The Yearling (50th Anniversary Edition) [Paperback]

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Author), N.C. Wyeth (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 30, 1988

A Pulitzer Prize-winning classic originally published over 50 years ago, Rawling's timeless story of backwoods Florida and the tender relationship of a young boy and his tame fawn continues to delight and enthrall readers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Never before has Mrs. Rawlings created a set of characters who are so close and real to the reader, whose intimate life one can share without the taint of unconscious patronage." (The New York Times)

“Heart-stopping adventure and heart-wrenching human elements…. 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.” (Amazon.com)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: Collier MacMillan Publishers; 50th Anniversary edition (March 30, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0020449313
• ISBN-13: 978-0020449317
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 1.1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest novels ever written! March 22, 2006

By Dan T

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is not hard to see why this modern masterpiece was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1938. It was made into a classic movie starring Gregory Peck as Penny Baxter and was illustrated by the legendary N.C Wyeth. They would not have exhausted their immense talents on a mediocre book (as some of the reviews have expressed- were they reading the same book as me?).

The story is beautifully crafted and it flows effortlessly. The homespun language is quaint and is perfect for the book (which is set in the late 1800s). The author knew the intricacies of nature in Florida and described it with exactness and beauty. There are many sections of the book that are filled with warm humor and lightheartedness. The deep closeness between the father and son is touching as well as the love between the husband and wife.

Life was a tough stuggle then and it is brought out with great skill. Rawlings was a master of timing and decriptions.

(For those high school students who were forced to read the book- read it again in ten years. I felt the same way about "To Kill A Mockingbird". In high school I hated it. Later in life- I loved it. Maturity adds a lot to any book).

There is one aspect of the book that is a little hard to believe- grown men getting up in the middle of the night to play their music on guitars and so forth- stark naked- in front a of a young neighbor- but that is only thing in the entire novel.

N.C. Wyeth's illustrations are perfect for the story. His use of strong directional lighting is fabulous. I would recommend the Scribner Classic (hardcover)with his illustrations in it.

Rawlings lived in the heart of the Florida woods in the winter time and was a keen observer of nature and men.... I think I learned more about hunting from this book than from any other source.

Because this book lacks sex, extreme violence, aliens or risque humor- perhaps it seems dull to some- but it is for those very reasons that I was enthralled with it. Imagine a book filled with brilliant writing, a complex plot which is weaved by a consummate artist and many secondary adventures all which fortify the plot and without one tinge of cussing!

This book deserves ten stars not five. Read more ›

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Yearling June 30, 2006

By M. Deisering

Format:Hardcover

I remember checking The Yearling out of the library when I was 10 or 11. I read the first few pages and was so intimidated by the length of the novel that I returned it to the library two weeks later...unread. My loss. I just finished reading this book and it is a beautiful, poignant, rich story that I will hold in my heart forever. I appreciated Rawlings' detailed descriptions and her extensive character development. I felt like I was really there in the Florida scrub experiencing everything that Jody experienced. Jody's love for Flag is so lovely, touching, beautiful...and familiar. Have you ever had a pet whom you loved more than anyone else in the world and would do anything for? There is no other love like it...it is true devotion. The scene where Jody meets Flag is so enthralling that I wanted to read it over and over. I felt like I knew each character and I became so attached to Jody and Flag and their devoted friendship that I wept in more places than one.

Although I think this is an excellent book for children and adults, I'm not sure that there are many teenagers who will appreciate it. It is a harsh story in places, but it is not so much the harshness that I'm talking about. This book is about a time when people were more at one with nature and life was simple and slow-moving. There are no explosions, no sex, no swearing and no gratuitous violence. I loved the novel for those reasons. To many young people, this may spell "boring". Although I would have loved this story at any time in my life, had I read it when I was a teenager, I would have never had the patience for the rich detail. Now, I savor it. I loved the story for its slow-moving, simplicity and detail and because it was a total break from the warp speed and superficiality of today....

This is actually the best book I've ever read, and definitely the most touching. I can't wait to have children old enough to read it together with them. This is an unforgettable coming-of-age story...I think you have to have come of age yourself to really appreciate the landscape that Jody traverses with his cherished friend and where it brings him. I'm so glad I took the time to read this wonderful book and really savor it. I can't recommend it highly enough. Read more ›

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, buy why regarded as a "children's" book? May 18, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This is one of the best books I've ever read; the characters are vivid, the story is engrossing, the depiction of life in a remote rural area is authentic. But even though the relationship between a young boy and his pet deer plays a primary role this book does not strike me as being a "children's" book. It is lengthy and contains adult themes more suitable for a book meant for more mature readers. Death, extreme hardship, starvation, attempted murder...this a kiddy story? I dismissed reading this book years ago because I thought, oh well, the story of a boy and his deer, ho hum, not interested. Well, this book has MUCH more depth than that. The review by younger readers who proclaim this book "boring" are not old enough to appreciate it. I would recommend this book to anyone mature enough to understands it's appeal and deeper meaning.

40 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Life in central Florida. June 25, 1999

By R. D. Allison ([e-mail])

Format:Paperback

This classic novel was written by an author who wrote it at her home a few miles south of Gainesville (in Cross Creek, Florida) and it won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. It is about life in rural central Florida in the second half of the 19th century, being centered around a boy (Jody Baxter), his family, and his pet fawn (Flag). Throughout the novel, the reader sees a boy growing up and having to face some tough decisions. We also learn much about the natural history, environment, folk remedies and beliefs, and culture of rural Florida. We also learn how precarious one's existence is out in the wild. Jody's father, Penny Baxter, has to kill a doe in order to use a folk remedy for a snake bite, not knowing that there is a little fawn nearby. Jody keeps the fawn to raise and to have as a friend. But, as the fawn grows older, problems arise. The author based her main characters loosely (very loosely) on a rural family she knew living in central Florida. Contrary to most reports, this family did not live in Cross Creek. They had a small place deep in the woods in the center of what is now the Ocala National Forest. I decided to see if I could find that site in the late 1980s. It turned out not be difficult at all. Armed with a map of the National Forest, I went on a hike (on some beautiful trails) and found the place. Nothing remains of the house. However, the family burial plot is still there, as are the graves of most of the members of the family. Unfortunately, it is sad to report that a number of the headstones have been stolen. Some of the stones referred to Civil War veterans. As you probably know, such stones draw very good prices on the "black market...." The Forest Service had signs posted to warn people against stealing items but, being deep in the woods, they were taken anyway. I'm certain that the people who took the stones have no idea of their literary significance. Perhaps one day the Forest Service or some historical organization will replace the stones, but with all the cutbacks in funding, it'll probably be a long time before that happens. Read more ›