Candida Meyrick's latest attempt at avian self-help, "Be More Bird," falls flat due to its reliance on tired cliches and anthropomorphizing. The book is built around 20 brief "life lessons" inspired by the author's Harris hawk, Sophia Houdini White Wing, with each lesson serving as a watered-down version of Meyrick's own musings.
The central theme of the book – embracing one's true nature and staying grounded – is admirable, but it's executed in a way that feels shallow and contrived. The "life lessons" offered by Bird range from simplistic advice like "stay true to yourself" to more obtuse statements like "memory is celestial, airborne." These messages feel more like platitudes than genuinely insightful guidance, and they often come across as Meyrick attempting to pass off her own pretentiousness as profound wisdom.
One of the biggest problems with "Be More Bird" is its neglect of the hawk's physical life. Instead of delving into the intricacies of Bird's bodily existence – her ideal hunting weight, her moult cycle, and her relationships with her human caregivers – Meyrick focuses on the more esoteric aspects of her avian consciousness.
When Meyrick does attempt to be more nuanced, she often ends up sounding self-critical and uncertain. She acknowledges that some of her ideas are "pretentious" and "unwieldy," but instead of cutting back or refining her message, she piles on even more cliched language, creating a sense of hyperbole that feels more like an attempt to impress than genuine introspection.
Ultimately, "Be More Bird" feels like a response to the success of Helen Macdonald's "H Is for Hawk," which explored similar themes in a more thoughtful and insightful way. Meyrick's book, on the other hand, seems to be trying to cash in on the popularity of nature writing by regurgitating familiar tropes rather than offering anything new or compelling.
The result is a book that feels ploddingly earthbound, lacking in depth and nuance. Even Sophia Houdini White Wing, the hawk at the center of it all, might have something stern but uplifting to say about this meandering self-help effort.
The central theme of the book – embracing one's true nature and staying grounded – is admirable, but it's executed in a way that feels shallow and contrived. The "life lessons" offered by Bird range from simplistic advice like "stay true to yourself" to more obtuse statements like "memory is celestial, airborne." These messages feel more like platitudes than genuinely insightful guidance, and they often come across as Meyrick attempting to pass off her own pretentiousness as profound wisdom.
One of the biggest problems with "Be More Bird" is its neglect of the hawk's physical life. Instead of delving into the intricacies of Bird's bodily existence – her ideal hunting weight, her moult cycle, and her relationships with her human caregivers – Meyrick focuses on the more esoteric aspects of her avian consciousness.
When Meyrick does attempt to be more nuanced, she often ends up sounding self-critical and uncertain. She acknowledges that some of her ideas are "pretentious" and "unwieldy," but instead of cutting back or refining her message, she piles on even more cliched language, creating a sense of hyperbole that feels more like an attempt to impress than genuine introspection.
Ultimately, "Be More Bird" feels like a response to the success of Helen Macdonald's "H Is for Hawk," which explored similar themes in a more thoughtful and insightful way. Meyrick's book, on the other hand, seems to be trying to cash in on the popularity of nature writing by regurgitating familiar tropes rather than offering anything new or compelling.
The result is a book that feels ploddingly earthbound, lacking in depth and nuance. Even Sophia Houdini White Wing, the hawk at the center of it all, might have something stern but uplifting to say about this meandering self-help effort.
, but unfortunately, it feels like a total missed bird-brained scheme 
. The whole thing just relies on super generic, watered-down life lessons that are more cringeworthy than helpful. And don't even get me started on how she tries to pass off her own pretentiousness as profound wisdom 
. I mean, come on, "memory is celestial, airborne"? Give me a break! 
. And what really bugged me is how she glosses over the actual complexities of being a hawk – her physical life, her relationships with humans... it's all just sort of glossed over in favor of more "airy" musings 
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. Even if you're into that sort of thing, it's just not worth wading through all the cliches and nonsense to get to whatever "message" she's trying to convey 
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. And don't even get me started on how she anthropomorphized Sophia Houdini White Wing - like, hello, she's a hawk not a therapy client 
! I was hoping for some actual insight, but instead we got 20 shallow "life lessons" that feel more like Meyrick trying to sound smart than actually being smart 
. And can we talk about how she ignored the hawk's physical life? That's just basic bird biology 101 
i mean, who uses language like "memory is celestial, airborne"? that's just a hot mess 
than actually helping people grow or learn anything new.
. Maybe "Be More Bird" should've taken a page out of her book (no pun intended 
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OMG u guys i just finished "Be More Bird" by Candida Meyrick & im so underwhelmed 
its like she took every bird-themed cliche from the internet threw it in a blender and hit puree 
the whole book feels so shallow & insincere 
it's like Meyrick is trying to ride on her coattails but instead of bringing anything new to the table she just regurgitates old ideas 
! Candida Meyrick's book feels like just another watered-down attempt at nature writing 
. It's all surface-level stuff - shallow life lessons that don't really add up 
. I mean, if you want to write about nature and self-discovery, can't we do better than this? 
. Instead, Meyrick focuses on more esoteric stuff that doesn't feel very grounded. And when she tries to be more nuanced, it comes across as self-critical and uncertain... not exactly what I'd call a compelling read 
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. That book was a game-changer in nature writing, while "Be More Bird" feels like a watered-down version of that magic. Overall, it's a disappointing effort from someone who's clearly passionate about birds 
. I'd give it a solid 2/10 for its lack of depth and nuance – it's time for some real self-reflection, not just fluffy words