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Book of the month

Find reading inspiration on our Book of the Month forum.

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Come and meet HELEN MACDONALD, author of Costa Book of the Year H IS FOR HAWK, on Thurs 30 April, 9-10pm

119 replies

TillyMumsnetBookClub · 16/03/2015 13:08

Our April choice is a one-of-a-kind, unforgettable book. H IS FOR HAWK has won the Samuel Johnson Prize, the overall Costa prize and has had many Mumsnetters in rhapsodies: ‘This is quite an extraordinary book. Even if you don't know anything about hawks, or think that you wouldn't like a book about them, still read this - it is so good’ (DuchessofMalfi); ‘Really one of its own… So unique and powerful’ (mytartanscarf). A hybrid of memoir, nature-writing and biography, it is written in the most beautiful and moving prose. Helen MacDonald fell in love with hawks as a little girl and trained them throughout her life. Following the sudden death of her beloved father, she decides to train a goshawk, famous for its tricky nature. MacDonald’s honesty, fierce intelligence and raw emotion make her subject completely captivating. A truly remarkable book about death, love, memory, landscape and human frailty.

You can find out more on our book of the month page, and follow Helen on her excellent and very funny Twitter feed

Vintage have 50 copies of H IS FOR HAWK to give to Mumsnetters: to claim your copy please go to the book of the month page before 9am on Monday 23 March. If you’re not lucky enough to bag one of those, you can always get a Kindle version here or paperback here

We are delighted that Helen will be joining us on Thursday 30th April, 9-10pm to discuss H IS FOR HAWK, her writing career plus much more. Please feel free to discuss the book here throughout the month and then come and meet Helen on the night, and ask her a question or simply tell her what you thought of the book. Look forward to seeing you on the 30th.

whatwoulddexterdo · 16/03/2015 18:21

I have heard nothing but good things about this book. The Sunday Times review suggested it was part memoir and part textbook on training a hawk. I would be really interested to read this as I suspect the main thrust of the book is how one person came to terms with a devastating loss by refocusing on something completely unknown to them that turns out to be a really positive influence. I could of course be completely wrong .......
Fingers x for a copy.

DuchessofMalfi · 19/03/2015 06:19

I listened to the author reading it on audiobook in January. Absolutely loved it Smile

magimedi · 20/03/2015 15:30

Read it a few weeks ago & loved it. Found it very hard to read anything else after it, it was so good.

Teladi · 20/03/2015 16:28

I'll be reading this regardless but hope I win a copy!

sisterofmercy · 20/03/2015 16:47

I have just read this book. The prose was as good as everyone says - it was poetic and I loved the way Helen McDonald describes everything. I especially loved the ways she described a happy goshawk which touched my heart.

I was also fascinated by how she linked the story of TH White to her own. They were both damaged, grieving individuals but Helen's story had a far more uplifting outcome, maybe because she was surrounded by the love of her family and friends and poor TH White wasn't.

mytartanscarf · 20/03/2015 18:09

LOVED this! I'll definitely tune in!

heycarrot · 20/03/2015 18:14

Just reading it now. Smile

YesILikeItToo · 20/03/2015 21:19

I've applied for a copy. I've read the Goshawk, but a long time ago. What stays with me is the training of the bird, I can't recall THWhite's personal story. I'd be intersted to see how I feel about this balance now I'm older.

Wolfiefan · 21/03/2015 21:17

Applying for a copy. Fingers crossed.

YossarianLives · 22/03/2015 11:43

I've applied too, sounds like it could be an interesting read Grin

Digby18 · 22/03/2015 12:31

Sounds good. Will be reading next!

Stujobohm · 30/03/2015 14:37

Loved this book received a free copy.
I loved the in depth descriptions.
Highly recommend

Jinglebells99 · 30/03/2015 15:22

Ooh, I've just received an email saying I've won a copy :). Looking forward to receiving it.

MargoReadbetter · 01/04/2015 01:20

I'm looking forward to it too (I'm also getting a free copy).

AlbertHerbertHawkins · 13/04/2015 12:58

Received a free copy - thank you mumsnet! Am 42 pages in; it's very good and very different. So far the phrase 'I took comfort in the blithe superiority that is the refuge of the small' pleased and struck me so much I have been moved to write it in my diary!
My first question is about the design and artwork on the cover. I see from the note on the author at the back of the book that one of the 'hats' that Helen MacDonald wears is that of illustrator but the illustration for the cover of this book is by someone else. I really like the 'packaging' of this book and wonder how much input Helen had into it, whether it was what she invisaged and if she is pleased with it.

pbandbacon · 14/04/2015 21:05

Just finished reading my free copy (thank you mumsnet!!) This is not a book I would normally pick up, and I am not always influenced by awards, but all the good reviews and a recent discovery of biographies prompted me too add it to my must read list. I was not disappointed.

I have an aversion to book reviews that read as a book report, but suffice it to say that the writing is as beautiful as everyone says it is. I really enjoyed Helen's ability to tie her story to TH White's when he wrote The Goshawk. This type of tie in is something that could have put me off finishing a book, but here it is very well done, not at all like a university essay (my initial worry) and a perfect complete to Helen's story

As a busy mum with 3DSs under 6, I enjoyed reading this most when I could grab a few minutes in a sunny spot with a cuppa - it was not bedtime reading for me.
I hope the rest of you are enjoying it!

frogletsmum · 15/04/2015 11:42

My copy arrived this morning, huge thanks to Mumsnet and Vintage Smile. I've been coveting this book for ages thanks to the beautiful cover and all the good things I've read about it. Really looking forward to reading it and the webchat.

whatwoulddexterdo · 15/04/2015 20:52

Thanks so much for my copy. Am just finishing The Girl On the Train, and then I will be starting, can't wait ??

minsmum · 15/04/2015 21:18

My copy arrived at the weekend as soon as I opened it my dh grabbed it and won't give it back. He is loving it says it's the best book he has read in ages. I want to throw a tantrum and say but it's mine however I am going to have to wait till he has finished it.

Noideaatall · 17/04/2015 13:59

I got my copy a while ago. I've struggled a bit, to be honest. It reads a bit like a long essay in places, and I find it a bit ... self involved. It feels really mean to say that but it's one of the reasons I'm struggling. There's hardly any mention of the others affected by her father's death (so far-I'm not quite finished yet) her mother and brother, for example. I would have been interested to hear more about how her reaction compared to theirs. She does seem to have taken her father's death particularly hard but it's not clear why.
I can see why some would love it but I have found it hard work. I really enjoyed Joan Didion's 'The year of magical thinking', which I found a moving account of coming to terms with grief.

paulasmith · 19/04/2015 18:40

Thanks Mumsnet for the copy of this book. I've just finished it and have found myself thinking about it often. As others have already mentioned, it is beautifully written and I found myself stopping to appreciate the language and turns of phrase.

Moreover, I found it very interesting how Helen's experience of training a goshawk is paralleled with that of T.H. White's , as Sisterof mercy mentions above. Both cared about their respective hawks but Helen is not, unwittingly, cruel to her hawk.

In training the goshawk, Helen comes to terms with the death of her father and is able to feel deep love for him again, without the despairing grief. I found this very moving and was glad that this was the conclusion of the memoir.

loumom · 20/04/2015 15:08

Thank you mumsnet for my copy of this book! I found it to be an unusual book and not what I expected. I found it very emotional and long winded in parts and as a result I struggled with it. There is obviously a lot of feeling in the book as Helen comes to terms with the death of her father and also a childhood dream of training a goshawk, and it felt as if the author was writing the book as a type of therapy. It was not for me, but I am still glad that I read it.

Melgella · 20/04/2015 16:23

Ah, I applied for a free copy of this and haven't received it or heard anything. From some of the other messages in this thread, I get the impression that any number of people can apply and then 50 are chosen from those, rather than it being first come first served - is that right? (Haven't done this before.) Shall I stop stalking my postman every time he walks past the window?!

catkins10 · 21/04/2015 16:56

Thank you for my copy!! I found this a fascinating book on many levels. I love a book that makes you want to find out more, about TH White, his writings, goshawks and falconry in general. Helen's poetic descriptions of the landscape and environment while she is out hawking are incredibly beautiful and make you want to go outside immediately. I am already combing Amazon for TH White's books and looking forward to trying some!

Whilst I found it easy to deal with White's depression because it was third hand (and possibly because he was a man), I found Helen's troubles painful to read. It's an open and honest picture of how one person can sink under grief and you wonder if she'll find a way out of it.

I was so pleased Mabel was a successful challenge, I don't think I could have carried on if it had been as difficult as TH White with Gos.

hackmum · 21/04/2015 18:38

I've just finished this. It's really beautifully written - Helen is an astonishingly good writer.

I put off reading it for a long time because I wasn't sure about the subject matter - and in a way, I'm still not. I struggle with the idea of hand-rearing a bird of prey, and I was a bit squeamish about all the rabbits that were killed (though I realise that this is of course just part of the natural world).

I suppose what I'm getting at is that when I really like a book, I tend to identify with the writer, and in this book, I found it hard, because I can't see any circumstances in which I would ever want to own a goshawk.

And yet, she is so good. As a nature writer, I'd put her up there with Gavin Maxwell, who I regard as one of the greats. But I find otters much more appealing than hawks.