I want everyone to read Vesper Flights. Helen Macdonald writes the kind of book I love, a book that speaks of nature and humanity and how they intersect. And how they don’t. And maybe how they should and shouldn’t.

I especially would love this book to be a part of school curriculum. But why stop there? I’d love for scientists, politicians, new age practitioners, tarot card readers, ornithologists, naturalists, shamans, falconers and wildlife rehabilitators to read Vesper Flights. To name a few groups of people! ;)

Macdonald weaves great stories around her personal experiences with birds, her thoughts and how those two worlds intersect. She does it beautifully, and I found myself rereading the last few paragraphs of each vignette, sometimes out loud, so I could let the words really sink in.

Vesper Flights also contains a sobering section about our planet and its future, that will likely serve as a jumping off point for some readers to research what they can do to help.

I often find that my mind and compassion expand when I read and this is definitely true of Vesper Flights. It’s a thoughtful, honest, beautiful and engaging collection.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and of course, Helen Macdonald.

With H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald wrote a showstopper that was at the top of many lists. Vesper Flights, beginning with its beautiful title, is composed of numerous essays, and at least in the prepublication galley I had, they are all strung together, no breaks. Until I understood this odd presentation, I had to put on the brakes and reread several "beginnings" to regather the context. But the material itself is mesmerizing. Whether she is talking about migratory habits and going to the top of the Empire State Building for a nature "hike," or describing her own migraines, she does so with grace, power, poetry and blazing intellect.

Vesper Flight by Helen Macdonald
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

288 Pages
Publisher: Grove Atlantic / Grove Press
Release Date: August 25, 2020

Nonfiction (Adult), Memoirs, Outdoors and Nature

This book is full of short stories. The author details her travels and interactions with nature. I especially liked the stories about the Empire State Building, the total solar eclipse and digging in the volcano. I enjoyed her style of writing and the flow of stories from one to another.

I enjoyed these very well written essays very much! I kept looking for a
Chapter 2, but no, it just gets deeper and deeper and more enjoyable.
It is very different from H is for Hawk, and it's probably not for everyone.
If you love Wildlife, I'm pretty sure this will be for you!

Thank you so much, Helen Macdonald, her publisher, and NetGalley
for the chance to read and review this great book!

H is for Hawk is one of my favorite books so I was nervous to pick up this latest title by the same author. I shouldn’t have been! It is of course wonderful, and such a pleasure to read and share

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Loved many of the short stories in this book and others I simply skimmed through.

Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald is very aptly titled! The book of personal essays should be considered as the author's personal flights of memories and experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed reading H is for Hawk and although Vesper Flights is a very different type of book, it is extremely interesting. I wish the book had photographs of the places and the themes of the essays because it would be a perfect display or coffee table book. The writing is filled with emotion and the careful thought of one who is serious about nature, birding, and how our environment changes the lives, habitation, and migration patterns of birds.
There are so many pages I read which had me wanting to get outside and look again to the skies and woodland areas trying to spot birds in flight. I felt it was so appropriate as I read of the author watching the night sky with Andrew Farnsworth of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology during a migratory season. I am reading this during May 2020 migratory week and following the live migration map on BirdCast.
Publication Date: August 25, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Helen Macdonald came to public awareness with the publication of her book H is for Hawk. That recounted her training of her own goshawk, but in a time of personal grief. But through that it was clear that her tale and her actions were deeply imbedded with her awareness of the historic background to what she was doing and her wonderment with, and deep appreciation of , the natural landscape and all its inhabitants and elements within it. This latest book carries all these features – albeit in chapter form of issues and experiences (some previously published elsewhere) - and makes it a deeply compelling and engrossing read to any reader with curiosity about the world around them.
Macdonald admits that she was an odd child, often drawn to self isolation from people, but compensated by her interest in things natural. She is open about this and how it is imbedded into her life and the way she now views the natural world. Her close observance of nature from an early age, and elements within it whether birds, animals or a range of “mini beasties”, means that her modern observations also talk to loss of habitats and the threat to both individual species and diversity both through the broader “climate change”. So this book at the same time as being one that can evoke memories of one’s personal past casts a shadow of unease over everything she writes.
As she recounts how she built her knowledge and experience she talks to an earlier time of browsing books, talking to other experts and accumulating knowledge oftentimes almost by accident. But the accumulation of knowledge is something that is obviously sought out – taken as being of importance. She has worked with, or beside, conservationists as well, so can explore the policies and practices of that “industry” and indeed whether it is working; including the risks of the strategies involved in an increasingly busy, complex and multinational world of mass travel. She show cases several exceptional people she encountered along the way: Andy Farnsworth who takes her to watch migrating birds over the Empire State Building in the USA – an awe inspiring sight, but an opportunity, too, to discuss the impact of human light pollution on other creatures. Nathalie Cobrol an expert in space exploration and Mars who uses high level, low oxygen, desert landscapes in the Americas to research what might be expected there – but who incidentally can talk to the speedy and large scale aspects of global warming occurring in those same places.
If that sounds depressing, well concern is obviously necessary. But set against that is chapter after chapter (too many to individually list), on nests, woodland, disused quarries, mushrooms and so much more, throughout the country or the seasons, which are mini gems of vivid description. These include almost photographic descriptions but create a sense of weather and atmosphere taking the reader there, an extraordinary feat. These take the reader away from now and here to these places that so intrigued and interested her. She shows not just what was there when she visited, but how things developed and then their place within the wider landscape and history of Britain. She is aware, too, of the nature or interest of people over the centuries, how at times of crisis people turn back to their study of these places, but also how few younger people are having the opportunity to grow up with a close or deep inter-relationship with nature. The latter undoubtedly creating a great loss to them spiritually, but also to the wider conservation process another matter of concern. But nevertheless for a lot of people this book will speak to aspects of their past (and present) and will be a compelling and comforting read. It is very much one to be mulled over, chapter by chapter – and not necessarily in the order offered. To professional conservationists this is certainly a book that needs to be read and absorbed, as it could form an important weapon in the battle which seems to be on the route to lost.

I didn't realize this was a collection of non-related essays until I moved forward to what I thought would be the next chapter, but there weren't really chapters. I should spend more time reading the blurbs about a book before requesting a copy--but, no, I recognize the author's name and simply go from there. This was a good collection to pick up and read about nature, birds, people Macdonald knows during the pandemic, a break from the doom and gloom, a burst of optimism. I do wish the collection was a bit more linked, more like H is for Hawk, mainly because my attention span has been so distracted lately, and at times, the essays seemed so long since there weren't breaks/chapters, and I wanted the pause for me more than anything. Beautiful writing;

Helen Macdonald is the author of H is for Hawk.  I loved that title about which I said at the time:


I read this book a year or so ago but have been thinking about it again for two reasons; first, in England, they are making a television series with the author as she trains her second hawk and the other reason is that I have been thinking about how we mourn and acknowledge deaths of those we love. This book has so much in it; there is biography, the training of the hawk and a great deal about T H White who had a very difficult time with his own hawk. T H White wrote one of my all time favorite books, The Once and Future King, so I was fascinated to learn more about him. Sadly, he had a rather tragic life. This book is highly recommended for nature lovers, lovers of T H White and those looking for a meaningful memoir.

So, I was extremely excited to learn that a new book by this author was being published.  Ms. Maconald's new title is a collection of essays.  Each entry is short and the book can be read in any order that a reader would like. 

Helen Macdonald is an exquisite observer of the natural world who describes her subject as love for the wonders of the non-humans around us.  This book of essays is definitely one that I will dip into many times.  I recommend that you do the same.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a luminous book, a guide to Macdonald's life and ways of thinking, and, along, the way, a meditation on birds and nature and change and cows and falcons and deer. I can't wait to be able to give this book to people who love words and nature and will savor every poetic phrase and observation.

Beautifully written, but I had to read it in small doses. This book isn’t for every reader, but to a select few I will recommend it.

From Glow Worms to the Avian Death Count in New York ... and a Stork Arrested for Spying
- from climate change to mushrooms to drone warfare, Vesper Flights is the new book by Helen Macdonald ( of H is for Hawk fame).  It’s been a long wait since 2014.   In that earlier award winning book the author wrote an account of how in the midst of grieving for her father, she struggled to train a Goshawk - named Mabel.

As a naturalist, Macdonald's  work ranges widely across different species and ecologies.  As a writer she always finds the perfect analogy between whatever is happening out there in the natural world and what is also happening to the rest of us.  Needless to say at a time of global crisis that we are going through now, our relationship to nature seems even more confused and tormented.

Macdonald's work epitomises the new nature writing.  I believe very few people can combine the passion and lyricism of superb writing with deep scientific knowledge born a lifetime of study, the way she does.

There are things we know about birds and there are still even more things we don't. Although it lacks some of the focus on narrative of her earlier book, Vesper Flights ranges across myriad topics ...

TO READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW PLEASE GO TO https://wordpress.com/post/volatilerune.blog/1496

I won't say much about this because the author is almost a sure bet, whatever she produces. If you're a nature lover on any level, and maybe even if you're not, this is likely to resonate with you. 4.5 Stars.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

As expected, the writing on Vesper Flight is excellent. It is a book that will be best enjoyed if read a bit at a time, as essay collections usually are. Sit down with a section that will speak to you in that moment, leave it for while and come back for more introspection, insight, and love of nature. Moreover, I think this book will be best enjoyed in an audiobook format.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved H for Hawk and was so happy I got an ARC for Macdonald's newest book, a collection of essays (some published earlier) and with a cover to die for.

The book covers a lot of ground, some subjects mentioned: Mushrooms, hares, swans, deer, fireflies, storms, ash trees, badgers, swifts, goats, ostriches, tarot cards, climate change, refugees, mars, brexit, and religion.

Maybe because of this, it feels a bit fragmented. Whereas H for Hawk had an underlying theme of dealing with grief, I'm not sure what the underlying theme of this book is, apart from Macdonald's fascination with nature and animals.

I learned a lot from this book, and I loved how she weaves together the bigger picture with intense moments of detail and introspection. Sometimes the introspection becomes a little too much though, but there is a palpable joy and interest and curiosity with nature that is just really lovely to read about.
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ARC copy provided by #netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Copy generously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Vesper Flights presents sections of ruminations on the disruption of the natural word by humans.

When Vesper Flights is on, it is on. Helen Macdonald expertly uses clear language to make the reader feel like they are present with her throughout the book, experiencing her experiences. There is a section about the disruption of skyscrapers on bird migrations which was wonderful.

Unfortunately, for me, as a whole the book was uneven. The jumps between sections felt rough. Some of the ideas presented felt tired such as her revisiting space she used to play in as a child that has since been developed or the experience hunting for mushrooms. While these are important subjects I did not feel Vesper Flights brought new insights.

Still, the book is well worth a read and would be great to jump in and out of while sitting outside.

Helen Macdonald's writing feels like communing with nature. She writes about her encounters with the world with such poetic realism, and in a way that makes me prickle with feelings of all kinds: wonder, embarrassment, sadness, hope. "H Is for Hawk" was a stunning memoir, and "Vesper Flights" is a welcome, poignant reentry into Macdonald's erudite viewpoint and brilliant mind.

Good read for springtime as the weather warms and the world again fills with color and birdsong. These essays helped me pay attention to birds in a way I might not otherwise. The writing is accessible and honest, with moving moments of honesty as well as humor. Reading it during quarantine meant more reflection on climate change and our collective future and her reflections on class and privilege were appreciated. She's savvy enough to know that funny and sad go together and this collection was no exception.

I feel as if whatever I write will vastly pale in comparison to the extravagantly intelligent manner in which Helen Macdonald writes. This book is deep and raw and honest and beautiful and brutal and I really cannot say enough. I simply must purchase it once it's released, because so many passages were *me*. When I wasn't looking up words in the dictionary, I was highlighting, and smiling, and nodding. Her life is almost utterly unbelievable, but I'm aware and admitting that part of my disbelief stems out sheer envy, and then it's easily squashed by the passionate gratitude that Macdonald even shared such wondrous things with us.