The Yearling

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings published The Yearling in 1938 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. Maxwell Perkins, who also worked with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, edited the novel. The Yearling traces one year in the life of Jody Baxter, chronicling his family’s hardships as they endure floods, plague, and death—and Jody’s tender relationship with an orphaned fawn. The novel became a bestseller in 1938 and has since been translated into 29 languages. In 1949, MGM adapted the novel into a feature-length film starring Gregory Peck as Penny; in 1965, the novel was adapted into a Broadway musical; and in 1994, RHI adapted the novel into a made-for-television movie on CBS.

This guide is based on the Namaskar Books 2022 ebook edition.

Content Warning: The Yearling includes the hunting and mistreatment of animals. There are also mentions and an instance of child death. The author is also known for her usage of racial slurs, which are not replicated in this guide.

Plot Summary

Penny, Ora, and Jody Baxter live in a remote area of northern Florida they call Baxter’s Island in the 1870s, and barely produce enough food to feed themselves.