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Penelope: A Love Story
The extraordinary true story of an injured, abandoned fawn and the man who nurses her back to health, transforming his understanding of love and erasing the barrier between humans and animals.
"This is a book drenched in tenderness and suffused with wonder. . . . Penelope is a revelation."—Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus
On a late winter evening, author Paul Bochner looked out the window of his home. A solitary fawn stood in near darkness, famished, disabled, and clearly in pain. Hobbled with a broken foot, abandoned by her mother and left to die, she had miraculously endured an exceptionally brutal winter alone in the woods.
Perhaps it was an imperative toward survival which led Penelope to his door. From that night, remaining wild and free, she returned to him daily. Each time she appeared, Bochner greeted her gently, offering food, empathy, and care, allowing her to guide the progress of their relationship. As he earned Penelope’s trust and observed the full range of her emotions, it became evident that their inner lives were more alike than might have seemed possible.
In words and photographs, Paul Bochner shares an uncommon connection of the heart, mind and spirit with a wild animal, and with it his growing respect for her and for all creatures.
Woven with the joy and pain of living, Penelope is the most unlikely of love stories, and one of the most memorable.
"This is a book drenched in tenderness and suffused with wonder. . . . Penelope is a revelation."—Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus
On a late winter evening, author Paul Bochner looked out the window of his home. A solitary fawn stood in near darkness, famished, disabled, and clearly in pain. Hobbled with a broken foot, abandoned by her mother and left to die, she had miraculously endured an exceptionally brutal winter alone in the woods.
Perhaps it was an imperative toward survival which led Penelope to his door. From that night, remaining wild and free, she returned to him daily. Each time she appeared, Bochner greeted her gently, offering food, empathy, and care, allowing her to guide the progress of their relationship. As he earned Penelope’s trust and observed the full range of her emotions, it became evident that their inner lives were more alike than might have seemed possible.
In words and photographs, Paul Bochner shares an uncommon connection of the heart, mind and spirit with a wild animal, and with it his growing respect for her and for all creatures.
Woven with the joy and pain of living, Penelope is the most unlikely of love stories, and one of the most memorable.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published October 13, 2026
About the author
Paul Bochner
8 books37 followersPaul Bochner began his professional life early, as a working musician through his mid-teens in Los Angeles, then, at age 17, moving to Montreal at the invitation of the National Film Board of Canada. He has won several international awards for his films and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in painting. He has written for The New Yorker and The Atlantic. Outside the door of his home in New York’s Hudson Valley, which he shares with his wife, Connie, is a stone with the carved words; “Our home is a safe haven that nurtures all living creatures, an eternal resting place away from harm.”
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 29, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
“Penelope” tells the story of an injured fawn who comes to Paul Bochner in need of nourishment after apparently being rejected by her mother. Written chronologically, the book follows the development of their unusual relationship while incorporating some interesting facts about white-tailed deer. Penelope’s growth becomes dependent upon Bochner’s daily feedings (he must have spent a fortune on fresh fruit including pounds of strawberries each day) and she gradually learns that he is a valuable and reliable resource. We are also introduced to several other members of the herd and their small herbivore dramas. Between accounts of feeding the deer, arranging his screenwriting schedule around their visits, and observing their interactions, Bochner reflects on trust, love, companionship, death, family, and the many other philosophical questions arising from his new routine with Penelope.
Bochner repeatedly emphasizes his desire to preserve Penelope’s status as a wild animal. He acknowledges the legal prohibitions against keeping deer as a pet and explains he’d never place a collar or leash on one except under dire circumstances such as a hurricane, and recalls initially refusing even to name Penelope for fear of humanizing her. Despite these stated intentions, however, he not only humanizes Penelope but also projects a considerable number of his own emotions, motives, and values onto her. This tendency extends beyond Penelope to nearly every animal he encounters. Bochner occasionally acknowledges that these interpretations are “beliefs” or prefaces them by saying he “thinks” an animal may feel a particular way, but many passages nevertheless exceed what can reasonably be inferred from observable behavior. For me, the result frequently crossed the line from affectionate interpretation into treacly anthropomorphism.
I was reminded of the work of animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, who does not deny that animals experience emotion, consciousness, or social awareness but cautions against assuming that they possess a human-like “theory of mind” or interpret the world through the same forms of abstraction. Her work emphasizes sensory, specific, and detail-oriented cognition rather than the human tendency to generalize and construct elaborate narratives about intention. Bochner may be correct that the deer experience jealousy, trust, or attachment, but he rarely provides enough behavioral evidence to support his more intricate claims about deception, arrogance, restraint, and self-determination. My objection was therefore not that the deer possess no inner lives, but that Bochner too often treats his interpretation of those lives as though it were established fact.
Even setting aside the extensive projection, I found portions of the book’s conclusion difficult to accept as presented. Bochner writes at one point that “for 2 1/2 hours she stared into my eyes“ and later “her associated skeletal deform quickly and smoothly corrected themselves“. Research indexed in PubMed Central states, “While deer are famous for being the only mammals that can completely regrow an entire complex organ—their antlers—every year, this remarkable power of regeneration is strictly limited to antlers and does not apply to legs or other body parts.” Penelope was already more than eight years old when Bochner asserts her fractured ankle spontaneously healed. By that age, a white-tailed deer is fully skeletally mature, making developmental correction through continued growth an inadequate explanation.
I think the book would have been stronger had Bochner veered away from some of his more cloying philosophical musings and devoted greater attention to the deer themselves, as the biological and behavioral details were among the portions I found most interesting. One of my favorite books is Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s “The Yearling,” which also features a fawn as a central character and encompasses both tenderness and tragedy. I was not seeking a retelling or modern version of “The Yearling,” and I recognize that the two books have very different purposes. Nevertheless, I would have appreciated a richer account of the forest and surrounding environment, along with more contextual information about white-tailed deer ecology, development, behavior, and herd dynamics. Those elements might have given Penelope’s story greater depth and grounded Bochner’s emotional reflections in a more substantial portrait of the natural world.
The book is heartwarming but contains enough grim material that I would hesitate to recommend it to a young child. It is also a quick read—I finished it in approximately two days—although several accounts became repetitive, and some redundant material could have been removed without sacrificing the story. That would have resulted in an even briefer book, but also a more focused and affecting one. Despite my reservations about its sentimentality, anthropomorphism, and unsupported interpretations, I remained interested in Penelope and appreciated the glimpses the book offered into the lives of white-tailed deer.
“Penelope” tells the story of an injured fawn who comes to Paul Bochner in need of nourishment after apparently being rejected by her mother. Written chronologically, the book follows the development of their unusual relationship while incorporating some interesting facts about white-tailed deer. Penelope’s growth becomes dependent upon Bochner’s daily feedings (he must have spent a fortune on fresh fruit including pounds of strawberries each day) and she gradually learns that he is a valuable and reliable resource. We are also introduced to several other members of the herd and their small herbivore dramas. Between accounts of feeding the deer, arranging his screenwriting schedule around their visits, and observing their interactions, Bochner reflects on trust, love, companionship, death, family, and the many other philosophical questions arising from his new routine with Penelope.
Bochner repeatedly emphasizes his desire to preserve Penelope’s status as a wild animal. He acknowledges the legal prohibitions against keeping deer as a pet and explains he’d never place a collar or leash on one except under dire circumstances such as a hurricane, and recalls initially refusing even to name Penelope for fear of humanizing her. Despite these stated intentions, however, he not only humanizes Penelope but also projects a considerable number of his own emotions, motives, and values onto her. This tendency extends beyond Penelope to nearly every animal he encounters. Bochner occasionally acknowledges that these interpretations are “beliefs” or prefaces them by saying he “thinks” an animal may feel a particular way, but many passages nevertheless exceed what can reasonably be inferred from observable behavior. For me, the result frequently crossed the line from affectionate interpretation into treacly anthropomorphism.
I was reminded of the work of animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, who does not deny that animals experience emotion, consciousness, or social awareness but cautions against assuming that they possess a human-like “theory of mind” or interpret the world through the same forms of abstraction. Her work emphasizes sensory, specific, and detail-oriented cognition rather than the human tendency to generalize and construct elaborate narratives about intention. Bochner may be correct that the deer experience jealousy, trust, or attachment, but he rarely provides enough behavioral evidence to support his more intricate claims about deception, arrogance, restraint, and self-determination. My objection was therefore not that the deer possess no inner lives, but that Bochner too often treats his interpretation of those lives as though it were established fact.
Even setting aside the extensive projection, I found portions of the book’s conclusion difficult to accept as presented. Bochner writes at one point that “for 2 1/2 hours she stared into my eyes“ and later “her associated skeletal deform quickly and smoothly corrected themselves“. Research indexed in PubMed Central states, “While deer are famous for being the only mammals that can completely regrow an entire complex organ—their antlers—every year, this remarkable power of regeneration is strictly limited to antlers and does not apply to legs or other body parts.” Penelope was already more than eight years old when Bochner asserts her fractured ankle spontaneously healed. By that age, a white-tailed deer is fully skeletally mature, making developmental correction through continued growth an inadequate explanation.
I think the book would have been stronger had Bochner veered away from some of his more cloying philosophical musings and devoted greater attention to the deer themselves, as the biological and behavioral details were among the portions I found most interesting. One of my favorite books is Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s “The Yearling,” which also features a fawn as a central character and encompasses both tenderness and tragedy. I was not seeking a retelling or modern version of “The Yearling,” and I recognize that the two books have very different purposes. Nevertheless, I would have appreciated a richer account of the forest and surrounding environment, along with more contextual information about white-tailed deer ecology, development, behavior, and herd dynamics. Those elements might have given Penelope’s story greater depth and grounded Bochner’s emotional reflections in a more substantial portrait of the natural world.
The book is heartwarming but contains enough grim material that I would hesitate to recommend it to a young child. It is also a quick read—I finished it in approximately two days—although several accounts became repetitive, and some redundant material could have been removed without sacrificing the story. That would have resulted in an even briefer book, but also a more focused and affecting one. Despite my reservations about its sentimentality, anthropomorphism, and unsupported interpretations, I remained interested in Penelope and appreciated the glimpses the book offered into the lives of white-tailed deer.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"I believe that love is all that matters, the one thing, and that if our lives are bereft of love, no possession, attainment, or reward can compensate or make us whole. A life suffused with love may also be burnished by reward, attainment, and possession but it does not require those to be whole."
- Paul Bochner from Penelope: A Love Story
Most of us will probably read Penelope by Paul Bochner in conversation with Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. Hare was on all the lists (for good reason) and there is obvious overlap in audience. Both are stories of wild animals who forged emotional and physical bonds with humans. But whereas Dalton's prose is beautifully spare, leaving room for the reader to come to their own interpretations and conclusions, Bochner's writing is lushly detailed and emotionally intimate. I would argue both books are about trust. The trust between human and animal. And also, the trust between writer and reader. Dalton is trusting the reader by creating breathing room. Bochner is trusting the reader by baring his soul in shatteringly honest confessions. I believe both books are stronger for the contrast between them.
Thank you to the author, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC.
- Paul Bochner from Penelope: A Love Story
Most of us will probably read Penelope by Paul Bochner in conversation with Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. Hare was on all the lists (for good reason) and there is obvious overlap in audience. Both are stories of wild animals who forged emotional and physical bonds with humans. But whereas Dalton's prose is beautifully spare, leaving room for the reader to come to their own interpretations and conclusions, Bochner's writing is lushly detailed and emotionally intimate. I would argue both books are about trust. The trust between human and animal. And also, the trust between writer and reader. Dalton is trusting the reader by creating breathing room. Bochner is trusting the reader by baring his soul in shatteringly honest confessions. I believe both books are stronger for the contrast between them.
Thank you to the author, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a mysterious love story, between Paul Bochner and a fawn, later a doe, who becomes a friend. Bochner is a film director, and his writing unfolds with the feeling of watching a movie. He befriends a young fawn with a disability, and works to make her feel at ease when she visits him in his yard. He takes time to learn her favorite apples, and to cut them up an d feed them to her, getting up early each morning to get on her schedule. Bochner speculates about why she's been abandoned by other deer, and learns a gesture of dominance used by deer to protect her.
As Bochner learns to be of service to this deer who has captured his imagination, he thinks deeply about love, mystery and connection, and these reflections form a lovely skeleton for the book. The writing is a beautiful mix of memoir, nature writing and spirituality.
As Bochner learns to be of service to this deer who has captured his imagination, he thinks deeply about love, mystery and connection, and these reflections form a lovely skeleton for the book. The writing is a beautiful mix of memoir, nature writing and spirituality.
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October 14, 2026Penelope: A Love Story is an unusual and surprisingly informative account of the bond that develops between a man and the wild deer that begins visiting his home. After an injured fawn named Penelope starts appearing in his yard, he gradually becomes her caretaker, learning about deer behavior and adapting his own routines around her visits. I enjoyed the factual side of the book and watching their relationship develop, but his attachment to Penelope occasionally crossed a line for me from endearing into something that felt almost obsessive. The more he tried to interpret her emotions and give deeper meaning to their connection, the less I connected with the book, even though I understood how much he had come to love her. It can be a little slow, but overall I liked this strange, thoughtful story more than I expected to.
October 24, 2026
The extraordinary true story of an injured, abandoned fawn and the man who nurses her back to health, transforming his understanding of love and erasing the barrier between humans and animals.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Penelope: A Love Story by Paul Bochner
This was a heartwarming story about a man who came across a young deer in his backyard who had been rejected by it's mother, and who also had left it with a badly injured leg.
Even though the deer was injured, it found solace in the author who would talk to it and feed it Apples and other good food .
The two of them created a very deep bond and would meet daily gaining trust, and enjoying each others company.
You will see how things developed over time , as they deal with brief seperations, or with other deer that live in the same territory.
A very sweet story.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a copy of this book.
This was a heartwarming story about a man who came across a young deer in his backyard who had been rejected by it's mother, and who also had left it with a badly injured leg.
Even though the deer was injured, it found solace in the author who would talk to it and feed it Apples and other good food .
The two of them created a very deep bond and would meet daily gaining trust, and enjoying each others company.
You will see how things developed over time , as they deal with brief seperations, or with other deer that live in the same territory.
A very sweet story.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a copy of this book.
October 19, 2026
A beautiful, heartfelt story told in diary form about a man who befriends one of nature’s most elegant and gentle creatures—the deer.
As a young fawn, Penelope suffers an injury that leaves her somewhat disabled. Bullied by her mother and siblings, she finds help in an unlikely place, and a beautiful friendship between human and deer unfolds.
So invested in their lives, he gives up much of his normal routine to be there for her. I laughed, I cried, and at times I was on the edge of my seat.
I learned so much about these beautiful animals and was completely drawn into their world. Any animal lover will fall in love with this story. A truly special and touching read.
As a young fawn, Penelope suffers an injury that leaves her somewhat disabled. Bullied by her mother and siblings, she finds help in an unlikely place, and a beautiful friendship between human and deer unfolds.
So invested in their lives, he gives up much of his normal routine to be there for her. I laughed, I cried, and at times I was on the edge of my seat.
I learned so much about these beautiful animals and was completely drawn into their world. Any animal lover will fall in love with this story. A truly special and touching read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I judged this book by it's cover. The photo of Penelope reminds me of a deer my mom saved and name Lily.
The amount of time and effort out into befriending this deer is amazing. It is interesting to read about how Penelope, then later her off spring, developed the relationship with Paul. He's very devoted.
I judged this book by it's cover. The photo of Penelope reminds me of a deer my mom saved and name Lily.
The amount of time and effort out into befriending this deer is amazing. It is interesting to read about how Penelope, then later her off spring, developed the relationship with Paul. He's very devoted.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This book is both heart warming and heart breaking at the same time. The writing is full and beautiful and had me standing right under that Red Maple tree along with the author and Penelope. As a animal lover you can genuinely take in and understand the relationship between this gentleman and a wild white tail deer. If you have ever had a pet who became family, this book is for you.
Thank you Crown Publishing for the early reading of this beautiful story.
Thank you Crown Publishing for the early reading of this beautiful story.
October 21, 2026
Oh my heart! PENELOPE is a wonder. It is a lyrically told, remarkable story of a man’s nurturing and befriending a wild deer. It is a heartfelt, insightful reflection on the incredible bond that can exist between humans and animals. Share this beautiful book with all the animal lovers in your life!
November 1, 2026
A sweet and tender memoir of a relationship between a man and a wild deer whose injury at a young age ostracized her from her family. The diary format is a little repetitive at times but it does illuminate how their relationship and mutual understanding evolved over time. An extraordinary story.
October 17, 2026
A beautiful told reflective account of the author's remarks relationship with a wild deer and all it opened his eyes to.
My copy was a gift from Goodreads First Reads.
My copy was a gift from Goodreads First Reads.
October 25, 2026
Best book I've read all year!
October 27, 2026
Sweet story
October 31, 2026
A disabled and disowned doe forms a bond with the author which which radiates out to her twins and siblings. Beautiful tale.
October 31, 2026
A surprisingly beautiful love story between man and animal that very tenderly addresses issues of attachment, trust, and love. I found the story to be very enriching!
November 1, 2026
Tore through it. Super interesting and compelling, if you like to hear about animals
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews