Very touching at times. Stacey's dedication to her little friend is heartwarming, and his adoration of her is obvious. I could have done without some of the disgusting mousey meal preps though. ( )

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Several people told me this book was amazing, and I'd even read about it months before that and thought it looked interesting, but nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepared me for how much I would learn and be awed by in this book. Every single page taught me some other incredible thing about barn owls (which I promptly shared with whoever was closest to me - I think my husband is sick of barn owl stories at this point, hah!), and although I don't entirely buy all of O'Brien's philosophical speculation in the final chapters, by the end of this book (and Wesley's life - and that's not a spoiler, because all animal books have this at the end) I was bawling like a baby: Out of emotional attachment to the owl I'd just read about, out of a deep sense of loss for the author who'd spent 19 years with this remarkable creature, and out of a sense of amazement and wonder toward one of this earth's creatures that I would have otherwise simply taken for granted.

I strongly believe that many people have lost their sense of connection with animals and nature, and take these things for granted. There is an intelligence and personality in so many animals that we interact with or see from afar, on a daily basis, and we think nothing of their presence in our lives. The story of Wesley the owl, and how he learned - interacted - changed - developed - LOVED - and connected with the world around him is truly stunning. You will never look at birds, owls in particular, the same way again, and I hope that this book will help others reconnect with that childlike sense of amazement at the natural world around us. ( )

What a charming book! When an owlet with nerve damage shows up at the Cal Tech laboratory where Stacey O’Brien works, a colleague encourages her to adopt it and care for it at home. With the understanding that raising an owl is a potential commitment of over a decade, O’Brien nevertheless agrees, and proceeds to document all aspects of Wesley’s (the owl) incredible, 19-year life with her.

As a reader, I greatly appreciated O’Brien’s background in biology. Without it, this would merely have been another story about a human and a pet. Instead, she is able to offer frank, scientific insight on Wesley’s behavior and intelligence. I definitely have a newfound admiration for owls. ( )

A biologist rescues a barn owl that cannot be release into the wild. Interesting details about owl biology & emotional appeal with the bond between owl & human. The author (the biologist) has a bit of a California new age thing going on, I seem to recall, but overall a good story for the animal memoir fan. Not the finest writing, but heartwarming. ( )

Describes the fascinating relationship between a female biologist and the injured barn owl who takes her for his lifetime mate. Besides being a moving and emotional memoir of a special 19+ year bond between human and animal, this book presents a lot of interesting information regarding the language/communication capabilities of the animals we share our world with. (I also enjoyed seeing the pictures of Wesley progressing through his various stages of maturity). ( )