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The Yearling
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Jody faces the harsh realities of life and grows from a boy into a man in this Pulitzer prize-winning book for middle school, teen, and adult 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.
Reading level: Ages ten and up. Unfortunately, the racially offensive “n” word is used in descriptive phrases, though not directed at people. The violence of hunting and fighting is handled tastefully. This middle school book 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.
From my blog: http://middleschoolbookreviews.wordpr...
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.
Reading level: Ages ten and up. Unfortunately, the racially offensive “n” word is used in descriptive phrases, though not directed at people. The violence of hunting and fighting is handled tastefully. This middle school book 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.
From my blog: http://middleschoolbookreviews.wordpr...
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