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Orsolya's Reviews > The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
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I am known for my obsession with England and English history. The obsession that comes into a close second place: birds. Both subjects own a huge real estate in my heart and together, they result in my fascination with the ravens living at the Tower of London. Christopher Skaife is a name that has been on my radar, as he holds the title of Ravenmaster (and I am quite jealous of his job). Skaife highlights his role as the Ravenmaster and a Yeomen Warder in, “The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London”.
“The Ravenmaster” is in not claiming to be an animal behavioral study – Skaife is not a scientist- and is instead a light-weight portrait/memoir look at Skaife’s occupation as the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. Skaife infuses the pages with a breakdown of the history of the position, the Tower ravens, and juicy tidbits concerning his daily life. This is also plumped with specific stories of his interactions with the ravens.
Skaife’s approach is accessible and easy-to-read offering an enjoyable text for a wide, general audience. The language has a comedic streak but also maintains a professional tone. The issue arises with organization and presentation which take on a clunky descriptor. Skaife has the habit of running off on tangents and not completing thoughts or subjects thoroughly. Plus, Skaife’s recollection of his life stories and background don’t make sense with his life at the Tower (he strains to connect them) and are a stark contrast.
Elaborating on this, the occasional animal biology/raven discussions aren’t in-line with Skaife’s writing style and suggests the possibility of a ghost writer penning these sections. Bluntly, “The Ravenmaster” is enjoyable, certainly, but it is slightly elementary level and lacking a cohesive thread.
Despite the weakness, “The Ravenmaster” is appealing with its unique subject matter and encourages page-turning. Skaife excels at personalizing a high-profile position and allowing readers to share a first-hand experience into this one-of-a-kind job.
With the progression of “The Ravenmaster” comes a smoother storytelling from Skaife, as he finds his ‘groove’. The content is more logical and focused on the ravens, adding clarity to the pages, At this point, the missing element is the absence of emotional connection as Skaife simply recalls or recounts stories but doesn’t truly express his feelings or thoughts regarding the incidents.
The final chapters of “The Ravenmaster” entertain with personal stories and some historical references to the Tower.This leads to a conclusion the summarizes Skaife’s feelings on the ravens and the future of the birds. However, Skaife sort of drags out the finality with three short chapters when it could have been combined into one.
Skaife supplements “The Ravenmaster” with a section of photo color plates, a list of the warders having held the Ravenmaster title, and a bibliography of sources available on both ravens and the history of the Tower.
“The Ravenmaster” is a ‘cute’ memoir on an individualistic topic. Sadly, the execution is flawed, the text is absent of emotional storytelling and the pace lacks consistency. The best term used to describe “The Ravenmaster” is: thin. Despite these negative traits, “The Ravenmaster” is suggested as a quick read for those interested in ravens, the Tower of London, and/or unique jobs.
“The Ravenmaster” is in not claiming to be an animal behavioral study – Skaife is not a scientist- and is instead a light-weight portrait/memoir look at Skaife’s occupation as the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. Skaife infuses the pages with a breakdown of the history of the position, the Tower ravens, and juicy tidbits concerning his daily life. This is also plumped with specific stories of his interactions with the ravens.
Skaife’s approach is accessible and easy-to-read offering an enjoyable text for a wide, general audience. The language has a comedic streak but also maintains a professional tone. The issue arises with organization and presentation which take on a clunky descriptor. Skaife has the habit of running off on tangents and not completing thoughts or subjects thoroughly. Plus, Skaife’s recollection of his life stories and background don’t make sense with his life at the Tower (he strains to connect them) and are a stark contrast.
Elaborating on this, the occasional animal biology/raven discussions aren’t in-line with Skaife’s writing style and suggests the possibility of a ghost writer penning these sections. Bluntly, “The Ravenmaster” is enjoyable, certainly, but it is slightly elementary level and lacking a cohesive thread.
Despite the weakness, “The Ravenmaster” is appealing with its unique subject matter and encourages page-turning. Skaife excels at personalizing a high-profile position and allowing readers to share a first-hand experience into this one-of-a-kind job.
With the progression of “The Ravenmaster” comes a smoother storytelling from Skaife, as he finds his ‘groove’. The content is more logical and focused on the ravens, adding clarity to the pages, At this point, the missing element is the absence of emotional connection as Skaife simply recalls or recounts stories but doesn’t truly express his feelings or thoughts regarding the incidents.
The final chapters of “The Ravenmaster” entertain with personal stories and some historical references to the Tower.This leads to a conclusion the summarizes Skaife’s feelings on the ravens and the future of the birds. However, Skaife sort of drags out the finality with three short chapters when it could have been combined into one.
Skaife supplements “The Ravenmaster” with a section of photo color plates, a list of the warders having held the Ravenmaster title, and a bibliography of sources available on both ravens and the history of the Tower.
“The Ravenmaster” is a ‘cute’ memoir on an individualistic topic. Sadly, the execution is flawed, the text is absent of emotional storytelling and the pace lacks consistency. The best term used to describe “The Ravenmaster” is: thin. Despite these negative traits, “The Ravenmaster” is suggested as a quick read for those interested in ravens, the Tower of London, and/or unique jobs.
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Linda (Miss Greedybooks)
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Nov 22, 2018 01:50PM
Great review! Thanks. I love England, English History and most birds... Ravens are at the top! I also envy his job/life.
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I have a weekend gig as a Goat Wrangler (my goats are in national commercials, film, etc) so maybe I should also write a book! ;)
Interesting topic; I’ll probably read this one also despite the flaws. And yes, Orsolya, you should definitely write a book about your own unique job!
Karen wrote: "Interesting topic; I’ll probably read this one also despite the flaws. And yes, Orsolya, you should definitely write a book about your own unique job!"It is worth a read, Karen. Don''t expect a mind-blowing book but it is 'charming'. Especially seeing that you live in the UK? I would say check it out!
Haha, rumor is that a reality show is bidding to follow our business so maybe that will happen!
Getting ready to read this also but only reading for the history of the position so sounds quite interesting to me.😊
He doesn't mention much about the history in terms of what I would have liked to see. But yeah, you will glean an insight. :)
Orsolya wrote: "He doesn't mention much about the history in terms of what I would have liked to see. But yeah, you will glean an insight. :)"I'm sure we both would like as in depth as possible but general insight is okay too.I'm perfectly happy just understanding the basic workings of the court sometimes so glad you were pleased with it as it's been on my list for a bit.
It's definitely more in the blurb type realm and a little clunky and yeah, it's not terrible. It certainly makes you want to visit the Tower ravens!
