descriptions. Some note it can be overly introspective and slow-paced. While the narrative's complexity may challenge some readers, it remains a powerful exploration of grief and healing.

Who should read this

Who Should Read H Is For Hawk?

Readers who appreciate deeply emotional memoirs, nature writing, and introspection will enjoy H Is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald. Fans of Wild by Cheryl Strayed and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi will find similarities in Macdonald’s poignant exploration of grief and healing through training a goshawk.

RecommendedReading Age

18+years

Book Details

Topics

Animals

Science / Nature

Grief / Death

Themes

Natural World: Environment

Identity: Sexuality

Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Genre

Biography