When I write reviews, I often include a suggestion of how to pace your reading. Some books are perfect for one chapter a day, others for a page or two every so often. Still others I had to let sit for weeks at a time as I absorbed the information, like a slow-motion sponge. For In the Company of Owls by Polly Atkin, I have the opposition recommendation: Set aside a day, or a weekend, crack open the book with your morning cup of coffee, and let this world of owls wash over you all at once.
In the Company of Owls follows Atkin’s multi-year discovery of the Tawny Owls in her neighborhood, which leads to a wider exploration of all of the UK’s owl species and populations. Atkins is a poet, and many of her passages are beautifully lyrical, painting a picture of the owlets and the parents as they raise their owl families in a place changing in the face of development.
The book is like a braid, different pieces weaving in and out that come together as a stronger whole. As a reader, you follow Atkin’s journey living with her chronic illness; a chronological narrative of her discovery of the owls near her new home and of the lives they lead; historic tales of owls long past; summaries of poets and their experiences with owls; and so much more. The different threads are part of the reason I enjoyed reading the book in one day – I could keep all the pieces in my head at once, rather than having to recall which chapter/which time period/which narrative I picked up.
Poets will love this book. Birders will love this book. Nature enthusiasts will love this book. I loved this book!
Photo: Francesco Veronesi/CC BY-SA 2.0
Leave a Comment