I felt her grief drove her to enter the Mabel's world because her grief was so profound.

I don't remember the particular quote either, but I think it expresses some hope that Helen herself will eventually see the beautiful and 'right' things in the world. If it had been listed as fiction, I would have questioned the deep connection to her father and her self imposed exile, I think I might have found it too tedious. I knew it was non fiction so I expected it to be a memoir.

Here are some of the comments posted about H is for Hawk. Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers! Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator. Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry. Projecting herself 'in the hawk's wild mind to tame her' tested the limits of Macdonald's humanity and changed her life. White's chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. An experienced falconerHelen had been captivated by hawks since childhoodshe'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk. When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated.

Book h is for hawk by helen macdonald