Connie's Corner

On Sad Books

The saddest book I've ever read is...

ASIN: 0684184613	The Yearling Product Type: Book
	Amazon's Price: $ 18.03 Buy Now!

After we moved to Gainesville, Florida, in 1978, one of the first places I wanted to visit was Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' home  , just a few miles away. It was a delightful experience. A State Park Ranger in 1930's period costume guides visitors through the home and grounds explaining things Marjorie may have been doing were we able to go back in time. It is a beautiful place and one gets a real sense of Marjorie. Her typewriter sets on a table on the front porch, waiting as though time has stood still.

The Yearling speaks to adolescent longing, the loneliness all children feel growing up. Emotionally, the book travels from pure happiness to pure desolation. Ms. Rawlings' story of Jody and the fawn, Flag, speaks out loud to me and is a story I will never forget. I have read the book several times and each time is the same, emotionally. It never gets old. If you have never read it, grab a box of Kleenex. You'll need it.

There are several Amazon copies, ones much less expensive that the copy above. The one I chose for this blog has a cover illustration by N.C. Wyeth, a painter I especially like. The drawing somehow captures the essence of the story.

until next time...c