Beautifully written and a beacon of knowledge, but not so much that it becomes fact-heavy. I really idolise authors who can write so passionately about something quite mundane, Erika Howsare has done exactly that. I learnt a lot AND it kept me hooked throughout. Well done

Not really for me, but covers a lot.

I'm not sure what I expected going into this; more natural history and deer watching I think. This book deals with that, but also with deer in history, art and culture as well as a lot about hunting, both the practice and ethics of it. I'm not really interested in hunting so I found those parts quite dull and I struggled to engage with the author's style. However, it's a very interesting book and although I didn't really like it I think I'm in the minority.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is an interesting book about an animal we all know but rarely think about in deeper terms. Erika Howsare is a master in evoking emotion for something we so often overlook and I absolutely loved it. There was so many aspects I enjoyed concerning topics I never really thought about. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on The Fetish. I found it really interesting how Howsare talks about the media portrayal of deer and consequently our view of these animals. I also really enjoyed how Howsare intimately explored hunting, portraying both sides of the argument from meeting with and interviewing people from all aspects of the hunting community. Overall I thought this was a beautiful book exploring and enjoying what this majestic yet unheard animal brings to our world.

Expertly told and immaculately written, it blends the anecdotal and factual particularly well to make a really absorbing read.