Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 A Delightful Surprise December 21, 2008
I got given this as a gift, by mistake I think, I really did not expect to like it.
To my astonishment I raced through it in a couple of days. Well written, easy to read and genuinely educational. A hidden gem.
Insightful and life-affirming November 9, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Corvus is an enchanting book. There is no sentimentality here - indeed, Esther Woolfson goes to rigorous lengths to avoid anthropomorphism - and yet the entire book is infused with warmth, charm and humanity, whilst the birds themselves - very much the stars of the piece - are quite wonderful. The episodic narrative, charting the author's own journey of avian experience and discovery - punctuated by digressions on topics such as birds in folklore, bird physiology, bird evolution, bird flight and bird song - is completely compelling: I could barely put it down. The expositions themselves are equally interesting, hugely informed and informing, but never daunting. Beautifully written, the prose is spare but elegant, seemingly almost taking on the metre of bird song itself. Other significant themes also run, almost imperceptibly, through the book: the art of 'seeing' and observation, the scientific method, the idea of 'North', the comfort of home and family. This is not a 'heavy' book - it first came to my attention through hearing a very brief extract on (BBC) Radio 4 - but there is great sensitivity and wisdom here. If you've ever stood at a window or sat on a bench and watched a bird walk or hop or feed or fly, then Corvus will almost certainly enrich your life and provide a fresh, new perspective the next time you see a rook, crow, magpie or one of their feathered relations. A joy from cover to cover.
Rooks rule - ok? October 27, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
A marvellous, magical book. I can't recommend it highly enough. Written with such intelligence, open mindedness and sensitivity. (I can only add that when i happened upon two rooks today in town, I spent some time standing there chatting to them - probably looking extremely silly, particularly to the birds themselves - but I could hardly pass them by without a word: it would have been most ill mannered.) This book delighted me and at one point made me cry. I send my warmest regards both to the author and to dear Chicken, with all good wishes for her longevity and very good health.
Brilliant writing - subtle and effective September 18, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Maybe Robert Macfarlane and Jay Griffiths should be forced to read this book, because without a single overdressed metaphor, without a single unnecessary word of any kind, it tells a series of subtle, clear and profoundly moving stories. It's a delight to meet Spike, and Chicken, and the other birds who soar and wing through the pages, the rhythmical, shapely pages. Envy! I wish I'd written this. Observation wonderful. Interesting that birds are so despised. I read this because having kept chickens I've also come to know and feed jackdaws and rooks, and all three kinds of bird are so bright and so interesting that I simply can't see why we once despised them. I shall read the sequel, if any.
SUPERB, BRILLIANT, FUNNY August 26, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book should be read by everyone and anyone who has ever had a pet. It's funny stories and anecdotes about the author's life with birds are charming and moving. I couldn't put it down.
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