"A satisfying read from a masterful stylist, this will appeal to any fan of nature writing or personal essays." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Ever since her daughter rescued a fledgling rook several years ago, Esther Woolfson has been fascinated with corvids, the bird group that includes crows, rooks, magpies, and ravens. Today, the rook, named Chicken, is a member of the Woolfson family along with a talking magpie named Spike, a baby crow named Ziki, a starling, a parrot, and others. From their elaborate bathing rituals to springtime broodiness and their tendency to stash food in the most unlikely places, these corvids share bonds with Woolfson that would have been considered rare, if not impossible, before. Letting her experience speak for itself, Woolfson likens the fears and foibles of corvids to those of humans, taking into account the science of bird intelligence, evolution,song, and flight. She highlights their big personalities and capacity for affection: Chicken hates computers and machines, while she loves evening neck scratches on Woolfson's knee. It is through this intimate lens that Woolfson invites us to reconsider what creatures can be human's best friend. "Woolfson shares a house with a host of free-ranging birds who cache bits of brie and raw squid in jean cuffs and under rugs, who excavate holes in the kitchen wall, and who, ahem, are decidedly not housebroken. But are these lifestyles really so peculiar? Should we not applaud them?" -- Orion Magazine "What makes Woolfson's memoir such enjoyable reading (even for the non-birdobsessed) is that she is funny and knows it's rather crazy to have a magpie, crow, starling or, more significantly, a rook named 'Chicken' running about your house." --Bookslut
I thought this book was really well written. It's chock full of great information about the corvids and has plenty of humor too!Very well done! Deb.
What I Was Looking For!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
The author captured me from word one. She weaves animal anecdotes and bird facts into interesting and touching stories of her family and their daily life in Scotland. Her love for birds and nature in general is evident in every sentence. This is a delightful book. She describes the birds she cares for in anthropomorphic terms, but that doesn't bother me - I do the same when asked to describe our resident household birds and the birds I've cared for temporarily with animal rescue and rehabilitation. The book is easy to read and very uplifting.
Can't put it down!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Just started Corvus: A Life With Birds and can't put it down! The writing is rich, as if Esther Woolfson is having a conversation with the reader or telling an engaging story at a garden party. Information about animals is secondary to her description of their personalities; both done very well. Great read!
Perfect for any collection strong in accounts of pets and wildlife
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Esther Woolfson has long been fascinated with corvids, the bird family including crows, rooks, magpies and ravens. Her family includes several corvid pets. Here she discusses her pets and the corvid family in general, offering views of an unusual bonding process and different insights into the natural history of the corvid. Perfect for any collection strong in accounts of pets and wildlife.
Excellent
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Absolutely brilliant. I got this after seeing Esther talk at the Edinburgh Book Festival and it's got to be one of the best non-fiction books this year. I have to admit, I have never been interested in birds, and knew absolutely nothing about them, but the book really opened up the subject of such a fascinating family of birds - the Corvids - being both informative and entertaining at the same time. Esther's own personal tales of a life shared with various birds - Chicken the rook, Spike the magpie and Ziki the crow - intertwine with histories of our perception of blackbirds to paint a hilariously interesting account of these birds' intelligence and personalities. A must read for anyone interested in birds, nature, or just good story telling!
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