Ebook721 pages17 hours
The Deerslayer
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Natty Bumppo — also known as the Deerslayer, the Pathfinder, and Hawkeye — returns in this adventure by America's first great novelist. Originally published in 1841, The Deerslayer was the final installment of James Fenimore Cooper's five Leatherstocking Tales, although its action precedes that of the earlier novels. Thus, the story provides a perfect introduction to the series, tracing the young hero's evolution from Deerslayer to Hawkeye.
Cooper recalled the territory of his youth, New York's Lake Otsego region, in the settings of his novels, recapturing the region's natural beauty as well as the danger and excitement of frontier life during the French and Indian War. This dramatic tale of the Deerslayer's attempt to rescue a trapper and his family from an Iroquois attack was acclaimed by D. H. Lawrence as "one of the most beautiful and perfect books in the world: flawless as a jewel and of gem-like concentration."
Cooper recalled the territory of his youth, New York's Lake Otsego region, in the settings of his novels, recapturing the region's natural beauty as well as the danger and excitement of frontier life during the French and Indian War. This dramatic tale of the Deerslayer's attempt to rescue a trapper and his family from an Iroquois attack was acclaimed by D. H. Lawrence as "one of the most beautiful and perfect books in the world: flawless as a jewel and of gem-like concentration."
Author
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was born in 1789 in New Jersey, but later moved to Cooperstown in New York, where he lived most of his life. His novel The Last of the Mohicans was one of the most widely read novels in the 19th century and is generally considered to be his masterpiece. His novels have been adapted for stage, radio, TV and film.
Read more from James Fenimore Cooper
The Classic American Short Story MEGAPACK ® (Volume 1): 34 of the Greatest Stories Ever Written Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Classic Starts®: The Last of the Mohicans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pioneers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5American Classics (Omnibus Edition) (Diversion Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pioneers Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The American Democrat (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prairie (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5VULCAN'S PEAK (Adventure Novel): The Crater Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe American Democrat (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wing and Wing (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Precaution (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Bravo (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Autobiography of a Pocket-Hankerchief (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Last of the Mohicans and Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Spy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to The Deerslayer
Related ebooks
The Virginian Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deerslayer Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Riders of the Purple Sage Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Chisholm Trail: A History of the World's Greatest Cattle Trail Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Professor's House Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott (Illustrated) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trouble on the Thames Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forlorn River Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsO Pioneers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Searchers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Warden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Russian: Three Complete Novels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red River Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Outsider (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDavid Copperfield Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnder the Greenwood Tree Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Classic Westerns: Zane Grey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNorthanger Abbey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5JIM DAVIS: Thrilling Escapade of a Daring Hero on a Dangerous Sea Mission (All-Time Favourite Children's Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Magnificent Ambersons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lord Jim Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Wagon Train: A Western Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deerslayer: First of the Leatherstocking Tales Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Three Men in a Boat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Hoosier Holiday Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Waverley Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5They Went That-A-Way - 101 Forgotten Westerns to Remember Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Black Fawn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
General Fiction For You
The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unhoneymooners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dante's Divine Comedy: Inferno Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life of Pi: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything's Fine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The King James Version of the Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Candy House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ulysses: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Black Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beartown: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Deerslayer
Rating: 3.4750890519572954 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
281 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Entertaining with wisdom
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm going to disagree with Mark Twain regarding this book. While it does have a tendency to drag at certain spots, the story does paint a vivid picture of the landscape of pre-Revolutionary War upstate New York, and you get a real feel for characters. The dragging parts are where the Deerslayer goes on about his philosophy, which can get a bit repetitive at times. Very interesting in that the Indians are neither saints nor unrelieved villains. Worth a read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I will be one hundred and ten percent honest. I found this to be a tedious read. Maybe it's because of the subject matter. I am not a fifteen year old boy enthralled with Davey Crockett, Huckleberry Finn and the Lone Ranger. Adventure stories about scalping and woodsmen mayhem doesn't readily appeal to me. Aside from the beautiful illustrations The Deerslayer didn't hold my attention. The plot was pretty simple: Natty is a woodman who proves to be a respected an ally to the Mingo tribe. When that tribe is attacked by Natty's companions the tables are turned and the companions are taken hostage. There is a great deal made of how to get the companions back and a few people are accidentally murdered. Because Natty treats these killings with respect the Mingo tribe give him a nickname and build a tenuous relationship despite his choice of companions who insist on trying to scalp them.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rated: B+He uses the reason that God has given him, and he uses it with a fellin' of his being ordered to look at, and consider things as they are, and not as he wants them to be. It's easy enough to find them who call themselves just; but it's wonderfully oncommon to find them that are the very thing, in fact. (ChapterXII)"God has been kind to me, and lifted a burden off my heart. Mother had many such burdens, she used to tell me, and she always took them off in this way. 'Tis the only way, sister, such things can be done. You may raise a stone, or a log, with your hands; but the heart must be lightened by prayer. (Chapter XXII)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent. Tower defense.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was slightly hesitant in reading this because I had previously read The Last of the Mohicans which was a little harder to decipher especially since I was only a freshman at the time. To my delight, this novel was a much easier read, and to my surprise, I finished it in no time at all. I can understand that a lot of contemporary readers would not enjoy this novel mainly because it was written for the readers of its time, but if you think about how the action helps move this story forward and ho...moreI was slightly hesitant in reading this because I had previously read The Last of the Mohicans which was a little harder to decipher especially since I was only a freshman at the time. To my delight, this novel was a much easier read, and to my surprise, I finished it in no time at all. I can understand that a lot of contemporary readers would not enjoy this novel mainly because it was written for the readers of its time, but if you think about how the action helps move this story forward and how the romance keeps the story somewhat interesting, it's not as bad as you may think.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I wish that this would have been on the required reading list in high-school in the place of many of those that were. It is an interesting read, and a good example of mid 19th century American literature. That being said, there are many characteristics from that period that may detract for a modern reader. Sexism and racism are prevelant, though they are presented in a way that fits the period that the story takes place in and when it was written. The writers literary flourishes are somewhat excessive, though this may be symptomatic of the time it was written. The book is longer than it needs to be in terms of work count, thought the pace of the story is not terribly affected. The author's interpretation of frontier speech can be troublesome, with enough apostrophies for several books of similar length. The story cannot be categories as a humor or a tragedy with the "everyone gets marries" or "everyone dies" rules. A historical romantic tragedy may be the most apt description. A thing that I found to be disconcerting was the continuing references to the books in the series that take place later chronologically, as this was written last but takes place first. The writer's asides are just extra words to get through that do not advance the story.All that being said, this is a book that I would recommend. The descriptions of the setting and characters bring them to life and make the reader feel for the characters in the situations they find themselves in. The self-righteousness of some characters and pig-headedness of others lends itself to the audience taking sides and rooting for one character or another. The story is simple but compelling, driven by the characters, particulary the protagonist, known by Deerslayer, among other names.This is a book with many flaws, but one that should be read none-the-less.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I had to put this one down for a while. I picked it up and started reading it within five minutes of finishing The Count of Monte Cristo (which I read in one sitting). MY BRAIN HURT. So what do I do. I pick up Melmoth the Wanderer.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5One has to be in the proper mood to enjoy these books. A bit of romance, a bit of adventure, quite a bit of moralizing. I enjoyed them when I read them, but have no desire to read them again. I've since read enough history to realize just how fictional these are. If you read them for the adventure and the descriptions of the Northeastern woodlands, I don't think you will be disappointed. Sadly, the plot of each has sort of blended together and I can't remember the details of any.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of my all-time favorite novels. The author does a good job of developing the characters just enough to cause you to fall in love with them (or to hate them) but with enough mystery surrounding them to make them still seem like real people. It is amazing how short a period of time such a large book fills, but this is accounted for by the extensive detail given to scenery and depictions of events as well as extensive conversations which take place for seemingly no reason except character development. After reading this book you feel that you have spent the past week with the characters, just hanging out and getting to know them. The themes that carry throughout the book are truth, natural gifts, race, and innocence. All in all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A perfectly good cheapo edition with few typos and no notes. But who needs notes? A quick internet search told me that Lake Glimmerglass is real. It appears to be Lake Otsego, on the shores of which Cooper grew up (not Lake Champlain as stated in the introduction). The Red Indians are also apparently real. I’m sure they’re exactly as described by the pale-face author of this book.The novel does have merits. It’s essentially about the conflict between the Indians and the settlers. There’s a conversation early on when Deerslayer and Hurry state their respective positions on the Indians, Hurry thinking them animals and the Deerslayer, men. There’s something psychologically interesting going on with Deerslayer. Here’s a man who’s more than half Indian and the conflict is internalised as he constantly struggles to assert the dominance of his European heritage and its ‘gifts’. Unfortunately, Cooper lacks any concept of subtlety. He keeps stressing this internal conflict throughout the novel, long after we have grasped the metaphor and well past the point of nausea.There are serious problems with the novel. Mark Twain’s essay is spot on and I recommend you read it, but I think it’s worth mentioning here that the dialogue is broken, broken and cannot be fixed. Maybe Cooper was one of those people who never listen to other people. There is a good adventure novel in here somewhere, but it is obscured by Cooper’s astounding incompetence. He cannot shut up and constantly interrupts himself, and otherwise interesting scenes with poorly written digressions. Many times I found myself sitting back astonished at his lack of judgement. The trick to getting through to the end is to read with an eye to discovering the most risible examples of his incompetence and to enjoy for their own sake those parts that work on their own merits.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This is the first chronological story of Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales although the last of the five books published by Cooper. I've long intended to read this book and I was somewhat disappointed. It was hard to get past the racism, sexism, and ableism (the inordinate references to Hetty as "feeble-minded") even while making allowances for these attitudes being accepted at the time the story is set as well as when Cooper was writing. The excessive piety and preachiness of Deerslayer and Hetty get obnoxious as well.That being said, I did enjoy the setting of the book in a New York when it was still a wilderness with warring parties of English & French, Huron, Iroquois & Deleware fighting for it's control. And for all the stereotypes, Cooper wryly shows how the native Indians and the simple woodsman Deerslayer can be more civilized than Europeans like Floating Tom and Hurry Harry.Despite my disappointment, I would still like to give the next book (chronologically) in the series a chance -- The Last of the Mohicans -- as it has a good reputation.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5If you're bored and you know it, clap your hands!If you're bored and you know it, clap your hands!If you're bored and you know it, and you really want to show itIf you're bored and you know it, clap your ha-ZZZZzzzz...Damn. I have no motivation to read the sequel despite the fact that it made it onto several of my to-read lists.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I had to put this one down for a while. I picked it up and started reading it within five minutes of finishing The Count of Monte Cristo (which I read in one sitting). MY BRAIN HURT. So what do I do. I pick up Melmoth the Wanderer.
Book preview
The Deerslayer - James Fenimore Cooper
3^ book_preview_excerpt.html ս˒cב-+mUfR$42I*.2f axBvO/i_k}ȤmR)y˗|'wOO_~zǯޮw߾Y}K_⻧O_~wzo>v}''|Q_X}]O}|W?իooO^P韔>jsY}?ayjn\}\YGjHc~yke.Ьtuz];Wz 7i;>ze_U!ʣj:չV=UUMsY\h[j~+WSW5-MJU[}w;ͯ~C{/^~ %~+m?z+Tf64~_6mwC˅X|MonV?zqG2m۹S ?lh'~s8o˽ TkDs-h4ܽݛ[&KVKo[B#gm6 Xx&}cq(UI*;~U%/{`{Wqj+=ˌ6cK=ٛQ2>9ٖ4TGod1uڜͦ-?w}llUO`'Ym/8CJpG>QO5]6+
=B4Yx+~+=⚵-.kj]DMfn5]{ڵe6V.ΦՏvSjW'{`6'fwՅ5Naez=6-T۪O}O5{#{Rs26fPnLk]>s43)鱫֮x*3qڜX~4m;.8c[MWo(N[ٙ>Ue;4`?I>̕ϖ1sýCl8]~gR
lsS
ܞ!l5!Bk駙_N8 b]K
Nv<4Ax2W-mMZ$lԚPԸzeچ80<[ڡ[;|NbJa[mbm :FoC#~}W
z̩M\UTSݺ*mg3Şv5ś;+}ddilaG<ƶe8ԇ7>LVdwi#\V= y_(6A|nNdd潲GMiRe}܇a6 yMWɌ3]pƺW[ i-4DMAA?$2wv^'Nyso
m۟7suѐ3lB6f_hqs˦Xcw-w:fHJ7?Divq=0norYNnƩLopnN.5}o}Ki rj\+Cj6~$WAh"!ZT=Sub^>zk3:;Z{[n4 mQdΗz'&eMSWۄ}_:\ձ:A=ཟ=ҟ{?]/_{_~f 5x,ϭ,WggVg>ywFU G|o(8]u7AGoqD!y=5m `M]w-9B3=8xM?n\`^0>*h:礇tDI~榫ယj1Z}wԜ
H{3-Gx\b0 :6XZ<%ztA)+Ca=c5i2F.Lj")e/`lT.?fuq
Њ,H"X_զ2Onê7T([}eqXmߙ+`bbp\&uǾ5!ͶH&$]ꦪy}|