The Wise Hours: A Journey into the Wild and Secret World of Owls
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- Create Date：2023-02-27 06:19:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Miriam Darlington
- ISBN：195353483X
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Summary
Owls have existed for over sixty million years， and in the relatively short time we have shared the planet with these majestic birds they have ignited the human imagination。 But even as owls continue to captivate our collective consciousness， celebrated British nature writer Miriam Darlington finds herself struck by all she doesn’t know about the true nature of these enigmatic creatures。
Darlington begins her fieldwork in the British Isles with her teenage son， Benji。 As her avian fascination grows， she travels to France， Serbia， Spain， Finland， and the frosted Lapland borders of the Arctic for rare encounters with the Barn Owl， Tawny Owl， Long-eared Owl， Pygmy Owl， Snowy Owl， and more。 But when her son develops a mysterious illness， her quest to understand the elusive nature of owls becomes entangled with her search for finding a cure。
In The Wise Hours， Darlington watches and listens to the natural world and to the rhythms of her home and family， inviting readers to discover the wonders of owls alongside her while rewilding our imagination with the mystery， fragility， and magnificence of all creatures。
Darlington begins her fieldwork in the British Isles with her teenage son， Benji。 As her avian fascination grows， she travels to France， Serbia， Spain， Finland， and the frosted Lapland borders of the Arctic for rare encounters with the Barn Owl， Tawny Owl， Long-eared Owl， Pygmy Owl， Snowy Owl， and more。 But when her son develops a mysterious illness， her quest to understand the elusive nature of owls becomes entangled with her search for finding a cure。
In The Wise Hours， Darlington watches and listens to the natural world and to the rhythms of her home and family， inviting readers to discover the wonders of owls alongside her while rewilding our imagination with the mystery， fragility， and magnificence of all creatures。
Reviews
Foggygirl
，
An excellent read about these most elusive and mysterious birds。
Tony
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What a treat it has been to read Miriam Darlington's beautifully written book "The Wise Hours"！ You may be a skeptical person such as I was going into this， but trust me， you will be so pleasantly surprised。 Was I expecting to learn a lot about owls in general？ Yes。 Did I？ Also， yes， a lot。 But what caught me off guard， in the best way， was that this book is about family， and community。 It brought warmth to me on these cold days。 The characters we get to meet are just as fascinating to me as What a treat it has been to read Miriam Darlington's beautifully written book "The Wise Hours"！ You may be a skeptical person such as I was going into this， but trust me， you will be so pleasantly surprised。 Was I expecting to learn a lot about owls in general？ Yes。 Did I？ Also， yes， a lot。 But what caught me off guard， in the best way， was that this book is about family， and community。 It brought warmth to me on these cold days。 The characters we get to meet are just as fascinating to me as the owls。 I've also made a list of sites and people to check out throughout my read。 It contains so much great information！ Am I a birder now？ Maybe。 Ok， probably。 。。。more
Nicole
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As soon as I saw this cover available on Netgalley I knew it would be love。 The author explores the different species of owls throughout Europe。 She also opens up about some of her personal life while she travels around meeting various owl experts throughout Europe as she searches for different owls。 Each chapter is broken into the owl types and has beautiful drawings。 Her writing is absolutely beautiful and also reads easily。 I loved all of the historical stories surrounding owls and my book is As soon as I saw this cover available on Netgalley I knew it would be love。 The author explores the different species of owls throughout Europe。 She also opens up about some of her personal life while she travels around meeting various owl experts throughout Europe as she searches for different owls。 Each chapter is broken into the owl types and has beautiful drawings。 Her writing is absolutely beautiful and also reads easily。 I loved all of the historical stories surrounding owls and my book is tabbed thoroughly with all of my favorite passages。 If you also feel drawn to owls， I think you will love this one。 My only wish is that she would create another one that documents the life of owls in North America， but that’s only because I live in USA。 Thank you SO much for netgalley， as well as Tin House for this ARC。 。。。more
A Broken Zebra
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NETGALLEY ARC + thank you Tin House BooksSet in England， this is both memoir and owl book。 It's flush with facts about said bird that are seamlessly interwoven with Darlington's son's sudden， mysterious illness。 She is such a lovely writer， and by including personal bits into the research and travel documentation， the birding and science-ing， it honestly ties everything together nicely， what with the whole theme of owls being harbingers， omens， etc。 I have the bonus pleasure of once living i NETGALLEY ARC + thank you Tin House BooksSet in England， this is both memoir and owl book。 It's flush with facts about said bird that are seamlessly interwoven with Darlington's son's sudden， mysterious illness。 She is such a lovely writer， and by including personal bits into the research and travel documentation， the birding and science-ing， it honestly ties everything together nicely， what with the whole theme of owls being harbingers， omens， etc。 I have the bonus pleasure of once living in England， and as such， recognizing some of the slang and terminology。 It's a beautiful read。"We needed to remain calm and focused， to listen to the medics， and to him， but while none of us fully understood what was going on， I was living with a ball of barbed wire in my stomach。" - Ugh， this pretty， perfect line is so utterly relatable。Bonus; We're the same height！ Lol 。。。more
Jennifer
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Owl Moon was always one of my favorite read aloud books in the winter when I taught younger grades。 The combination of both the owls and the snow making everything especially magical。 Miriam Darlington builds a similar kind of magic as she takes us on a quest around the world to see some of the most interesting owls。 But what began as a journey into their lives， became both an escape and a connection to her son Benji， as the family navigates dealing with a mysterious illness that has befallen hi Owl Moon was always one of my favorite read aloud books in the winter when I taught younger grades。 The combination of both the owls and the snow making everything especially magical。 Miriam Darlington builds a similar kind of magic as she takes us on a quest around the world to see some of the most interesting owls。 But what began as a journey into their lives， became both an escape and a connection to her son Benji， as the family navigates dealing with a mysterious illness that has befallen him。 While the family adapts， and dreams reshape themselves， the lore of the owl becomes more and more of a lure。 From her home turf in the British Isles， to France， Spain， and Finland to name a few， this journey takes her farther than she ever anticipated。 I really enjoyed this sort of dual storyline， while the owls take center stage， her family provides the backbone。 I’m more convinced than ever that owls are magic， and hope that efforts to save them are successful。 #TheWiseHours #NetGalley 。。。more
Brenda
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In The Wise Hours author Miriam Darlington incorporates the mysterious， elusive， oft misunderstood lives of owls into a memoir of sorts detailing her own life experiences。 Miriam's son Benji began exhibiting alarming symptoms of an illness which remained a mystery for a considerable time。 Owls are an intrinsic part of Miriam and Benji's world so exploring them further while realizing the preciousness of life drew them together and to owls。 Starting in Britain the two sought these marvellous crea In The Wise Hours author Miriam Darlington incorporates the mysterious， elusive， oft misunderstood lives of owls into a memoir of sorts detailing her own life experiences。 Miriam's son Benji began exhibiting alarming symptoms of an illness which remained a mystery for a considerable time。 Owls are an intrinsic part of Miriam and Benji's world so exploring them further while realizing the preciousness of life drew them together and to owls。 Starting in Britain the two sought these marvellous creatures and Miriam explored further afield in countries including Serbia and France。 This book is a philosophical blending of the two linked worlds。Miriam explains the roles， symbolism and myths surrounding owls since ancient times。 They were seen as guardians to the underworld and as pets even now。 She describes various owls including the Snowy Owl， Little Owl and Pygmy Owl as well as their habitats and nomenclature。 The author discusses ecosystems， conservation and the role of humans。My favourite aspects of the book were learning more about birds I observe and adore， especially the Snowy Owl， Barn Owl and Long-eared Owl。 I learned more about "earsight"， eyesight， "small-owl syndrome"， nest requirements， roosting， the "Shortie's" flight patterns， the far-reaching hoot of the Eagle Owl and the various calls of the Long-eared Owl。 The story about expert Milan in Serbia was the most intriguing to me as I live part time near there and would love to go to the Kikinda Owl Festival。 Reading the blurb the memoir aspect surprised me; my hope was encyclopedic detail and photos of these treasured birds。 But I do understand and appreciate the author's reasoning behind her reflections and introspection。My sincere thank you to Tin Hat and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this captivating book。 。。。more
Jazzmin Glover
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Review of The Wise Hours:I have always had great reverence for humans who bird watch。 There is a patience I lack， that I hope to cultivate in my own life。 They have souls that are capable of deep empathy and reflection， and it was evident in this story。 I love her perspective on owls and how we both help and hinder their existence in many ways。 There were a lot of beautiful moments in her writing and I enjoyed reading this。 Where it lost me a bit was the duel memoir piece that follows her sons m Review of The Wise Hours:I have always had great reverence for humans who bird watch。 There is a patience I lack， that I hope to cultivate in my own life。 They have souls that are capable of deep empathy and reflection， and it was evident in this story。 I love her perspective on owls and how we both help and hinder their existence in many ways。 There were a lot of beautiful moments in her writing and I enjoyed reading this。 Where it lost me a bit was the duel memoir piece that follows her sons mysterious illness。 At times it took away from where I wanted to be in the story and felt a bit out of place at other times。 The weaving together didn’t feel seamless。 If you love owls and memoirs， this is a good one and I so very much appreciate her reverence and perspective on one of my very favorite animals in whole wide world 🌎 🦉 🌟🌟🌟1/2 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Tin House for an advanced copy of this book on owls， family， and the state of the world and what we are leaving behind。Growing up there was always one constant in my family。 My mom was always going to get an owl-themed gift for special occasions。 Birthday， Christmas， Valentine's Day， Mother's Day， her anniversary I think my Dad would go a little higher end on。 She loved owls， we loved her and so that was the gift of choice。 Until she discovered carou My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Tin House for an advanced copy of this book on owls， family， and the state of the world and what we are leaving behind。Growing up there was always one constant in my family。 My mom was always going to get an owl-themed gift for special occasions。 Birthday， Christmas， Valentine's Day， Mother's Day， her anniversary I think my Dad would go a little higher end on。 She loved owls， we loved her and so that was the gift of choice。 Until she discovered carousel horses， but that's another story。 What I knew about owls I knew from clocks， magnets， statues， music boxes， and paintings。 Maybe an article in Ranger Rick magazine。 Turns out there is a lot about owls I never knew， and they are far more intriguing than I would have guessed。 And that owls were a way another family bonded with each other。 In The Wise Hours: A Journey into the Wild and Secret World of Owls poet and writer Miriam Darlington shares tales of her observation of owls all over the world， what she has learned， and how she and her son used owls to support each other during a time of illness and fear。 Owls have been around for over 60 million years， filling the nights with noise being considered both creatures or knowledge and superstition。 There faces are rounded in such a way that it increases their ability to hear and process sound。 And they are quite majestic looking。 The author's interest in owls started small， seeing one in market， finding signs of owls in her woods， which lead her to investigate and begin to learn about owls and their place in the world， and how the world is making it hard for owls to find a place。 As I shared there are numerous facts， about owls， how they can be used to get rid of creatures that destroy crops for less than the price of poison。 As Darlington learns more she shares both her observations of owls， and people who have the same interests and fields of study。 As she travels afield learning more， she faces problems with one of her children become sick with a mysterious illness， one that almost derails her work。A book about owls， buy also about family， people， and the legacy that we are leaving behind。 This is a much a memoir as it is a nature book， dealing with Darlington's son's illness， as well as people who seem as intrigued by owls as the author is。 There are plenty of facts， and stories， and few poems about owls。 Chapters are broken down by breeds， with descriptions， histories， and difficulties that each breed of owl is facing for its existence。 The writing is very good， being both informative an descriptive and very personal。 Darlington is a poet and that is noticeable in the writing， and the way chapters are set up。 I enjoyed both the science and the biology about the owls， but I enjoyed the personal tales even more。 Darlington has a real gift for presenting her story， investing it with emotions， and leaving the reader wanting to know more。 A book that was quite different than what I expected， but I think I enjoyed it more for that reason。 Not just about owls， but also about， love， family， and the entirety of the natural world。 Recommended for people who want to know more about owls， or like books of this sort。 For poets to show how clearly and wonderfully nonfiction can be written， remaining interesting as well as descriptive。 Also for fans of the book Beaverland by Leila Philip， also a poet who writes about the life of beavers in the New England area。 。。。more
Ann
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Thank you to Tin House for the ARC。 Once again Tin House did not disappoint。 The titles Tin House publishes are exceptional。 I thank it for their vision and their diligence。Darlington approaches her subject with mindfulness and perseverance。 This book brought back Underland by MacFarlane to mind。 I was mesmerized by his book and quickly fell under her spell in reading The Wise Hours。 She is so aware of her surroundings and the owls' environment and writes of the perils the owls' face and their f Thank you to Tin House for the ARC。 Once again Tin House did not disappoint。 The titles Tin House publishes are exceptional。 I thank it for their vision and their diligence。Darlington approaches her subject with mindfulness and perseverance。 This book brought back Underland by MacFarlane to mind。 I was mesmerized by his book and quickly fell under her spell in reading The Wise Hours。 She is so aware of her surroundings and the owls' environment and writes of the perils the owls' face and their future。 The beautifully written descriptions of the birds drew me into her book wishing I could seek these exquisite birds in the wild。How she was able to balance her need and desire to learn and write about owls and the illness of her son seems incredible。 She has a stamina and resilience that many do not have。 I look forward to reading her book about otters。 。。。more
Jennifer Pullen
，
A lovely and warm book about owls， and their place in the human imagination， as well as the responsibility we bear to care for these non-human animals。
J
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In this love letter to owls， Miriam Darlington combines scientific information， personal observations， and even poetry to describe these multifaceted birds。 While originally intending to focus on birds in Britain， the author broadens her scope with voyages to other countries to get up close and personal with the birds she studies。The book is organized into chapters that focus on a single type of owl。 While the author's research is thorough and detailed， there are lighter moments when she lets re In this love letter to owls， Miriam Darlington combines scientific information， personal observations， and even poetry to describe these multifaceted birds。 While originally intending to focus on birds in Britain， the author broadens her scope with voyages to other countries to get up close and personal with the birds she studies。The book is organized into chapters that focus on a single type of owl。 While the author's research is thorough and detailed， there are lighter moments when she lets readers in on her thoughts （"Just one glance at this owl dashes any thoughts of cuteness into the flames of Hades"） and more somber ones when she shares information on her son's illness。Recommended for birders and fans of books like "H is for Hawk" that blend nature studies with memoirs。Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book。 。。。more
Elisa
，
The gorgeous picture on the cover makes it look like this is a book about owls。 In a sense， it is， but it’s mostly a memoir。 The author discusses her fascination with owls， her travels around the world looking for them， the people she met and her thoughts and feelings。 A big part is devoted to her family life， as well as the challenges caused by her son’s illness。 Readers who enjoy these type of books will find it poignant but I was expecting more about owls。 There is information about them， the The gorgeous picture on the cover makes it look like this is a book about owls。 In a sense， it is， but it’s mostly a memoir。 The author discusses her fascination with owls， her travels around the world looking for them， the people she met and her thoughts and feelings。 A big part is devoted to her family life， as well as the challenges caused by her son’s illness。 Readers who enjoy these type of books will find it poignant but I was expecting more about owls。 There is information about them， their breeds and biology， but it’s mostly what the author learned herself， no more， no less。 I’m a big fan of Sy Montgomery’s books， which are part memoir but have so much information about animal behavior。 The Wise Hours is not like that， so I am not the kind of reader for it。 I was looking for more information about owls and less philosophical content。 At the risk of sounding heartless， I wasn’t interested in the details of the author’s life or even her son’s illness。 Many readers will appreciate it， unfortunately it was not for me。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， #NetGalley/#Tin House！ 。。。more
Tree
，
I received an advance reader’s copy of this book， thank you TinHouse。Overall this is an enjoyable read that I would recommend to others。 The author， Miriam Darlington， has an extensive knowledge of owls， and I admire her willingness to travel to far off places to see owls in their habitats as well as her willingness to sit and wait in all kinds of weather just to spot one。One trip I really enjoyed reading about was to a region in Serbia that is home to the long-eared owl， so many， in fact， that I received an advance reader’s copy of this book， thank you TinHouse。Overall this is an enjoyable read that I would recommend to others。 The author， Miriam Darlington， has an extensive knowledge of owls， and I admire her willingness to travel to far off places to see owls in their habitats as well as her willingness to sit and wait in all kinds of weather just to spot one。One trip I really enjoyed reading about was to a region in Serbia that is home to the long-eared owl， so many， in fact， that the residents don’t understand why anyone would think it’s a big deal to be surrounded by owls！ However， in recent years they have created an owl festival and welcome tourists from around the world， bringing a much needed economic boost to a place devastated by war。The author is sensitive to the plight of owls。 She respects their wild and predatory ways and also provides the reader with quite a lot of information on how climate change and human behavior is harming a creature that has existed for millions of years。 This can feel depressing if like me you worry about the challenges we all face these days， but it’s important we know the facts and then find solutions。Woven within the author’s search for owls is another story， this one about her son who struggles with a mysterious illness。 This aspect is not as fleshed out as it could be， and there are times when the change from her son’s story back to reading about owls is so abrupt that I thought I’d missed something。 In the end I think the Wise Hours would have been fine without this additional story。I like how each chapter focuses on one kind of owl and includes a lovely drawing of the particular species and then an owl related poem or book excerpt。 。。。more
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the wise hours a journey into the wild and secret world of owls