Recently named one of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century by the New York Times, Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk covers one year in the author’s life. After the death of her father, Helen purchases and trains a goshawk to give her something to focus on in her grief. While recounting that process, she also diverges into discussions about the life of the author T.H. White, who in addition to writing The Once and Future King, was also a falconer.
I listened to H is for Hawk on audiobook. The author reads the book herself, and it must be said that she does a wonderful job. She has a very pleasant speaking voice, and is obviously best-suited to connect to the emotions of the work. That being said, I struggled to really connect with this book, even as someone who has lost a parent and should therefore be able to relate to the author.
I don’t have any specific complaint to lodge. I just don’t think I could relate to the author’s obsession with hawks. Nor did I particularly see the relevance to all the discussion about T.H. White. Perhaps if I had read The Once and Future King, but alas, I have not. I’ve also never really been a big nature guy, so it’s possible that this is just a bad mismatch between author and audience.
What I’m saying, I guess, is that given all the available evidence, you will likely enjoy this book more than I did. It happens.