Official Review: Blossom ~ The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury

wendilou49 · Post by **wendilou49** » 20 May 2020, 14:54

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Blossom ~ The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury" by Anna Carner.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Blossom-the Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury by Anna Carner is an enjoyable book about the author and her husband,and how they rescue a young fawn and save her life. Anna and Pino nurse the little fawn to health after Anna finds her in the snow, without her mother and desperately sick. Because they also raise Alpaca, they have the supplies needed to take care of the fawn, and once she is well, they are hooked by her beautiful eyes and sweet disposition, and they name her Blossom. The little fawn soon becomes an adolescent, and then an adult deer. Anna’s stories about how Blossom responds to them, and how loving she is are endearing and sweet. Then, the troubles start. Blossom begins to go off by herself into the woods and congregate with the other deer. And when hunting season comes, there is nothing but anxiety for Anna and Pino as they worry that Blossom will be killed by a careless hunter. Anna begins a campaign to save Blossom, and her offspring, Boomer, from the hunters.

Interwoven with the story of Blossom is Anna’s story of abuse in her childhood. This abuse tends to color the way she reacts to animals and other people, always on the side of the underdog. Certain happenings in the story trigger her memories and set her back a pace or two. At one point, a strip of leather triggers a flashback of her father’s belt being pulled from his trousers to be used in punishing her. I think these memories influence her and intensify her involvement in her push for hunters to not pursue “her” deer. She gets plenty of backlash from hunters who say they have the right to hunt, but she cannot reconcile herself with the fact that they continue to pursue her pet.

Blossom is an unusual story. I don’t believe there are many books written about a deer who becomes a pet, and her fawn who sleeps under the piano in her “owners” living room when he is wounded. I use quotation marks here because in some ways I agree with the hunters. A wild animal isn’t meant to be a pet, in my opinion. I also agree that hunters are, for the most part, hunting and eating what they kill. I don’t find that any different from eating beef or pork; it’s the way things are done. Hunting for sport is a different matter, but I found Anna’s obsession with stopping hunters from shooting deer a little overdone. She was trying to protect Blossom, but in the process she became overzealous. She did encounter hunters who baited and threatened her, and their actions were extremely offensive and dangerous.

I rate Blossom 3 out of 4 stars. While it was an enjoyable read for the most part, I didn’t enjoy the parts about animal rights and the debate with the hunters. I know that they were necessary to the story, I just didn’t enjoy them. There were a few errors which made reading difficult. Sentences that began at the bottom of one page were not finished on the next page. I had to backtrack several times because of that error, and it interrupted the story briefly. I didn’t find any other grammar errors.

Blossom is a book that would be enjoyed by almost any reader. It has some disturbing elements, such as when a hunter threatens and stalks Anna and Blossom, but I believe that a mature teen reader would not be overly alarmed by that. There is no profanity and no hint of sexuality at all. Blossom brings the reader into the story of a little fawn who takes on the qualities of a house pet. It’s a sweet story that’s fun to read.

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Blossom ~ The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury
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Post by **Ngozi Onyibor** » 21 May 2020, 15:01

This is quite an unusual plot. I have read books about pet owners and the bond they share with their pet(s), but nothing close to this. I imagine having a wild animal as a pet must be a whole other experience. I enjoyed your review, thanks

JKO · Post by **JKO** » 21 May 2020, 15:37

Anna's story of abuse would definitely interest me. It is also interesting to see how a deer could be a pet. I look forward to reading this book. Thanks for this excellent review.

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 21 May 2020, 17:59

This is very interesting but should probably be taken with a grain of salt. New information is coming to light about 'rescuing' fawns, and that unless the baby is lying next to its dead mother, it is most likely not an orphan. As heartwarming as this story sounds, I worry that it might encourage others to take fawns from the wilderness when they should not be touched. Regardless, this was a very nice review!

GiselleBengochea · Post by **GiselleBengochea** » 22 May 2020, 12:39

Blossom- The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury! by Anna Carner, is a book about compassion. The author and her husband are able to rescue and nurture a young fawn to adulthood. The powerful bond of love that developed between the author and her "pet" is extraordinary. This makes for interesting reading!

Frannie Annie · Post by **Frannie Annie** » 22 May 2020, 13:55

This sounds like a very unique plot, I don't see a lot of stories about raising wildlife and even less about people getting stalked by hunters. Good review!

wendilou49 · Post by **wendilou49** » 23 May 2020, 16:20

Thanks for the replies. I enjoyed the book, I hope you all do as well!

Brenda Creech · Post by **Brenda Creech** » 15 Jun 2020, 04:21

This sounds like an interesting yet unusual plot to this book. I can see why Anna got so attached to the deer. I love animals and feel overwhelming compassion when I see any animal wounded! However, it is dangerous, no matter what kind of animal it is, to try to domesticate any type of wild animal. I'm sure the book is a lovely read, though. Thanks for a very nice review!