Featherhood: 'The best piece of nature writing since H is for Hawk, and the most powerful work of biography I have read in years' Neil Gaiman

A story about birds and fathers, about the young magpie that fell from its nest in a Bermondsey junkyard into Charlie Gilmour's life and changed it. It is about repetition across generations and birds that run in the blood, and about a terror of repeating the sins of the father and a desire to build a nest of one's own. It is also about change, from wild to tame, from sanity to madness, from life to death to birth, from freedom to captivity, and back again.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 18 March 2021
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

The best piece of nature writing since H is for Hawk, and the most powerful work of biography I have read in years. Neil Gaiman's Wonderful is a remarkable and captivating tale that I cannot recommend highly enough. Helen Macdonald's One of those rare, enchanted books is a beautiful and emotional journey that left me in tears. Isabella Tree's Beautiful is a masterpiece that captivated me from start to finish. Simon Amstell's I was entranced by the story of a young magpie that fell from its nest in a Bermondsey junkyard and swiftly changed the life of Charlie Gilmour. Demanding worms around the clock, riffling through his wallet, sharing his baths, and roosting in his hair, the magpie became an unexpected and beloved companion.

This is a story about birds and fathers. About the young magpie that fell from its nest in a Bermondsey junkyard into Charlie Gilmour's life and swiftly changed it. Demanding worms around the clock, riffling through his wallet, sharing his baths, and roosting in his hair, the magpie became an unexpected and beloved companion.

About the jackdaw kept at a Cornish stately home by Heathcote Williams, an anarchist, poet, magician, stealer of Christmas, and Charlie's biological father who vanished from his life in the dead of night. Heathcote Williams was a complex and enigmatic character, and his relationship with Charlie was filled with both love and conflict. He was a man of contradictions, with a passion for nature and a deep sense of guilt for his past actions.

It is a story about repetition across generations and birds that run in the blood. About a terror of repeating the sins of the father and a desire to build a nest of one's own. It is a story about change, from wild to tame, from sanity to madness, from life to death to birth, from freedom to captivity and back again, via an insane asylum, a prison, and a magpie's nest.

And ultimately, it is the story of a love affair between a man and a magpie. The bond between Charlie and the magpie is a powerful and complex one, filled with both joy and sorrow. Charlie's love for the magpie is unwavering, and he is determined to protect and care for it at all costs. The magpie, in turn, returns his love, becoming a constant source of comfort and companionship.

Through their journey together, Charlie and the magpie confront their own demons and learn to embrace the beauty of the natural world. They explore the complexities of human relationships, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life.

Wonderful is a masterpiece of nature writing that will leave readers in awe of the power of storytelling and the natural world. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the profound connection between humans and the animals that share our planet. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves nature, literature, or simply a compelling and heartwarming story.

Weight: 254g
Dimension: 128 x 197 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474609487