I'd rate it one and a half stars I nearly rounded down, but the story's emotion won't let me. When they don't, it's not because the mood isn't right or the language isn't lovely, but because the connection between the story and the reader is vague. Gary Paulsen's spiritual novels sometimes work and sometimes don't. It's beautiful, and it makes you remember a beautiful part of your life and that's enough." "The best joy and beauty are the kinds that are unplanned, and the same is true of painting or poetry. Will tracking this deer in the ancient way grant John peace about his grandfather? What lessons does nature have to teach him out in the lonesome wilderness during a bitterly cold Minnesota winter? John is in no hurry to end the hunt, and doesn't plan on firing his gun. He wants more from the doe than meat, something no animal can give: a reversal of the reality that John's grandfather-a good, wise, self-sufficient man-is doomed. Yet when he traps her, he can't pull the trigger. In almost religious fashion, John follows the trail of a strong doe, gun poised for the kill shot. The old man is counting on John to return with deer meat, and the young teen won't let him down. John yearns to spend one final deer season with Clay, to ignore the fact that his grandfather is dying, but he knows better than to question Clay. The boy needs to know how, for when his grandfather is gone. Clay Borne's cancer has taken a terminal turn, and he's sending John to hunt alone. Learning to stalk and shoot a deer in the wild was a rite of passage John takes pride in having learned from his grandfather, but this year the old man won't be accompanying him. Thirteen-year-old John Borne, an orphan who has lived with his grandfather (Clay) and grandmother since age four, is usually excited when deer hunting season arrives. The spiritual connections may not be obvious to all, but the character understands the lesson, and it's clear that the process does good for his soul. Like several other books from Gary Paulsen's early career, Tracker traces an adolescent's journey to understand his modern life better by getting to know nature in an intimate way.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |