The Company of Owls

“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