George: A Magpie Memoir

"A poignant and funny memoir . . . George is a passionate book about unconditional love and commitment. It's also fast-paced and suspenseful, full of amusing anecdotes, poems and Hughes's sweet drawings of George." --Nora Krug, The Washington Post

"On one level, George is an expert bit of nature writing, akin to a David Attenborough documentary. But on another level, it is a psychologically profound investigation of how George, [the author's] other animals, and the extensive gardens she cultivates on an acre of land in the Welsh countryside give her the 'stability and sense of permanence' that she lacked as a child . . . [A] captivating book." --Ann Levin, The Associated Press

"Spirited [and] winsome . . . The book itself is a kind of magpie: Ms. Hughes hoards myths and secrets within her birding lore, and dispenses them at her leisure . . . She tells her story in poised yet anecdotal language; her charm reels us in. Memoir as a form of self-revelation comes beautifully to her. I suspect her audience will clamor for another soon." --Hamilton Cain, The Wall Street Journal

"Her pencil illustrations of George are funny and affectionate, her prose is rich with imagery. Metaphors abound. It's impossible not to be smitten by the magpie . . . It's also impossible not to feel for Hughes . . . Yes, this book is about how Hughes rescued George. But in many ways, it's about how George rescued Hughes." --Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"Quirky, tender, funny, [and] beautifully observed." --Daily Mail

"Charming." --The Independent

"[An] irresistable memoir. . . Direct and painfully honest." --The Irish Times

"Intriguing. . . Tremendous. . . Accomplished." --The Spectator

"Hughes's memoir has an enveloping quality to it that brings us inside the lively world she created for herself." --Irish Independent

"Illustrated throughout with pen-and-ink drawings, this charming memoir about the author's accidental adventures in avian rescue offers tantalizing insights into her struggle to fly free of the difficult emotional legacy bequeathed by her literary-icon parents, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. A poignantly heartwarming delight." --Kirkus Reviews

"Lovely. . . In lyrical prose full of introspection and humor, Hughes describes George being washed by her dogs, his learning to fly, and his curiosity about everything. . . Enlivened with Hughes' drawings, this portrait of a bird mirrors how each of us maneuvers through our own existence." --*starred* Booklist

"[An] intimately detailed diary of how Frieda Hughes rescued and reared an abandoned baby magpie at her country home in Wales. . . if you're a fan of wildlife, gardening, and rambling old European estates, you will probably find it charming." --Garden & Gun

"George the magpie trashes the author's house, terrifies the cleaning lady, and helps tank her failing marriage--and yet you cannot help falling madly in love with him. Frieda Hughes observes this little black and white bird with the meticulous eye of a naturalist and the penetrating lyricism of a poet. This book is a joy from beginning to end." --Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus

"A charming diary of life with a tame magpie--despite George's bad behaviour, [George] will render corvid lovers (like me) green with envy!" --Katherine May, author of Wintering