H Is for Hawk (2014)

Ho letto la recensione e ho acquistato il libro. Ho iniziato a leggerlo con la solita avidità ma, mano a mano, le pagine non scorrevano più. Finchè mi sono arenata, dopo un centinaio o poco più.

Sono pensieri di chi ha subito una perdita e dovrebbero avere un filo conduttore, la falconeria. Ma non fila, non è scorrevole, vi sono rimandi a libri sulla materia, citazioni, molti termini tecnici, nomi di uccelli, di versi di uccelli, di piumaggi. Ma non vi ho trovato un aggancio alla mia sensibilità.

E quindi lo mollo. Perchè, come dice Stephen King, il lettore, tra i suoi diritti, ha quello di mollare il libro che sta leggendo, senza rimorsi.
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Initially, I loved this book, which felt like it was going to be a love story about a bird that had once seemed to teeter on the brink of extinction. But it soon shifted as it felt like a story as much about TH White and what a despicable, selfish jerk he was as anything else. I don't care why he was the way he was, hearing how he treated his hawk was just painful page-filler. When the only character I cared about - the hawk - began to take on a minor role, the book just began to feel like somebody's self-indulgent blog. ( )

“La historia de amor y superación de “lady” Azor”, Jacinto Antón, El País 18.10.2015:https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/10/18/actualidad/1445177069_246943.html

Macdonald combines the narrative of her training a goshawk, grieving her father, and thinking about T.H. White. The goshawk, named Mabel, gets the most coverage. This is a very well written book, but I realized that I am not all that interested in falconry, so there were times when the book dragged for me.

I also would have liked more insight into her mental health struggles with complicated grief. She describes it very well, but doesn't put her depression into context.

However, it WAS quite a feat to combine the three topics, and as I said, very well written. ( )

I'd say the first half of the book was definitely 4 star - beautifully written - a real heart to heart with the reader. But towards the end that connection was broken, for me at least. The earlier part was an exploration, a mystery, and once the author became definite about what was happening to her and to the hawk it was less engrossing. Great book anyway and interesting to find out so much about T H White who was an old childhood favourite. Explains why I cannot find the same satisfaction with his books re-reading them today.... ( )