Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC. This book was everything I thought it would be. As an animal lover and a fan of Braiding Sweetgrass, Raising Hare was able to deliver on both fronts. I knew nothing about hares outside of Alice in Wonderland and was ignorant to the fact that modern day farming was so detrimental to not only hares, but many species. This book showed me a beautiful bond between human and animal, while also stressing the fact that humans are destroying everything around us. It was heartwarming and heartwrenching at times, but I loved it.

This book should have had a graphic note attached to the description. I enjoyed the story up until the history of baiting and hunting was introduced and described somewhat in detail. I couldn't read about this little hare without thinking of what I had just read pages before. I thank NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage & Anchor for the advance read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Canongate and Chloe Dalton for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my review!

During the pandemic, the author is living in the countryside. She finds a newborn hare and brings it home. Over time they form a special bond, and she learns some important lessons.

I thought that Dalton’s writing was beautiful. She set the scene of the countryside perfectly, I felt like I could envision the surroundings of her home. I like that she began to feel more connected to nature because of her relationship with the hare.

I do appreciate her mentioning how beneficial it is to get more in-tune with nature and our surroundings. It can improve our physical, mental, emotional health and it’s something we take for granted. Her learning to slow down and appreciate the little things became a main theme of the book, and it was my favorite part.

Spoilers: I could have done without the descriptions of dead hares and other injured animals throughout the book. I grew up in a rural area, so I am well aware that this is part of nature… I just don’t love reading about it.

Overall I enjoyed my time reading this book and would recommend. Her writing is accessible and the story was heart-warming.

Poignant, beautifully written, a breath of satisfying air that you will exhale with longing - longing for it to fill you again and again.
Raising Hare is about the author as she is at home during the height of the pandemic. During this time, she comes across a leveret that seems to be in some sort of distress. Nursing it back to health opens a window to the natural world that can metaphorically - and literally - never be shut again.
Chloe never imposes herself onto the hare, she never takes ownership or treats it as a pet - instead, allowing the inquisitive hare to come and go as she pleases while observing. We follow the hare on her years long journey into motherhood, freedom, friendship. An unlikely companionship and understanding between human and animal.
As the months and years progress, Chloe not only learns about the way of the hare, but of the implications human greed and necessity has on the earth and environment that was theirs first. She becomes somewhat of a backyard naturalist, soaking in knowledge and precious wisdom about what most people only view from the comfort of a window.
I read this at precisely the right time in my life, and it has made a lasting impact of my mind and heart. Chloe’s writing is as delicate as morning dew on a foxglove, as beautiful as the wild leverets leaping and playing with their siblings. I’m so honored to have been one of the first readers of this, and I cannot wait to have a physical copy of it in my hands to cherish for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think I went into this book expecting more emphasis on the memoir side of the story, but it's certainly more of an almost scientific observatory text on the life of the hare the Dalton saves. She does her best to stay unobtrusive on the hare's maturation and habits, but also rarely talks about her own life outside of her home - I couldn't decide if I wanted to know more about Dalton's career as a political advisor or if it was better that these two parts of her life remained completely separate.

In her memoir, Dalton encounters a leveret in her garden and cares for it, walking the line between helping it survive and ensuring that it doesn't become too reliant on her. This is a beautiful account of how it feels to love a fragile thing. It's a unique story: there's no grand adventure, just a quiet appreciation for life in one's garden. I found it educational and engaging, though some bits -- especially the last chapter -- felt a little repetitive. The illustrations are amazing. This was a quick read, and very worthwhile!!!

Just such a beautiful book, as a rabbit owner to a free roam rabbit, I loved everything about this book! Not only is the story just adorable and heartfelt, but I also loved learning more about The European Hare and its fascinating history/ folklore. Anyone who loves nature and animals would love to read this book. The journey is amazing, as the author raises an abandoned hare to adulthood not as a pet but wild animal so it can return to its home in the wild. But the hare returns again and again, even having litters of her own, and raises them around the author's home, as if it's her safe place. So many times I found myself smiling and the hare reminds me of my own experience as a rabbit owner trying to keep a rabbit healthy, happy, and completely cage-free. I was greatly inspired and fell in love with this book. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!
Thank you to the author and publishing house for this arc.

This is really stirring nonfiction about how a singular hare changed the author’s life for the better.

When Dalton found a leveret, a newborn hare, chased out of its hide into the open, she first waited to see if its mother would find it and hide it away safely once again. When that doesn’t happen, she sets herself to learning how to raise a wild hare. After caring for the animal through its infancy, she ensures it is free to make its own choices. The hare comes and goes, roaming the English countryside at nighttime and returning to the author’s garden and even into her home to rest, eat, and play. Dalton tries her best to not anthropomorphize the wild animal, or to make it into a pet. Regardless, the hare is so comfortable with her human associate, she even gives birth to one of her litters inside her home, and keeps her babies hidden away safely there while she forages at night.

A focus of this book, besides the story of the interactions and relationship between woman and hare, is how changing her life to accommodate this animal and watching it thrive led the author to learn a new appreciation for nature and life itself. She slowed down, observed more, lived in the moment, and developed mindfulness that allowed her to take more joy in the small realities of life. Additionally, she became more conscious of how human endeavors affect the habitat around them, as well as the wildlife that depends on it. She was able to effect some change to help alleviate some of these environmental harms.

Beyond being educational about hares, their behaviors and natural habitats (a subject that has apparently historically been somewhat neglected), this was an emotional, meditative and reflective book that was a pleasure to read.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, but will add it to my blog (jessicacrawfordwrites.com) and Bookstagram account (@ShelfEsteem101) at the time of publication.