This book is from my “Books About Panamá” reading list. Although I didn’t love it, it’s one of the more relevant and interesting ones I’ve read from this stack of eclectic books.

This is a non-fiction book by a woman who traveled throughout Panamá (and Colombia) in search of the harpy eagle in the wild. I loved reading about places I’ve been,  or are familiar with, and about many of the animals I encounter on a regular basis around my home in Panamá.

In typical British style, the “self discovery” thing is overstated. I was hoping for more…the only meaty self discovery I encountered was in the epilogue. It was really just a nature-heavy travelogue…not a bad thing, but not quite what I was expecting from a female author.

A couple of warnings…

It’s very “birdy”…so if you’re a birder, you’ll likely enjoy it more than me. As one who appreciates, but is not obsessed with birds, I got bored by all the bird naming. I also found the writing annoyingly heavy on adjectives. I just feel like descriptive words shouldn’t be constantly shoving you out of the story.

If you’re interested in Panamá or an expat like me, definitely read this book…the positives outweigh the shortcomings!