This is a nice book to sit, relax and reflect with. Sit by a nice window with a good cup of tea and just enjoy the peace and quiet that this book will bring you. This book teaches you to be the quiet one who listens when there’s nothing But chaos around you. Owls are wise creatures and they are some of the fierce hunters, but they don’t come off that way. In humans it’s always the quiet ones that you have to worry about it’s always the quiet ones that are usually the smartest ones in the room. This book represents that well.

Absolutely beautiful! This book deserves to be every bit as famous and lauded as Chloe Dalton's 'Raising Hare' (and I LOVED that book, so I don't say that lightly!)

A beautifully written memoir about the authors love of owls, and her time spent observing owls. She isn't an expert on owls, but she is lucky enough to live in close proximity to a family of twenty owls. She does have a habit of being anthropomorphic when talking about their behaviour, as she admits herself.

She lives in the Lake District, so writes not only about the owls in her neighbourhood, but the other creatures she spots on her frequent walks around the place, mainly roe deer and badgers. Towards the end, there is a lovely chapter about her search for short eared owls, (I don't think I've ever seen a short eared owl, now I want to look out for them). Ultimately, this is about being more aware of what is surrounding you; there is plenty out there to see, if only we would look.

*Many thanks to Netgally and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

In The Company of Owls, Polly Atkin crafts a lyrical and deeply personal meditation on the owls that inhabit the Lake District near her home. Described as a “nocturnal love song,” the book blends nature writing with memoir, inviting readers into quiet, moonlit moments of observation and reflection. Most of the book centres around the family of tawny owls living close to Atkin’s home, but there is room in these pages for short eared and barn owls too

Atkin’s prose is both poetic and precise, capturing the mystery and presence of owls while exploring themes of solitude, chronic illness, and the act of listening in a noisy world. This book leans into nature diary territory, with short, focused chapters that illuminate fleeting yet meaningful experiences

The result is a contemplative and beautifully written narrative that celebrates the wild and the stillness it offers. It’s a book for readers who cherish quiet encounters with nature and the wisdom found in watching and waiting. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Elliott & Thompson, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Gentle nature memoir of life in the Lake District. Enjoyed the focus on bird observations and nature. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Beautiful book! I’ve learned a lot about owls but my heart has also burst at the depiction of connection and isolation, at the reminders of the first years of Covid as a person with a chronic illness (i.e. a “pre existing condition”), and over the descriptions of the family of owls that live near Polly’s Lake District home. One of my favourite writers and this doesn’t disappoint.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this as a tribute to owls and how their story was told during this book. It had that element that I was looking for from the description. I enjoyed the overall feel and thought Polly Atkin's writing was perfectly done for the story.

The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin is an interesting memoir for readers interested in the natural world and wildlife. Observational and poignant.

The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin

‘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’

As someone who lives in Cumbria , and is often ( when the season allows ) is woken to the sound of two owls hooting at each other , I,understand her love of them .

A brillant book brings alive the beauty of a calm night and the spotting of owls , they are such majestic creatures who have a very calming effect on you
Loved it.

The Company of Owls is a beautifully written book celebrating those nocturnal creatures that are often elusive to most of us but are heard at certain times of the year.

Polly Atkin guides us through the world of these enigmatic birds that are often seen as signs of wisdom - the goddess Athena -and legendary symbols of intelligence and knowledge.

This is also a personal journey of connection as Polly Atkin relates her growing relationship to the birds as she moves forward with a chronic and debilitating illness. She lives in Cumbria and narrates her discoveries with passion and poetic prose whilst providing factual information. The descriptions of the Lake District and the trials and tribulations of the owls is excellent

This is a book to escape into - immerse your mind into the world of these sometimes illusory raptors. This is a love story to connecting us back with the natural world which we are part of and to building our understanding of these beautiful birds.

Poignant, informative and a book to be slowly savoured.

An excellent read for all ornithologists and lovers of the natural world.