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silodear's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Loved this unexpected delight of a tale!
trin's review against another edition
3.0
Charming. Skaife's not an amazing writer by any means, and I could have done with a bit less rah-rah about the monarchy and the army, but -- ravens! They are delightful, and the bond Skaife clearly feels with them enlivens every page of this book. I saw the ravens at the Tower in 2014 and gosh, I want to go back.
rlmil715's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.75
This one was a quick and generally light-hearted read, but I was expecting more anecdotes about the ravens. It was largely focused on the author's army days, the perception of ravens throughout history, and the history of the Tower of London. Still an enjoyable and informative read, and some of the anecdotes actually made me laugh out loud.
soried's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. Skaife is a wonderful story teller. It is a quick easy read that is entertaining and educational.
blakelassahn's review against another edition
5.0
I saw this book in my school’s Natural Resource Library and decided to pick it up for shits and gigs. Autobiographies typically aren’t the book I’d go for, especially autobiographies about people I’ve never heard of, but this book surprised me. It was so interesting for me, an American, to learn about the ravens at the Tower of London and their enigmatic caretakers who have passed down the knowledge and practices for generations. Skaife has a literary voice full of wit, wisdom, and humility that tells stories both about the ravens as well as his personal history that made me laugh and also evoked sympathy from me. This book has left me feeling very fulfilled and I’m happy to say it’s the first book I’ve finished this year :)
annabellelee411's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
bookwoman1967's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating, charming, enlightening. Utterly delightful.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Subtitle: My Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London
This memoir details Skaife’s career path to what has become his life’s work: the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. He recounts what led to his joining the Army, some of his experiences in service and his chance decision to apply for a position as a Yeoman Warder at the Tower upon retirement from active service. But he spends most of the book regaling the reader with stories about the ravens.
Skaife is clear at the outset: he is not a scientist. But he has a passion for his work and has made a determined effort to educate himself on the history, anatomy, habits and natural behaviors of corvids in general, and ravens in particular. His dedication to his position as Ravenmaster is evident, as is his great love for the birds. But there were times when I felt the book dragged as he overwhelmed me with scientific detail. I most enjoyed the stories of his various escapades: tracking an escaped raven, climbing scaffolding in the near-dark to get a recalcitrant bird “ready for bed” or embellished histories used to amuse (and partly to educate) the public.
Final verdict: interesting but not gripping.
This memoir details Skaife’s career path to what has become his life’s work: the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. He recounts what led to his joining the Army, some of his experiences in service and his chance decision to apply for a position as a Yeoman Warder at the Tower upon retirement from active service. But he spends most of the book regaling the reader with stories about the ravens.
Skaife is clear at the outset: he is not a scientist. But he has a passion for his work and has made a determined effort to educate himself on the history, anatomy, habits and natural behaviors of corvids in general, and ravens in particular. His dedication to his position as Ravenmaster is evident, as is his great love for the birds. But there were times when I felt the book dragged as he overwhelmed me with scientific detail. I most enjoyed the stories of his various escapades: tracking an escaped raven, climbing scaffolding in the near-dark to get a recalcitrant bird “ready for bed” or embellished histories used to amuse (and partly to educate) the public.
Final verdict: interesting but not gripping.