Customer Reviews

Lift

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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In Lift, Rebecca O'Connor intertwines stories of the mother who left her and then returns, a grandfather who lovingly guides her, men who do not always accept her strength and intuition, and the Peregrine falcon who teaches her some of life's most enduring lessons. By the time you finish this book, you'll come to love both the feisty Ms. O'Connor and her avian companions Anakin and Ty, and you'll be touched by what she gains and what she gives up.

O'Connor has lived a fascinating and singular life... and she writes about it with great good humor, searing honesty, and a writing style that is original, lyrical, breathtaking. I began this book on a Sunday morning, couldn't put it down until I'd finished later that day. I knew nothing of falconry before I started reading this --if anything, I felt a vague distaste for it. Now I understand its power, both visceral and metaphoric, and how the sport honors the hunter and the hunted, nature and our place in it.

If you've appreciated memoirs by Mary Karr or Jeannette Walls, if you enjoy beautiful prose about the natural world, if you have an interest in birds, even if you fit into none of the above categories...do not miss this book. I read several books a week and this easily made it onto my "best of the year" list. I give it my highest recommendation, and hope that Ms. O'Connor (who is so wise and talented despite being so young) writes a companion volume that covers her years as a professional bird trainer and further explores her journey to becoming a master falconer.

This is a wonderful book - jammed with jaw-dropping honesty, lyrical beauty, and enough information about falconry to intrigue.

Ms. O'Conner writes of her journey training a peregrine falcon, tying it backwards to her not-always-easy life. A history of abuse and poor choices haunt her, and yet - as she supposedly "trains" her falcon - it's clear the training is a two-way street.

Ms. O'Conner trains the falcon how to hunt, and yet the two seemingly train each other how to trust.

Of the two, the latter is far more important, and by the end of the book, I was almost cheering for the pair.

It's good enough that I'm left wondering how the two fare today.

Bravo, Rebecca.

I didn't want to read this book.

Having an interest in raptors, the front cover caught my eye while walking through the local library, but the back cover quotes brought to mind a book that was perhaps more in the vein of "Chick Lit", a genre I typically side step. Plus, I had just finished "One Man's Owl", a memoir about a captive raised Great Horned Owl, and had a book about Red Taileds cued up for sometime in the future. Enough bird books. A couple of days later, while waiting out a red light in downtown SLC, a peregrine powered across the intersection and landed on a nearby cell phone tower. I'm not an "omen" guy, but the visual did bring "Lift" to mind (BTW - it was a wild bird, probably migrating through). The library copy had since been checked out, so hoping for more falconry, less "emo", I ordered it up.

It was a great read on a lot of different levels. The plentiful falconry details, such as species differences, flying weights, legalities, lures and transmitters, training strategies, etc., all came within the flow of the storyline, as opposed to dry recitation. The author, Rebecca O'Connor, did a nice job of not being overly elementary, while not excluding anyone either. There was, however, a lot more going on in "Lift" than bird X's and O's. The real surprise was the strength of the underlying themes and how they worked to make this book just plain ol' good literature - for any reader of either sex. The major themes have been brought up in other reviews. I'll add dealing with uncertainty and the disappearing western landscape. Hopefully Whitewater hasn't become a memory in the rear view mirror.

From a pure style standpoint, I loved how she didn't overwrite this nugget sized book, and let the story come together in a very natural, unforced way. The pacing was excellent. For those looking for an example of brave writing and engaging story telling, you'll find it in "Lift". Read the book.

To Rebecca (who knows, maybe writers check these reviews...): In the chapter about flying your Aussie Gos, I thought "OK, this is where she breaks out the crystals and loses me". Nope, didn't happen. Maybe the barefoot approach will be worth a try on nest surveys next spring here in the Utah desert!

In a recent review by the writer Stephen Bodio, Rebecca O'Connor's Lift was highly praised, but then Bodio pointed out fewer than 1000 copies had been sold. It must be discouraging for a writer to produce as fine a memoir as Lift and then not have anyone buy it or read it. I gave it to my daughter for her birthday, she read it and told me afterwards she and O'Connor had a lot in common: O'Connor was training a perigrine falcon, my daughter raising an 18 month old son. You may have no interest in falconry or hunting, but if you read the first chapter, you'll be hooked -- I promise. This book is about relationships, between man and woman, mother and daughter, woman and animal. It is about hope and faith and dreams. It is about earning trust and respect. It is about communication, both between humans and between species -- and it sometimes seems, from O'Connor's account, that inter-species communication is the easier. Lift is beautifully and honestly written, and some passages will bring tears to your eyes. Do yourself as favor, give yourself a lift: buy this book and read it now.

This book introduced me to a pastime I knew nothing about, building a trusting relationship with a wild falcon pet. Over and over Rebecca O'Connor had to risk letting her beloved bird fly free in order to train it to work together with her as a hunting partner--a process of muddy, out-of-breath, heart-racing trial and error and steadfast perseverance. As a vegetarian I was surprisingly moved and fascinated. O'Connor has a love and respect for animals, both predator and prey, not too far from my own vaguely held beliefs. The evolving relationships O'Connor has with her mother and boyfriend also add to her story

As Kathleen Noble tells us in The Sound of a Silver Horn, we almost never hear about women on a "hero's journey." It's always the men who are called to embark on a quest, have adventures, slay the dragon, and reap great rewards. Women get to support, to tempt, or thwart the hero, but rarely, if ever, are they called to embark on their own quests. Traditionally, women have been "allowed" to admire female role models as long as they fill traditional roles, a la Betty Crocker or Florence Nightengale, but nice girls don't go looking for the Holy Grail.

O'Conner heard the call of her quest as a child -- the dark wing beat of a peregrine falcon. And she followed it.

Falconry is an ancient art, still practiced mostly by men, and not easily undertaken. It is highly ritualized, with its own language and mystique. In Lift, O'Connor recounts her own hero's journey, her own adventures as she learns to slay the dragons of fear and self-doubt, all within the boundaries of her art.

An accomplished bird trainer as well as well-respected falconer, O'Connor is also an accomplished writer. Her memoir avoids self-pity and sentimentality with clean honest language. Her use of falconry terms such as "lure-flying" and "jesses" enhance her narrative rather than detract from it.

You don't have to be a falconer or even on a quest to enjoy Lift. O'Connor gives us a wonderful story of one woman's heroic journey. Here's hoping even more women will follow her splendid lead.

This is a a well written and interesting book. I have a long time interest in birds but had no previous knowledge of falconry. Rebecca O'Connor tells a tale that is highly educational and thought provoking. Her deep respect for the natural world shines brightly through her story.

Three stories are interwoven; her personal journey training a peregrine falcon, her relationship with her long absent mother and her romance. The three story lines become quickly absorbing.

The author has created that joy of joys, a well told story that is simply good literature. I look forward to more of her work. This is a fine book and a pleasure to read.

Some people seek to understand themselves through art, Rebecca K. O'Connor gains her understanding through falconry. "Lift" is a memoir from O'Connor reflecting on her training in the relatively unknown art of falconry. Drawing parallels from her practice to how it has helped her understand life, she gives readers a simple and quaint look at the world from above. "Lift" is a fine pick that is well worth considering.

Rebecca's book grabs the reader and pulls them into the moment so that they feel like they are there as Anakin takes to the skies. Rebecca has a tight prose, omitting what the reader already knows and focusing on the things that sharpen the moment, similar to Hemingway. She has three story lines in this memoir....One about training a peregrine to hunt, one about her relationship with her mother and finally, one about a romance. These three story lines move in and out of the book like the plot to a Star Wars movie.

Rebecca's courage is noteworthy...both in how she handles her personal life and also, in how she writes. This book will keep you rapt.

My interest is parrots and I have read several of Rebecca's books on parrots. I am especially interested in the science of flying these animals. There is a BIG difference between flying a Peregrine and flying a parrot. I especially enjoyed Rebecca's description of how a balloon can be used to target train a raptor.

I definitely recommend this book. It is a fast and absorbing read.

I shared a link to a short story by Rebecca O'Connor with friends a couple of weeks ago, as I'd really liked it. Then my friend Chet enjoyed the story so much that he purchased Ms. O'Connor's newest book, LIFT. His comments about the book were so compelling that I ordered my own copy and it is WONDERFUL.

The book is a memoir interwoven w/ Ms. O'Connor's efforts as a falconer, trying to train a young male peregrine. It's a small book - only 200 pages - and makes a pretty quick read. I admit I got bogged down and frustrated in the beginning when things were not going well w/ her hawk's training, but she writes very well, so I hung in there ... until I was totally absorbed and entranced and I was very, very sorry when I finished reading it.

Ms. O'Connor provides *breathtaking* descriptions of her peregrine's flights, wonderful insights into the world of falconry and the mystique of working with raptors ... and some extraordinary insights into the mind of a peregrine and the human world as well.

I'll likely give it a week or so, then go back and read it again.

I *highly* recommend this book!