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Author Topic: Bambi a Life in the Woods  (Read 2040 times)

Offline Keith

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« on: April 09, 2013, 12:49:29 AM »
I'm pretty sure most of you know about the Disney movie Bambi (if you don't, SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!). Well, what you might not know is that it's based on a book. I read it twice in the past couple weeks and holy S***! It's a damn fine book! It's only 272 pages long and it has so much going for it. It may have even replaced Watership Down as my new favourite novel.

Have any of you guys read this book? If not, I wrote a review on my blog:

http://thecriticalcanucks.blogspot.ca/2013/04/book-review-bambi-life-in-woods.html

I highly suggest reading it. It's amazing.
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Offline Myrkin

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2013, 05:16:49 PM »
This is a good review. :) Perhaps I will read that book some day (and maybe watch whole movie and not only its parts). I wonder if there is Kindle version of it?
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Offline Keith

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2013, 06:51:12 PM »
There is, I'm pretty sure. I don't know where you'd find it though.
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Offline Hawkbit

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2013, 01:24:59 PM »
I'll have to read the book someday.  But replaced WSD as your favorite....must be REALLY good then. ;)   *goes to see if amazon has it*

Offline Keith

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2013, 06:06:35 PM »
Well, if you're still not fully convinced, here's the entire 8th chapter.

"The leaves were falling from the great oak at the meadow's edge. They were falling from all the trees. One branch of the oak reached high above the others and stretched far out over the meadow. Two leaves clung to it's very tip. "It isn't the way it used to be." said one leaf to the other. "No," the other leaf answered. "So many of us have fallen off tonight we're almost the only ones left on the branch." "You never know who's going to go next," said the first leaf.

"Even when it was warm and the sun shone, a storm or a cloudburst would come sometimes, and many leaves were torn off, though they were still very young. You never know who's going to go next." "The sun hardly shines now," sighed the second leaf," and when it does, it gives no warmth. We must have warmth again." "Can it be true," said the first leaf, "can it really be true, that others come to take our places when we're gone and after them still others, and more and more?" "It really is true," whispered the second leaf. "We can't even begin to imagine it, it's beyond our powers." "It makes me very sad," added the first leaf. They were very silent a while.

Then the first leaf said quietly to itself, "Why must we fall?" The second leaf asked, "What happens to us when we have fallen?" "We sink down ." "What is under us?" The first leaf answered, "I don't know. Some say one thing, some another, but nobody knows." The second leaf asked, "Do we feel anything, do we know anything about ourselves when we're down there?" The first leaf answered, "Who knows? Not one of all those down there has ever come back to tell us about it." They were silent again.

Then the first leaf said tenderly to the other, "Don't worry so much about it you're trembling." "That's nothing," the second leaf answered, I tremble at the least thing now. I don't feel so sure of my hold as I used to." "Let's not talk any more about such things," said the first leaf. The other replied, "No, we'll let it be. But-what else shall we talk about?"

It was silent, but went on after a little while, "Which of us will go first?" "There's still plenty of time to worry about that," the other leaf said reassuringly. "Lets remember how beautiful it was, how wonderful, when the sun came out and shone so warmly that we thought we'd burst with life. Do you remember? And the morning dew and the mild and splendid nights .?

"Now the nights are dreadful," the second leaf complained, " and there is no end to them." "We shouldn't complain, " said the first leaf gently. "We've outlived many, many others." "Have I changed much?" asked the second leaf shyly. "Not in the least," the first leaf said. "You think so only because I've gotton to be so yellow and ugly. But it's different in your case." "You're fooling me," the second leaf said. "No, really," the first leaf answered eagerly, "believe me, you're as lovely as the day you were born. Here and there may be a little yellow spot. But it's hardly noticeable and makes you only more beautiful, believe me." "Thanks," whispered the second leaf, quite untouched. I don't believe you, not altogether, but I thank you because you're so kind. You've always been so kind to me. I'm just beginning to understand how kind you are.

"Hush," said the other leaf, and kept silent itself, for it was too troubled to talk any more. Then they were both silent. Hours passed. A moist wind blew, cold and hostile, through the treetops." "Ah, now," said the second leaf, "I " Then it's voice broke off. It was torn from it's place and spun down.

Winter had come."

Tell me that is not some of the most mind blowing, genius writing you've ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on and read!
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Offline Hawkbit

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2013, 12:29:26 AM »
Anthropomorphic leaves. :D  Well that IS something.

Offline Keith

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2013, 12:31:58 PM »
It's not so much that its leaves having a conversation, so much as what they're having a conversation about. This chapter was a perfect metaphor for life, and I can't believe someone actually thought of using leaves, one of your average "Who cares about it" objects, as a metaphor for life itself. The genius is so mind-blowing I don't even know what to call it. And's there's plenty more wisdom this book beholds in its 294 pages (If you're planning on getting it, get the original 1928 edition. It's on amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Bambi-A-Life-The-Woods/dp/B000KIRSBG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1366810278&sr=8-5&keywords=Bambi+a+life+in+the+woods )
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Offline Hawkbit

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2013, 07:34:51 PM »
Ok, I'll go for the first edition then.  It sounds like the later releases were adapted to match the Disney movie.  Rather stupid, but its sold well apparently.

Offline Keith

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2013, 10:00:16 PM »
I'd also recommend checking out the sequel Bambi's Children. I've read it twice now and it's pretty good too.
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Offline Hawkbit

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2013, 09:53:26 AM »
Got a copy for $10 and its on its way here. :)  I'll let you know my thoughts once I've read it.

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2013, 10:16:06 PM »
To give an update, I did read the whole story in about two nights of time.  I can certainly see where Walt Disney pulled his inspiration from.  The book is far darker than the film, though many seem "traumatized" by the death of Bambi's mom in the film.  Imagine they kept the speech in about "don't look back keep running, even if I fall".  Actually one major difference is that in the film you know the great stag is Bambi's father; its less implied in the story.  The stag seems more of a hermit; keeping to himself but because he has survived so long he is respected.  For a while you couldn't even tell if he even really liked his son.  I did really like the ending when Bambi takes the words of his father to new young bucks. :)

Offline Keith

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2013, 10:23:51 PM »
Oh yeah, definitely. I still love the movie, but the book is something else. And that conversation between the leaves is masterful. And as for the old stag, yeah I thought he was a dick at first. But then as the story progresses, he becomes more soft and seems more caring than he did at the beginning. I actually shed a few tears when he goes off to die. And as for those two fawns (one of them is a female actually) the sequel 'Bambi's Children' is, obviously, their story. It's pretty damn good to.

How would you rate it out of 10?
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Offline Hawkbit

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #12 on: May 18, 2013, 02:41:02 PM »
Out of 10....hmmm....probably 9 out of 10.  Where I'm docking the point is Gobo's story.  Its a tad baffling..if I read into it correctly, he was saved by a conservationist and tagged.  Now of course that turns to tragedy when a hunter shoots him anyway even though he is supposedly "safe" with the tag and all.  That's what I see.  I'm not sure I like the characterization once he returns to the woods--to be suddenly boastful is radical given he was somewhat of a worrywort when he was a young buck.  The radical change of character just seemed off.  Otherwise, I can find little fault with the book.  This was written back when you truly had to READ literature to get it.

Offline Keith

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Bambi a Life in the Woods
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2013, 02:51:02 PM »
He was actually saved by a hunter who kept him as a pet. The hunter probably tied that tag (which wasn't a conservation tag but some kind of band made out of animal fur) around him so he wouldn't get shot maybe, but the one who shot him was most likely a poacher, or a hunter who just didn't care.

And as for his charcterization, well everything in the forest feared man, thought of him as his their god-oppressor. And as Gobo grew up in his care and thought himself as a friend of Him, he probably felt like he was on the same level as He, or at the very least on the same level as the animals who serve Him. I can see why he would get so arrogant and boastful, and of course he became too trustful for man and he paid the price for it.
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Offline Hawkbit

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« Reply #14 on: May 19, 2013, 01:16:52 AM »
I guess I ignored the God allegory then. :p