STacey O'Brien raised the barn owl, Wesley, from the time he was a four day old chick. He lived with her for nearly 20 years and he was her pet as well as research material for her study of owls. ( )

Most excellent. Well written. Funny, interesting, informative. I laughed and I cried (sobbed!). I feel like I bounded with this remarkable critter! He will remain in my heart. ( )

I loved this gem of a book. My only complaint is that I wanted to know more: more day-to-day stories about Wesley, more about her romantic relationships (and how he interfered with them!), more about why she had to move all the time. I understand why she limited the focus, and that probably made for a better book, but this just shows how much I enjoyed it. ( )

What a wonderful story! I was so disappointed that O'Brien didn't translate her time with Wesley into a PhD. She was given a gift that few biologists will ever receive. Every year, with honorary degrees being given by the dozens, I hope that some scientifically-oriented college will bestow one upon her!

...as has been said here before: Wow.

Halfway through, I told my husband that although the writing of this book wasn't quite stellar, the heart of it definitely is. This is an interspecies love story with plenty of the sort of scientific details my inquiring mind wishes to know.

Laughed out loud, more than once. Loved the part about how scary teenagers materialized out of the night and ended up helping throw mouse carcasses to feed an owl family and talk about careers in biology. Ya just never know where you'll meet someone interesting...

And the part about how near the end of his life, Wesley would spread his golden wings over Stacey's shoulders and go to sleep giving her an owl hug... oh my. I get shivers of wonder and delight when I think about it.

So thank you, Stacey, for writing this book and letting me come to know your Wesley and the wonders of the Way of the Owl. It was a most worthwhile and enjoyable read, and your book gets to stay in my collection of natural history.