Blossom - The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury

By: Anna Carner

Narrated by: Petrea Burchard

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Imagine what life would be like to be loved by a not-so-typical wild deer. Think of the discoveries - full of fun, and at times, terrifying - as awareness blurs nature's wildlife boundaries and friendship grows. This is the true tale of a deer rescue and a human.

It was the spring of 1999 when Anna found the fawn, alone and dying in the grassy paddock of Unicorn Hollow, her farm in bucolic Tewksbury, New Jersey. The sick baby triggered vivid memories of her own catastrophic injuries as a small child, and their bond grew strong.

Named Blossom, the pet fawn, thrives, and matures into a sleek doe with a big personality. She lives in and out of the house, never choosing between her wild herd or the human family who raised her. Protecting a deer within a rural hunting community soon turns into a drama with many ramifications.

Notoriety makes Blossom a target to look at or shoot at. Newspaper articles started the conversation. Neighbors and hunters joined up to protect the “wild ambassador of Tewksbury”. Others bragged about using Blossom as a bait and joked about “Blossom burgers”.

©2018 Anna Carner (P)2019 Anna Carner

Critic reviews

"Eloquently written... This riveting true story describes the astonishing bond created between a beautiful, wild creature and the woman who saved her. Blossom's story is intertwined with the author's recollections of long childhood hospitalizations resulting from a severe injury. Carner became a caretaker of sorts to other hospitalized children, and an interesting parallel backstory emerges.... Descriptions of Blossom - 'her ears rotated toward the quiet sounds around her, reminiscent of large satellite dishes searching for answers in the universe' - are elegant and immediate. Carner's fear is palpable when Blossom's life is threatened: 'I considered running out, flailing and screaming like a wounded bird...' Blossom's extraordinary story defies traditionally held beliefs regarding the divide between man and nature and is likely to cause readers to reassess their assumptions about 'wild' animals. It is sure to appeal to anyone who savors the beauty of our natural world." (BlueInk Review, notable book)

"In riveting detail…with the tension of a thriller... A thought-provoking, poignant, and unusual love story that lingers." (Kirkus Reviews)

"A beautiful memoir of healing and hope wrapped up in the story of how one helpless fawn found both." (Chanticleer Reviews, best book)

WOW!!! What a great story!!

Heartwarming, thought provoking, and non-fiction in one book. I wish I could give it 6 stars.

Rescuing a wild newborn deer from certain death and raising it not as a pet, but as a companion, makes you look at the human-animal relationship in a whole new way. Blossom lives among her fellow deer in the wild but still maintains the human relationship with her savior and fellow human “friends” in the small town of Tewksbury, New Jersey.

It was wonderful to see the parallels of Blossom struggling to survive and the author’s struggle to survive as a child in a burn ward.

On the darker side, it was very thought provoking to see how some people would go out of their way to target a known, friendly deer just so nobody could tell them what to do.

Many things to love about this book and I’m only scratching the surface.

I have read over 300 books on audible over the years and it’s rare that I take the time for a full written review. But this book is that good so do yourself a favor and jump into this true story.

Amazing Story!! wow

This was an amazing story. I wish I could give more stars. An amazing story.
I would suggest this book to anyone.
Thank you.

Wonderful experience listening to this book

My daughter and I went on a road trip and we listened to the Audible of Blossom - The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury. It was amazing. We laughed, we cried, we gasped and did most of this in-sink, without the other one knowing, what the other felt. This book was truly an exciting as well as wondering what was going to happen next kind of book. By the 3rd day, we finished it and were sad that the story ended. That is how great it was!! I would suggest this book to anyone. It shows a meaningful relationship between a human and an animal and how interesting life is intertwined.

Killer Audiobook

Book is very good. One must Listen to it once. I will definitely recommend this audiobook to everyone.

I wish I could have met Blossom!

This is such a sweet story, and also painful It confronts people’s cruelty to animals and to each other, through the story of the deer and of Anna’s childhood memories. Petrea Burchard’s performance compliments the story beautifully, and her deer noises are adorable.

Emotional and Powerful

Loved this story. Didn't want it to end. The author writes in lyrical and gripping prose about her experience with Blossom and her own childhood trauma