Red Stag

by Guy de la Valdene

Set in Normandy, France, in the 1960s, Red Stag is a lush, rich novel. Nineteen-year-old bastard Vincent has just returned from boarding school to work on the Count's estate, where his uncle is gamekeeper, where Vincent himself was raised, where his mother, until her early death, was the Countess's maid. Shortly after his return, his uncle is viciously murdered. Vincent vows revenge.

It is also deer hunting season, and the village is wild with anticipation about this year's ritualized Royal Hunt for the giant red stag. This red stag defies all hunters, outsmarting them, and then outrunning their horses and hounds.

The Count's daughter, Nicole, returns to the estate as well. She, too, is nineteen These childhood friends haven't seen each other in years. As the search for the murderer's identity intensifies, and the Royal Hunt approaches, Nicole and Vincent find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. The three-pronged plot gains momentum, reaching a thrilling, violent, graphic conclusion, which reveals startling truths about Vincent's patronage and the potential for both extreme cruelty and friendship within the human heart.

Red Stag is wonderfully atmospheric and exotic, full of rich descriptions of wildlife and the rivers and woods of Normandy. It is beautifully written, near cinematic in its clarity, highly suspenseful, and utterly unforgettable.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! First and foremost it is a celebration of French country life. The author writes with intimate detail borne out of his own experiences in the countryside. He writes not only of the landscape, the flora and fauna but also of the people - the common folk and the wealthy land owners - who inhabit those lands, but it is more than just that. It is also a coming of age story, a love story and a murder mystery all wrapped into one delicious narrative. This will join Harry Middleton's 'The Earth Is Enough', Wendell Berry's 'A Place On Earth' and Bruce Chatwin's 'On The Black Hill' in my library's Country Life Hall of Fame.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant story and beautifully written. Truly exceptional.

This book has it all: dogs, fishing, hunting, french cooking, forbidden love, betrayal, murder - all backlit by a castle in Normandy. The ending was both gruesome and beautiful, and fulfilling.

I really don't know what to say. This book blew my mind. My favorite book of the year for sure.

[Cyndi Chauvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the writing, even though I'm not into hunting, I love nature and this man defiantly has beauty and knowledge of these subjects in his brain.
I gave 4 stars only because I didn't like how the 'love story' turned out or it would have been 5 stars. It's only a matter of opinion though.
I'm totally NOT into romance novels at all and this was called a love story but it was not the main subject of the story or over powering which I liked.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a novel.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this novel by de la Valedene, strangely felt connected to the woods of northern France although I have only experienced the same in the woods of Wisconsin. It's not an especially deft mystery, but for me the enjoyment was the immersion in French country culture, particularly the north of France that is overlooked as a setting for a story, as novelists and filmmakers seem to default their preferences to the romance of Paris and the languor of Provence.

[Bob Peru · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding! both a sporting and literary classic.

[Ami · Rating 1 out of 5]

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