The Essentials-Only Review of “H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald

In the wake of her father’s death, Helen Macdonald embarks on a gripping and transformative journey of grief and healing through the untamed world of falconry in her memoir, H is for Hawk.

Helen Macdonald with Mabel the goshawk.

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald is a deeply personal and introspective memoir that chronicles the author’s experience of grief and her unique path towards healing.

After the sudden death of her father, Macdonald finds solace and distraction in the world of falconry, a passion she had cultivated since childhood.

H Is for Hawk

Determined to train and fly a goshawk, a notoriously difficult and fierce bird of prey, she embarks on a challenging journey that becomes a metaphor for her own emotional turmoil.

Macdonald’s narrative is interwoven with the story of T.H. White, the author of The Once and Future King, who also attempted to train a goshawk many years before her.