Raising Hare

A Memoir

De: Chloe Dalton

Narrado por: Louise Brealey

A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, loss, and our relationship with the natural world, explored through the story of one woman’s unlikely friendship with a wild hare.

Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and slept in your house for hours on end and gave birth to leverets in your study. For political advisor and speechwriter Chloe Dalton, who spent lockdown deep in the English countryside, far away from her usual busy London life, this became her unexpected reality.

In February 2021, Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare—a leveret—that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how impossible it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation. Through trial and error, she learns to feed and care for the leveret with every intention of returning it to the wilderness. Instead, it becomes her constant companion, wandering the fields and woods at night and returning to Dalton’s house by day. Though Dalton feared that the hare would be preyed upon by foxes, stoats, feral cats, raptors, and even people, she never tried to restrict it to the house. Each time the hare leaves, Chloe knows she may never see it again. Yet she also understands that to confine it would be its own kind of death.

Raising Hare chronicles their journey together, while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature, and folklore. We witness first-hand the joy at this extraordinary relationship between human and animal, which serves as a reminder that the best things, and most beautiful experiences, arise when we least expect them.

*This audiobook includes a bonus conversation between the author and narrator, available in audio only.

“A beautiful book that makes you think profoundly about how we so often tune out the natural world around us. Chloe Dalton is a tender, curious, wise, mind-expanding guide, connecting readers with the wild we humans once knew so well. I will be recommending this to everyone.”
—Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library

Awe inspiring read!

The author describes in exciting graphic detail this very magical story. The Reader, was a a perfect match for this book, lovely voice and very connected to the words.

Fascinating and Beautiful

Such an engaging and personal story with lots of information about hares. The author writes so lovingly about the baby hare she saved and its progeny. The narrator’s voice is gorgeous.

Truly touching

An incredibly special and moving book. It is beautifully written and read and warmed my heart.

The awe right outside the door

I appreciate the courage it took for Chloe to make those momentary decisions that she shares; both to look within and without and engage in life with compassion and curiosity just outside her door. Her writing is beautiful and she strikes a lovely balance between sharing her emotions and reflections alongside an ever increasing love for Hare; she gives room to contemplate our own relationship with the natural world. Raising Hare is one of my newly beloved books. I’m buying the paperback to add it to my top shelf of favorite books so that I can easily revisit my most treasured passages. The narrator adds to the delight of listening to this audiobook.

Story and Performance are perfection!

It’s a combination of memoir, natural history, and environmental plea. It’s subtly and beautifully written. I found two kindred spirits in listening, both the author and the reader provided such transparency and accessibility to this wonderful encounter.

Beautiful writing and a very real story. I loved this book!

Beautiful writing! The story is real. I was so glad to be drawn into the writer's experience with the hare. Very important and memorable.

An intimate encounter with nature.

The author’s sensitivity to the hare and by extension the nature around her. The reader can almost smell and hear the fields and garden. It felt quintessentially English.

Moving

This book really spoke to me. A wonderful memoir for the nature lover and aspiring naturalist. Beautifully written and read with a short interview/update from the author and reader at the end.

Beautiful story

A reminder to us all to slow down and marvel at the beauty of all creatures in nature. One hare changed the life of the author, who then changed the lives of thousands of readers. Loved this memoir.

Love without a Name

Such a a beautiful story, with visual details that pulled me into the author’s challenging yet tender experience.