#BookReview OWL SENSE by MIRIAM DARLINGTON #20BooksOfSummer20

ABOUT THE BOOK

‘Her softness took my breath away. Deadly beauty. She turned her face towards me. The owl’s massive facial disc produces a funnel for sound that is the most effective in the animal kingdom’

Owls have captivated the human imagination for millennia. We have fixated on this night hunter as predator, messenger, emblem of wisdom, something pretty to print on a tote bag or portent of doom. Darlington sets out to tell a new story. Her fieldwork begins with wild encounters in the British Isles and takes her to the frosted borders of the Arctic. In her watching and deep listening to the natural world, she cleaves myth from reality and will change the way you think of this magnificent creature

PUBLISHED BY GUARDIAN FABER

MY REVIEW

This is Book 14 of my 20 Books of Summer 2020.

Another book with a stunning cover and I found this to be a truly fascinating read. The author writes passionately about the subject of owls, whilst also sharing stories of her own family struggles with a child with a mystery illness.

It’s fair to say this family are obsessed with owls, and this book allows them to share their experiences as they look further into different species, travelling across the country and further afield, learning more about owls from their hunting habits, where they live and also meeting a number of equally owl obsessed and knowledgeable people who are only too happy to share all they know about these amazing creatures.

Each chapter centres around a different owl species so that really does let you get to know so much more and focus solely on each owl allowing you to soak up more information and see the struggles that each species are facing in the modern world, as well as looking at their role in mythology, literature and history.

I learnt so much from this book and was also touched by how the illness to her son drove the family to despair at times as they just wanted to make him better and would go to any lengths to find ways to help him out. I also loved the striking pen illustrations to introduce each species.

★★★★

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