What if the the middle-aged daughter of two famous poets wrote a memoir about the time she rescued a baby magpie and raised it, keeping her grounded while everything else around her (her relationship with her spouse, her stable income, her house) was falling apart?

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC via Netgalley.

I love magpies. They are so awesome. I know they are right jerks, but where I live they are not native, so when I go some place see one, it’s like seeing a special animal. So naturally when this was offered on Netgalley, I figured why not.
Hughes is the daughter of the famous Plath and the famous Ted Hughes, but in all honesty, she seems far, far, far more interesting than either of her parents. Maybe its because she owns a snake or the motorcycles or her brutally honest story of her relationship with George.
Despite the title and some of the action, the book is more of how Hughes feel in love with rescuing and caring for birds than a straight biography of a bird. Hughes is brutally honest about the amount of work that goes into tending to a baby bird as well as the amount bird poo she had to clean up. The book also examines, somewhat, the break down in her marriage at the time, and her eventually return to self.
What comes across clearly is her love, her absolute love, for George and for her garden. It makes that at times a little repetitive a joy to read. She details not only George’s learning to fly and coping with bunch of dogs, but her building her garden and, eventually, her taking in other birds. It does make you want to visit her garden.
Additionally, the sketches of George are wonderful.

Occasionally repetitive, but always engaging, any animal lover will find much to adore or enjoy in 'George'.

I didn't realise the author was the daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes until I began to read it. Her background adds an extra dash of story to that of her time with the magpie George, and I liked how Hughes scattered memories from her childhood and insights into her inner life and failing marriage throughout the narrative - while keeping the focus on George.

I smiled often, and I loved the drawings of George by Hughes which were included in the book (they also didn't slow my e-reader down, which is another plus - an issue with some ebooks with drawings in them). There's even a few poems from the author.

I'm still not entirely sure, having finished the book, why Hughes began to build an aviary with the idea of keeping George captive forever (though I am someone raised on the story of Born Free). Still, it has turned out to be a practical decision, as the reader discovers in the epilogue - though I wish the epilogue hadn't felt so rushed!

(With thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)

In this sweet and very sedate memoir, Frieda Hughes. a lonely poet/painter who lives with her soon-to-be-ex husband in an isolated fixer-upper in Wales, rescues and adopts a baby magpie. The bird, named George, delights her with his cuddliness and charming antics. She grows attached to him, and, as he matures, she worries that he will fly away and leave her. As the daughter of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, Frieda has known quite enough heartache for one lifetime.

This memoir-in-diary-entries gets off to a good start and has a strong conclusion, but the narrative sags a bit in the middle. Frieda makes a lot of tea while the magpie eats a lot of dog food, hides a lot of things, and attacks visitors' heads. The scenes of Frieda’s disintegrating marriage, however, are compelling.

Recommended for readers who share Frieda’s interests in birds, dogs, motorbikes, gardening, and Wales..

I received an electronic pre-publication copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

I’ve been enjoying watching the daily antics of my neighborhood crows. When I saw this book about the rescue/rearing of an abandoned magpie (a fellow corvid), I quickly requested it to learn more.

I absolutely loved reading about the flourishing of George. Corvids are social, and so very smart. These anecdotes about his growth are charming as heck. I particularly loved his pack behavior with the household dogs.

The concurrent storyline about the author’s failing marriage and chronic illness left me sad. Her dependance on George as a lifeline was an interesting selfishness. I’m left with antagonizing opinions: charmed to have read his story, yet also uncomfortable.

Overall, worth a read. My thanks to both NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for allowing access to a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. .