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

This memoir was very interesting on two levels. The first was how Chloe's relationship with the hare developed and how that relationship changed how she lived and her relationship with the natural world.

The second was the hares. Living in the US, I have had very little experience with hares. I thought there were a different type of rabbit. I found the information about the history of hares interspersed through the book very interesting. I liked seeing how Chloe's relationship with the hare changed how she lived and how the hare changed because of her relationship with Chloe.

Overall, I really enjoyed this memoir. The writing was engaging and kept me turning the pages and wanting to know what happened to the hares. I would be interested to read something about her life in foreign policy as well.

I loved this book. The writing was beautiful and I learned alot about hares. This book enhanced my awareness of the natural world around me and encouraged contemplation of the meaning of freedom. I would strongly recommend this book to any one who enjoys reading about our relationship with the natural world. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed Sipsworth by Simon Van Bouy or The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova Bailey.

When author Chloe Dalton decamps from London to her country home to wait out the Covid lockdown, she has no idea her sojourn will result in writing an exquisite memoir about a relationship with a wild hare. In Raising Hare, she chronicles coming across a newborn "leveret" (baby hare) while on a walk in the meadow. Fearing for its life, she moves past her reservations and takes it home.

From the beginning, Dalton knows the tiny creature, though in need of care, should not be treated as a pet, and as such, refuses to give it a name. Her instinct to provide it nourishment and shelter leads to a miraculous opportunity to live with and learn from a wild creature and gain a new appreciation of the natural world around her.

Dalton is an immensely curious writer and storyteller. Her style is lyrical, not overwrought. I appreciate the clarity of her prose as she interweaves her intimate tale of sharing space with a leveret—and eventually its offspring--with fascinating research and observations about hares (which are NOT rabbits!) in history, art, literature, folklore, and mythology. She questions agriculture practices in her close environment that negatively impact animals that inhabit the land.
Halfway through the book, she describes her complex feelings when the leveret, now an adult hare, ventures beyond the garden wall out of sight into the vast field beyond. She wrestles with reason: Her goal had been "... its return to the wild, and it had decided it was ready." Holding back sobs, she honestly weighs her emotional response: "I had been bewildered by the responsibility of raising the leveret, captivated by its endearing ways, stirred by its mysterious nature and thoroughly inconvenienced by its dogged presence." Would she ever see the creature again?

It's no spoiler to reveal that the hare returns and, able to roam free, it chooses refuge in Dalton's home and even gives birth to three leverets in the garden. Still in lockdown, Dalton knows she will eventually need to return to life in London and her career as a political advisor and foreign policy expert. But this experience has changed her: "If my habits could be overturned by a hare, I questioned what else I might enjoy that I had never considered." She wonders if she had been ignoring "a temperament that longed for quieter, more gentle rhythms."

As I devoured this book, I was reminded of another memoir I read for First Impressions: Carl Safina's Alfie and Me. Also taking place during the worldwide lockdown, Safina writes about rescuing a newborn owlet and, like Chloe Dalton, he cares for his ward with the idea of encouraging it to remain wild and return to its natural habitat. And in each case, what unfolds is suspenseful and surprising.

I highly recommend Raising Hare to all readers who love a heartfelt true story of the profound lessons learned when humans and wild creatures are able to form an unexpected bond.

Raising Hare is a beautifully written book about a woman's unexpected encounter with a wild hare (a leveret), and her experience with its care. Ms Dalton is remarkably responsible and thoughtful about how she does this, trying everything possible to allow it to remain wild.

There are no books explaining leverets, except some from the 2nd century AD. She has no idea what will happen to it, but she assumes it will return to the wild, and she behaves accordingly. She feels her way through this whole process, and in doing so she learns a lot about herself and her way of life. Gorgeous prose and a lovely story.

Raising Hare is a view of relationships; man and his world and the natural world. Are humans even aware of the natural world and its needs or are we only concerned about ourselves and our needs? Relationships require work and cooperation. The author shows how we can live in peace and harmony with the world around us.

This is a beautiful and heartwarming journey of love, peace, patience and tolerance and how these things can change our tolerance and perspective.

I recommend this book to those who love nature or are concerned about our path going forward.

An engrossing and beautifully written account of a young hare (a leveret) found while the author was on a country walk. Chloe Dalton is conflicted as to whether to 'assist' the leveret but after allowing a number of hours pass and returning to find the leveret in the same spot, she decides the likelihood of harm to the creature is higher if she does nothing.

She brings the leveret home and consults with trusted humans for assistance. This begins a project in assisting the hare to survive while maintaining its wild nature, and not be treated as a pet. The story follows the first couple of years of the hare's life, and is interspersed with fascinating information on hares (which are not larger, longer legged rabbits!), historical background, as well as literature and poetry excerpts.

With compassion and empathy, the author received as much if not more from the relationship, and as a reader I'm so happy Chloe Dalton wrote this book!

The irony in the title of Chloe Dalton's memoir Raising Hare is that the author tried so very hard NOT to raise the leveret she found on the roadside one winter's day while she was confined to her house in the country by Covid restrictions. In their time together, she scrupulously tries to let the animal follow its nature within nature.

She never gives it a name, she avoids touching it, and she refuses to cage it in her house or immediate yard. Instead, in the three years that Dalton covers, hare raises Dalton's consciousness of her relation to the world of nature, especially man's disregard for the habits and habitats of hares, other animals and plants.

Dalton traces this human-centric attitude with deepening regret through centuries of literature about hares; her response is to rearrange her habits, her house, and her garden to be more hospitable to hare and its offspring.

Dalton writes beautiful detailed descriptions of hare, its activities, and its habitats. In the end, the memoir is about how the rhythm and priorities of the author's life were changed by a creature who lives in the moment, familiar and loved, but with every departure perhaps never to be seen again.

This book is a delight to read from several standpoints. Firstly, if you love animals, you will love this gentle and informative read. Secondly, if you are a nature lover, there are many interesting insights about the history of humanity's relationship with the hare over time. But the reason I loved this book is that it gave me a close up view of how the author's relationship with a wild hare caused her to grow in depth as a person.

One example is after witnessing a colleague cry over the death of his dog, she felt embarrassed over his apparent show of weakness. Yet, anticipating the future death of this wild hare that befriended her, she too recalls her own tears welling up.

A book that tenderly challenges us to become more human, more sensitive, more attentive to the needs of the earth, in my opinion, is well worth the time. Pick up a copy and enjoy the serenity of this gem.