The Company of Owls - by Polly Atkin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An observant, lyrical memoir exploring what owls can teach us about nature, chronic illness, and ourselves"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"The Company of Owls is a book filled with wonder, wisdom, and warmth ... Her moving and meaningful observations and lyrical prose will stick with you for a long time."--Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus

Longlisted for the 2025 Wainwright Prize in Nature Writing

An observant, lyrical memoir exploring what owls can teach us about nature, chronic illness, and ourselves--so long as we are quiet enough to listen.

"Let me tell you about my neighbors, the owls," writes Polly Atkin in this love letter to the clutch of tawny owlets residing near her home in the heart of England's Lake District. Circumscribed by a chronic illness to her cottage and the surrounding area, she turns to the trees and the animals among them for companionship--especially the owl siblings who surprise and delight her. As Atkin watches them grow from curious fledglings into sleek raptors, she contemplates the act of survival and our place within it. When should a human intervene? When should nature take its course? What do the owls know that we do not?

The owls encourage her to think differently about solitude and community, individuality and belonging, rest and retreat. And with them as her companions, she weighs the many types of company we keep--in our relationships, in the darkness, and in our entanglement with the digital world that connects us across continents.

A resounding call to find joy in unexpected places, The Company of Owls is a love letter to the world, teaching us to listen amid clamor and noise.

Review Quotes

"Pensive and deeply felt, Atkins's musings will leave readers wondering what they might learn about themselves by taking a closer look at the natural world around them."--Publishers Weekly

"Atkin's lovely, reflective memoir reminds all readers to slow down, listen, and find joy."--Shelf Awareness, starred review

"The Company of Owls is a book filled with wonder, wisdom, and warmth. Polly Atkin writes with both precision and tenderness about these otherworldly birds--but also about solitude and community, disease and wholeness, day and darkness. Her moving and meaningful observations and lyrical prose will stick with you for a long time."--Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus

"We need more people like Polly Atkin--passionate observer and protector of the wild, poetic bard of days and nights lived outdoors, and owl whisperer extraordinaire. I will never walk through the night woods the same way again."--Helen Whybrow, author of The Salt Stones

"Polly Atkin writes with a raw honesty that I found instantly endearing, and it is a serious delight to venture into twilight with this sensitive bard of owls."--Priyanka Kumar, author of Conversations with Birds

"I couldn't put down this warm and comforting, beautiful book. We get to know Polly and the local owls she has such an affinity within the Lake District. It's an intimate journey of discovery, following the lives of three tawny owlets, watching them grow, willing them to do well and learning about their behaviour through Polly's observations and poetic musings. You are right there with her through moments of joy, jeopardy, pain, spine-tingling suspense and elation. Her totally gorgeous celebration of owls draws us closer to these mysterious and admirable birds."--Ajay Tegala, author of Wetland Diaries

"This gorgeous, dusky hymn to [tawny owls] and the other three species of owl that live wild in Cumbria meditates beautifully on what keeping company with these marvellous birds has taught her about 'difference and aloneness and companionship and difficulty.'"--The Bookseller, Editor's Choice

"The Company of Owls is a beautiful guide to moving through this world with tender curiosity, joy and reflection. Polly Atkin's words left me with a longing for owls and a longing for a world in which every single one of us can belong."--Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean

"I adored The Company of Owls. Rarely have I found a book so transporting, so moving, yet so subtle in its study of a place and a species. Polly Atkin writes with gentle grace--I will be thinking about the owls and the landscape of this book for a long time to come."--Jessica J. Lee, author of Dispersals

"The author is fortunate in her proximity to [owls], but this touching, gentle offering shows that, given a humble heart and willingness to stand still in nature and look and listen, you can get closer to owls than you'd imagine."--Country Life

"An elegiac meditation laced with gems of owl lore."--Saga

"A poet and writer based in Cumbria, Atkin has long entertained frequent visits from owls to her garden and sees them as her neighbours. Here, she reveals what they have taught her about life."--iNews

"Beautifully written and densely observant . . . a nocturnal love song to the owls that surround her Lake District home."--Christopher Hart, The Daily Mail

About the Author

Polly Atkin is an award-winning nature writer, memoirist, and poet. She has previously taught English Literature and Creative Writing at Queen Mary University of London, Strathclyde University, Lancaster University, and the University of Cumbria. Her first book, Some of Us Just Fall: On Nature and Not Getting Better, was longlisted for the 2024 Wainwright Prize. She currently lives in Grasmere, England, and is the co-owner of historic independent bookshop Sam Read Bookseller.