Book Review: "The Wise Hours" by Miriam Darlington
*Spoiler alert!*
“With very few adult primary feathers coming in at the tips of its wings it could not fly yet, and eyed me angrily, not taking its orange glare away for a minute, like a gremlin that has not quite come into its full power but knows it won’t be long.”
Yes, owls
are gremlin-adjacent, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love them any less! (The
above quote describes a baby Eagle Owl.) I have a feeling Miriam Darlington,
author of The Wise Hours: A Journey into the Wild and Secret World of Owls, would
agree with me. This book is both a love letter to owls and nature, as well as a
memoir of a difficult time in Darlington’s life.
I have
been fascinated by owls since I was very young, and The Wise Hours was a
fantastic homage to a raptor that historically has been a bad omen and today is
somewhat more accepted by the general public. Not that people aren’t still
somewhat superstitious, but owls are viewed in an increasingly positive rather
than negative light. (I guess I can understand the superstitions considering most
owls are nocturnal and have spine tingling screeches. Looking at you, Barn
Owls.)
Darlington
is a UK-based bird enthusiast who made owling a family affair, particularly
after her son, Benji, developed an unexpected illness. (It turned out he had developed
a non-epileptic seizure disorder that struck at unpredictable times.) While caring
for him, Darlington often took him, or her daughter, Jenny, along on her quest
to see all of Europe’s owls. This wide-ranging quest soon became more about
reconnecting with nature when life gives you lemons.
It may be cliché,
but I found myself resonating with this exploration of alienated humanity
trying to find something wild to connect with. We come from the wild but forget
that sometimes. I always find that I feel better when I am on walks in the
woods, amongst trees and birds calling.
“Humans are the loneliest of creatures earth amongst all the earth's species, self-consciously and visibly a species apart.”
Some of
the European owls featured include the Little Owl (yes, a very creatively named
species), Tawny Owl, and Eagle Owl, among others.
I will
admit that I didn’t know that the Little Owl existed. (I thought “Little Owl”
was one of those labels people applied to any small owl they didn’t know the
species name of!) The Wise Hours opened doors to new knowledge (even for
this owl nerd) including that of the existence of this fascinating owl. After reading
about it, the Little Owl has become one of my favorites. An owl that takes on prey
and predators that are much bigger than them and has a “try me, I dare you”
energy.
Overall, The
Wise Hours was a fun and poignant read that is about more than owls. Even
if you’re not a bird nerd, I think you’ll find something to enjoy in this
beautiful exploration of nature and dealing with the uncertainties of life.
Happy reading!
--BookOwl
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