What readers think of Raising Hare, plus links to write your own review.

If you are a nature buff like me, you will find this book captivating. It's more than a memoir. Chloe Dalton, the author, escapes from the city into the English countryside during the Covid outbreak and finds an injured baby hare or as the English call them a "leveret. She never treats it as a pet but as a wonder of nature.

This relationship between an animal and a human reminded me once again of the importance of protecting the environment which we live in for future generations. Her descriptive prose was easy to follow, making me feel I was in her house and garden as the two became so connected.

Chloe was changed and so was I by this wonderful book full of so much love, introspection and understanding.

'Raising Hare" by Chloe Dalton is a gentle, pastoral book that takes you on a journey not only of a hare but of the author and her journey of self-awareness. Dalton's observations of the world around her and more specifically of the world of a leveret (baby hare) is far from the world she lives in.

She is a foreign policy expert and political advisor who immersed herself in the world of nature and finds that there are just as many conflicts there as in her world. Having this take place during the pandemic, one senses a greater height of awareness of natures order of life and the human order of life.

Do they or should they converge or are humans imposing themselves and their priorities in non-domesticated animal life? This question is posed to the reader to ponder.

I certainly learned more about hares in the wild, all over the world and in literature than I ever thought I would need to know while reading Raising Hare. But I was also thoroughly fascinated - both with Chloe Dalton's descriptions of our fragile and harsh and wonderful natural wild world and her growing connection with one individual newborn hare (leveret) into whose life she accidently intruded when she decided to save it from a chasing dog.

And she did, save it. As she struggled to learn how to ensure the leveret's survival, she also tried her best to preserve its wildness and independence. Perhaps not entirely possible when the hare takes over your house and garden. But no pet names and no cages. This well-written memoir turns out to be a very captivating and heartwarming three-year saga about a woman connecting back to nature and also reconnecting with herself.

I recommend this book to fans of nature writing, but also to everyone else who, maybe unknowingly, has stepped just a little too far away from nature.

From the very first pages of this book, I was captivated by the story of this hare, not only would it survive or what would happen to it, but by the slow motion unfolding of the Chloe Dalton's, the author, experience of what it would mean to pay closer attention to the world we share with all creatures.

In the course of this memoir, I wonder who is the main character whose life we have a deeper understanding, is it the hare or the author? And as the book progresses we see the author as having a breakthrough in her own understanding of the world.

It is a very involving book that I couldn't put down, and though I didn't read it in a 'sitting' still it hovered in my consciousness for the three days I pondered and was enriched by it. I think the lasting effects of this book will be experienced for many years.

Review of Raising Hare

Chloe Dalton's memoir, Raising Hard, was pure enjoyment. Dalton rescues a very small leveret in the middle of winter, but with an important difference from many rescues. She is determined not to make a pet of her, but to respect her wildness and accommodate it as much as possible. She makes sure she has access to leaving the house, and never names her. The hare responds by being very accommodating herself, unlike her own offspring. She is gentle, clean, and responsive. I might say she responds like a pet, but I can't argue with Dalton's efforts not to "spoil' her or make her unfit to live outside.

Fortunately, this episode in Dalton's life took place during Covid when she was unable to travel and interact with various groups and had a limited work life at home. She had time to make the adjustments in her own habits and surroundings. The hare spent time indoors as well as in the garden, and eventually went out into the property further. It's also interesting to see her care of her leverets and their response to Dalton's environment. The details are fascinating.

If you are interested in animals in general, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy this book.

A lovely memoir written by Chloe Dalton about an abandoned leveret (baby hare) that she finds on her countryside property. Knowing the risks of trying to raise a wild animal, she consults vets and reads as much as she can about hares. To her delight the leveret thrives and becomes a frequent visitor over the years. In fact, the leveret as an adult even has some of her babies in Dalton's home.

I am a wildlife rehabilitator and I was extremely impressed by Dalton's care of this animal. She did everything right. She did not name it, she didn't try to turn it into a pet and she was determined to return it to the wild. These are all hard tasks because it is so easy to get attached to an animal if you are the one raising it. We tend to anthropomorphize animals (especially babies).

As I know, these wild animals teach us so much. As with Dalton, they teach us to become conservationists and to care about nature.

The book has lots of scientific information that might not be of interest to all readers, but I found it fascinating. In addition to that, each chapter is headed with a charming drawing.

I loved this book.

This is a touching memoir of Dalton's relationship with a leveret – a baby hare – that she finds not far from her home in the English countryside. With no mother in sight, she fears it may not survive on its own. She decides to take it home for one night, taking care to not leave her scent on the leveret so it can be released back into the wild.

What follows is a multi-year relationship with the leveret as it develops into a full grown hare, lives in both her house and garden while venturing out into the wild. Throughout, Dalton struggles with providing the hare with a safe space while not confining it or turning it into a pet. The "relationship" that develops between the two is heartwarming.

She also covers how we treat nature around us, particularly as it affects wild animals. But there was too much and felt like filler to me. While the line drawings of hares to start each chapter are nice, I would have liked some photographs to reference as she made observations about physical characteristics and colors.

I've never had a pet rabbit/hare and am not particularly fond of them - they eat my hostas! So I was not to excited about this book. But it grew on me.

The book is a memoir, the story of the author's rescue in rural England, of a baby hare, known as a leveret. She purposely wanted to keep it as wild as possible so she could release it back into the wild as soon as possible. But it stuck around. The two bonded - sort of, and both benefited immensely. "The leveret's calm and orderly existence challenged my priorities and woke up my senses." "Through the leveret, I had discovered the pleasure of attachment to place and the contentment that can be derived from exploring it fully, rather than constantly seeking ways to leave it and believing that satisfaction can only lie in novel experiences."

Chloe Dalton's description of the English countryside are particularly touching. She is an excellent writer.

I've recommended the book to one friend, but I will say that it is not for everyone. Not a lot of action, no drama, just a sweet, sweet story of nature and our place in it.