Customer Reviews
Insightful and life-affirming - By: ashropshirelad, 09 Nov 2008 
Corvus is an enchanting book. There is no sentimentality here - indeed, Esther Woolfson goes to rigorous lengths to avoid anthropomorphism - & yet the entire book is infused with warmth, charm & 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 & discovery - punctuated by digressions on topics such as birdsin folklore, bird physiology, bird evolution, bird flight & bird song - is completely compelling: I could barely put it down. The expositions themselves are equally interesting, hugely informed & 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' & observation, the scientific method, the idea of 'North', the comfort of home & 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 & wisdom here. If you've ever stood at a window or sat on a bench & watched a bird walk or hop or feed or fly, then Corvus will almost certainly enrich your life & 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? - By: The Cosmic Whelk, 27 Oct 2008 A marvellous, magical book. I can't recommend it highly enough. Written with such intelligence, open mindedness & sensitivity. (I can only add that when i happened upon two rooks todayin 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 & at one point made me cry. I send my warmest regards both to the author & to dear Chicken, with all good wishes for her longevity & very good health.
Brilliant writing - subtle and effective - By: Jane Lumley, 18 Sep 2008 Maybe Robert Macfarlane & 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 & profoundly moving stories. It's a delight to meet Spike, & Chicken, & the other birds who soar & 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 & feed jackdaws & rooks, & all three kinds of bird are so bright & so interesting that I simply can't see why we once despised them. I shall read the sequel, if any.
SUPERB, BRILLIANT, FUNNY - By: Mr. I. Murray, 26 Aug 2008 This book should be read by everyone & anyone who has ever had a pet. It's funny stories & anecdotes about the author's life with birds are charming & moving. I couldn't put it down.
Funny, informative, a must buy!!! - By: SylviaB, 21 Aug 2008 The main theme of Corvus is the story of a baby rook owned by the autor but it also concerns broader subjects such as natural history & wild birds.
The parts about Woolfsons pet birds are a funny & touching potrait of a family & their pets, a little remeniscent of "my family & other animals".
The parts about natural history are more serious & require concentration but well worth it particularly the parts discussing birds relationship to dinosaurs.
I really loved this & hope that Esther Woolfson writes more of the same.
