SMITH'S GAZELLE

by Lionel Davidson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 9, 1971

A little fable of the new Genesis in the new Holy Land, as docile but by no means as fleet as the gazelle identified a hundred years ago by a British Lt. Smith. The gazelles (what would have been the 195th even-toed ungulate) are believed to be extinct until six are sighted in 1957 by Israel's Motke Bartov. All but one of the six die and an Arab shepherd rescues the last female in kid, hides her in a ravine, and with patience and care sees that her kind increase and multiply. Off and on there are the visits to the ravine of a little Jewish boy and a little Arab boy and God being Compassionate, they become friends. Ultimately it will be Jonathan, the Israeli youngster, who reports on the herd to Bartov who in turn attempts to bring the gazelles out of the ravine in an ultimately disastrous lift-off procedure. Until then, particularly for Mr. Davidson who can tell a strapping story if he wants to, interest is fallow indeed but the gazelles are appealing, in a way.

Pub Date: April 9, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1971

Categories: FICTION