Fox & I

An Uncommon Friendship

By: Catherine Raven

Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award * 2022 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner * Shortlisted for the John Burroughs Medal * Finalist for the Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize * Shortlisted for a Reading the West Book AwardA Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the Year * 2021 Summer Reading Pick by BUZZFEED * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW * KIRKUS * TIME MAGAZINE * GOOD MORNING AMERICA * PEOPLE MAGAZINE * THE WASHINGTON POST

“The book everyone will be talking about … full of tenderness and understanding.”—The New York Times

An "extraordinary" (Oprah Daily) memoir about the friendship between a solitary woman and a wild fox.

When Catherine Raven finished her PhD in biology, she built herself a tiny cottage on an isolated plot of land in Montana. She was as emotionally isolated as she was physically, but she viewed the house as a way station, a temporary rest stop where she could gather her nerves and fill out applications for what she hoped would be a real job that would help her fit into society. In the meantime, she taught remotely and led field classes in nearby Yellowstone National Park.

Then one day she realized that a mangy-looking fox was showing up on her property every afternoon at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? She brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. Her scientific training had taught her not to anthropomorphize animals, yet as she grew to know him, his personality revealed itself and they became friends.

From the fox, Catherine learned the single most important thing about loneliness: we are never alone when we are connected to the natural world. Friends, however, cannot save each other from the uncontained forces of nature.

Fox and I is a poignant and remarkable tale of friendship, growth, and coping with inevitable loss—and of how that loss can be transformed into meaning. It is both a timely tale of solitude and belonging as well as a timeless story of one woman whose immersion in the natural world will change the way we view our surroundings—each tree, weed, flower, stone, or fox.

©2021 Catherine Raven (P)2021 Spiegel & Grau

Critic reviews

“Mysterious and magical.”—Wall Street Journal

“The book everyone will be talking about… [A] real-life friendship that mirrors the one between Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince and his fox, full of tenderness and understanding.”—The New York Times

“Entrancing…. Raven’s gorgeous account of her bond with a fox while living in a remote cabin will open readers’ eyes to the ways humans connect to the natural world and vice versa. … If there’s one book you pick up this summer, make it this one.” Bethanne Patrick, Washington Post

Rare story

I honestly didn’t understand much, but it was an interesting and entertaining story. Will recommend to nature and animal lovers.

It was tough at times...

But these are the realities in nature. What is much more sad to me, is what we human beings have done to nature. The author is just telling a narrative of her experience and bond with one or actually a number of animals because she actually lived lightly on the land and in as much harmony as possible with them.

A favorite!

One of my favorite books ever! Up there with Olga Tokarczuk's Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.

most wonderful

loved it! I am so glad To hear fellow forest friends stories. thank you so much. My father recommended and I am so thankful it is on audible.

Nature is cruel.

I think the author is a good writer and I'm sure her experiences were interesting but it was very hard to get through descriptions of nature at its worst. I think she tells a very accurate account of nature, but I'm just not up for it. I didn't finish the book because it was too sad for me.

Fox for a Friend

An excellent take off a young naturalist who lived out in the Woods far from any human who is attentive to the creatures who Share her domain. One of them, a 6 lb red fox noticed her and selects her to be an occasional companion. This is not at all about turning a wild fox into a pet, but rather about turning a wild young woman into an understanding friend. On the process it opens the reader’s imagination to what is possible between humans and there wild animals who befriend us.

So enjoyable!

As a lover of animals, nature & Montana this was an exquisite treat that at times broke my heart, but also filled it with so much joy. I could, and still can completely envision Fox and his lovely flower and it makes me smile.

Well Written, Poignant Story

The author’s attitude towards “pets” rankled me throughout the book. Not all “kept” dogs are “terriers in tartan”. And many “kept dogs” are indeed appreciated for their dog attributes, including amazing breed specific traits. I found it arrogant of her to say that a pet, as an owned animal, not free animal, cannot be a friend. She may have a rich life, but she is blind to the mutual richness that others experience with beloved pets.

love this book

I loved this story. I love how the narrator acknowledged the writing itself. Great story, introspective.

Just loved it!!

Loved this book. Can’t recommend it enough!!.
If you are an animal lover it is a must read.