The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife

 

THE RAVENMASTER was an impulse boy for me. I'd been wanting to read it for a while because I've been to the Tower of London and seen the ravens and the Yeoman Warders in person, and it seemed like such an interesting job, taking care of royal ravens for a living.

Christopher Skaife talks about his childhood as a "bad boy," before joining the army, and then, after that, becoming ravenmaster. There are several ravens who live in the tower and their care is not easy. Sometimes they play tricks on people (including their handlers), sometimes they run away. And sometimes it's the tourists who are to blame, whether it's asking silly questions with obvious answers or being careless around what are, essentially, still wild animals.

I enjoyed this memoir a lot. You get to learn a bit about London history and also a ton of raven facts. I didn't know that ravens' mouths darken as they get older, or that their feathers get more iridescent with age!

I would recommend this to people who enjoy "cozy" memoirs with interesting jobs. The only TW I can think of is this sad, on-page scene where he describes in detail how one raven died by falling from a tower. But that section is pretty brief in what is otherwise a pretty joyful and contented memoir written by a man who obviously loves his job.

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars