Corvus

Review 'Like all the best accounts of a life shared with animals (Gerald Durrell comes inevitably to mind), Corvus offers much in the way of domestic comedy ... Exquisitely written ... Gallopingly readable'--Guardian 'Funny, touching and beautifully written - a fascinating insight into the closeness human beings can achieve with wild creatures'--Sunday Times 'An enchanting memoir of a life spent with an inquisitive magpie and sociable rook as "pets" ... Woolfson is aware that she mustn't anthropomorphise these familiar birds but reading her beautifully warm prose it's impossible not to.'--Metro 'Rearing rooks requires infinite patience. Fortunately, Woolfson's book indicates that she possesses not just this, but a sense of humour and a gift for fine writing'--Daily Mail 'Charming, informative and fascinating' --Rory McGrath, author of Bearded Tit: A Love Story with Feathers Product Description One spring, many years ago, Esther Woolfson's daughter rescued a fledgling rook. That rook, named Chicken, quickly established herself as part of the family, and other birds, including an irascible cockatiel and a depressive parrot, soon followed. But it was the corvids - members of the crow family - who amazed Woolfson with their personality and their capacity for affection. This classic blend of memoir and natural history combines the author's fascination with all things avian, from the mechanics of flight to the science of birdsong, with her funny, tender stories of life among the birds. About the Author Esther Woolfson was brought up in Glasgow and studied Chinese at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Edinburgh University. Her acclaimed short stories have appeared in many anthologies and have been read on Radio 4. She has won prizes for her nature writing and received a Scottish Arts Council Travel Grant and a Writer's Bursary.