George: A Magpie Memoir

By Frieda Hughes

An Oprah Magazine Book of the Year 2023

'A magical, endearing memoir ... the literary romance of the year' Oprah

'This book pulses with a defiant wonder at the living world, as wild and unruly as our feathered hero' Polly Morland, author of A Fortunate Woman

Then, just in time, before I swung the spade again, I saw, right by the blade and camouflaged by the leaves on the ground, a magpie chick. It squatted belligerently, peering up at me with miniature magpie fury. George.

When Frieda Hughes moved to the depths of the Welsh countryside, she was expecting to take on a few projects: planting a garden, painting and writing her poetry column for the Times. But instead, she found herself rescuing a baby magpie, the sole survivor of a nest destroyed in a storm - and embarking on an obsession that would change the course of her life.

As the magpie, George, grows from a shrieking scrap of feathers and bones into an intelligent, unruly companion, Frieda finds herself captivated - and apprehensive of what will happen when the time comes to finally set him free.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Profile Books
• Release date: Apr 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781800814783

Frieda Hughes

Frieda Hughes is an established painter and poet. Born in London in 1960 to Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, she has written several children’s books, eight collections of poetry, articles for magazines and newspapers, and was The Times (London) poetry columnist. As a painter, Frieda regularly exhibits in London and has a permanent exhibition at her private gallery in Wales, where she resides with fourteen owls, two rescue huskies, an ancient Maltese terrier, five chinchillas, a ferret called Socks, a royal python, and her motorbikes.

Reviews for George

[nancyadair-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s been five years since we had to let go of our aging Shiba Inu girls, puppy mill breeder rescues who lived with us for half their lives. Every day, they brought beauty, laughter, and love into my life.There is something special about bonding with an animal. My girls didn’t sit in our lap, they didn’t tolerate being held. Shibas are independent by nature, and having spent years in a cage, farm animals not pets, they had to learn to bond with humans—and each other. But they knew I loved them and took care of them and they sat at my feet, allowing me to reach down and pet them. And as they aged and grew blind, they relied on each.Frieda Hughes loves animals. She had three dogs that slept on her when she took a nap. Then, a storm brought a baby magpie into her life, thrown from its nest and injured and dependent. She named it George.Until he was grown, George bonded with Hughes and played with her dogs. He was trouble, stealing and hiding all kinds of food and objects, resisting the cage, and pooping everywhere. But he was fascinating to watch and entertaining, and she loved him.The Ex, as she names him, wasn’t as pleased with her new charge. They had full plates as working artists and new homeowners of a handy-man special house in Wales. Plus, Hughes finally was creating her dream garden. In spite of her challenging health issues, she worked hard at her writing and gardening and home improvement. The Ex was unhappy, adding to Hughes stress. She provided their only income and when the newspaper cancelled her poetry column their art became their income.Teenaged George was allowed to fly out the window into the greater world, and when he started to stay away overnight Hughes was conflicted, missing him and still happy he would have a normal magpie life.Hughes memoir about George will capture the heart of anyone who ever loved an animal.Thanks to Simon & Schuster for a free book.

[akblanchard_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.