Reviews
The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is pure joy. Martin Windrow shows us the essence of a wild animal in a story as informative as a scientific paper on the species Strix aluco , but much more fun to read. Owls are among the world's most interesting creatures, and to see one up close and in detail as we do here is a valuable experience that will appeal to readers of every kind., With a keen eye for the telling detail, Windrow has written an informative, tender and, yes, wise memoir on the blessed ties that bind people and their pets--one that should find a permanent perch on your shelf., "Anyone who thinks the bond between man and dog or cat is the supreme human-house pet attachment will have to reconsider after reading Martin Windrow's touching account of the bird who changed his life, a possessive and characterful tawny owl named Mumble who was his domestic companion for 15 action-packed years . . . [ The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is] a memoir of his friendship with this singular creature, interwoven with a natural history of her species and a close, not to say obsessive, description of her traits . . . [It] is all the more affecting because of its gruff understatement. " -- Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review "Charming . . . an eloquent yet unsentimental testimonial about a man devoted to his "one true owl", and the profound impact that relationship with this bird had on his life." -- The Guardian "Unlikely books are often very endearing--this is one such book. An utterly charming work, perhaps best read at night when there are owls about." -- Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series " The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is pure joy. Martin Windrow shows us the essence of a wild animal in a story as informative as a scientific paper on the species Strix aluco , but much more fun to read. Owls are among the world's most interesting creatures, and to see one up close and in detail as we do here is a valuable experience that will appeal to readers of every kind." -- Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of A Million Years with You: A Memoir of Life Observed "With a keen eye for the telling detail, Windrow has written an informative, tender and, yes, wise memoir on the blessed ties that bind people and their pets--one that should find a permanent perch on your shelf." -- Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Funny, touching and divertingly novel . . . [Windrow] has produced an homage to both a creature and its species that is almost Leonardo-like in its precision and spirit of curiosity. The result is nothing less than a small masterpiece of animal literature . . . [A] perfect book." -- Ben Downing, The Wall Street Journal "Charming . . . Mr. Windrow's owl fascination knows no bounds. " -- Carmela Ciuraru, The New York Times, Anyone who thinks the bond between man and dog or cat is the supreme human-house pet attachment will have to reconsider after reading Martin Windrow's touching account of the bird who changed his life, a possessive and characterful tawny owl named Mumble who was his domestic companion for 15 action-packed years . . . [ The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is] a memoir of his friendship with this singular creature, interwoven with a natural history of her species and a close, not to say obsessive, description of her traits . . . [It] is all the more affecting because of its gruff understatement., "Unlikely books are often very endearing-this is one such book. An utterly charming work, perhaps best read at night when there are owls about." -Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series" The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is pure joy. Martin Windrow shows us the essence of a wild animal in a story as informative as a scientific paper on the species Strix aluco , but much more fun to read. Owls are among the world's most interesting creatures, and to see one up close and in detail as we do here is a valuable experience that will appeal to readers of every kind." -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of A Million Years with You: A Memoir of Life Observed "With a keen eye for the telling detail, Windrow has written an informative, tender and, yes, wise memoir on the blessed ties that bind people and their pets-one that should find a permanent perch on your shelf." -Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Praise for The Last Valley "It is hard to praise too highly Martin Windrow's account . . . [He] is master of every detail." - The New York Sun "Vivid and well-written . . . A tribute to [Windrow's] abilities both as a historian and as a writer." - The Economist, "Unlikely books are often very endearing-this is one such book. An utterly charming work, perhaps best read at night when there are owls about." -Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series" The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is pure joy. Martin Windrow shows us the essence of a wild animal in a story as informative as a scientific paper on the species Strix aluco , but much more fun to read. Owls are among the world's most interesting creatures, and to see one up close and in detail as we do here is a valuable experience that will appeal to readers of every kind." -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of A Million Years with You: A Memoir of Life Observed, "Anyone who thinks the bond between man and dog or cat is the supreme human-house pet attachment will have to reconsider after reading Martin Windrow's touching account of the bird who changed his life, a possessive and characterful tawny owl named Mumble who was his domestic companion for 15 action-packed years . . . [ The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is] a memoir of his friendship with this singular creature, interwoven with a natural history of her species and a close, not to say obsessive, description of her traits . . . [It] is all the more affecting because of its gruff understatement. " -Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review "Unlikely books are often very endearing-this is one such book. An utterly charming work, perhaps best read at night when there are owls about." -Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series" The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is pure joy. Martin Windrow shows us the essence of a wild animal in a story as informative as a scientific paper on the species Strix aluco , but much more fun to read. Owls are among the world's most interesting creatures, and to see one up close and in detail as we do here is a valuable experience that will appeal to readers of every kind." -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of A Million Years with You: A Memoir of Life Observed "With a keen eye for the telling detail, Windrow has written an informative, tender and, yes, wise memoir on the blessed ties that bind people and their pets-one that should find a permanent perch on your shelf." -Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Funny, touching and divertingly novel . . . [Windrow] has produced an homage to both a creature and its species that is almost Leonardo-like in its precision and spirit of curiosity. The result is nothing less than a small masterpiece of animal literature . . . [A] perfect book." -Ben Downing, The Wall Street Journal "Charming . . . Mr. Windrow's owl fascination knows no bounds." - Carmela Ciuraru, The New York Times, Charming . . . an eloquent yet unsentimental testimonial about a man devoted to his "one true owl", and the profound impact that relationship with this bird had on his life., "Anyone who thinks the bond between man and dog or cat is the supreme human-house pet attachment will have to reconsider after reading Martin Windrow's touching account of the bird who changed his life, a possessive and characterful tawny owl named Mumble who was his domestic companion for 15 action-packed years . . . [ The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is] a memoir of his friendship with this singular creature, interwoven with a natural history of her species and a close, not to say obsessive, description of her traits . . . [It] is all the more affecting because of its gruff understatement. " -Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review "Charming . . . an eloquent yet unsentimental testimonial about a man devoted to his "one true owl", and the profound impact that relationship with this bird had on his life." - The Guardian "Unlikely books are often very endearing-this is one such book. An utterly charming work, perhaps best read at night when there are owls about." -Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series" The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar is pure joy. Martin Windrow shows us the essence of a wild animal in a story as informative as a scientific paper on the species Strix aluco , but much more fun to read. Owls are among the world's most interesting creatures, and to see one up close and in detail as we do here is a valuable experience that will appeal to readers of every kind." -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of A Million Years with You: A Memoir of Life Observed "With a keen eye for the telling detail, Windrow has written an informative, tender and, yes, wise memoir on the blessed ties that bind people and their pets-one that should find a permanent perch on your shelf." -Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Funny, touching and divertingly novel . . . [Windrow] has produced an homage to both a creature and its species that is almost Leonardo-like in its precision and spirit of curiosity. The result is nothing less than a small masterpiece of animal literature . . . [A] perfect book." -Ben Downing, The Wall Street Journal "Charming . . . Mr. Windrow's owl fascination knows no bounds." - Carmela Ciuraru, The New York Times, Unlikely books are often very endearing--this is one such book. An utterly charming work, perhaps best read at night when there are owls about., Funny, touching and divertingly novel . . . [Windrow] has produced an homage to both a creature and its species that is almost Leonardo-like in its precision and spirit of curiosity. The result is nothing less than a small masterpiece of animal literature . . . [A] perfect book.