Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
360th out of 417 books
—
544 voters
The White Deer
Here is a Thurber world of enchanted deer and seven-headed dragons, of wizards and witches, of riddles and spells, of false love and true. It is the story of a beautiful princess, transformed from a deer, who assigns each of three princes a perilous labor to perform in order to win her hand. Drawings by the Author.
Paperback, 132 pages
Published
October 23rd 1968
by Mariner Books
(first published 1945)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
269)
If you've never read the five books James Thurber wrote for children, I recommend them. Thurber's writing would make a great read-aloud because of the similar sounding words and intermittent rhyming. There is a lot of humor and wordplay.
One of my favorite parts: "Now it just happens that I have an extra set of proper parchments that I will let you have for a song."
"What song shall I sing?" said Gallow.
"In the forest of Willbe a song is three large emeralds."
These books were written around 1950...more
One of my favorite parts: "Now it just happens that I have an extra set of proper parchments that I will let you have for a song."
"What song shall I sing?" said Gallow.
"In the forest of Willbe a song is three large emeralds."
These books were written around 1950...more
I love Thurber's fables for all ages. He's got the humor that shows in such works as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and he's got the gracefully poetic voice of Ray Bradbury in such books as Dandelion Wine. I especially like the part of this one wherein the princess sets the tasks, and demands of her favorite the easiest task. 'Course, there's a surprise ending here which negates that, but it all works out wonderfully in the end.
I love King Clode, the father of the three princes, always pushin...more
I love King Clode, the father of the three princes, always pushin...more
I love James Thurber and the illustrations, alone, almost make this book worth the read. But combine them with Thurber's love of rhyme, alliteration, and paragraphs like: "She never wed, but sat with owls by day and cats by night, peering far and near and crying, 'Hark!' Her true love came in every form, in dust and wind and roses. Her voice grew high and shrill and wild and wilder. And in the end she brewed an evil brew of mice and woad and cocatrice and rue, and over this she cast a spell in m...more
This is a cute and silly little book.
I was half asleep so I'm not sure what the program was, but I woke up just in time to hear two men alternately reading something by James Thurber on NPR a few mornings ago. My interest was piqued and I picked up a couple of his books at the library later that afternoon. I can't remember the other title, but I enjoyed them both. They were quick and easy to read ... entertaining without requiring much thought or attention. I liked the books, but didn't love th...more
I was half asleep so I'm not sure what the program was, but I woke up just in time to hear two men alternately reading something by James Thurber on NPR a few mornings ago. My interest was piqued and I picked up a couple of his books at the library later that afternoon. I can't remember the other title, but I enjoyed them both. They were quick and easy to read ... entertaining without requiring much thought or attention. I liked the books, but didn't love th...more
For some reason it has taken me an inordinately long time to work my way through this short book. It is a charming modern fairy tale, but it has not charmed and delighted me in the same way that Thurber's The Wonderful O did. Maybe it's just timing, or maybe it was because my reading of that book was such a serendipitous surprise, but I think it's mainly because in this book the marvelous play of words and ideas takes a bit of a back seat to the story.
I can't believe I'm actually complaining abo...more
I can't believe I'm actually complaining abo...more
A charming little book that I rescued from a used books shelf for two bits. The wordplay in the chapter about Prince Thag's labor is amusing. Thurber's modelling-challenged drawings are part of the package: one gets the impression that he wrote a story around the three animals for which he could render a reasonable likeness. How is it that this volume hasn't been picked up by one of the Thurber anthologies?
This is a book for those who love fairy tales and the English language. One can see how this influenced Peter Beagle. Here, you have a princess transformed into a white deer. In Beagle's class, Last Unicorn, the eponymous magical being must take the form of a fair maiden in order to survive.
Thurber has fun with the tropes of fairy tale . . . and does love to play with words and bring them together in expressions not quite eloquent, but certainly sonorous.
Well worth your time. Probably worth even...more
Thurber has fun with the tropes of fairy tale . . . and does love to play with words and bring them together in expressions not quite eloquent, but certainly sonorous.
Well worth your time. Probably worth even...more
This was the one book my whole family coveted. It was given to my mother by my father. best darn fable everrrrrrrrr I used to take turns with others in my family rereading it. This was also a favorite of ours to read aloud by the fire. I am pretty sure I could recite this book by heart.
A whimsical and lovely tale. I read it over and over again, it remains a real childhood favourite.
This fairy tale made a huge impact on me when I read it as a young person.
Beautiful and charming, this was the first Thurber I had ever read. Having read the book "The Last Unicorn" first, I was taken aback when I realized the similarity between the two.
As much as I loved "The Last Unicorn", I have to give credit where credit is due. "The White Deer" was published 23 years before "The Last Unicorn", giving this book seniority.
Don't get me wrong both books are definitely worth your time, and are really very different from each other in many ways.
As much as I loved "The Last Unicorn", I have to give credit where credit is due. "The White Deer" was published 23 years before "The Last Unicorn", giving this book seniority.
Don't get me wrong both books are definitely worth your time, and are really very different from each other in many ways.
This was a pretty peculiar book. It was interesting and I did finish it, but I just wasn't really into it. I read it in a few hours. It was very short. At first I was paying attention but I started to glaze over. It was alright though.
Jun 18, 2013
Meir Hoberman
marked it as to-read
Jun 05, 2013
Neoma
added it
Jun 04, 2013
Zoeeloise
marked it as to-read
May 31, 2013
Darius Liddell
marked it as to-read
May 27, 2013
Margaret
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Anna
added it
May 13, 2013
Nattie
is currently reading it
May 10, 2013
Ellie
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Inkplot
marked it as to-read
Mar 22, 2013
~☆ Alice☆~
marked it as to-read
Mar 20, 2013
C.
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L. Thurber and Mary Agnes (Mame) Fisher Thurber. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father, a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor, is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Thurber described his mother as a "born comedien...more
More about James Thurber...
Share This Book
3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“There was a mist of moss to ride through and a storm of glass.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
