(Originally Published 2009, Paperback Edition 224 pages)
The book is less about the hidden life of deer and more about her rationalization for feeding the ones that live on her large track of undeveloped land. There are interesting very sporadic pieces of trivia about the elegant mammal, but also a great deal of conjecture by the author. Ms. Thomas comes across as a somewhat eccentric, "tree-hugging" wildlife enthusiast who supports hunting but also believes human arrogance does a great deal of harm to nature. She takes umbrage with the other works pertaining to deer as nothing more than how-to books on killing the suckers. I agree. "The Hidden Life of Deer" has its heart in the right place, but there is simply not a lot of meat between the covers of this thing.
The book is more a journal about one year of her observing deer near their home in New Hampshire and interspersed with personal stories about her previous encounters with turkeys, black bears, bobcats, mice, rats etc. Some of the sections about how much corn she fed them, which groups ate first and so forth almost put me into a coma. It wouldn't have hurt if the book had had some witty wordplay, but it's likely not her forte. What kept me reading was the fact that the author lives about a hundred miles from my town in Maine. I could relate to the environment she described. Clearly, the ole gal loves nature and is continually surprised by new discoveries she observes. We should be grateful that there are people like Ms. Thomas that view the world with such wonder and try to make readers look as well as respect the natural beauty around us. Sadly, "The Hidden Life of Deer" falls short in her objective.
The book is more a journal about one year of her observing deer near their home in New Hampshire and interspersed with personal stories about her previous encounters with turkeys, black bears, bobcats, mice, rats etc. Some of the sections about how much corn she fed them, which groups ate first and so forth almost put me into a coma. It wouldn't have hurt if the book had had some witty wordplay, but it's likely not her forte. What kept me reading was the fact that the author lives about a hundred miles from my town in Maine. I could relate to the environment she described. Clearly, the ole gal loves nature and is continually surprised by new discoveries she observes. We should be grateful that there are people like Ms. Thomas that view the world with such wonder and try to make readers look as well as respect the natural beauty around us. Sadly, "The Hidden Life of Deer" falls short in her objective.
(Meyers - A few years ago, I started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #362)
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