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The Secret Life of the Owl

By: John Lewis-Stempel
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
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Summary

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Secret Life of the Owl by John Lewis-Stempel, read by Roy McMillan.

'Dusk is filling the valley. It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light. Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.'

There is something about owls. They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards. They are creatures of the night, and thus of magic. They are the birds of ill tidings, the avian messengers from the Other Side. But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar. We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. Human-like, in other words.

No other species has so captivated us.

In The Secret Life of the Owl, John Lewis-Stempel explores the legends and history of the owl. And in vivid, lyrical prose, he celebrates all the realities of this magnificent creature, whose natural powers are as fantastic as any myth.

©2017 John Lewis-Stempel (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks
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Critic reviews

"John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation." Country Life)

What listeners say about The Secret Life of the Owl

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

excellently writen

enlightening and educational. thoroughly enjoyed it. very well written and taught me a lot of things that I didn't know about owls.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another masterpiece by Stempel

incredibly well researched, well delivered, beautiful writing. very informative. a must read as are all Stemels writings.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fab-u-owl-lous

Brilliant book for bird and owl lovers 🦉
Nice, short and factual. ho hoo ho hoo

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Owlish

Loved this book. Well written and narrated to bring alive the secret life of owls. I learnt so much about these beautiful birds.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely to hear a mix of ornithology and creative writing

Great voice, perfect for this interesting and original piece of writing. I will be recommending to my bird loving friends and family.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Great reference less story

Normally love John Lewis-Stempel - but this one feels like he is cramming facts and hate to say but I have the distinct feeling that he may have read Owl by Desmond Morris before writing. It is a great book with lots of interesting facts but not as much of the life-witnessed storytelling that J. L-Stempel normally does so well.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A enjoyable listen

A love letter to the owl, full of facts regarding each type of owl as well as folklore and legend, Poems and owls in fiction are also explored.
The narrator has a nice voice and easy reading style.
The book is somewhat short but well worth a listen.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Leave out the addresses!

I generally love John's books, but this one is short, lacking in cohesion and, literally, ends with a list of (probably out of date) addresses. Not the authors best work very poorly adapted.

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1 person found this helpful