The Golden Eagle

by Robert Murphy

Fiction. A nature classic.

Genres: Birds, Animals, Nature

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Mariangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very beautiful description of an eagle's travels through mountains and valleys during her one-year life. It finishes too soon.

This book seems to have been a best-seller in 1965, however not many people on goodreads have read it.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and melancholy book. Robert Murphy's grasp of golden eagle psychology is believable, and his descriptions of flight are better than the ones in Jonathan Livingston Seagull. When I was a child, this book got me drawing golden eagles and thinking about them.

Although the eagle in the story is called Kira (note the i), Robert Murphy's evocative prose is partly responsible for my later becoming a fan of actress Kyra Sedgwick.

Despite having been written before their time, this book also pairs well with many of the Tony Hillerman mystery novels featuring tribal police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Leaphorn and Chee work in what might be called "golden eagle country," and they know it.

[kt · Rating 3 out of 5]

is it really common for people to poison eagles or something omg… cough eagle warrior cough

[The Lady Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize that this was a fictional story about an eagle so I began reading with trepidation, but I was overall very pleased and drawn into this story. It was well written and very interesting. I'm a falconer myself and the facts were all correct. I would say that it would be a great nature story to read with your children, but there are a few issues that make me cautious about that. 1. It was written in the 60s so there is a lot of shooting of wild animals that may be upsetting. It's a part of life that things are killed but for kids who aren't ready to deal with it, be careful. 2. The ending is very sad. The events can definitely be interpreted as a warning to respect and cherish nature but I was a bit let down. I would have enjoyed if the man who owned the cabin had taken Kira up for falconry. Considering this was written by a falconer I was expected it to go in that direction. I also expected the story to have Kira eventually raising her own nest but she didn't get that chance. 3. There is a LOT of lengthy description about the mountain range and other natural features that can get quite lengthy.

I enjoyed all of these features and understood them in their context, but for a kids' recommendation they give me pause. Overall I enjoyed this read and think it's a worthwhile recommendation. :)