The story of a red deer

by Gina Stewart

One of the most famous animal stories ever written, this book follows the life of a stag from birth to his last gallant run before the hounds. It reflects the changing seasons on Exmoor, and it speaks with deep and affectionate perception of the wild creatures that live there.

Genres: Classics, Animal Fiction

136 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1897

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a 'simple' animal story, this book has many layers. While the animals are used as examples of human characters (the old stag ~~ old men, Aunt Yeld the elderly female deer ~~ old maiden ladies) they are mainly portrayed acting as animals, not as humans in animal suits. So there is the Natural History layer, which gives you a fascinating inside look at the wildlife of Exmoor.

The author sometimes breaks the narrative by addressing the young boy who is presumably reading the story, reminding him to follow this or that example of the animals, or sometimes simply giving advice about life and the future. So there is the Cultural Education layer. A few of these hints seem ridiculously out of date now, but it must be kept in mind that this book was written in 1897.

When I first began reading, I wondered if this was Bambi in disguise, but when I checked on publishing dates I found that Bambi was published in 1923, becoming the Disney movie in the 40's. Perhaps this book influenced the author of Bambi, I do not know. But of the two books, I prefer The Story Of The Red Deer. Our deer never has a proper name, he begins the book as Calf and ends it as Stag. But throughout the story, his spirit grows until at the end he represents not just himself but all wild red deer, even all of Wild Nature, which will live forever in spirit no matter how much Man hounds and harasses it.

[Mythical Mishmash · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most racist, sexist and frustratingly boring piece of xenofiction I’ve read in ages. It didn’t help at all that the main protagonist was so unlikeable that I couldn’t find any joy in reading whatever he did or said. I should’ve DNF’d it rather than suffered.

[Gayle]

Read many years ago - probably as a child - I still have it and was wondering if I should give it to my son, but looking at some of the reviews here I am thinking I should re-read first.

[Monique]

And he threw his little nose into the air and snuffed up the full, rich breeze; for no creature has a finer scent than a deer; and he felt that this was life indeed.

[Karolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am happy the library discarded this book, because now I have it for myself. It's a really sweet story, and I enjoyed it. It was a nice read when I just didn't want to read --- and unlike most stories, it did not have the dreary plot or tone. Yet, now that I've finished it, it leaves me with an eerie feeling because it left me with a new grain of wisdom. Likely, this is because it was written by observation of a creative man, who respected the world around him for what it was.