UK Book Club discussion

Our book for August is Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton. Please post your thoughts as you read in the thread below. Remember to highlight SPOILERS at the top if needed. Enjoy!

I am loving this book. it's completely my sort of thing.
Finally a book I'm enjoying.
the description of the leveret and the surroundings and its behaviour and the interaction between human and animal is so heart warming.
I can't wait to read more.

I never imagined I’d one day be reading a book about hares but it’s surprisingly interesting! English is my third language and in my native language (Persian), we don’t have a separate word for this kind of animal. We simply call them all “rabbits” - khargoosh, which literally means “donkey-ear”! I had always assumed the same applied in English. In fact when I first saw the book cover, I was confused as all I saw was a picture of what looked like a rabbit next to the title. But now not only do I know what a hare is, I also know what a leveret is!

I love that rabbits are called 'donkey-ear' in Persian. It's perfect!

I enjoyed Raising Hare, that was a surprise as I had made the mistake of reading some negative reviews, comments mostly based on class and privilege. And at the beginning there is a scent of that (the antique soft hair brush) which was irritating. But then Chloe Dalton seemed to find her voice and as the book progresses so does her skill in observation and writing.
This is a hard genre to enter, full of the great nature writers, the pinnacle being J. A. Baker and Peregrine, also T. H. White and Goshawk, Helen Macdonald and H Is For Hawk, and Gavin Williams and Ring of Bright Water, some serious nature writing that is hard if not impossible to surpass.
I think Dalton has made a valiant attempt. Her honesty in telling it how it was, and the arc of her story and her knowledge and expertise, growing as it does say by day alongside the hare, are what make a good read, and enjoyable read. And a responsible read, that was a surprise too, that Dalton took the trouble to include a link to a govt petition to protect to a degree the hare population. Hats off to her.

I really enjoyed this book. As another reviewer noted, it takes a little time to find its rhythm, but once it does, it's truly beautiful. The final chapter, in particular, was outstanding—profound, emotionally powerful, and deeply moving. I finished it with a tear in my eye.

I read this earlier this year and thought it was wonderful. So much so I have kept my copy to go on my ‘can’t get rid of bookcase’! It was beautifully written and I actually read it in one sitting.