Reviewed by Tina Stanciu for Readers' Favorite

The Great Hawk, written by Karl F. Hollenbach, is a short story about Jimmy, a little boy living in the time of the Great Depression and his dreams and desires of training a hawk. The story begins by describing Jimmy’s journey to his grandparents’ house and ends up revealing near-tragic experiences that occur when the little boy tries to force his ways on nature. The book offers insightful clues as you keep on reading and, at the same time, keeps you interested in learning more about Jimmy and his journey and the lessons he learns.

Karl F. Hollenbach wrote a beautiful story, combining elements such as fantasy, coming of age life lessons, adventure and last, but not least, love. The Great Hawk perfectly portrays rural life during the Great Depression and, although it starts slowly with an innocent tone, its many layers and hidden meanings make it the perfect tale for expressing a powerful message.

I don’t really see The Great Hawk as a story for children, even if that was the first impression I got when I started reading it. It’s much more than that, and perhaps a child might not be able to decipher all of its layers. If you are a fan of philosophical writings, stories about the forces of nature, and fantastic setting descriptions, The Great Hawk is definitely the book for you. Personally, being a philosophy enthusiast, I felt that this book needed to be a little longer to fully present and debate some aspects of nature and humanity. But nonetheless, the author did a great job in binding all the elements together, from the innocent beginning to the message it delivers and the not so happy ending.