Customer Reviews

Corvus: A Life with Birds

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Absolutely brilliant. I got this after seeing Esther talk at the Edinburgh Book Festival and it's got to be one of the best non-fiction books this year. I have to admit, I have never been interested in birds, and knew absolutely nothing about them, but the book really opened up the subject of such a fascinating family of birds - the Corvids - being both informative and entertaining at the same time. Esther's own personal tales of a life shared with various birds - Chicken the rook, Spike the magpie and Ziki the crow - intertwine with histories of our perception of blackbirds to paint a hilariously interesting account of these birds' intelligence and personalities.
A must read for anyone interested in birds, nature, or just good story telling!

The author captured me from word one. She weaves animal anecdotes and bird facts into interesting and touching stories of her family and their daily life in Scotland. Her love for birds and nature in general is evident in every sentence. This is a delightful book. She describes the birds she cares for in anthropomorphic terms, but that doesn't bother me - I do the same when asked to describe our resident household birds and the birds I've cared for temporarily with animal rescue and rehabilitation. The book is easy to read and very uplifting.

Esther Woolfson has long been fascinated with corvids, the bird family including crows, rooks, magpies and ravens. Her family includes several corvid pets. Here she discusses her pets and the corvid family in general, offering views of an unusual bonding process and different insights into the natural history of the corvid. Perfect for any collection strong in accounts of pets and wildlife.

Just started Corvus: A Life With Birds and can't put it down! The writing is rich, as if Esther Woolfson is having a conversation with the reader or telling an engaging story at a garden party. Information about animals is secondary to her description of their personalities; both done very well.
Great read!

Once in a blue moon I find a book that I love for an obvious connection (I admire and appreciate the corvids), but for many other reasons as well. Corvus has much for the observer of crows, ravens, magpies and other members, but also philosophy, general bird behavior, human nature, and history. Esther Woolfson makes this family almost seem an adjunct of the human species with her detailed, delightful stories about the foibles and frolics of those she adopted (and many others she viewed over decades in the wild), accompanied by the wry observation by Henry Ward Beecher "If men had wings and black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows." This is an utterly delightful book.

"Corvus" is a book by Esther Woolfson, a strange lady in Britain (where else?) with an even stranger taste in pets. Her main pet is a rook! If you don't know what a rook is, well, it's a kind of...crow.

Still, the rook seems to be rather civilized, compared to Esther's other pet birds. There's a talking magpie (!!), playing demolition derby with the lady's flat. She also has a talking starling with a very foul mouth. Or rather beak. It seems the starling was originally the property of an American couple with a strong propensity for expletives.

A cute rook, a crazy magpie and a foul-beaked starling. I mean, who needs a parakeet anyway?

Personally, I didn't enjoy "Corvus" as much as I probably should have. Large parts of the book are more serious, and filled with general information on corvids taken from other books I've already digested.

However, if you love popularized books on animals, nature or pets, this one is probably in your league.

Incidentally, I don't mind rooks, magpies and starlings (but then, I'm not a farmer or game-keeper!). However, I would be somewhat worried if the magpies in my neighbourhood would suddenly say "Howdie" and invite themselves into the living room.

Three stars. That's the OK rating.

I thought this book was really well written. It's chock full of great information about the corvids and has plenty of humor too!Very well done! Deb.

This is a delightful book written by a very talented, entertaining author. She describes living with her pet rook, magpie, and parrots as well as the evolution of birds and their behavior in the wild. It is a suprisingly entertaining book as well as educational. It is a must for bird lovers.