The Company of Owls

“I couldn’t put down this warm and comforting, beautiful book. We get to know Polly and the local owls she has such an affinity within the Lake District. It’s an intimate journey of discovery, following the lives of three tawny owlets, watching them grow, willing them to do well and learning about their behaviour through Polly’s observations and poetic musings. You are right there with her through moments of joy, jeopardy, pain, spine-tingling suspense and elation. Her totally gorgeous celebration of owls draws us closer to these mysterious and admirable birds.”

“This gorgeous, dusky hymn to [tawny owls] and the other three species of owl that live wild in Cumbria meditates beautifully on what keeping company with these marvellous birds has taught her about ‘difference and aloneness and companionship and difficulty.’”

“The Company of Owls is a beautiful guide to moving through this world with tender curiosity, joy and reflection. Polly Atkin’s words left me with a longing for owls and a longing for a world in which every single one of us can belong.”

“I adored The Company of Owls. Rarely have I found a book so transporting, so moving, yet so subtle in its study of a place and a species. Polly Atkin writes with gentle grace—I will be thinking about the owls and the landscape of this book for a long time to come.”

“The author is fortunate in her proximity to [owls], but this touching, gentle offering shows that, given a humble heart and willingness to stand still in nature and look and listen, you can get closer to owls than you’d imagine.”

“An elegiac meditation laced with gems of owl lore.”

“A poet and writer based in Cumbria, Atkin has long entertained frequent visits from owls to her garden and sees them as her neighbours. Here, she reveals what they have taught her about life.”

“Beautifully written and densely observant … a nocturnal love song to the owls that surround her Lake District home.”