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 WomanThen, 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.