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The Yearling Review

"The Yearling" was one of the books of my youth and I still recall the sheer magic of the story through the eyes and imagination of a child. It is a totally different experience that that of the adult, in reading the same book, years later. Yet it is meant for both.

The story is threaded throughout with humor even as it describes the dire poverty and struggle against the elements of a scrub family eking out a living among the wild creatures in a Florida swamp setting. Penny Baxter, the son of a backwoods preacher, his wife and young son, Jody, are simple and plain folk, but of solid character and tough fabric. The nearest neighbors are another family of a totally different variety, both in appearance and "raising" - the rough and tumble Forresters, a family of bearded, untamed backwoodsmen, headed up by a frail old couple whose existence revolves around a strange nucleus - a younger child and brother, "Fodderwing" - misshapen and crippled mentally at birth but whose soul is bright and unaware of physical limitations. Jody Baxter and Fodderwing are, in the innocence of youth, close friends who, when they are able to play together, share a deep love of the wild creatures of the woods that surround their "clearings". The chapter that deals with the interaction of the two lonely little boys with their animals is truly beautiful - childhood moments at their finest. Yet the author does not dwell long in the telling of those moments - it, like the real passing of time, is fleeting, gossamer.

There are several separate, wonderful story threads: the "dog deal"; the might of The Storm - a hurricane - in which the reader actually feels the wild wind whipping the palmettos as the rain sheets down in torrents; the hunt for food afterward amid the death and destruction that takes the Forresters and the Baxters into the aftermath of the storm and it's devastations; the agony of feeling up close the cold breath of Death barely sparing the life of Penny, the sturdy little father so totally elemental to the survival of all; but primarily, it is the tale of the deep devotion of the little boy, Jody, for his fawn, Flag - the young deer who becomes the only other young creature in Jody's life that can be his companion on a regular basis, and for whom he tries to shield from the ever encroaching reality that the pet is a deer, and that deer and people are at odds in the fierce and unforgiving "circle of life" in such an environment.

This book is a Classic - it's mystery and morale will never be forgotten once read, and in the final paragraphs, another elusive, fleeting truth flares brightly - then vanishes forever into the mists of the swamp.

The Yearling Overview

The classic Pulitzer prize-winning novel read by the star of the TV movie.
It all started the day the rattlesnake bit Jody Baxter's pa, Penny, in the arm. The doe and her fawn just happened to be nearby. Penny shot the doe and used its liver to try to draw the deadly venom out of his veins. By the time they got Penny home, he was near dead. And as much pain as Jody was in for his pa, he hurt for the orphaned fawn, too. So he went back the next day and brought the newborn home.
The magic of The Yearling has touched and enchanted us for nearly six decades. Here's the joy, sadness and hardships faced by the Baxter family in the heart of the wild, dangerous Florida scrub. Here's the story of the hunt for the vicious marauding bear, Slewfoot, the deadly winter floods, and the running battles with the rough and rowdy Forrester clan. But here, too, is the beauty and wonder of the land: the humming bees, fragile lavender, sweet bay and magnolias.
And, at last, here is the tale of a boy and the yearling fawn he would come to love and cherish, and name Flag, after its small white tail -- a boy who becomes a man, as he learns to make the brutally hard choices that life sometimes demands of us all.

The Yearling Specifications

Fighting off a pack of starving wolves, wrestling alligators in the swamp, romping with bear cubs, drawing off the venom of a giant rattlesnake bite with the heart of a fresh-killed deer--it's all in a day's work for the Baxter family of the Florida scrublands. But young Jody Baxter is not content with these electrifying escapades, or even with the cozy comfort of home with Pa and Ma. He wants a pet, a friend with whom he can share his quiet cogitations and his corn pone. Jody gets his pet, a frisky fawn he calls Flag, but that's not all. With Flag comes a year of life lessons, frolicking times, and achingly hard decisions. This powerful book is as compelling now as when it was written over 60 years ago. Read simply as a naturalist study of the Florida interior, it fascinates and entices. Add the heart-stopping adventure and heart-wrenching human elements, and this is a classic well worth its Pulitzer Prize. Earthy dialect and homespun wisdom season the story, giving it a unique and unforgettable flavor, and N.C. Wyeth's warm, soft illustrations capture an era of rough subsistence and sweet survival. (Ages 12 and older) --Emilie Coulter

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Customer Reviews

Profound Vision of Life - Willow - Alameda, CA United States
Jody faces the harsh realities of life and grows from a boy into a man in this Pulitzer prize-winning book for middle school readers. Jody and his folks live a hard life on a Florida farm in the late 1800's. He gets very little schooling, but instead is expected to help out with the chores: hoeing, hauling in wood for the fire, and tending the cow, the pig, and the chickens. Everyone in the family must pitch in to make sure there's food on the table every day.

When Jody desperately wants to take in an orphaned fawn as a pet, his father agrees, even though the fawn will need to drink some of their precious milk. Jody rescues the fawn and loves it as he's never loved anything.

As time goes on, the boy has to take on a greater share of the work. Even though he's busy, Jody delights in watching the fawn grow, and the two of them play together as the best of friends. However, the family's troubles mount when Jody's father is seriously injured. Then Jody faces, not just hard work, but the most difficult decision of his life.

The author's knowledge of farming, hunting, and the habits of animals is amazingly detailed. You'd think she herself lived that hardscrabble life of half a century earlier (The Yearling was published in 1938).

Rawlings has woven together a powerful story and a rich and detailed world into a profound vision of the joy and pain of life. She's an amazing writer: the final sentence, which captures the theme of the novel, is a poetic image that pierced my heart.

This was written in a time when the pace of storytelling was slower than today's novels. This and the detailed descriptions could be off-putting to some young readers, but lovers of literature, whatever their age, will revel in her prose and be moved by the compelling story.

Falling in Love - Gary Powell - Hawaii
More than 60 years ago the story of Jody and his first true love captured the hearts of all who read it. The boy, Jody, starving for warmth and affection himself finds them in his adoption of a young deer, a "yearling". The love he develops for his pet and the relationship they share touches your heart and reminds you that life is so much more than what we know - it is what we feel.

Taking you to the wilds of Florida in the days when battling the elements and creatures of nature was a day-by-day occurrence, this story is full of adventure and raw emotion. To most today this life seems brutal and unforgiving, but a reader allowing himself to time travel backward can watch from the clearing as a special relationship develops between and boy and a deer.

Love, responsibility, regret, fun, sorrow, all are valuable elements in the story and I cannot think of a reader who would find this tale boring. It is a classic tale and one that needs to be on the bookshelf of every young person - after they have read it!

Sad Ending - Eugenia Renskoff - New York, New York
I truly enjoyed reading The Yearling and later I watched the movie version on DVD. I understand the fact that the deer was eating the corn and therefore threatened the family's food supply. Even so, having loved my own animals very dearly, I was sad when the deer had to be killed.It made me cry.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 03, 2010 00:20:05

Children's Books

Monday, August 2, 2010