Product Description

Originally published in 1942, Cross Creek has become a classic in modern American literature. For the millions of readers raised on The Yearling, here is the story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's experiences in the remote Florida hamlet of Cross Creek, where she lived for thirteen years. From the daily labors of managing a seventy-two-acre orange grove to bouts with runaway pigs and a succession of unruly farmhands, Rawlings describes her life at the Creek with humor and spirit. Her tireless determination to overcome the challenges of her adopted home in the Florida backcountry, her deep-rooted love of the earth, and her genius for character and description result in a most delightful and heartwarming memoir. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Cross Creek
I had mixed feelings about this book.Before I read it I was expecting an account of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings life and how she homesteaded.While this book has some of that, it actually wasn't the type of homesteading account I thought it would be.

There isn't really a set time line to this novel.She jumps around back and forth between years and seasons and people.While she does describe some life on the farm, the majority of her time is spent describing the people of Cross Creek, and not always in the friendliest of ways.

Since this book was published before the civil rights movement, I expected some of the language that this book contains and knew it could be offensive.That didn't bother me.What bothered me was that it actually was racist.I could have respected Rawlings if the only time she appeared blatantly racist was just in her names of Black people.However, with the exception of a few she paints a picture of them being lazy, unintelligent, primitive, and quality only for servants.As she was quite the progressive lady in other ways during the novel (being divorced, running a farm on her own) she disappointed me in this area and it really spoiled the book for me.

When she's not talking about the people of Cross Creek the book is beautiful.Luscious descriptions of food she make abound and I might have to take a look at her cookbook.She describes beautiful scenery and the passing of the seasons through her farm.She describes the harvest and the natural wildlife that frequently show up unexpected in the least likely of places (snake in the bathroom).To me, the food chapter was the saving grace of this novel.In fact, its the reason I gave it as high as three stars.

If you are going to read this novel please be prepared to be offended.But also be prepared to experience the joy of running a Floridian farm.

Cross Creek
Copyright 1942
368 pages

Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
This is such a delightful book by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and although autobiographical, it reads like a story.Ms. Rawlings writes of her life in a Florida rural backwater called Cross Creek that she moves to after leaving her husband.Alone, she must learn the ways of the Creek people, how to manage a large but neglected orange grove, deal with snakes, bugs and overgrown gardens and, a neighbors errant pigs.Life at Cross Creek was also the inspiration for her modern classic, The Yearling and other stories.Written with humor and a determined but spirited nature, you will find Cross Creek an enjoyable peek into the unique lives of those who called it home.

Cross Creek

The book I ordered was delivered in a timely manner and was in excellent condition.

An older autobiography with a twist
For any who don't know, Rawlings gained her initial notoriety for the book, The Yearling. Cross Creek is an autobiography of her years spent on 75 acres just below Gainesville which became her retreat for a number of years. This was in the 1940s when much of Florida was still rural. My wife and I own a mobile home in rural Lake City, Florida, but it is not nearly as secluded as Rawling's place. She presents a wonderfully vivid picture of untamed Florida during this period. Surprisingly, the book is not a self-indulgent reflection on her books and how well they sold. She concentrates more upon her natural surroundings and the individuals around her, both friend and foe. If I recommended a memoir by a writer living in rural Florida, you would probably not run out and buy the book. But Rawling's honest transparency and unabashed candor make this a book worth reading.

Unexplainably Profound
I have difficulty putting my love for this book into words. I feel a kinship with Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings that defies reason. After reading this book, I had to buy every book I could find about the author, and then I went to Florida to see her house and farm at Cross Creek. I have read the book aloud to other people twice and have given copies of it to friends. It may not move others in the same way as it does me, but it is a lovely depiction of life in rural Florida in the 1930s. ... Read more

Product Description
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings + Leo and Diane Dillon = pure magic!

A depression era story that is just as timely as it is enchanting, this is a stunning picture book for the ages.

There’s just not enough…not enough money, not enough food, not enough fish for her daddy to sell at the market. Hard times have come to the forest, but Calpurnia wants to turn them back into soft times. With her little dog Buggy Horse and a tip from old Mother Albirtha, the wisest person in the forest, Calpurnia finds a secret river and uses the pink paper roses from her hair to catch enough beautiful catfish to feed the whole swamp land —with some left over for Daddy to sell. When she tries to find the river again the next day, Mother Albirtha tells her, “Child, sometimes a thing happens once, and does not ever happen anymore….You caught catfish when catfish were needed…you will not find the river again.” This story by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Yearling and literary icon Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is about living in a time of want, yet it is overflowing with riches—stunning language, mystical happenings, wondrous, wondrous artwork. Beautiful in all ways that a book can be beautiful, this unforgettable picture book is a classic in the making. ... Read more

Product Description
The Classic Book on Southern Cooking

First published in 1942, Cross Creek Cookery was compiled by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings at the request of readers who wanted to recreate the luscious meals described in Cross Creek -- her famous memoir of life in a Florida hamlet.

Lovers of old-fashioned, down-home cooking will treasure the recipes for Grits, Hush-Puppies, Florida Fried Fish, Orange Fluff, and Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie. For more adventuresome palates, there are such unusual dishes as Minorcan Gopher Stew, Coot Surprise, Alligator-Tail Steak, Mayhaw Jelly, and Chef Huston's Cream of Peanut Soup.

Spiced with delightful anecdotes and lore, Cross Creek Cookery guides the reader through the rich culinary heritage of the deep tidal South with a loving regard for the rituals of cooking and eating. Anyone who longs for food -- and writing -- that warms the heart will find ample portions of both in this classic cookbook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A wonderful place to eat!
Cross Creek Cookery is a wonderful book full of delicious recipes that really work.Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote about her own life and kitchen where she produced meals for friends from all over the world using food from her own yard.I've served several of her simple dishes to family and friends and relished reading about the others.She wrote the book in response to requests from World War II GI's, who missed the home cooking on their own farms.No need to miss it; you can make it, too.

" not simply a culinary freak-show"??
CULINARY FREAK SHOW!!!!!!!!!Shame on your black yankee heart.I have regularly eaten with gusto most of the recipies that earlier reviwer vilifies.I am a 1947 vintage son of a South Carolina good ol' boy who managed to marry a wonderful New Yawker (actually from the city so nice they named it twice, NY, NY) and convince her to move to the farm in the coastal Low Country which is very similar to central Florida. My Ma couldn't stand the culture shock too long and my parents carried me and my three sisters off to a dairy farm on Long Island in 1956 where I grew up in exile and loss, pining away for swamp country though I still had walking distance access to frequent fishing expeditions at a very nearby beach.My Ma cooked very little game since we did not hunt once we moved north but she was an excellent cook with a German heritage slant to her cooking repertoire.I was raised up there on a more refined cooking style which I have always appreciated but still missed the game dishes of my earlier days. I read this book and others by Rawlings in high school and was prepped with recipies when I headed south after my release from Uncle Sam's SE Asia branch of the School of Hard Knocks.Coming to rest on wild, remote family land in SC (hey, I might be white but I never was particularly poor and I'm surely not trash) I pumped my Aunts for ways to cook fish and game and frequently broke out my copy of this book to supplement my own experimentation with food that had never heard of a grocery store.
The host of pilaus refer to a bunch of pilau (pronounced PER-low here in SC but perhaps more palatable to some when called Pilaf by the ridiculous, effete French) or rice and meat recipies since there are dozens of types of meat (game and grocery store varieties) that are excellent cooked with the rice. I still relish memories of my Aunt Helen's pig tail pilau and her peppery shrimp pilau when I was a child but I could never quite be comfortable with the one she loved which featured CHICKEN FEET in all their scary yellow splendor.
Gopher stew would be a stew made from the now seriously endangered Gopher Tortoise (near extinct in SC) which provided half of the 19th century central Florida survival staple of gophers 'n' grits.I never was wanton enough to kill a Gopher but I have eaten many a snapper, soft shell, cooter or slider turtle as excellent substitutes.Again, these all have excellent (but different) flavor but would probably be readily consumed if served as Terrapin Stew in some trendy eatery.
I've never eaten blackbird pie but have happily consumed countless grackles and redwings in most any other way they could be cooked.My favorite blackbird meal is red wing breasts pot roasted and served with a light brown gravy, rice, mustard greens and lots of hot jalapenos.I've eaten many doves and quail also and I honestly do not find them as succulent as blackbirds gathered from the migratory flocks that feed on the spillage left by the combine in a recently harvested feed corn field when the first cold snap settles in.Man, you couldn't afford to fatten quail or even chickens in a pen with such copious amounts of feed. Yum!You might not have any ethical considerations to killing resident, breeding blackbirds in the warm weather but I've grown up around large stock (remember the dairy farm) and you might question where they get their grain meals in the summer when the fields aren't open and covered with plentiful scattered wasted seed and I would suggest you investigate that source before you enpot a few.Here's a hint, its NOT backyard feeders.
Poke weed (poke salat or poke salad) is Ok but sometimes gives me the runs.I like the super abundant (think weeds) wild mustard better, especially mixed with turnip or collard greens which need to be cultivated or bought. Wild asparagus is small compared to cultivated varieties but a much better flavor and in the right areas (especially the midwest) is not only extraordinarily plentiful but the price is right too.In the north, dandelion leaves provide a tasty potherb.
Never cooked a bear cause they're no longer here on the coast and I have to admit to avoiding coot since I never really enjoyed the other dabblers I ever tried to cook. I couldn't count the squirrels I have eaten and enjoyed after a long afternoon in the woods with my dog and a .22 rifle which made a fun start and tasty end to a great day.I've eaten lots of deer meat but after being in the service, Bambi was a little too high a life form for me to be comfortable hunting (hey, I'm a complex kinda good ol' boy) though smaller and more abundant critters like birds, squirrels, raccoons, turtles and even snakes were never a problem for me to dispatch in pursuit of a meal and fish, crabs and shrimp are seasonally abundant here and made a major part of the diet.
BOTTOM LINE: now that I have you thinking about how good and how different this stuff tastes, hurry up and buy this wonderful book to read while you're trying your hand at cooking Rawling's teriffic recipies and I'll bet the stories and anecdotes will keep you reading while you eat if you have enough hands left to turn the pages.

Nostalgia and food: great combo
This cookbook is evocative of North Florida history. Lots of old time recipes and generally neat anecdotes.

Rawlings Humor and Recipes
A great read... both for the recipes and for a large dose of Marjorie Rawlings' folksy humor.Loved it from cover to cover.

Much more than a cookbook
A big fan of MKR, I stumbled over this little book at a booksale several years ago----it's paperback and coming apart from use, and the pure pleasure of reading Ms. Rawlings' commentary and recollections of living at Cross Creek. Her biscuit and hoe-cake recipes are worth the price, as they evoked memories of my grandmothers kitchen where it wasn't a meal without fresh, hot bread.
Highly recommended---even if you're not a cook! ... Read more

Product Description

RELIVE THE WONDER OF A CHILDHOOD FAVORITE THAT HAS BEEN CAPTURING THE HEARTS OF READERS FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY.

An instant bestseller when it was released in 1938, this Pulitzer Prize winner has been read and loved by school-age children across the nation for more than fifty years. In this classic story of the Baxter family and their wild, hard, and satisfying life in remote central Florida, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings has written one of the great novels of our times. A rich and varied tale -- tender in its understanding of boyhood, crowded with the excitement of the backwoods hunt, with vivid descriptions of the primitive, beautiful hammock country, written with humor and earthy philosophy -- The Yearling is a novel for readers of all ages. Its glowing picture of a life refreshingly removed from modern patterns of living is universal in its revelation of simple courageous people and the beliefs they must live by.

This edition, complete with a new introduction by author Ivan Doig, will be cherished for years to come and will make a welcome addition to any booklover's shelf. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Beautiful story.Captures an almost forgotten time in Florida.
Beautiful book. Incredible descriptions. Touching characters. Perhaps a little too much killing of animals, but seems accurate to the time and place. I had heard the book was slow and boring, but I have read the entire thing out loud to my wife and we found it enchanting.

A simple yet penetrating glimpse into the world of boyhood innocence.
In past reviews, people have speculated that if The Yearling were to have been published in today's times, would it still have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. For me, I would have to say that that would be a resounding yes. I say so because the novel captures, with vivid simplicity, a bygone American era via the stark usage of the literaty resources available to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings at the time, quite simply, the values, environment and language which surrounded her. Being the excellent and astute writer that she was, she transposed those raw yet natural elements to her characters, specificially the gruff yet loving Baxter clan.

In a time where people are adrift due to the constant onslaught of materialism, celebrity, technology, vanity, money, you name it, the Baxter clan are a refreshing anomaly, for all of the above was not really available to them, and if it was, it was to a very limited degree. But because of that humbling deprivation, they as a family and individualistically speaking, were interiorily richer in so many different capacities. Their lessons came from the law of the land, the primal yet earthy philosophy of kill or be killed. But it was also a deep almost religious respect of the land and its animals that could definitely shape the thinking and the ever evolving twists and turns that are in abundance in The Yearling. Ezra Baxter-Jody's father-to some extent, could be considered as the Atticus Finch of the Florida backwoods, for he respects the codes that govern the wilderness and for the wild animals who occupy it. And thus, he kills only when necessary; he imbues that code of ethics in Jody who is of a tremendously malleable age, especially by the Forrester family and their sometimes less-than-stellar behavior.

The novel is about being a boy, about growing up and about sacrifice, and when Jody, a lone child, adopts a fawn whom he names Flag, the emptiness of being a lone child abates; the fawn, a cherished pet, is a co-experiencer with Jody of the highs and lows of living in the scrub country, and he is there for Jody's various milestones, his inching along toward the tower of manhood. But sometimes just doing the day-to-day obligations of life is simply not enough. Sometimes one has to go beyond what is expected, and the latter half of the book illustrates that sacrifice entails pain, large or small, for real love sometimes does hurt. The Yearling is pungent, pure, simple, true and very very giving, absolutely worthy of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize.

Classic love story of the South (not "Gone With the Wind")
This is one of my favorite books ever written! Maybe it's one of those sentimental things, but I suppose the best books are sentimental. And let's face it, any person that dares roll their eyes at the love between a human and an animal clearly is not a pet owner. It's a bond, true and simple, and Ms. Rawlings does an excellent job of combining that fact with a powerful story of the rough world of the backwoods and the human relationship with nature.

The idea is pretty simple--a boy finds an abandoned fawn an raises it as a pet--sort of like a dog. Jody is an awkward kid in ways that modern teen angst writers will never quite capture, a boy trapped between childhood and manhood (yeah, it's coming-of-age, but it is a classic scenario that will never die!) living in poverty with a family he doesn't quite understand and who in return don't quite understand him. This deer, this yearling, is something of his refuge.

Beyond this basic story is a collage of subplots that intertwine themselves in a believable, honest manner that relies in equal parts on character, plot, and fate without ever feeling contrived.

Rawlings' writing might bother some people, but it's no different from what plenty of other authors have done in a magical attempt to capture the way people talk. It's quirky, enchanting, and absolutely descriptive in setting and emotion.

The story of a boy and his pet deer instead of a dog. Why not?

Outstanding!
I was blown away by Rawlings amazing writing, and beautiful voice. I being a 13 year old that hates to read, found myself enjoying this book. I was amazed by the way Rawlings captured your heart with her in-depth descriptions of the character's feelings.

The only critisism I have is that the middle became to be a bit dragged out, and boring. She seemed to repeat herself, and the hunting scenes were a bit redundant.

I would suggest this book to ANYONE that can read, no matter their age.

One my lifetime favorites
I recently re-read this book after many years, having first read it when I was only ten years old. So moved by this story, even at that age, I knew that I was destined to become a writer myself.

Set in the Florida backcountry during the Post Civil War years, it is essentially a coming of age story about a twelve year old boy whose family is struggling daily just to survive. The difficulty in tending their meager crops and few livestock against harsh weather and predacious bears seems alien in our world today, yet was very real not so long ago. For me, it is the wonderfully descriptive prose that captured my soul. Every smell, the warmth of the sun, the sound of pattering rain, even the thrill of the hunt are written in such vivid colorful imagery that one feels drawn into these pages. As so with Jody's loneliness and isolation. His only friend is Fodderwing, a crippled boy who lives miles away, and his only pet is the family dog, who is loyal to no one but Jody's father, yet is too old to romp like a pup anyway. With the fawn coming into his life, he has a changed perspective. Jody is a little boy with a new friend and something to be responsible for, but most of all, something to call his own. Unfortunately, and as in most cases, trying to tame a wild animal ends up in tragedy, and twice in this story the reader faces along with Jody, the inescapable heartbreak that comes from having lost someone or something near and dear. The final result is that we witness his transformation to manhood.

Miss Rawlings must also be commended for the way her characters are developed. Simple yet thorough, by the time she's finished with each, it is as if you have known that person your entire life.

Probably for me, what drew such a strong connection to this book was the fact that I could find many parallels to the difficult life of my own maternal grandparents. Although they lived in the forest and prairie of Central Illinois, their speech was similar, and they endured much of the same hardships. Fortunately, because of their grown children and a successful, adult grandchild, most of that was behind them by the time I came along. Still, I understood what they had gone through to raise three kids on a small plot of ground miles from town, with no running water or electricity. Like Jody in this story, his boyish behavior of running off to the woods all day to play and explore was much like how I remember my time visiting the grandparent's farm. The same with my brothers and cousins.

I suppose this is considered a children's book, but I recommend it for everyone. Take the time to enjoy this wonderful story. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

James Hart Isley
Author of The Bear Hunter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Beautiful Memoir of Time and Place
Cross Creek is one of the finest memoirs ever written, filled with grace and beauty from one of America's greatest writers, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Perhaps no other writer has so perfectly and honestly captured a place and time like Rawlings did in Cross Creek. It will transport you to that small acreage of backwoods Florida and cause you to wish for a life such as this.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings purchased a seventy-two acre orange grove in this remote area and fled her aristocratic life in the city to perfect her craft and get published. It is here all her beloved books would be born, including this memoir covering the years of hardships and beauty at the creek. Rawlings herself would become a part of the earth and land as she was reborn here in Cross Creek and would leave behind literary achievements such as "South Moon Under," "Golden Apples," "When the Whipporwill," "Cross Creek Cookery," and of course, her Pulitzer winning, "The Yearling."

Her close relationships with her neighbors at the creek, both black and white, are told with humor and humanity. Their lives were often filled with hardships but serenity as well, for all of them had chosen to live this kind of life rather than conform to society. Especially poignant are Rawlings' observations of a young destitute couple who would be portrayed so movingly in Jacob's Ladder.

Rawlings' recollections of her friendship with Moe, and especially his daughter Mary, who was Moe's reason for living and the only one in his family who cared when he came or went, are told with such beauty we feel pain ourselves when he takes his last breath at the creek. Her deep friendships over the years with Tom and Old Martha are told with humor, honesty and a gift for description few have ever had.

Tinged with sadness is Marjorie's relationship both as employer and friend to 'Geechee. Rawlings would attempt to help her to no avail as this sweet personality slowly became an unemployable alcoholic. Her mistreatment at the hands of a womanizer unworthy of her love was at the heart of her problem. It is perhaps at the bottom of a few bitter comments from Rawlings.

But Cross Creek is about the earth and our relationship to it. When we stray from it we become less because it is a part of us. Rawlings came to believe over time that when we lose this connection to the earth, we lose a part of ourselves. The great and wondrous beauty of nature, from magnolia blossoms and rare herbs to Hayden mangos and papaya, are as much a part of this memoir as the people. Particularly hilarious are Rawlings' descriptions of a pet racoon of mischievious nature and such cantankerous disposition as to almost seem human.

Rawlings' world at the creek is perhaps her legacy, a gift given to the reader we can never forget. In order to enjoy this memoir, however, one must read the entire book, taking into consideration a number of factors. Published in 1942 and covering many years prior in a backwoods area of Florida, at a time when racial equality was a distant dream, some may be offended by Rawlings' casual, though never mean spirited observations. Rawlings honestly relates actual conversations from this time and place between blacks and whites, and blacks to other blacks. Rawlings treated everyone fairly but a long string of farmhands prone to drink and violence, including the one who would destroy her friend and employee 'Geechee, prompted her to lump an entire race into one group, her friends at the creek being exceptions. I do not feel the comments of this southern woman and most gifted of writers should keep anyone from reading this most beautiful and heartwarming of memoirs.

Rawlings' graceful prose, whether describing a chorus of frogs singing at night as a Brahms waltz, the scent of hibiscus drifting through the air at dusk or a myraid of dishes meticulously prepared and labored over for hours, is delightful and unforgettable. Cross Creek will make you hungry for succulent fruits, cornbread and hot biscuits with wild plum jelly, and the living of life itself.

Reading this lovingly written memoir will leave you with a wistful desire to walk away from society as Rawlings did and live the life we crave in our very being, even if it is not possible, and can only be lived in our hearts.

"Cross Creek belongs to the wind and the rain, to the sun and the seasons, to the cosmic secrecy of seed, and beyond all, to time."
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
(1896-1953)

Cross Creek view
I found myself giving away my first copy of CROSS CREEK, so HAD to have another. The product I received was well cared for, and delivered quickly to my home. Thank you for such excellent service! ... Read more

Product Description

No novel better epitomizes the love between a child and a pet than The Yearling. Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so, as his family fights off wolves, bears, and even alligators, and faces failure in their tenuous subsistence farming, Jody must finally part with his dear animal friend. There has been a film and even a musical based on this moving story, a fine work of great American literature.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 bitewith the heart of a fresh-killed deer--it's all in a day's work for theBaxter family of the Florida scrublands. But young Jody Baxter is notcontent with these electrifying escapades, or even with the cozy comfort ofhome with Pa and Ma. He wants a pet, a friend with whom he can share hisquiet cogitations and his corn pone. Jody gets his pet, a frisky fawn hecalls Flag, but that's not all. With Flag comes a year of life lessons,frolicking times, and achingly hard decisions. This powerful book is ascompelling now as when it was written over 60 years ago. Read simply as anaturalist study of the Florida interior, it fascinates and entices. Addthe heart-stopping adventure and heart-wrenching human elements, and thisis a classic well worth its Pulitzer Prize. Earthy dialect and homespunwisdom season the story, giving it a unique and unforgettable flavor, andN.C. Wyeth's warm, softillustrations capture an era of rough subsistence and sweet survival. (Ages12 and older) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (99)

Profound Vision of Life
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
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!

"We Shall Not Pass This Way Again"
"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.

Sad Ending
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 lovedmy own animals very dearly, I was sad when the deer had to be killed.It made me cry.

Cruel people
Boring, slow and v hard to read!Hunting, hunting, hunting..... killing animals and again killing.I bothers me a lot!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Sand, surf, sun ...Roxie lives for the summer. This year things aren't going the way she'd planned. Because when she broke into Lee Blume's house just to win a stupid bet, she saw something she shouldn't have seen...And now she's the only witness to something she can't forget. ... Read more

Product Description
This famous American author lived in the Florida scrub and wrote about the people she met there. Her story of a Florida boy and his pet deer, The Yearling, won the Pulitzer Prize. (9-12) ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Unforettable Yarns & Touching Stories
Many of these fictitious stories were gleaned by the author who lived with, closely observed, and listened to backwoodsmen in the Florida scrub country in the 1930s and 40s. Some are hilarious, others poignant. Even the most tall-tale accounts have a tone of factual basis. Today's reader may well squirm at the racial overtones which Rawlings authentically portrayed, but these give an honest picture of life in her beloved/adopted home. The reader finds that the author relished her experiences with moonshining, cockfighting, etc. These are rich tales. Rawlings' grand desciptions of nature and characters are wonderful. One excellent story,"A Mother in Manville," is out of print elsewhere and worth the price of the book. ... Read more

Product Description
Rich with detail and anecdote, illustrated with beautiful black-and-white photographs, this is the first full-length biography of writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. 25 photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

More About Marjorie!
I never tire of reading about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. I loved The Creek by J.T. Glisson and Idella, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Perfect Maid. And this book, Sojourner at Cross Creek, gives even more details about the interesting life of the author. Anyone who is interested in Marjorie Rawlings books really must go to see her house and farm in Cross Creek, Florida... and by all means, you must read the book Cross Creek before you go! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A Lesson Learning Book
Marjorie K. Rawlings, the author of The Yearling, created this book to tell kids about the life of the great out doors. This type of book is realistic fiction.

This book is about a boy who has always wanted a pet so badly. He keeps trying to get a pet of his own by asking over and over. But after a chain of events, he finally gets a pet. A baby fawn for his to keep and raise on his own. His friend, Fodder- Wing, named him Flag. But after a while the fawn got difficult for their farm. Jody needs to find out how he can keep his pet.

I think that The Yearling is a very good book and I like it because it is teaching many lessons to it's readers.This book is best suited for 5th graders and up.
... Read more

Product Description
Written in 1928, the year Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings moved to Cross Creek, her autobiographical first novel, Blood of My Blood, was never published. Its existence was unknown to her contemporaries--including Max Perkins, her editor at Scribner's.

Blood of My Blood is a portrait of the young artist very nearly ruined by egotism and through being alternately pushed and spoiled by her mother Ida. It is also a tender tribute to her father Arthur and a moving account of their relationship. But always at the center of the story is the intense love and hate that flamed back and forth between mother and daughter. Blood of My Blood reveals not only the painful process of maturation for a creative but tormented mind but also the steady growth of an artist.

There are wonderful descriptions of the natural world, people, objects, and--uniquely for Rawlings--of the big city and city-dwellers. Born in Washington, D.C., and reared there until her graduation from high school in 1914, Rawlings' descriptions of the city are historically charming, and her depiction of the society where "class distinctions were shaved wafer thin" is remarkable for its pertinence nearly a century later. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fills in the background for Rawlings' classics
This reminds me of old novels by Grace Livingston Hill or Gene Stratton Porter with the struggle against adverse conditions and conflicts over family values. At times it is heavy going.If this is close to what Rawlings' actual childhood and college years were like, I'm glad I read it before now turning to her classic, Cross Creek.I should get more from that reading with this book as background.
Useful mostly to scholars, students and devoted readers of The Yearling and Cross Creek.
I wish it had included photos of Rawlings as a child and in college and of her family.That would have been a plus.

Inspiration for "The Sojourner"
I agree with "Wibblet's" comments.Those who have read Rawlings's last novel, "The Sojourner" will find the present volume even more fascinating, as it provides the real life roots for significant themes and characters in the later work.For us Rawlings fans, "Blood of My Blood" also provides more reasons for admiration and affection for this great American writer.

Wonderful glimpse at a great writer's early work
I bought this book after reading Rawlings' autobiographical _Cross Creek_.I would recommend the book to any fan of Rawlings, as it provides an intense look at her complicated relationship with her mother, an understanding of the spiritual kinship she shared with her father, and provokes examination of the lines we draw between fiction and autobiography.In this very early, nearly unedited work, the readers sees how the two often become indistinguishable. ... Read more

Product Description
The timeless story of a man, his family, and his land - beautifully told by one of America's most beloved authors.Not long after the publication of THE SOJOURNER came the new of Mrs. Rawling's death. It was bry sad new for her many friends and admirers, and it marked a great loss to the world of literature. Her work will live on...THE SOJOURNER is in itself a splendid testimony to her talent, her warmth and human understanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wonderful Read!
I read this book many years ago and have always considered it my favorite.And I read a lot!I recently re-read it and still feel the same, so I bought this copy for my daughter, also an avid reader.I was delighted when she told me that it was one of the best books she has ever read.It's a wonderful read.Rich in it's rendering of life from the horse and buggy era to the jet age.The character are so real you can feel them on so many levels.

My recommendation.....read it!

Extended Character Study
Ase Linden, a close-mouthed, introspective farmer, is the protagonist of "The Sojourner."He makes repeated errors of omission; thus, it was challenging for this reader to empathize with him.Yet he plods on, eventually triumphing even over his avaricious son, Nat.Well-written, traditional, and affirmative.Highly recommended.

Rawling's forgotten masterpiece
I am a 5th generation Floridian whose family has lived within 30 miles of the real Cross Creek for over 100 years. As a boy, my classmates and I read Rawling's other works, visited Cross Creek on field trips and had class dinners featuring "cracker" food (which was just like Grandmother's). It was not until my twenties that I discovered that this book even existed.

It is Rawling's masterpiece - and is not set in Florida.

If you enjoyed Rawling's other books, be certain to read this. The fact that it was written shortly before her death makes it even more poignant, as the book's ending is an exceptional introspection on the end of life.

The book is hard to find. Grab it when you can! ... Read more

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Product Description

a selection from CHAPTER I:

Customer Reviews (6)

An Amazingly Good Read
I join the other reviewers in praise of this book. I cannot believe that I had never heard about it before. Once started I could barely put it down. The characters are well-drawn, and the prose is lovely. The storyline of good and evil, the obvious love of the land, drew me in and wrapped me up in the story. I feel as though I know these people, particulary Ase, the main charactor. I was truly sorry to see the story end, althought he ending was deeply satisfying. Read this--you won't be sorry!

The Sojourner : Not a Florida Novel, but Just as Good.
The Sojourner, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 1953.
Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. 313 pp.

Ase Linden, is a small farmer who adores his wife, loves and fears his lunatic mother and yearns for the return of a brother who fled the confines of an overly affectionate mother to never look back again. Over the course of the story, Ase is confronted with trials set upon him by family members. The story is surrounded by the theme of Ase recognizing his failures with his children, mother, and wife. He desperately wants to share with them his thoughts and feelings, but is unable to effectively articulate what he wants to communicate. This literary effort greatly contrasts with Marjorie Rawlings' earlier Florida writings. Critics tend to be hard on The Sojourner, probably due the enormous success of her previous Florida based novels. This criticism is unfounded. This story, though unlike her Florida novels is an impressive book. The readers will find themselves siding with Ase Linden and cheering him on in his pursuit of simple pleasures and joy through personal connections.

The Sojourner
What a wonderful book! The characters are vivid and captivating. Asahel Lindon is the type of warm, decent, honest human being we may all aspire to be. The author's simple, direct prose is enlivened by her appreciation of the central character's love for the land he tended for over sixty years. There is also much of the author's love for good food in evidence, with many country home-cooked meals described in mouth-watering detail.
But it is the caring, gentle nature of Lindon which is the real drawing point of the novel. I was sincerely saddened when I came to the end of the book. In leaving Asahel, I felt that I had left a very good friend whom I shall not soon forget.

Living Well
Although Asahel Linden would not have cared whether others considered him successful or not, it is a great encouragement to watch the protagonist of this book live with such an integrity and a highly developed ability toperceive beauty and wonder and delight and excellence that all with thecapacity to recognize such qualities see in him a great man.MarjorieRawlings writes honestly and well;her novel encourages us to live in thesame way.

An extraordinary book !
I had the tremendous good fortune to read "The Sojourner" in the early stages of my discovery of Marjorie Rawlings' works.As a result, I have read virtually all of her published writings.Anyone who wrote such a magnificent book as "The Sojourner", I decided, certainly deserved as much attention as possible.My loyalty has been richly rewarded. I cannot recommend this book too highly to anyone who enjoys a beautifully written, epic and inpirational story with an extraordinary protagonist.It amazes me that this book has never become better known.Rawlings' last novel, it shows her at the formidable peak of her powers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great read for M K Rawlngs scholars. Interesting read for anyone.

This book describes the trial in early Florida that set the precedent for our Privacy rights. Recommend this highly for any Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings fans.
Unfortunately my shopping experience was marred by nhaourkids who did not ship the book to me and did not respond why when I contacted them.This was the
first and only time I have been "stiffed" on Amazon and fortunately Amazon did not charge me for the book. My next vendor did a fantastic job, shipping exactly what I ordered, in speedy time and exactly as described...great condition.Do not shop with nhaourkids.Continue to have wonderful confidence in Amazon!!! ... Read more