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The Wise Hours: A Journey into the Wild and Secret World of Owls
Bottom of the pile
24
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
11/100Critics
37/100Scholars
Author:
Miriam Darlington
Publisher:
Tin House Books
Date:
February 7, 2023
Owls have existed for over sixty million years, and in the relatively short time we have shared the planet with these majestic birds they have ignited the human imagination. But even as owls continue to captivate our collective consciousness, celebrated British nature writer Miriam Darlington finds herself struck by all she doesn't know about the true nature of these enigmatic creatures.
What The Reviewers Say
Ms. Darlington is most persuasive when she records her interactions with owls on a visceral, intimate level.
Darlington’s survey of the state of owls today is intimately staged, an account of her quest to see in situ the six species that live in her native England.
The scientific information comes through Darlington’s always lovely prose, meaning that instead of info dumps, we get pleasing passages intertwined with the narrative. Each chapter maintains its focus, but they develop a nice sequence of increasing strigiform knowledge as the reader feels more and more at home with these remarkable birds.
Midway between divesting owls of adorability and asserting their status as a marvel of nature, Darlington finds they have a role to play as her own personal gargoyles..
