I listened to this as an audiobook in the author's voice and absolutely adored it. Its a memoir of grief, unfolding primarily in the one year after the death of the author's father. It is also a brief history of falconry in Britain, the story of a goshawk the author trained, and an examination of the legacy of TH White, British author, closeted homosexual, and amateur falconer who ruined a bird with his own obsessions and neuroses. Macdonald's descriptions of landscapes, weather patterns, and birds in flight are as lyrical and lovely as the recording of depression and social isolation are devastating. Highly recommend.